Tyler Benson – McKeen's Hockey

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – EDMONTON OILERS – Top 20 Prospects

Contributors – Brock Otten, Ethan Hetu, Arlo Schulz, Zack Szweras, Eloi Biondi — Sun, 18 Sep 2022 17:59:07 +0000

CALGARY, AB - SEPTEMBER 26: Edmonton Oilers Center Xavier Bourgault (54) and Calgary Flames Defenceman Rasmus Andersson (4) in action during the second period of an NHL game where the Calgary Flames hosted the Edmonton Oilers on September 26, 2021, at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, AB. (Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire)

1 - Xavier Bourgault C

A teammate of Stars top prospect Mavrik Bourque on the QMJHL Champion Shawinigan Cataractes, Bourgault and Bourque formed possibly the best duo in the CHL this season. They both compliment themselves perfectly on the ice. Bourgault is an amazing offensive talent who has an amazing shot as well as good passing abilities. He can open up passing and shooting lanes with his tremendous skating ability. He has very good hockey sense as he knows where to always position himself on the ice. A lot of people were questioning Oilers GM Ken Holland's decision to pick Bourgault ahead of goaltender Jesper Wallstedt, but the early returns suggest that the Oilers got an amazing player in Xavier Bourgault that could fit amazingly well on a line with (possibly) Leon Draisaitl or Connor McDavid in the future (depending on what position he settles into as a pro). Speaking of which, Bourgault will start his pro career this season, likely in Bakersfield of the AHL. Depending on how he performs, he should move relatively quickly through the Oilers’ system and could even earn a look as early as this year. He has top six potential. - EB

2 - Philip Broberg D

The Edmonton Oilers selected Broberg with the 8^th overall pick of the 2019 NHL draft. He has quietly worked his way onto the NHL roster, playing a semi-regular role in their defensive rotation. After his draft year, Broberg spent the next couple of seasons playing in the SHL, where he produced 8 and 13 points over his next two regular seasons. While his offensive game may not have stood out in the SHL, he was able to harness his athleticism and raw tools to turn into more of a complete player. Standing at 6’3”, Broberg is a smooth skater with a fluid stride. He uses his silky stride to quickly transition pucks from his own end into the offensive zone. When defending, he exudes confidence and is not afraid to establish physicality and play aggressively. This past season, Broberg transitioned to North America and earned a role with Edmonton’s AHL team, the Bakersfield Condors, playing mostly in the top-four. While playing for Bakersfield, Broberg focused on improving his offensive game, making better decisions, reading plays earlier and setting up his teammates. He finished his AHL stint with 23 points in 31 games before getting the call-up to the NHL. Broberg played more sheltered minutes up with the Oilers, focusing on his defensive and transition games. He finished the year playing 23 NHL games, producing 3 points. Broberg will look to add to his NHL career and fight for a spot on the blueline in training camp. Whether the points are there or not, he should be able to establish himself as a top-six defender for the Oilers based on his defensive and transition play alone. - ZS

3 - Dylan Holloway C

A wrist injury delayed the start to Holloway’s pro debut this year, but his first season in the AHL was still a success. With each passing month for Bakersfield, his confidence grew and, as such, his production improved. There was some initial thought that Holloway would jump straight to the NHL from the University of Wisconsin, but the wrist injury he suffered caused Edmonton to take a more patient approach with him. He is a prototypical power winger. His skating ability is a major strength as his straight-line speed is terrific for a player of his size. Holloway also revels in the opportunity to play the body. He does not play around defenders; he plays through them. Over the course of his NCAA career, he developed into a top-notch defensive forward, too. The million-dollar question has always been, how effective will Holloway be as an offensive player at the NHL level? He is not an overly creative player, even if he has good hands. He finishes well in tight and can find his way to the net, but he does not own an upper echelon shot. In all, Holloway probably profiles best as a complementary piece on a scoring line who can clear space, play with pace, and support his linemates off the puck. It just so happens that Connor McDavid could use someone like that on his flank. This season, there is a chance that Holloway cracks camp with Edmonton as a bottom six player and from there, he should slowly develop into a quality, all situations winger for the Oilers. - BO

4 - Carter Savoie LW

The Denver Pioneers were the 2022 champions of NCAA Men’s Hockey, and Carter Savoie was a major reason why. Savoie was a fourth-round pick at the 2020 NHL draft and is the brother of Buffalo Sabres prospect Matthew Savoie, the eighth overall pick at the 2022 NHL draft. Savoie is a five-foot-nine winger who scored at a goal-per-game rate in the AJHL. Upon coming to Denver, Savoie made an immediate goal-scoring impact, and his abilities as a sniper became even more clear as a sophomore when he potted 23 goals in 39 games playing next to Flyer’s prospect Bobby Brink. While Brink did much of the chance creation for Savoie, Savoie’s exceptional ability as a triggerman made that line click as well as it did. Savoie’s shot is good enough to allow him to be a scoring threat from the perimeter, and he often got himself into the right place at the right time. Like Brink, though, Savoie doesn’t skate as well as you’d want for an undersized player, and he doesn’t offer the same level of play-driving offensive generation as Brink. Ultimately, though, putting the puck into the net is still an extremely difficult thing to do, and Savoie has done that exceptionally well wherever he’s been. It’s possible that Savoie’s lack of tools outside of his shot keeps him from having an NHL impact, but if he can get a chance in the future to stick with one of the Oilers’ top playmakers, he could surprise a lot of people. He’s a goal-scorer, and there is always room for pure goal-scorers in the NHL. He’ll have to prove he can remain a top-flight sniper at the AHL level first, though. - EH

5 - Raphael Lavoie RW

The big winger is coming off of his first full pro season with Bakersfield after playing in Sweden for the majority of the pandemic. At this point, consistency remains an issue for Lavoie. He has significant potential as a goal scorer. He has a strong wrist shot, a quick release, and good scoring instincts. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s 6’4 and can protect the puck well from defenders with his reach and frame. However, some of the things that prevented him from becoming an elite QMJHL player also prevented him from becoming a reliable offensive contributor for Bakersfield last year. His skating and pace of play still needs to improve. He needs to use his size more away from the puck to win jousts and to get himself clean looks. Overall, his physical intensity level just needs to be higher. However, as stated, Lavoie does have top six potential as a complementary goal scorer. Patience will be key for Edmonton as they wait for him to improve and become a more consistent player. He will return to Bakersfield this coming season and should be given an opportunity to be a top six player with significant powerplay time. The key for Lavoie will be to outplay some of the standout forward prospects turning pro this year, as competition for ice time will be fierce. - BO

6 - Dmitri Samorukov D

The Oilers have definitely had to be patient with Samorukov. Drafted as a bit of a project out of the OHL, he has slowly emerged as one of the team’s top defensive prospects. First, it was in the OHL where he improved to the point of being one of the league’s best defenders, helping the Guelph Storm capture an OHL Championship in 2019. However, after an up and down first pro year, Samorukov returned to Russia to play in the KHL during the pandemic. Last season, he returned to Bakersfield to become one of the team’s top defenders. As a pro, his offensive production has not been terrific, as his offensive skills have not translated quite as well as some may have anticipated. However, he has stabilized his defensive approach to become very reliable in the defensive end. He plays with physicality. He is aggressive in taking away space. He can initiate the breakout and skate the puck out of trouble. Let us not forget that it took some time for Samorukov to become an offensive standout in the OHL too. This coming season he might have the inside track at a third pairing role with the main club in Edmonton. At the very least, he should be one of the team’s top injury call ups. He is close, very close, to realizing his potential as a second or third pairing defender for the Oilers. - BO

7 - Reid Schaefer LW

A late bloomer of sorts, Schaefer was six days too young for the 2021 draft which worked out to his advantage as he likely would have gone undrafted. Instead, a third season in junior with the Silvertips saw Schaefer break out with 32 goals to go with 88 penalty minutes, establishing himself as a budding power forward, before being selected by his hometown Oilers with the final pick of the first round in 2022. Schaefer skates well for a big man although it will never be a strength of his. His bread and butter is his physical play, as he protects the puck well and won’t be beaten along the boards and on the cycle. His shot release is also a weapon and will result in a lot of goals at every level simply by going to the right places and letting the puck find him long enough to get the shot off. Schaefer doesn’t carry the puck well and frankly isn’t an asset to his team with it on his stick, unless it’s to shoot. He does display decent awareness and hockey sense, which has led to some penalty-kill usage, and can make routine plays to teammates off the cycle but struggles in zone exits and in transition. It will be interesting to see what the future looks like for players like Schaefer in the NHL, which seems to be trending towards more transitional play and prioritizing speed. He is a long-term project and will need time to work on his skating, puck skills, and executing at a high tempo. Expect at least another year of junior in 2022-23, with the possibility of staying in the WHL for his overage year followed by some AHL seasoning. - AS

8 - Matvei Petrov LW

Heading into the 2021 NHL Draft, Petrov was highly hyped as one of the better Russian prospects available, but a poor showing in the MHL caused him to fall to the 6th round, where Edmonton selected him. A year later and that looks like an excellent selection as he exploded as a first-year player with the North Bay Battalion of the OHL. He exceeded all expectations to become one of the league’s best goal scorers as a 19-year-old. Petrov is a gifted scorer. Not only can he rip one-timers working the area near the wall on the powerplay, but he also owns a powerful and deceptive wrist shot that he uses when pressured. Even more surprising (based on his MHL play previously), Petrov showed well as a playmaker too, with especially good vision coming off the wall and when carrying in transition. Offensively, he has proven to be a player with few weaknesses. Away from the puck, is another story. Heading back to the OHL again this coming season, the Oilers will be looking for Petrov to improve his commitment to playing a 200-foot game, in addition to being more consistently involved and engaged physically. With another good CHL season, he could really vault himself up prospect rankings. He looks like a potential future contributor in a top six role for the Oilers. - BO

9 - Stuart Skinner G

In 2018, Stuart Skinner backstopped the Swift Current Broncos to a WHL Championship, emerging as a quality goaltending prospect. Since then…it has been quite a ride. A year in the ECHL, a few in the AHL. Skinner initially struggled at the pro level and there was some concern that he was not improving. However, he took a step forward in 2021 and then another last season. With his strong play in Bakersfield, he earned a look with Edmonton where he was largely terrific. There is a reason why it is stated that goaltenders take longer to develop. Now on the cusp of his 24th birthday, Skinner is poised to be the full time back up in Edmonton (behind the newly signed Jack Campbell). For the 6’4 netminder, his professional odds have always been staked to his ability to improve his athleticism and quickness. Over his pro career, Skinner has done that. He will never be confused with Dominik Hasek, but Skinner has worked hard to become quicker post to post to help him take greater advantage of his size and to help him track the play better. He squares to shooters well, controls rebounds, and makes the saves that he needs to make to keep his team in games. It is unknown whether Skinner has the potential to be a true number one netminder in the NHL, however, more will be known based on his performance this year. - BO

10 - Ty Tullio RW

Last season didn’t quite go according to plan for the Oshawa Generals, especially in the second half where they struggled mightily. However, one constant was the play of Ty Tullio. His final year in the OHL was a very positive one. It is hard not to notice Tullio on the ice. He involves himself in all aspects of the play, constantly working to get himself open, to earn touches, or to reacquire the puck for Oshawa. He’s not huge, but his compete level is very high. His best assets might be his release and his hands in tight, something that could make him a solid complementary goal scorer at the next level. As he turns pro this season with Bakersfield, the focus will be on Tullio to continue to get quicker and for him to build up strength. To play his game effectively at the pro level, he will need to be one of the stronger guys on the ice. Look for Edmonton to ease him into responsibility at the pro level. He probably starts in an energy role in the bottom six next year before moving up the lineup in his second/third pro seasons. If all goes according to plan, he could be a solid middle six option in the future and a possible fan favorite in Edmonton. - BO

11 - Tyler Benson

This is a make-or-break season for Benson in the Oilers organization. The former WHL star and playmaking winger has proven to be a standout at the AHL level but has yet to transfer that ability to the NHL level.

12 - Ryan Fanti

The Oilers signed Fanti as a free agent after a standout season with the University of Minnesota-Duluth. The 6’3 netminder may end up in the ECHL this year thanks to the Oilers' pro depth in net.

13 - Markus Niemelainen

Niemelainen has always been an intriguing prospect because of his massive frame (6’6) and strong skating ability on the back end. It has taken some time for him to find a true role, but he seems to have settled into being a defensive first player and could be a depth piece for Edmonton this year.

14 - Olivier Rodrigue

The former QMJHL standout has struggled in his first two pro seasons. Rodrigue is an extremely athletic netminder, but he has struggled with his consistency and play tracking at the AHL level. He is likely playing for a QO this season.

15 - Maxim Beryozkin

Beryozkin has among the highest offensive upsides of any forward in the Oilers’ system currently. He will need to prove that he can score above the KHL level.

16 - Luca Munzenberger

The big and physical German defender is entering his sophomore season at the University of Vermont. His upside is limited, but he could develop into a third pairing stay at home type down the line.

17 - Joel Maatta

A teammate of Munzenberger’s at Vermont, Maatta is a pure defensive center who projects as a lockdown 4th liner and penalty killer. Edmonton will want to see more offense from him at the NCAA level.

18 - Michael Kesselring

The mobile defender with size is similar to Markus Niemelainen in that he skates well for a larger blueliner, but his future NHL projection is fairly murky. A few more years at the AHL level should give Edmonton an indication of a potential future role.

19 - Phil Kemp

Yet another defense first defender, Kemp is a little less athletic than the guys ranked ahead of him but is a little more composed. He played well for Bakersfield last season.

20 - James Hamblin

A nice surprise at the AHL level last season, Hamblin finished second in goals for the Condors. The former free agent signing out of the WHL is not the biggest or the quickest, but he has progressed well.

2021-22 TOP 15 PROSPECTS: EDMONTON OILERS – RANK: #11 – TIER III

McKeen's Hockey — Fri, 10 Sep 2021 16:03:14 +0000

Edmonton Oilers

#11 Edmonton - Much like their NHL club, the Oilers' system is very strong up top, and thins out far too quickly.

MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 11: Look on Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard (75) at warm-up before the Edmonton Oilers versus the Montreal Canadiens game on February 11, 2021, at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire)

Philip Broberg

The expectations are high for Philip Broberg, the 8^th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft, but his last season did not scream “NHL ready.” Broberg has struggled throughout the last year with Skelleftea AIK in the SHL. His ice time dropped significantly after a promising start and his statistics were not great either. Broberg has very good offensive skills and his skating is absolutely exceptional, especially for a guy of his size (6-3”, 203 lbs). Although there are positives in his game, he did not look great with Skelleftea at all. Broberg was prone to make mistakes, mainly in his own defensive end. He finished the year with 13 points (3+10) in 44 SHL games, but also captained the Swedish U20 team at the World Junior Championships.

He is exactly a player who would benefit from coming to North America. Philip Broberg is a big (although not very physical) guy who skates extremely well; someone whose game will look a lot better on the smaller ice. He still has a lot of potential and there are things to like about his game, but the Oilers should not rush him to the NHL, even though their defense wouldn't mind some help. All in all, Broberg has the ability to become a top four defenseman if he can harness his raw abilities, even though he is a really divisive prospect. - MD

Evan Bouchard

After starting last year playing in the Allsvenskan (Swedish second tier), Bouchard returned to the NHL where his playing time was incredibly inconsistent. As an NHL Rookie, Bouchard did remain with the Oilers for the entire year, but he spent long stretches as an NHL scratch, leaving many to ponder how that was best for his development. When he did play, Bouchard saw time anchoring the Oilers’ second powerplay unit and was given some chances to showcase his puck moving ability.

The two keys to Bouchard’s development have always been his ability to improve his mobility/quickness, in addition to his ability to take away space from attackers in the defensive end. His four-way quickness and overall skating ability has definitely improved from his time with the London Knights. However, he is still working hard to bring his defensive game up to par, in addition to gaining the confidence with the puck to unlock his offensive potential. While Edmonton did resign Tyson Barrie and bring in other other veteran defenders, Bouchard still figures to be a permanent fixture in the lineup this season and will be brought along slowly, allowing him to build confidence so that he can eventually develop into a top four defender for the Oilers in the next few years. - BO

Dylan Holloway

An NHL-style North-South power winger, Holloway showed significant improvement in his second (and final) season with Wisconsin, although he looked more like his older, out-of-control, flying-by-the-seat-of-his-pants presence during his run with Team Canada at the WJC. He has since turned pro, and we have a pretty good grasp on what his ceiling and floor each look like. At his worst, he is a very strong skater, plays to (hard) contact, and is a bear to defend against. You could throw that player on an NHL third line tomorrow, and he would be effective. Maybe a little penalty prone, although he kept that issue in check last season, but he will make your attack deeper and his high motor forechecking would help to tenderize the defense. Not a superstar, but a positive contributor.

At his best, he does all of the above, but keeps to the right side of the law, and leads more cycle attacks, driving possessions with multiple scoring chances per shift, and personally scoring at a clear top six rate. Still not a superstar, but a star. Capable of playing both center and left wing, Holloway could break camp with Edmonton if they want to develop him on the wing and grow into middle six minutes this year. If the Oilers prefer his future down the middle, a year on the farm would be advisable. Used correctly, Holloway could be instrumental in helping Edmonton get to the next level as a team. - RW

Xavier Bourgault

An extremely well-rounded offensive player, Bourgault finished second to his center (and Dallas Stars first round selection) Mavrik Bourque on Shawinigan in points per game with 1.38. However, his 20 goals in 29 games did lead the team and was one of the highest goals per game rates in the QMJHL. A versatile forward who can play both center and wing, Bourgault is both highly skilled and highly intelligent. A magician with the puck, he can create scoring chances for himself or for his linemates, with the ability to beat defenders one on one and routinely come away with the puck in 50/50 battles.

A slighter forward (at 172lbs), Bourgault could definitely be more effective in his own zone with some added strength and increased physicality. Additionally, by adding more muscle, Bourgault would be harder to knock off the puck in the offensive zone too. At times, he does not secure the puck as well as he should, opting to extend his stick too far, allowing defenders to angle him off the corner. Whether you believe he is a center long term or sticks on the wing as he has played in Shawinigan later in the year, Bourgault does profile as a top six forward because of his well-rounded skill set. Depending on how his game develops further, this could be as a prime-time facilitator or as more of a complementary, support piece. His versatility was an attractive characteristic to the Oilers who look to support their star forwardS McDavid and Draisaitl. - McKeen’s Draft Guide 2021

Raphael Lavoie

After four strong QMJHL seasons and a performance for Canada at the World Junior Championships, the big winger started his pro journey in 2020/21. What a year to start that. Due to the pandemic, Lavoie actually secured a loan in Sweden with Vasby of the Allsvenskan to start the year. He performed very well in the second-tier Swedish men’s league, leading Vasby in scoring by a significant margin and his 23 goals were tied for fifth in the entire league. Following the conclusion of the Swedish season, he joined Bakersfield of the AHL with mixed results.

The key for Lavoie has always been an ability to find a consistent motor. A strong skater for a bigger winger, he has always gone through bouts of inconsistency because he stops moving his feet and his physical intensity wavers. Armed with a big shot and strong puck protection skills, he is at his best when he drives the net consistently and can get himself near the crease. Lavoie will play the entire year in the AHL this season, in all likelihood, as he tries to establish himself as a consistent top six scoring threat. From there, he could secure a top six spot on the Oilers and has the chance to be a consistent 20 goal scorer for the team down the line. - BO

Ryan McLeod

After a difficult first pro season with Bakersfield two seasons ago, McLeod was the breakout star of the Oilers’ system this past year, in his sophomore pro campaign. McLeod averaged a point per game for the Condors, earning a late season NHL call up that also saw McLeod play in Edmonton’s first round series loss to Winnipeg. While his offensive responsibilities and production were limited, McLeod did play good minutes for the Oilers on the penalty kill, bringing energy and pace to the lineup.

Entering the pro ranks from the OHL, McLeod was deemed a project. He had the combination of size and quickness that you look for in an NHL center these days. His skill and playmaking ability were never questioned. However, the consistency of his engagement level left some to be desired, preventing him from being the kind of dominant OHL player that he could have been. This past season in Bakersfield, McLeod finally figured out how to tap into his vast skill set to be an impactful player at both ends and it has made him a serious candidate to be a permanent Edmonton Oiler as early as next season. He projects as a solid two-way, middle six forward who can play in all situations. - BO

Carter Savoie

A somewhat divisive prospect in his draft year in the AJHL, Savoie was an offensive powerhouse with Sherwood Park, leading the league in goals with 10 red lights separating him from the runner-up. No one argued about his ability to put the puck in the net, but there was no shortage of skeptics who had concerns about his dedication away from the puck, and his size/speed combo. He hasn’t really grown physically in the last year, and his skating is still not exactly a strong point in his game, but his aforementioned ability of putting the puck in the net is still there, as he scored a very impressive 13 times in 24 games for the Denver Pioneers as a freshman, leading the team by five.

He is not the perfect player, but his brand of hockey is more than effective enough to have been well worth the 4^th round pick used on him by Edmonton. The Oilers should be in no rush to get him away from campus, as the more well-rounded his game becomes, the more effective he will be once he does move forward with his career. He needs to improve his play at even strength (half of his points came on the power play as a freshman) and grow more comfortable using his linemates. If everything works out, he could turn out as a Michael Cammalleri type player. - RW

Tyler Benson

It’s been a strange road for the former 1^st overall bantam pick, who took his talents to Switzerland last season for a 15-game stint amid the pandemic, before returning to North America for a third season in the AHL, where he managed a point per game. Through all of that, however, he didn’t get a sniff of the NHL. Benson is already 23 but has fought a myriad of injuries over his career thus far, leaving many to wonder exactly how much untapped upside remains for the former highly touted prospect.

The biggest concern besides durability, is his skating. Benson has sluggish feet and doesn’t move as well as one would like, but he does possess fantastic vision along with some grit and is aware defensively, which could be his ticket to eventually becoming a bottom-six player in the NHL as a late-bloomer. He signed a one-year two-way extension with the Oilers organization this summer and will have his work cut out to crack the team, which added depth up front and may not have as many available roster spots in training camp. It is certainly a make-it-or-break-it year of sorts for the winger, who is relishing the opportunity to make the jump to the NHL and show he belongs. Time will tell. - AS

Ilya Konovalov

Last season started poorly for Konovalov even before it began. During the offseason the new Lokomotiv coach brought his favorite goalie with him (former NA pro Eddie Pasquale). This left Konovalov as a backup with a rather limited number of starts. He did not play poorly during the season, however he was also never really given an actual opportunity to start the way he did the two years prior.

Given the situation last year, it was not surprising to see that Konovalov had signed with the Oilers as soon as possible after the KHL season had ended. Given the step back last season, he needs to be getting as many starts as possible this season and the Oilers' system should be good in that way. In general, in the case of Konovalov we have an effective goalie in terms of technique, however given his lack of size, his rebound control and ability to fight through traffic need to be improved. As he is a smaller goalie, he may not have the potential to be a starting netminder in the NHL, even if his performance to date has been strong. This season should tell us more about his potential. - VF

Dmitri Samorukov

A former standout with the Guelph Storm of the OHL, Samorukov is coming off of an excellent season in the KHL with CSKA Moskva after being loaned there by the Oilers for 2020/21. His +24 rating was the best in the KHL by any U22 player...and by a large margin. His offensive production tapered off towards the end of the season and he suffered a minor shoulder injury that put an early end to his season, but it was still a great year for his development.

Samorukov has always stood out because of his well-rounded, two-way skill set. He skates well. He moves the puck well. He has good defensive instincts and can play a physical game. He has a cannon of a point shot. There is a lot to like and a lot that would suggest Samorukov can develop into a quality second pairing defender for the Oilers. The question has always been about whether his offensive talent can truly stand out at the NHL level, or whether he profiles as more of a stay-at-home blueliner. With Evan Bouchard likely with the Oilers full time this season, the door should be open for Samorukov to receive top pairing ice time in the AHL, including powerplay time. This should give the Oilers a better indication of how close he is to the NHL level and how high his ceiling is. - BO

Stuart Skinner

The competition in Bakersfield is about to get intense, with Konovalov entering the fold this year. However, Skinner performed well in the AHL last season and has given himself a leg up on the previously more highly regarded Olivier Rodrigue. The former third rounder looks like he could develop to at least become a quality back-up for the Oilers in the future.

Tyler Tullio

It will be great for Tullio to return to the OHL this season, where he should be a go-to point producer for the Oshawa Generals. The competitive and determined winger needs to show that he can be more than a supportive piece; that he can create his own chances with pace and improve his play with the puck.

Cooper Marody

The time is now for Marody to secure a roster spot on the Oilers as he is out of options and will need to pass through waivers to go to the AHL this season. After three strong AHL seasons, the talented pivot will compete for a bottom six spot.

Olivier Rodrigue

The transition from the CHL to the AHL can be a difficult one for goaltenders. Shooters are more precise. The action moves quicker. Overall, Rodrigue’s first season in Bakersfield did not go extremely well. However, the athletic former second rounder is still a potential NHL netminder. Patience is a virtue when it comes to developing goalies.

William Lagesson

The blueline in Edmonton is looking pretty crowded at this point, so the 25-year-old Swedish defender has his work cut out for him to earn a spot this year. However, the physical two-way defenseman does have the ability to be a third pairing type, whether that is with Edmonton remains to be seen.

Oh, Canada: Lucic Lives (CGY), Caufield’s Limbo (MTL), McLeod Gets The Call (EDM), Norrris Catching Fire (OTT), Foligno’s Welcome (TOR), Canucks Battle Through (VAN) and Wheelers Return (WPG)

Jeff Veillette — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 15:10:55 +0000

Welcome back to Oh, Canada – your favourite weekly column covering the NHL’s North Division. To our Ontario readers, please note that we are not responsible for anything that happens should you decide to read this column at a picnic table, tennis court, golf course, or skate park. With that out of the way, let’s dig in!

Calgary Flames – Lucic Lives

While he might not be playing up to his prime years in Boston, Milan Lucic deserves a fair bit of kudos for how this season has unfolded for him. Through 45 games, the soon to be 33-year-old vet has quietly put up one of his best seasons in quite some time.

His eight goals in that time span put him on pace for about 15 in a full 82 game season – which would be his best total since 2016/17. His 1.8 points per hour at 5v5 represent his highest rate since 2015/16, and ranks him fourth among Calgary forwards, ahead of even Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau. Evolving Hockey’s Goals Above Replacement model has him as their fourth most significant contributor up front overall as well, indicating that it’s more than just points where he’s contributing.

It’s a pleasant surprise for a player who, while still not exactly shrewdly paid, is no longer in the “worst contract in hockey” hunt. He’s a player that the Flames have looked to for leadership, particularly since the coaching change, and one who had a lot of respect shown to him when he played in his 1000^th game last week. To be able to shake off a low point in one’s career and find new purpose is commendable, and all signs point to that being the direction Lucic has gone.

Edmonton Oilers – McLeod Gets The Call

When Ken Holland said at the trade deadline that the Oilers didn’t make a splash because they hoped to look within the organization for support, sharper minds in Edmonton gave the “well, we’re waiting” shrug. After all, the Bakersfield Condors have had their share of success in their Pacific Division regional bubble, going 18-10-0-1 through 29 games with a +25-goal differential, and much of that success has come from their younger talent. Their top three point-getters are all 24 or younger, and all above the point-per-game mark.

While Cooper Marody and Tyler Benson will have to wait for their opportunities, Ryan McLeod got the call up to the big club on Monday. McLeod is the youngest of the three, a 21-year-old who was drafted by Edmonton with a 2^nd round pick in 2018. The brother of Michael in New Jersey, Ryan had a similar OHL journey which was mostly spent in his hometown of Mississauga, with a late stop in Saginaw in 2019. Since then, he’s shown steady progress in the pros, producing at half a point per game in his rookie AHL season before picking up 11 points in 15 games in Switzerland to start this season, followed by 14 goals and as many assists in 28 games with the Condors this year.

For a scouting report on him, a great place to look would be our own 2020/21 Yearbook, which provides this from Tom Dorsa: “A plus skater, McLeod likes to drive through defenders or use his long reach to pass around them in tight spaces, though he lacks urgency on offense. Smart and anticipatory on defense, he intercepts passes, makes easy changes on defensive assignments, and directs traffic up top in the defensive zone like a seasoned pro.”

BROSSARD, QC - JUNE 26: Look on Montreal Canadiens right wing Cole Caufield (36) during the Montreal Canadiens Development Camp on June 26, 2019, at Bell Sports Complex in Brossard, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire)

Montreal Canadiens – Caufield’s Limbo

Habs fans are beyond excited for Cole Caufield, and if we’re being honest, it’s hard to blame them. The 20-year-old just came off an unbelievable season with the University of Wisconsin Badgers, where he scored 30 goals and 52 points in just 31 games and won the Hobey Baker Award as the nation’s best player. The Canadiens hoped to ease him up the ranks by starting him with the Laval Rocket, but after picking up four points in his first two games, including three goals, the calls for an NHL look became too loud to ignore. Last Friday, the Canadiens caved and called him up to the NHL. Sort of.

You see, Caufield is in a weird spot right now, joining the team’s taxi squad but still waiting for a full-on assignment to the main roster. The move allows him to work with the NHL staff, and get used to his soon-to-be teammates in practice, but doesn’t make him an option for games. This is due to Montreal’s proximity to the cap ceiling, and their proximity to the post deadline four-player recall limit. The team has already used three of their four call ups, and the only route to fitting Caufield under the cap would involve sending a player to the taxi squad, meaning that whoever he replaces can no longer be called up.

The Habs would have to be certain that Caufield was their guy for the rest of the regular season, and that they were content with losing whoever he replaces for that stretch. While their playoff spot remains likely, and Caufield looks like he could have an instant NHL impact, it’s a staunch risk for a team tied up at the edges. Caufield’s best hope for the time being comes in the form of an injury, which would create an opportunity for an emergency recall. In the meantime, he can continue working with the NHL staff or be sent back to Laval for more ice time – there are two opportunities for that against Belleville this weekend.

OTTAWA, ON - JANUARY 16: Ottawa Senators Center Josh Norris (9) skates during the second period of the NHL game between the Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs on January 16, 2021 at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Steven Kingsman/Icon Sportswire)

Ottawa Senators – Norris Catching Fire

When the Senators made the infamous “six assets” trade with the San Jose Sharks to move Erik Karlsson in 2018, there was a fair bit of doubt that it would work out for them – a bet on quantity over quality, if you will. In some respects, that’s proven true – Rudolfs Balcers made his way back to San Jose, Chris Tierney has been useful but not game-breaking, and similar could be said to an extent for Dylan DeMelo, who was flipped for a third-round pick after a year and a half of time spent in the nation’s capital. But two parts of this deal have gone very right for the Sens.

The first is obvious – the Sharks have seen their window shut with force, and that led to Ottawa’s ability to draft Tim Stutzle last year. The other is a bit more of a surprise, though, and that’s Josh Norris. Drafted by the Sharks with the 19^th overall pick in 2017, Norris’ college numbers at the time were fine but not dominant. Since going pro, though, there’s been a lot more reason for optimism there. Norris had already surprised with a 61 point in 56 game season in the AHL this year, but it seems that his scoring touch has quickly translated to the big leagues as well.

Through 47 games, Norris has picked up 13 goals and 30 points, ranking him third among rookies in both categories. He’s done this while keeping in line with the rest of the team in terms of shot attempt differential and a pretty pedestrian 7.5% on-ice shooting percentage. Sens fans will also point out that these totals have been helped by a spectacular boom over the past month and change – since March 15^th, Norris has put up 8 goals and 15 points in 16 games. Needless to say, there might be some found money in this player after all.

Toronto Maple Leafs – Foligno’s Welcome

After the Maple Leafs made several big splashes at the Trade Deadline, fans in Toronto were full of excitement for what was next to come. In particular, hopes were high for Columbus forward acquisition Nick Foligno, who had to first undergo a seven-day quarantine before joining the team.

What no one expected was that Foligno’s entrance would look like Troy Barnes from Community, holding pizza as the room burns. The Leafs headed into his Blue and White debut having lost five consecutive games, including a pair to the sixth-place Canucks. Much of that came as a result of puck luck, with Toronto controlling play but not getting the goals or saves they needed, but it didn’t make the environment any less tense.

To Foligno’s credit, he made the best of it and helped turned the tide. He opened Thursday by donning one of his Dad’s old Leafs Starter hats, and he finished it with a contribution to a 5-3 slump busting victory for his new team. Foligno ended the night with a shot on goal, three hits, 16:12 of ice time, and a good first impression to make on your new teammates – opting to pass to Mitch Marner with an empty net opportunity, making his first point with the team an assist instead of a goal. What his final impact with the team remains to be seen, it’s a start that most will be happy with.

Vancouver Canucks – Battling Through

The Vancouver Canucks are in one of the most unenviable positions that I’ve ever seen a pro sports team undergo. Nearly a month after the bulk of their NHL roster was infected with COVID-19, the team returned to the ice against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday. Against all odds, figurative and literal, the team opened their return with back-to-back wins against the top team in the division.

Now, did they look like a team in control of those games? No, not really. Toronto had the obvious edges in everything from shot attempts, to scoring chances, to expected goals, to the eye test of “wow, these guys have the puck all the time”, which makes sense given both the typical roster disparity between the two teams and the health circumstances. But Braden Holtby had his best two games as a Canuck – arguably his two best of his career – and Toronto’s goaltenders weren’t as equal to the task. That’s not to say it was all luck, though. Vancouver’s players still had to believe they were in those games to get within striking distance, several of their regulars had to play huge minutes to make up for the influx of reserves, and Bo Horvat had about as determined of a first game as you’ll ever see, culminating in the OT winner.

The mix of momentum and fortune did hit a wall on Thursday, as the Canucks fell 3-0 to the Ottawa Senators in a game that they were never really in. There’s also still the question of why J.T. Miller had to essentially call out the league in a media availability to get the team’s initial return date pushed back, and there’s also the huge question of how well everyone’s bodies will hold off once the first few days of energy slip away. But for a pair of nights, the Canucks earned a lot of deserved respect from the hockey world in what has been an otherwise nightmarish season.

Winnipeg Jets – Wheeler returns

Three weeks ago, we touched on Jets captain Blake Wheeler and his potential need to take a break from the Winnipeg lineup, despite barely missing any games in the past decade or so with the organization. Wheeler had left his previous game early with an unknown injury, and it was up in the air whether he’d draw in for the Jets’ April 2^nd game against the Maple Leafs.

He did do just that, playing 15:05 against Toronto, and even played in the following game against the Senators. But late in the second period of that second game, Wheeler was hit by Senators forward Brady Tkachuk, leading to a concussion. That was enough to finally shut down Wheeler for the six games that followed. Winnipeg fared well without their leader, all things considered, closing that game with a win and going 4-2 with him out of the lineup.

The Jets would lose their Thursday night matchup against the Maple Leafs, but they did get wheeler back. The 34-year-old logged 19:43 of ice time and picked up the primary assist on Kyle Connor’s second period goal, which put the Jets within striking distance of a comeback, but ultimately was not enough. While no one hopes for a head injury of any kind, one can hope for Wheeler’s sake that the recovery time helped him catch up on some of his other ailments that have been bugging him throughout the season.

SEATTLE KRAKEN EXPANSION DRAFT: Prospects to Target – Part Two – Forwards

Brock Otten — Thu, 25 Feb 2021 20:49:20 +0000

It has been four years since the Vegas Golden Knights joined the National Hockey League through expansion. Through the expansion draft process, the Golden Knights balanced their initial lineup by selecting both veterans and youth, with a focus on team speed and competitiveness. Masterfully constructed, Vegas ended up winning the Pacific division and reaching the Stanley Cup finals in their inaugural season (2017-18).

Later this year, the Seattle Kraken will officially become the 32nd NHL franchise when they select their team through their expansion draft. July 17 is the date set for NHL teams to submit their protected lists (with Vegas being exempt) and July 21 is the date set for the expansion draft itself. Of course, these dates could change depending on how the NHL season finishes up in the midst of a global pandemic. However, as of right now, that is when we will find out who will be wearing that Kraken jersey to start the 2021-22 season.

Naturally, Seattle general manager Ron Francis, assistant general manager Jason Botterill, and director of player personnel Norm Maciver will be aiming to replicate the success that Vegas had (and has continued to have). They have to reach the salary floor with their selections, so they will be choosing some veterans (or trading for/signing some) to lead this group. However, much like Vegas, they will be looking to swing for the fences with some selections, by opting for a few young, unestablished players. This article aims to highlight some of the prospects who could be (and are likely to be) left unprotected by their NHL teams come July. The focus is on players who have yet to truly establish themselves as NHL players. The list will be organized by position and published in two parts. This is the second feature on the forwards. Part one can be found by linking here.

FORWARDS

Rasmus Asplund - Buffalo Sabres

A strong two-way center, Asplund has had a hard time breaking through with the Sabres to become a full time NHL player. Even this year, he has seen time on the Sabres roster, on the taxi squad, and in the AHL with Rochester. He could certainly be a potential bottom six center target for the Kraken.

Morgan Geekie - Carolina Hurricanes

A big forward, Geekie has broken through as a full time NHL player to start the 2021 season after a successful cup of coffee last year. Playing on the fourth line and the powerplay, Geekie has yet to hit the score sheet this year. However, given Carolina’s forward depth, it seems unlikely that they will be able to protect him.

Kevin Stenlund - Columbus Blue Jackets

If there is one forward on this list that I see possibly being protected, it is Stenlund. He has proven himself to be a quality NHL forward after a half a season last year and a hot start this year. The question is, if Stenlund is protected, it means someone like Max Domi, Boone Jenner, or the injured Gustav Nyquist will not be. Columbus could also try to work out a deal with Seattle to make sure that they leave Stenlund be.

Henrik Borgstrom - Florida Panthers

At this point, Borgstrom is probably a candidate for a change of scenery. The former University of Denver star got off to a good start in his pro career, but he has been unable to take that next step, with last year being a clear step backwards. As such, the Panthers loaned him to HIFK for the year. A talented playmaker, Borgstrom could be a great candidate for Seattle to select in hopes of unlocking his offensive potential.

Nathan Bastian - New Jersey Devils

A heavy winger, Bastian has improved every year as a pro thus far, finally making the Devils this season. He has played extremely well in a third line role and as a penalty killer. However, the Devils have a heck of a decision ahead of them for the expansion draft. Do they sacrifice Pavel Zacha in order to protect someone like Bastian or the others on this list?

Yegor Sharangovich - New Jersey Devils

Sharangovich got off to a hot start to the NHL season playing alongside Jack Hughes. While the offensive production hasn’t been consistent, he has certainly impressed in his first NHL season after starting the year in the KHL. An explosive goal scorer, the Devils may be reluctant to let him go given the energy and pace he plays with.

Janne Kuokkanen - New Jersey Devils

Like Bastian, Kuokkanen has emerged as a legitimate NHL player in his fourth pro season, excelling in the bottom six. The former London Knights standout and the key acquisition in the Sami Vatanen deal to Carolina, Kuokkanen is certainly someone who could draw the interest of Seattle.

Nick Merkley - New Jersey Devils

Merkley, an intelligent and hard working playmaker, seems to be behind Bastian, Sharangovich, Kuokkanen, and Mikey McLeod (who I assumed the Devils would be protecting) in the pecking order. However, that does not mean that he lacks talent or NHL potential. Look for the Devils to try to rotate the above players in and out of the lineup in order to truly evaluate who they could be willing to lose.

Kieffer Bellows - New York Islanders

Keiffer, the son of former NHL’er Brian Bellows, is a former high NHL draft pick whose high end goal scoring ability has yet to truly translate to terrific results at the pro level. Playing on the fourth line this year for the Isles, Bellows has yet to score this season. Given the forward depth that the Islanders have, it seems unlikely that Bellows will be able to be protected. If New York truly believes in his potential, they may try to look at a way to convince Seattle not to select him.

Julien Gauthier - New York Rangers

In the rare one for one prospect trade, the Rangers shipped Joey Keane to Carolina for Gauthier last season. The big, quick, physical winger has been a fixture on the Rangers’ fourth line to start this season, however it seems unlikely that he gets protected given the others New York must protect. One of Brendan Lemieux, Brett Howden, or Gauthier will likely get the nod with the other two being unprotected. How they finish the year will dictate who that is.

Vitaly Abramov - Ottawa Senators

A dynamic offensive player, Abramov had a breakout season in Belleville last year that really gave management hope that his skill set could translate to the NHL level. However, it seems unlikely that Ottawa will be able to protect him and how he plays in the AHL this season will dictate whether Seattle has interest in him.

Filip Chlapik - Ottawa Senators

Chlapik split last season between Ottawa and Belleville, performing only adequately in a depth role. This season, he has bounced between the main roster, the taxi squad, and the AHL. A good sized playmaking center, Chlapik may not get his chance in Ottawa, but he could be a target of Seattle.

Logan Brown - Ottawa Senators

It is certainly possible that the Senators protect Brown. The former 11th overall pick has performed admirably in the AHL, but his play at the NHL level has been uninspiring thus far. A hulking center at 6’6, Brown needs to play more between the dots and use his size; a criticism dating back to his draft year.

Nicolas Aube-Kubel - Philadelphia Flyers

A competitive and feisty forward, Aube-Kubel is a versatile player for the Flyers with the ability to play in any situation and any forward position. He has been in the Flyers system forever and is finally getting a chance to be a full time NHL player this season. However, it is unlikely that the Flyers will be able to protect him. He could be the perfect bottom six player for Seattle.

Alex Barre Boulet - Tampa Bay Lightning

The first two seasons of Barre-Boulet’s pro career probably couldn’t have gone better considering he was an undrafted free agent acquisition by Tampa. He was the AHL rookie of the year two years ago and an AHL all star last year. But due to Tampa’s depth he remains buried in the minors again this year (where he has continued his torrid pace). The dilemma for Tampa Bay will be, do they protect a player who...as of now, has not shown an ability to translate his offensive skill set to the NHL?

Alex Volkov - Tampa Bay Lightning

Ahead of Barre-Boulet on the Tampa depth chart currently and the recipient of a roster spot thanks to the Kucherov injury, Volkov is a skilled winger that the Lightning have high hopes for. However, like many young players in their system, it is unlikely that they will be able to protect him.

Mitchell Stephens - Tampa Bay Lightning

A former high selection by the Lightning, Stephens was set to play full time this year as the Lightning’s fourth line center. However, he suffered a lower body injury early on and is sidelined for a few months. No longer waiver eligible, he likely will continue to have a spot when he returns but will it be enough for him to earn one of those valuable protection spots?

Mathieu Joseph - Tampa Bay Lightning

A high energy winger, Joseph was a standout as a rookie for the Lightning in 2018/19, however the acquisitions of players like Goodrow and Coleman pushed him to the minors for a large chunk of last season. Fast forward to this year and he has his place back in the Tampa lineup and is playing fantastic hockey. Does Tampa protect a younger player like Joseph (or others on this list) and risk a higher salaried player like Yanni Gourde, Alex Killorn, or Blake Coleman being selected?

Boris Katchouk - Tampa Bay Lightning

A star in the OHL, Katchouk’s game has not translated to the AHL level as well as Tampa would have hoped thus far. Now in his third pro season, Katchouk will have to show that he can take that next step in his development as an offensive player before the Lightning consider him for a checking line role. He is definitely a potential candidate to be lost in the expansion draft and is also waivers eligible next year.

Taylor Raddysh - Tampa Bay Lightning

Another former OHL star, Raddysh has had similar difficulties translating his game to the AHL level. He has not been terrible, but the average offensive production hasn’t yet warranted a callup for the former Erie Otter. Ultimately, his lack of dynamic skating ability may hold him back from becoming a quality NHL player. However, if he plays well in his third AHL season this year, he could certainly attract attention from Seattle.

Joey Anderson - Toronto Maple Leafs

Acquired from the New Jersey Devils last year in exchange for Andreas Johnsson, Anderson has bounced back and forth between the NHL and the AHL the last three seasons. The former U.S. captain at the World Juniors, Anderson is a high energy, two-way forward who could definitely be an attractive, cheap target for Seattle as it is unlikely that Toronto protects him.

Isac Lundestrom - Anaheim Ducks

Already in his third pro season in North America despite being only 21 years old, the former first round selection has finally cracked the Anaheim Ducks roster full time this season. The two-way forward excels in defensive situations and on the penalty kill and could be a quality checking line option for the Kraken, with a chance to still improve offensively. William Karlsson part deux anyone?

Matthew Phillips - Calgary Flames

His lack of size (5’7) is certainly a deterrent (even if the game has changed to accommodate smaller players), but Phillips is most definitely a talented offensive player. He was an AHL all star last season in his second AHL campaign. This year, he returns to the AHL with Stockton and should be among the league’s scoring leaders.

Adam Mascherin - Dallas Stars

A terrific goal scorer and former OHL standout, Mascherin is entering his third AHL season, undoubtedly a huge one for his development. Thus far, the results have been great as he is among the league’s scoring leaders. At some point this year, it is likely that Dallas gives him a look if he continues to play well, as not only do they have to decide on who to protect for the expansion draft, but Mascherin is waiver eligible next year too.

Tyler Benson - Edmonton Oilers

The former first overall selection in the WHL bantam draft by the Vancouver Giants, Benson has come a long way since then. With two strong AHL seasons under his belt, Benson enters his third year with the hope that he can play well enough to earn a longer look at the NHL level in the event of an Oilers’ injury. It does seem unlikely that the Oilers will protect him from Seattle though.

Rem Pitlick - Nashville Predators

A competitive, goal scoring center and the son of former NHL’er Lance Pitlick, Rem is expansion draft eligible even though he is only in his second professional season. This is due to the Predators burning a year of his ELC in 2019 when he signed out of Minnesota. He has started out the AHL season well and could earn a look from the Predators at some point this year to see if they will want to protect him.

Jonathan Dahlen - San Jose Sharks

Dahlen is a very interesting case. Acquired from Vancouver, Dahlen spent one year in the AHL before returning to Sweden where he has torched the Allsvenskan the last two seasons. The opinions vary about his standing as an NHL prospect, given he plays in the Swedish second league and not the SHL. Where he stands in the Sharks organization remains a mystery, but they will have to protect him from Seattle.

Alexander True - San Jose Sharks

A free agent signing by the Sharks out of the WHL, True has played well in the AHL over the last three years. The Danish forward has seen some limited action in the NHL with mixed results, however his start to this AHL season has been terrific. It seems unlikely that San Jose protects him, but would Seattle consider him as a high upside pick?

Maxim Letunov - San Jose Sharks

Widely considered as one of San Jose’s top forward prospects, Letunov is a huge center (6’4) and a former second round selection. He played very well in the AHL last season and has been on the San Jose taxi squad so far this season. At some point this year, San Jose is going to have to give him more than the three games they gave him last year, especially given their struggles as a team.

Rudolfs Balcers - San Jose Sharks

One of the players traded to Ottawa in the Erik Karlsson trade, Balcers was reacquired by the Sharks earlier this season off waivers. He has proven to be a capable offensive player in the AHL during his career but has not yet taken that step forward to become an NHL player. San Jose is going to give him a serious look this year, along with some other young forwards. It seems likely that Seattle could have more interest in the other Sharks on this list, but who knows how Balcers finishes the season.

Kole Lind - Vancouver Canucks

A former high selection of the Canucks, Lind has steadily improved in each of his AHL seasons thus far. The big, physical winger currently is among the AHL’s leading goal scorers this year and will likely earn a look from Vancouver at some point this season if he continues to play well. Do the Canucks protect him over disappointing talents like Jake Virtanen or Adam Gaudette?

*Special thanks to the capfriendly expansion draft tool which helped to identify those players who are eligible to be selected.

McKeen’s 2020-21 Hockey Yearbook: Top 300 Prospect Rankings

McKeen's Hockey — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 17:09:56 +0000

These are our final prospect ranking prior to the start of the season. As a subscriber you can download the list in an excel chart and can link to the player pages in the chart found here. As always, the rankings you see below are based on our 20-80 scouting system looking at five categories for skaters (Skating, Shot, Puck Skills, Hockey Smarts, Physicality) and six for netminders (Athleticism/Quickness/Speed, Compete/Temperament, Vision/Play Reading, Technique/Style, Rebound Control, Puck Handling). Our prospect team spent large portions of their last few months pre-COVID in the rinks, watching the players below and many others, and further work on video (Instat Hockey has been a terrific resource in recent days) before passing judgement on their future projections.

The 20-80 scouting system is meant to allow players from different leagues in different parts of the world to be compared to one another, such that grades on a player in the OHL can be directly compared to grades from an AHL player, and to grades of someone playing in the MHL.

PROSPECT CRITERIA

Players under 26 years of age as of the September 15th prior (Sep. 15, 1994) to the season in question who have appeared in less than 60 NHL games (30 for goalies) and less than 35 in any one season – or 25 last year (20 for goalies, 15 last season) are considered prospects

RANK	PLAYER	NHL	POS	AGE	HT/WT	ACQUIRED
1	Alexis Lafreniere	NYR	LW	19	6-1/195	`20(1st)
2	Tim Stutzle	Ott	C	18	6-1/185	`20(3rd)
3	Quinton Byfield	LA	C	18	6-4/215	`20(2nd)
4	Trevor Zegras	Ana	C	19	6-0/170	`19(9th)
5	Kirill Kaprizov	Min	LW	23	5-10/200	`15(135th)
6	Lucas Raymond	Det	LW	18	5-11/170	`20(4th)
7	Dylan Cozens	Buf	C	19	6-3/185	`19(7th)
8	Bowen Byram	Col	D	19	6-0/195	`19(4th)
9	Peyton Krebs	VGK	C	19	5-11/180	`19(17th)
10	Jake Sanderson	Ott	D	18	6-1/185	`20(5th)
11	Moritz Seider	Det	D	19	6-3/185	`19(6th)
12	Jamie Drysdale	Ana	D	18	5-11/175	`20(6th)
13	Igor Shesterkin	NYR	G	25	6-1/190	`14(118th)
14	Alexander Holtz	NJ	RW	18	6-0/190	`20(7th)
15	Cole Perfetti	Wpg	LW	19	5-10/180	`20(10th)
16	Marco Rossi	Min	C	19	5-9/185	`20(9th)
17	Vasili Podkolzin	Van	RW	19	6-1/190	`19(10th)
18	Victor Soderstrom	Ari	D	19	5-11/180	`19(11th)
19	Nick Robertson	Tor	LW	19	5-9/160	`19(53rd)
20	Cole Caufield	Mtl	RW	19	5-7/165	`19(15th)
21	Yaroslav Askarov	Nsh	G	18	6-3/175	`20(11th)
22	Spencer Knight	Fla	G	19	6-3/195	`19(13th)
23	Philip Broberg	Edm	D	19	6-3/200	`19(8th)
24	Jack Quinn	Buf	RW	19	6-0/180	`20(8th)
25	Matthew Boldy	Min	LW	19	6-1/190	`19(12th)
26	Nils Lundkvist	NYR	D	20	5-11/180	`18(28th)
27	Seth Jarvis	Car	RW	18	5-10/175	`20(13th)
28	Ty Smith	NJ	D	20	5-10/180	`18(17th)
29	Grigori Denisenko	Fla	LW	20	5-11/185	`18(15th)
30	Barrett Hayton	Ari	C	20	6-1/190	`18(5th)
31	Alex Newhook	Col	C	19	5-10/195	`19(16th)
32	Thomas Harley	Dal	D	19	6-3/190	`19(18th)
33	Alex Turcotte	LA	C	19	5-11/185	`19(5th)
34	Vitali Kravtsov	NYR	RW	21	6-3/185	`18(9th)
35	Philip Tomasino	Nsh	C	19	5-11/180	`19(24th)
36	Connor McMichael	Wsh	C	19	5-11/175	`19(25th)
37	Dawson Mercer	NJ	C	19	6-0/180	`20(18th)
38	Ilya Sorokin	NYI	G	25	6-2/180	`14(78th)
39	Gabriel Vilardi	LA	RW	21	6-3/200	`17(11th)
40	Ryan Merkley	SJ	D	20	5-11/170	`18(21st)
41	Alexander Romanov	Mtl	D	20	5-11/185	`18(38th)
42	Kaiden Guhle	Mtl	D	18	6-2/190	`20(16th)
43	Samuel Poulin	Pit	LW	19	6-1/205	`19(21st)
44	K'Andre Miller	NYR	D	20	6-3/205	`18(22nd)
45	Scott Perunovich	StL	D	22	5-10/175	`18(45th)
46	Evan Bouchard	Edm	D	21	6-2/195	`18(10th)
47	Braden Schneider	NYR	D	19	6-2/200	`20(19th)
48	Juuso Valimaki	Cgy	D	22	6-2/205	`17(16th)
49	Cam York	Phi	D	19	5-11/175	`19(14th)
50	Anton Lundell	Fla	C	19	6-1/185	`20(12th)
51	Morgan Frost	Phi	C	21	5-11/180	`17(27th)
52	Owen Tippett	Fla	RW	21	6-1/200	`17(10th)
53	Albert Johansson	Det	D	19	5-11/165	`19(60th)
54	Liam Foudy	CBJ	C	20	6-0/175	`18(18th)
55	Kieffer Bellows	NYI	LW	22	6-0/200	`16(19th)
56	Arthur Kaliyev	LA	RW	19	6-2/190	`19(33rd)
57	Oliver Wahlstrom	NYI	RW	20	6-1/205	`18(11th)
58	Nils Hoglander	Van	RW	20	5-9/185	`19(40th)
59	Matias Maccelli	Ari	LW	20	5-11/170	`19(98th)
60	Tobias Bjornfot	LA	D	19	6-0/200	`19(22nd)
61	Jacob Bernard-Docker	Ott	D	20	6-0/180	`18(26th)
62	Connor Zary	Cgy	C	19	6-0/180	`20(24th)
63	Dominik Bokk	Car	RW	20	6-1/180	T(StL-9/19)
64	Ryan Suzuki	Car	C	19	6-0/180	`19(28th)
65	Dylan Samberg	Wpg	D	21	6-3/190	`17(43rd)
66	Jake Bean	Car	D	22	6-1/175	`16(13th)
67	Josh Norris	Ott	C	21	6-1/195	T(SJ-9/18)
68	Rasmus Kupari	LA	C	20	6-1/185	`18(20th)
69	Jakob Pelletier	Cgy	LW	19	5-9/165	`19(26th)
70	Drake Batherson	Ott	RW	22	6-1/190	`17(121st)
71	Jan Jenik	Ari	RW	20	6-1/180	`18(65th)
72	John-Jason Peterka	Buf	LW	18	5-11/190	`20(34th)
73	Kirill Marchenko	CBJ	LW	20	6-3/190	`18(49th)
74	Bode Wilde	NYI	D	20	6-2/195	`18(41st)
75	John Beecher	Bos	C	19	6-3/210	`19(30th)
76	Tyler Madden	LA	C	21	5-10/155	T(Van-2/20)
77	Jack Studnicka	Bos	C	21	6-1/170	`17(53rd)
78	Jake Oettinger	Dal	G	22	6-4/210	`17(26th)
79	Alex Formenton	Ott	LW	21	6-2/165	`17(47th)
80	Matthew Robertson	NYR	D	19	6-3/200	`19(49th)
81	Calen Addison	Min	D	20	5-10/180	T(Pit-2/20)
82	Ty Dellandrea	Dal	C	20	6-0/185	`18(13th)
83	Akil Thomas	LA	C	20	5-11/170	`18(51st)
84	Mavrik Bourque	Dal	C	18	5-10/180	`20(30th)
85	Ian Mitchell	Chi	D	21	5-11/175	`17(57th)
86	Jason Robertson	Dal	LW	21	6-2/195	`17(39th)
87	Hendrix Lapierre	Wsh	C	18	5-11/180	`20(22nd)
88	Brendan Brisson	VGK	C	19	5-11/180	`20(29th)
89	Theodor Niederbach	Det	C	18	5-11/175	`20(51st)
90	Zac Jones	NYR	D	20	5-10/175	`19(68th)
91	Robert Mastrosimone	Det	LW	19	5-10/160	`19(54th)
92	Joe Veleno	Det	C	20	6-1/195	`18(30th)
93	Rodion Amirov	Tor	LW	19	6-0/170	`20(15th)
94	Jake Neighbours	StL	LW	18	5-11/195	`20(26th)
95	Julien Gauthier	NYR	RW	23	6-4/225	T(Car-2/20)
96	Justus Annunen	Col	G	20	6-4/215	`18(64th)
97	Egor Zamula	Phi	D	20	6-4/175	FA(9/18)
98	Shane Pinto	Ott	C	20	6-2/190	`19(32nd)
99	Noel Gunler	Car	RW	19	6-2/175	`20(41st)
100	Ridly Greig	Ott	C	18	5-11/165	`20(28th)
101	Jesse Ylonen	Mtl	RW	21	6-1/185	`18(35th)
102	Samuel Fagemo	LA	RW	20	6-0/195	`19(50th)
103	Mattias Norlinder	Mtl	D	20	5-11/180	`19(64th)
104	Olli Juolevi	Van	D	22	6-3/200	`16(5th)
105	Kristian Vesalainen	Wpg	LW	21	6-3/205	`17(24th)
106	Raphael Lavoie	Edm	RW	20	6-4/195	`19(38th)
107	Jan Mysak	Mtl	C	18	5-11/180	`20(49th)
108	Cayden Primeau	Mtl	G	21	6-3/180	`17(199th)
109	Pavel Dorofeyev	VGK	LW	20	6-1/170	`19(79th)
110	Morgan Barron	NYR	C	22	6-2/200	`17(174th)
111	Ville Heinola	Wpg	D	19	5-11/180	`19(20th)
112	Dylan Holloway	Edm	C	19	6-0/205	`20(14th)
113	Jack Dugan	VGK	RW	22	6-2/185	`17(142nd)
114	Alexander Khovanov	Min	C	20	5-11/195	`18(86th)
115	Jacob Perreault	Ana	RW	18	5-11/195	`20(27th)
116	Jake Evans	Mtl	C	24	6-0/185	`14(207th)
117	Adam Beckman	Min	LW	19	6-1/170	`19(75th)
118	Jett Woo	Van	D	20	6-0/205	`18(37th)
119	Nolan Foote	NJ	LW	20	6-3/190	T(TB-2/20)
120	Logan Brown	Ott	C	22	6-6/220	`16(11th)
121	Martin Kaut	Col	RW	21	6-1/175	`18(16th)
122	Jack Rathbone	Van	D	21	5-10/175	`17(95th)
123	Ozzy Wiesblatt	SJ	RW	18	5-10/185	`20(31st)
124	Ryan O'Rourke	Min	D	18	6-0/180	`20(39th)
125	Lukas Reichel	Chi	LW	18	6-0/170	`20(17th)
126	Jordan Harris	Mtl	D	20	5-11/180	`18(71st)
127	Lukas Dostal	Ana	G	20	6-1/170	`18(85th)
128	Egor Afanasyev	Nsh	RW	19	6-3/205	`19(45th)
129	Conor Timmins	Col	D	22	6-1/185	`17(32nd)
130	Lassi Thomson	Ott	D	20	6-0/190	`19(19th)
131	Eeli Tolvanen	Nsh	RW	21	5-10/175	`17(30th)
132	Kasper Simontaival	LA	RW	18	5-9/180	`20(66th)
133	Roni Hirvonen	Tor	C	18	5-9/165	`20(59th)
134	Thomas Bordeleau	SJ	C	18	5-9/180	`20(38th)
135	Benoit-Olivier Groulx	Ana	C	20	6-1/195	`18(54th)
136	Tyler Kleven	Ott	D	18	6-4/200	`20(44th)
137	Tyson Foerster	Phi	C	18	6-1/195	`20(23rd)
138	Helge Grans	LA	D	18	6-2/205	`20(35th)
139	Jonathan Dahlen	SJ	LW	23	5-11/185	T(Van-2/19)
140	Marat Khusnutdinov	Min	C	18	5-11/175	`20(37th)
141	Alexander Alexeyev	Wsh	D	21	6-3/200	`18(31st)
142	Pierre-Olivier Joseph	Pit	D	21	6-2/170	`17(23rd)
143	Topi Niemela	Tor	D	18	5-10/160	`20(64th)
144	Oskari Laaksonen	Buf	D	21	6-2/165	`17(89th)
145	Filip Hallander	Tor	LW	20	6-1/185	T(Pit-8/20)
146	Serron Noel	Fla	RW	20	6-5/205	`18(34th)
147	Martin Chromiak	LA	LW	18	6-0/185	`20(128th)
148	Shakir Mukhamadullin	NJ	D	18	6-3/180	`20(20th)
149	Mattias Samuelsson	Buf	D	20	6-3/215	`18(32nd)
150	Janne Kuokkanen	NJ	LW	22	6-1/190	T(Car-2/20)
151	Ryan Johnson	Buf	D	19	6-0/175	`19(31st)
152	Sean Farrell	Mtl	C	19	5-8/175	`20(124th)
153	Martin Fehervary	Wsh	D	21	6-1/190	`18(46th)
154	Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen	Buf	G	21	6-4/195	`17(54th)
155	Will Lockwood	Van	RW	22	5-11/175	`16(64th)
156	Isac Lundestrom	Ana	C	21	6-0/185	`18(23rd)
157	Michael DiPietro	Van	G	21	6-0/195	`17(64th)
158	Jonatan Berggren	Det	RW	20	5-10/185	`18(33rd)
159	Kevin Bahl	NJ	D	20	6-6/230	T(Ari-12/19)
160	Aliaksei Protas	Wsh	C	19	6-5/205	`19(91st)
161	Reilly Walsh	NJ	D	21	5-11/180	`17(81st)
162	Nick Abruzzese	Tor	C	21	5-9/160	`19(124th)
163	Tyler Tucker	StL	D	20	6-1/205	`18(200th)
164	Arseni Gritsyuk	NJ	RW	19	5-10/170	`19(129th)
165	Klim Kostin	StL	C	21	6-3/195	`17(31st)
166	Brayden Tracey	Ana	LW	19	6-0/175	`19(29th)
167	Joel Hofer	StL	G	20	6-3/160	`18(107th)
168	Joey Anderson	Tor	RW	22	6-0/195	T(NJ-10/20)
169	Yegor Spiridonov	SJ	C	19	6-2/195	`19(108th)
170	Sam Colangelo	Ana	RW	19	6-1/205	`20(36th)
171	Joey Keane	Car	D	21	6-0/185	T(NYR-2/20)
172	Jared McIsaac	Det	D	20	6-1/195	`18(36th)
173	Jamieson Rees	Car	C	19	5-10/175	`19(44th)
174	Ivan Morozov	VGK	C	20	6-1/180	`18(61st)
175	Rem Pitlick	Nsh	C	23	5-11/200	`16(76th)
176	Tyce Thompson	NJ	RW	21	6-0/170	`19(96th)
177	Michael McLeod	NJ	C	22	6-2/195	`16(12th)
178	Jaret Anderson-Dolan	LA	C	21	5-11/190	`17(41st)
179	Dustin Wolf	Cgy	G	19	6-0/165	`19(214th)
180	Antti Tuomisto	Det	D	19	6-4/190	`19(35th)
181	Brett Berard	NYR	LW	18	5-9/155	`20(134th)
182	Luke Evangelista	Nsh	RW	18	5-11/170	`20(42nd)
183	Joel Blomqvist	Pit	G	18	6-1/180	`20(52nd)
184	Joni Ikonen	Mtl	C	21	5-10/170	`17(58th)
185	Olivier Rodrigue	Edm	G	20	6-1/165	`18(62nd)
186	Lucas Elvenes	VGK	RW	21	6-0/175	`17(127th)
187	Anthony Angello	Pit	RW	24	6-5/205	`14(145th)
188	Tuukka Tieksola	Car	RW	19	5-10/160	`19(121st)
189	Declan Chisholm	Wpg	D	20	6-1/190	`18(150th)
190	Cole Koepke	TB	LW	22	6-1/195	`18(183rd)
191	Valtteri Puustinen	Pit	RW	21	5-9/185	`19(203rd)
192	Ty Smilanic	Fla	C	18	6-1/175	`20(74th)
193	Patrik Puistola	Car	LW	19	6-0/175	`19(73rd)
194	Justin Barron	Col	D	19	6-2/190	`20(25th)
195	Andrew Peeke	CBJ	D	22	6-3/210	`16(34th)
196	Michael Vukojevic	NJ	D	19	6-3/210	`19(82nd)
197	Alec Regula	Chi	D	20	6-3/200	T(Det-10/19)
198	Connor Corcoran	VGK	D	20	6-1/185	`18(154th)
199	Jeremy Swayman	Bos	G	22	6-1/190	`17(111th)
200	Pyotr Kochetkov	Car	G	21	6-1/175	`19(36th)
201	Mikey Anderson	LA	D	21	6-0/195	`17(103rd)
202	Carter Savoie	Edm	LW	18	5-9/190	`20(100th)
203	Samuel Walker	TB	C	21	5-11/160	`17(200th)
204	William Wallinder	Det	D	18	6-4/190	`20(32nd)
205	Jack Drury	Car	C	20	5-11/180	`18(42nd)
206	Emil Andrae	Phi	D	18	5-9/185	`20(54th)
207	Cal Petersen	LA	G	26	6-3/190	FA(7/17)
208	Jeremie Poirier	Cgy	D	18	6-0/200	`20(72nd)
209	Tarmo Reunanen	NYR	D	22	6-0/180	`16(98th)
210	Simon Holmstrom	NYI	RW	19	6-1/185	`19(23rd)
211	Aleksi Saarela	Fla	RW	23	5-11/200	T(Chi-10/19)
212	Anton Johannesson	Wpg	D	18	5-9/155	`20(133rd)
213	Lauri Pajuniemi	NYR	RW	21	6-0/185	`18(132nd)
214	Morgan Geekie	Car	C	22	6-2/180	`17(67th)
215	Shane Bowers	Col	C	21	6-2/190	T(Ott-11/17)
216	Sasha Chmelevski	SJ	C	21	5-11/190	`17(185th)
217	Ruslan Iskhakov	NYI	C	20	5-8/155	`18(43rd)
218	Cole Schwindt	Fla	RW	19	6-2/185	`19(81st)
219	Hugo Alnefelt	TB	G	19	6-3/195	`19(71st)
220	Nikita Okhotyuk	NJ	D	20	6-1/195	`19(61st)
221	Sampo Ranta	Col	LW	20	6-2/205	`18(78th)
222	Alexander Volkov	TB	LW	23	6-1/190	`17(48th)
223	Alexander True	SJ	C	23	6-5/205	FA(7/18)
224	John Leonard	SJ	C	22	5-11/190	`18(182nd)
225	Carl Grundstrom	LA	LW	23	6-0/195	T(Tor-1/19)
226	Dmitri Semykin	TB	D	20	6-3/200	`18(90th)
227	Cal Foote	TB	D	22	6-4/215	`17(14th)
228	Jean-Luc Foudy	Col	C	18	5-11/175	`20(75th)
229	Alex Barre-Boulet	TB	C	23	5-10/165	FA(3/18)
230	Tristen Robins	SJ	RW	19	5-10/175	`20(56th)
231	Max Gildon	Fla	D	21	6-3/190	`17(66th)
232	Nikita Alexandrov	StL	C	20	6-0/180	`19(62nd)
233	Michael Benning	Fla	D	18	5-9/180	`20(95th)
234	Justin Sourdif	Fla	RW	18	5-11/175	`20(87th)
235	Tanner Laczynski	Phi	C	23	6-1/200	`16(169th)
236	Eamon Powell	TB	D	18	5-11/165	`20(116th)
237	Kaedan Korczak	VGK	D	19	6-3/190	`19(41st)
238	Drew Commesso	Chi	G	18	6-1/180	`20(47th)
239	Nikolai Kovalenko	Col	RW	21	5-10/175	`18(171st)
240	Pius Suter	Chi	C	24	5-11/170	FA(7/20)
241	Wade Allison	Phi	RW	23	6-2/205	`16(52nd)
242	Bobby Brink	Phi	RW	19	5-10/165	`19(34th)
243	Lukas Cormier	VGK	D	18	5-10/180	`20(68th)
244	David Farrance	Nsh	D	21	5-11/190	`17(92nd)
245	Roby Jarventie	Ott	RW	18	6-2/185	`20(33rd)
246	Dmitri Voronkov	CBJ	LW	20	6-4/190	`19(114th)
247	German Rubtsov	Phi	C	22	6-2/190	`16(22nd)
248	Vitaly Abramov	Ott	RW	22	5-9/175	T(CBJ-2/19)
249	Alex Laferriere	LA	RW	19	6-0/175	`20(83rd)
250	Trey Fix-Wolansky	CBJ	RW	21	5-8/185	`18(204th)
251	Isaac Ratcliffe	Phi	LW	21	6-5/200	`17(35th)
252	Kale Clague	LA	D	22	6-0/180	`16(51st)
253	Landon Slaggert	Chi	LW	18	5-11/180	`20(79th)
254	Wyatt Kalynuk	Chi	D	23	6-1/180	FA(7/20)
255	Mikko Kokkonen	Tor	D	19	5-11/200	`19(84th)
256	Kevin Mandolese	Ott	G	20	6-4/180	`18(157th)
257	Daniil Tarasov	CBJ	G	21	6-5/185	`17(86th)
258	Evan Barratt	Chi	C	21	6-0/190	`17(90th)
259	Tyler Benson	Edm	LW	22	6-0/200	`16(32nd)
260	Yegor Korshkov	Tor	RW	24	6-4/215	`16(31st)
261	Hunter Skinner	NYR	D	19	6-2/175	`19(112th)
262	Riley Damiani	Dal	C	20	5-9/165	`18(137th)
263	Ryan McLeod	Edm	C	21	6-2/205	`18(40th)
264	Ilya Konovalov	Edm	G	22	6-0/195	`19(85th)
265	Will Cuylle	NYR	LW	18	6-3/205	`20(60th)
266	Evan Vierling	NYR	C	18	6-0/165	`20(127th)
267	Emil Heineman	Fla	LW	19	6-0/180	`20(43rd)
268	Zayde Wisdom	Phi	RW	18	5-10/195	`20(94th)
269	Hunter Jones	Min	G	20	6-4/195	`19(59th)
270	Ty Tullio	Edm	RW	18	5-10/165	`20(126th)
271	Jordan Spence	LA	D	19	5-10/165	`19(95th)
272	Dmitri Zavgorodny	Cgy	LW	20	5-9/175	`18(198th)
273	Alex Beaucage	Col	RW	19	6-1/195	`19(78th)
274	Matiss Kivlenieks	CBJ	G	24	6-2/190	FA(5/17)
275	Artyom Zub	Ott	D	25	6-2/200	FA(5/20)
276	Urho Vaakanainen	Bos	D	22	6-0/185	`17(18th)
277	Dmitri Samorukov	Edm	D	21	6-2/180	`17(84th)
278	Michal Teply	Chi	LW	19	6-3/185	`19(105th)
279	Colby Ambrosio	Col	C	18	5-8/170	`20(118th)
280	Mads Sogaard	Ott	G	20	6-7/195	`19(37th)
281	Jeremy Lauzon	Bos	D	23	6-3/205	`15(52nd)
282	Dennis Gilbert	Col	D	24	6-2/200	T(Chi-10/20)
283	Trent Frederic	Bos	C	22	6-4/215	`16(29th)
284	Lucas Carlsson	Chi	D	23	6-0/190	`16(110th)
285	Zack Macewen	Van	RW	24	6-3/205	FA(3/17)
286	Brandon Hagel	Chi	LW	22	6-1/175	FA(10/18)
287	Vasily Ponomarev	Car	C	18	5-10/180	`20(53rd)
288	Jakub Zboril	Bos	D	23	6-1/200	`15(13th)
289	Garrett Pilon	Wsh	RW	22	5-11/190	`16(87th)
290	Jeremy Bracco	Car	RW	23	5-9/180	FA(10/20)
291	Dylan Sikura	VGK	RW	25	6-0/170	T(Chi-9/20)
292	Kyle Capobianco	Ari	D	23	6-1/180	`15(63rd)
293	Sami Niku	Wpg	D	24	6-0/175	`15(198th)
294	John Farinacci	Ari	C	19	5-11/185	`19(76th)
295	Jackson Lacombe	Ana	D	19	6-1/170	`19(39th)
296	David Cotton	Car	LW	23	6-3/205	`15(169th)
297	Erik Portillo	Buf	G	20	6-6/210	`19(67th)
298	Jacob Truscott	Van	D	18	6-1/170	`20(144th)
299	Mikhail Berdin	Wpg	G	22	6-2/165	`16(157th)
300	Cam Hillis	Mtl	C	20	5-10/170	`18(66th)

McKeen’s 2020-21 Hockey Yearbook: Edmonton Oilers Top 20 Prospects

Sun, 29 Nov 2020 20:42:19 +0000

McKeen's Top 20 Detroit Red Wings prospects for the 2020-21 season. You can read an organizational assessment prior to the draft in Ryan Wagman's article found here. Following the draft we provided a review on each teams performance based on our rankings found here.

Philip Broberg, D (8^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 1)

Broberg is a lanky defenseman with an impressive skillset. He has elite speed both with and without the puck. He defends his blueline well and is tough to beat when he uses his reach. Despite lacking in point production in the SHL, his possession metrics shone, and Skelleftea was a better team when he was on the ice. He is effective at getting the puck up the ice and is hard to catch. He will need to develop his offensive game to be more effective. He needs to control the pace more and to be more composed with the puck at slower paces. He is at his best at zone exits and entries. He needs to use his strengths when the game has slowed down as well as he does on the rush. He could explode with some adjustments to his game. He was the sixth defender on the team last season and will likely get a bigger role in 2020-21. He still is one to three years from competing for an NHL spot, but Edmonton should not rush Broberg. If he can get the time to figure out his game and mature physically, he has top pair potential. - JH

Evan Bouchard, D (10^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 2)

As a rookie pro, Bouchard led AHL Bakersfield with 29 assists on a team that struggled to generate offense. He can generate offense on any given shift, using his slick hands and refined hockey IQ to facilitate the puck and create high-danger chances out of nowhere. He skates decently despite a bulky frame, a much-improved trait once thought of as a weakness, and his shot is speedy, capable of creating rebounds, and is one used with frequency. As polished as he is offensively, he can handle challenging defensive minutes with his physical and intelligent play in his own zone; never shying away from a chance to pin someone against the boards and using his long reach to disrupt play from below the goal line. It would be nice to see someone as skilled as him playing with more pace and energy, and that might come when he reaches the faster-paced levels of the NHL, which could come next season; if it was not for the impressive young blueliners already holding down the fort in Edmonton such as Ethan Bear and Caleb Jones, Bouchard would already be a NHL anchor. - TD

Raphael Lavoie, RW/C (38^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 3)

A talented forward with size, Lavoie proved it last season with a solid first half contribution with Halifax, and then a strong showing with a contending Chicoutimi team before last season was cancelled. He is tall and needs to fill out, but his game will only improve with more weight. He is more of a finesse forward than a power forward, but he can protect the puck very well and loves to play in traffic. Lavoie has an excellent shot and creates plenty of opportunity to use it. His stickhandling worked well at the junior level, but will need refinement, as does his skating. Adding more bulk will give him more balance, but physicality is not in his nature. The potential is there for him to become a power forward in the future, but it would involve a Blake Wheeler-like transition in his game. He could benefit from playing with more snarl and passion. It would open more space for him when his hands or legs cannot. Beyond that, Lavoie is a strong option for a scoring winger with size at the top level and is ready for his professional career to begin. – MS

Dylan Holloway, LW (14^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Holloway proved himself to be a strong NCAA regular as a true freshman, even if expectations were too high. The delta between Holloway’s best case and worst-case outcomes is pretty slim. He will be a solid NHL’er, or a good one. He does a lot of things well. He is a strong skater who moves like a freight train when he gets going, with a thick, strong frame that he likes to throw around. He likes to lay into opponents near the boards and invites opponents to try the same on him. He can also slow things down once possession is established in the offensive zone and find room to make himself an passing option. For the most part, he plays aggressively. His size and strength also work in his favor when it comes to maintaining possession of the puck. Holloway keeps his feet moving at all times. He is a good stickhandler, but when he plays with the puck at top speed, he has a tendency to make poor decisions. He needs to improve his shot release, as he often double- or triple-clutches before releasing the shot. – RW

Olivier Rodrigue, G (62^nd overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 4)

Rodrigue is a patient goalie who plays the refined style of many of the Quebec goaltenders before him. His temperament is evident not only in his own play but how calmly teams play in front of him; he commands respect at the junior level and his record speaks for itself. His quickness was among the best in junior hockey last season. Chief among concerns for Rodrigue are the fact that he has always played on a contending team as a junior. This sounds like a strength, and it is, but it is much easier to be unflappable and confident on a great team than a bad one. As well, he is slight-of-build, weighing in last season at only 165 pounds. While playing at a smaller weight never bothered a goalie like Ryan Miller, it comes with concerns in terms of handling the wear and tear of a long season, and Rodrigue has sustained injuries during playoff runs in his junior career. His ceiling is as a strong NHL starter. – MS

Carter Savoie, LW (100^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Savoie led the AJHL in goals last year with 53 in 54 games and possesses a high upside as a top six forward because of his skill and awareness. He impresses as a goal scorer with versatility to the ways he puts the puck in the net. He creates his own scoring chances by driving down the wing and using his lateral quickness and edgework to navigate traffic, creating shooting lanes. His shot is powerful and can beat goaltenders clean, even without a screen. Savoie is also a tenacious player who will drive the net and look for tip ins or rebounds near the crease. When he is challenged physically, he responds with a blend of hard hitting forechecks, after the whistle scrums, and a general chippiness. He is also a gifted puck handler. He is also an intelligent player without the puck. However, he is inconsistent, and has a tendency to disappear for stretches. Considering his lack of size, there is also concern that his skating is not explosive enough. Patience will be required as he moves on to the NCAA, but his potential is very high. – BO

Tyler Benson, LW (32^nd overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 5)

Despite an overall fall in his numbers last season, Benson was the same intelligent playmaking winger/center hybrid as he long has been, and furthermore, he seems to have his injury issues behind him. His package of deft hands, smart decision-making, and crisp, accurate passing allow him to set up linemates from anywhere on the ice, and he is particularly adept at drawing defenders away from linemates to free them up for a dangerous feed. While the former Vancouver Giants star does not possess the blazing foot speed of some of his teammates and counterparts, it has not hampered his ability to change the flow of his game. What helps Benson’s chances of becoming a long-term option in the NHL ranks is that versatility and well-roundedness, and though he won’t ever put the puck in the net at a high rate, he can play a multitude of roles and create chances for teammates in high-danger areas almost at will. Expect him to be a middle-six option in the Oilers lineup in the near future and for years to come. – TD

Ryan McLeod, C (40^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 6)

A second-round pick in the 2018 draft, McLeod fell down draft boards into the laps of Oilers management and looks to provide them some hidden value down the line. A lanky 6-3” center with a high-end defensive game and an offensive ceiling still to be determined, the OHL alum fared well in his rookie pro season as a 20-year-old playing in a variety of challenging roles. He split time between center and wing, exhibited high-grade defensive tools, and showed off some passing touch on the power play, playing up and down the lineup with a revolving door of linemates. A plus skater, McLeod likes to drive through defenders or use his long reach to pass around them in tight spaces, though he lacks urgency on offense. Smart and anticipatory on defense, he intercepts passes, makes easy changes on defensive assignments, and directs traffic up top in the defensive zone like a seasoned pro. He will have to develop into a more dangerous offensive option to be a surefire NHL weapon, but after just one pro year, he looks like -- worst case scenario -- a shutdown defensive center. – TD

Ilya Konovalov, G (85^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 9)

As opposed to the 2018-19 season, the 19-20 campaign was slightly disappointing for Konovalov. The Oilers draftee played a significant number of games for Lokomotiv – 40 in the regular season and five in the playoffs – but failed to make the same impression that he did last year. On the international stage, he was solid with the Russian B squad, but that was in a limited amount of games and not against the strongest opposition. In the playoffs, he had also looked better last year. Sophomore slump? Maybe, but next year he will have a veteran, import goalie to compete with for the starter position (Ed Pasquale) and it is yet to be seen whether he will be able to return to his old self. With that being said, Konovalov is still an interesting prospect, with excellent agility, fast movements, and a strong competitive drive. He needs to work on his consistency and overall technique to take a further step forward. Next year will be crucial to check if the Oilers had a good idea in spending a relatively high pick on him in 2019. – ASR

Tyler Tullio, RW (126^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Without great size, quickness, or dynamic puck skills, Tullio is an effective player in the offensive zone because of his awareness and intelligence level. While he is not often responsible for zone entries, he is extremely effective as a forechecker and in puck retrieval. Despite his size, he is terrific working the wall, using quick hands and feet to be elusive. His vision is terrific, anticipating breakdowns in coverage and routinely feeding his linemates around the slot for scoring chances. Tullio is also a great finisher, possessing a lightning quick release and the instincts to find openings and space near the crease. There is some concern about his ability to play with pace, especially when you consider his lack of size. His time will eventually come to showcase his offensive potential when he is dominating touches and leading his line. Tullio projects as a complementary skilled player who brings versatility, but who could actually have more game breaking ability than he has yet had a chance to show with any regularity. – BO

Dmitri Samorukov, D (84^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 10)

According to expectations around the hockey world, Samorukov had an underwhelming first pro year. The big Russian was projected to be a two-way force and capable of controlling the pace of games, as he was in his final OHL season leading Guelph to a league title, but instead struggled to play with the assertiveness that makes him such an intriguing pupil. While raw and (reasonably) inconsistent, Samorukov’s package screams NHL potential. After signing a one-year deal with CSKA Moscow of the KHL, he’ll spend the 2020-21 season playing in a top-tier pro league and hopefully work out his flaws overseas. At 6-3” and fairly strong, Samorukov wrestles pucks away at entry and can end plays before they happen against the boards and below the goal line. He is a very strong skater relative to his size, capable of carrying the puck out of the zone solo. He remains highly regarded in the organization and could shoot right back into the NHL conversation if his KHL stint goes well, but he must play with confidence to succeed. - TD

Cooper Marody, RW (158^th overall, 2015 [Philadelphia]. Previous ranking: 7)

Marody is perhaps the most polarizing prospect in the Oilers organization. Full of skill and offensive creativity, the University of Michigan product is a dangerous cycle player with a muscular build and instinctual passing. However, he is a step slow and probably fits more in the NHL as a winger, a position made deeper and faster by new Oilers general manager Ken Holland, who acquired Tyler Ennis and Andreas Anthanasiou before the pause of the NHL season. A tough 2019-20 season slowed Marody’s development; he got sick in November and lost 10 pounds and was barely back into the thick of things before an upper-body injury ended his campaign in January. What the 23-year-old does well, he does exceptionally, notably his possession play and physical toughness in all three zones. While he is not a fast skater, he can hold his own and likes to carry the puck in transition with his quick and deceptive hands in spite of his lack of speed. He might be on his way to an NHL job if his health complies next season, and he is best suited as a winger on one of Edmonton’s two scoring lines if he can earn that job. - TD

Aapeli Rasanen, C (153^rd overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 8)

The Finnish forward was drafted in the sixth round in 2016. He had previously played in Finland before jumping across the ocean to play in the USHL, where he went to further his career after being drafted. He had already represented Finland in international competition at the WU18s by that point. After one season with the Sioux City Musketeers, he joined Boston College. Rasanen recently finished his third season with the Eagles and signed with KalPa in Liiga. Rasanen led BC in face-offs with a 56.3% success rate. He also represented Finland in the World Junior championship twice during his collegiate career, recording the best face-off percentage in both tournaments. At 22 years of age, Rasanen plays a mature game. He is a solid forward who just recorded a career high in points. He has incredibly soft hands, especially while passing. While he can set teammates up, he can also score. Rasanen projects to be a top-nine forward once he returns to North America. - JS

Kirill Maksimov, RW (146^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 11)

After a 40-goal season in the OHL and graduating to the pros, Maksimov brought with him some expectations as a potential future triggerman in the top-six of the Oilers forward depth chart. While the 21-year-old still has time to find his touch in that aspect, his rookie pro season (five goals in 53 games) doesn’t put him on the right track. However, the bruising, 6-3” Russian winger has a head start over his exclusively-offensive contemporaries: his penalty kill work and defensive game are impressive and deserving of recognition. He was used in a lot of defensive-zone draw and late-lead situations as someone who can hold shooters out of dangerous areas and change the pace of the opposition’s attack with stick checks and wonderful positioning. His speed is a concern, as is his inability to create shots for himself to let off his lethal wrister as he can make mistakes on offense, but his NHL future, unlike others in the system, is not solely predicated on offensive production. - TD

William Lagesson, D (91^st overall, 2014. Previous ranking: 12)

In the same boat as Bouchard, Lagesson would already be a solid contributor to an NHL defensive core if not for other young defensemen in the pipeline who can bring something similar to the table. That isn’t a knock on the Swede, more so a credit to how well the Oilers have fielded a young defensive lineup of late. Lagesson is an NHL-ready 24-year-old who has played the same scrappy, solid defensive hockey everywhere he has gone, and has proven he can do just that in the NHL after an eight-game trial in 2019-20. The best compliment you can give to a stay-at-home defenseman is that they are hard to notice, and he deserves that honor. He is smooth in his one-on-one defense, with tight gaps, an active stick, and the size to disrupt a forward’s stride. He is physical and competitive but not prone to taking excessive penalties, which boosts his value as a one-way guy. His ceiling is depth defensive role player, and he is more than ready to take it on. - TD

Philip Kemp, D (208^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 13)

Kemp jumped from two years at prep school to two seasons with the USNTDP, representing the U.S. in international play during that time. From the program, he entered Yale and totaled only eight points in both his first and second seasons, in the latter of which he was invited to the World Junior Championship. Kemp isn’t an offensive defenseman, but he can still occasionally contribute offensively. His selling point as a defender his is skating, which allows him to backcheck well - pivotal for any defender who wants to play pro hockey. He has a big frame at 6-3” and a long reach that he uses well. He also uses his speed to jump up in the rush. A seventh-round draft pick, he is performing above his draft value, but there is room for Kent - who just finished his junior season and will captain Yale - to improve. - JS

Markus Niemelainen, D (63^rd overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 14)

Niemelainen had a good season with Assat in Finland's top league. He logged the second-most ice-time on the team and improved his overall game. He started to play more physically and his play with the puck also got better. A reliable and assertive defenseman with long reach, he primarily takes care of his own end. He is mobile with good acceleration and can reach a good top speed. The biggest knock against him continues to be a lack of offense. His play with the puck is no longer as cautious as it used to be, but he has never been a big point producer and that is unlikely to change. That said, the recent improvement in his game is a reason for some optimism. Niemelainen has a chance to carve out a career in the NHL as a depth defenseman. However, when he goes across the pond, he will very likely need a significant amount of development time first in the AHL. - MB

Maxim Denezhkin, C (193^rd overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 15)

The small-framed center had a strong season in the MHL with Loko Yaroslavl, but once again he had limited time in pro hockey, playing only one contest in the KHL and two in the VHL. It is clear that he has a rich arsenal of moves and creativity to generate attacks, but he needs to bulk up. Moreover, small players need to be flashy to be effective, and while he isn’t a slow skater, his agility and his style still leave some question marks on his game – especially so at the pro level. With that being said, Denezhkin is a hard-working, competitive forward who gives good effort at both ends of the ice and can be useful in any situation, even in penalty killing. He has good hockey sense and a strong passing game; therefore, he can still develop into a good player with the right coaching and some seasoning at home. With this type of player, patience is a must. – ASR

Maxim Berezkin, LW (138^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

A goal scoring power winger with great size (6-4” and over 200lbs) who has been utilized in all situations in the MHL. He owns a good shot and is a half wall threat on the powerplay. A late-2001 born, Berezkin is a project and his skating needs plenty of work before he can be deemed ready to play in the faster paced rinks of North America. His feet are currently heavy, and it prevents him from consistently playing with pace. If he is to make up for his lack of pace, it will have to come from what he can do once the puck is already settled in the offensive zone. His strong shot has already been mentioned, but his ability to control and maneuver the puck is just as impressive. He also reads situations maturely and can be relied upon to make the correct decisions. Even if he maximizes those other traits, his below average skating will likely limit him to a bottom-line role, where his coaches will hope that he can put his giant frame to good use. – Brock Otten

Patrik Siikanen, LW (195^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 16)

A bit of a sleeper to end this list, Siikanen has steadily risen up the ranks in Finland, playing a regular role in Liiga before his 20^th birthday, despite never playing in a major tournament for Finland. Of only he could produce, though, as he has only two assists through his first 33 Liiga games. In all honesty, he was never a big scorer in the Finnish junior ranks either, but he still has some elements to recommend him for a possible NHL future. Despite his lack of numbers, he has a pretty good shot and should be expected to start finding the net as he gains experience and the confidence that should tag along. Second, he has good size – not like Berezkin, but lanky and strong. He uses his size well and knows how to make himself tough to line up against. As should be pretty obvious from this write-up, Siikanen does not project as any more than a fourth line grinder who can bring energy. - RW

MCKEENS 2020 NHL PROSPECTS REPORT – TOP 250 PROSPECTS

McKeens Hockey; Article by Ryan Wagman — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 11:50:55 +0000

I write these words less than 24 hours after the Dallas Stars took game one of the Stanley Cup Finals against the heavily favored Tampa Bay Lightning. Unlike most seasons wherein the end of the Stanley Cup marks the beginning of off-season player movement, this year teams have taken an early start to the transactional Ferris wheel as many expect the upcoming offseason (from the awarding of the Cup, through to the draft in the first week of October to the start of the 2020-21 season perhaps as soon as early December, pending COVID trends in North America) to be especially turbulent.

We have seen a few trades of NHL pieces, one deal which impacted this guidebook, as Toronto sent Kasperi Kapanen to Pittsburgh and Swedish winger Filip Hallander was among those coming back to Toronto. Hallander was our selection for the second-best prospect in the Penguins system and now holds that title for the Maple Leafs. That trade knocked the Penguins down a few slots on our organizational rankings and allowed Toronto to go the other way accordingly.

Of course, with the draft roughly 17 days away, and with it a complete re-shuffling of the organizational rankings, this is just a snapshot in time of how every team’s system shakes up. We will re-run this list, incorporating the drafted players, in our pre-season fantasy guide, where we will expand the lists up to 20.

What you are about to dive into is a comprehensive list of all prospect eligible players on all 31 teams. To hold prospect eligibility, a player needs to 25 or younger, as of September 15, 2020. All skaters need to have played less than 60 career games, with no more than 35 of those games coming in a single season (or 25 for this past shortened season). For goalies, the age criteria remain the same, but the games played benchmark drops to 30 career games and 20 in a given season (or 15 last year). Any cutoff that does not hew exactly to the Calder Trophy award criteria is, by nature, arbitrary, but we aim to be inclusive for all players who have not yet cemented NHL jobs and/or have not had a prolonged chance to prove himself capable – or incapable.

We rank 15 per team, as depth is as important as the high end. Our goal is to identify players who could – if they have an advocate for them within the team’s braintrust – play a role in the NHL. These players were identified through our thorough vetting of each prospect across the globe, assigning scores, or grades, to five areas for skaters (skating, shot, puck skills, smarts, physicality) and six for netminders (athleticism/speed/quickness, compete/temperament, vision/play reading, positioning/technique, rebound control, and puck handling). Depending on the position, the grades are run through an algorithm to come up with an overall future projection (OFP).

The OFP, if the scout is being honest, measures the future role we anticipate the prospect being able to hold. A 50 score is the lower threshold to be a regular 4^th line forward, or bottom pairing defender. Grades over 56 are potential top line/pairing skaters. The grades in between, obviously project to the middle of the lineup.

As we are reminded every year, development is not linear. Some players take unexpected sudden leaps forward (see Marino, John), and others stagnate (see Ho-Sang, Josh), and many do exactly what we expect of them when they are given the chance. As much as I trust the analysts in our team, I can also tell you that this exercise is always humbling. There will be at least one player who we rate highly who bombs. There will be at least one player who did not feature on his team’s top 15 who becomes an NHL regular next year. We accept those errors in judgment and promise you, our faithful subscriber, that we will learn from them and refine our work for next year, as we learn just as NHL teams learn.

Until then, please enjoy this snapshot view of the future of the beautiful, frozen game. Putting this together has provided at least some sense of normalcy during this crazy summer.

NHL	RNK	PLAYER	POS	AGE	HT/WT	TM	Acquired
Ana	1	Trevor Zegras	C	19	6-0/170	Boston University (HE)	`19(9th)
Min	2	Kirill Kaprizov	LW	23	5-10/200	CSKA (KHL)	`15(135th)
Col	3	Bowen Byram	D	19	6-0/195	Vancouver (WHL)	`19(4th)
Buf	4	Dylan Cozens	C	19	6-3/185	Lethbridge (WHL)	`19(7th)
Fla	5	Spencer Knight	G	19	6-3/195	Boston College (HE)	`19(13th)
VGK	6	Peyton Krebs	C	19	5-11/180	Winnipeg (WHL)	`19(17th)
Ari	7	Victor Soderstrom	D	19	5-11/180	Brynas (Swe)	`19(11th)
Mtl	8	Cole Caufield	RW	19	5-7/165	Wisconsin (B1G)	`19(15th)
Van	9	Vasili Podkolzin	RW	19	6-1/190	SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)	`19(10th)
Edm	10	Philip Broberg	D	19	6-3/200	Skelleftea AIK (Swe)	`19(8th)
Tor	11	Nick Robertson	LW	19	5-9/160	Peterborough (OHL)	`19(53rd)
Col	12	Alex Newhook	C	19	5-10/195	Boston College (HE)	`19(16th)
Det	13	Moritz Seider	D	19	6-3/185	Grand Rapids (AHL)	`19(6th)
Fla	14	Grigori Denisenko	LW	20	5-11/185	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)	`18(15th)
Min	15	Matthew Boldy	LW	19	6-1/190	Boston College (HE)	`19(12th)
NJ	16	Ty Smith	D	20	5-10/180	Spokane (WHL)	`18(17th)
LA	17	Alex Turcotte	C	19	5-11/185	Wisconsin (B1G)	`19(5th)
Nsh	18	Philip Tomasino	C	19	5-11/180	Nia-Osh (OHL)	`19(24th)
Pit	19	Samuel Poulin	LW	19	6-1/205	Sherbrooke (QMJHL)	`19(21st)
Wsh	20	Connor McMichael	C	19	5-11/175	London (OHL)	`19(25th)
LA	21	Gabriel Vilardi	RW	21	6-3/200	Ontario (AHL)	`17(11th)
NYR	22	Igor Shesterkin	G	24	6-1/190	Hartford (AHL)	`14(118th)
Dal	23	Thomas Harley	D	19	6-3/190	Mississauga (OHL)	`19(18th)
Ari	24	Barrett Hayton	C	20	6-1/190	Arizona (NHL)	`18(5th)
NYR	25	Nils Lundkvist	D	20	5-11/180	Lulea (Swe)	`18(28th)
LA	26	Arthur Kaliyev	RW	19	6-2/190	Hamilton (OHL)	`19(33rd)
Cgy	27	Juuso Valimaki	D	21	6-2/205	DNP - Injured	`17(16th)
Det	28	Jared McIsaac	D	20	6-1/195	Hal-Mon (QMJHL)	`18(36th)
NYR	29	Vitali Kravtsov	RW	20	6-3/185	Hartford (AHL)	`18(9th)
Edm	30	Evan Bouchard	D	20	6-2/195	Bakersfield (AHL)	`18(10th)
NYR	31	K'Andre Miller	D	20	6-3/205	Wisconsin (B1G)	`18(22nd)
Edm	32	Raphael Lavoie	RW	19	6-4/195	Hal-Chi (QMJHL)	`19(38th)
NYI	33	Ilya Sorokin	G	25	6-2/180	CSKA (KHL)	`14(78th)
Det	34	Albert Johansson	D	19	5-11/165	Farjestads (Swe)	`19(60th)
Ari	35	Matias Maccelli	LW	19	5-11/170	Ilves Tampere (Fin)	`19(98th)
Van	36	Nils Hoglander	RW	19	5-9/185	Rogle (Swe)	`19(40th)
Ari	37	Jan Jenik	RW	20	6-1/180	Hamilton (OHL)	`18(65th)
Phi	38	Cam York	D	19	5-11/175	Michigan (B1G)	`19(14th)
Phi	39	Morgan Frost	C	21	5-11/180	Lehigh Valley (AHL)	`17(27th)
Ana	40	Lukas Dostal	G	20	6-1/170	Ilves Tampere (Fin)	`18(85th)
LA	41	Tobias Bjornfot	D	19	6-0/200	Ontario (AHL)	`19(22nd)
SJ	42	Ryan Merkley	D	20	5-11/170	London (OHL)	`18(21st)
NYI	43	Kieffer Bellows	LW	22	6-0/200	Bridgeport (AHL)	`16(19th)
NYI	44	Oliver Wahlstrom	RW	20	6-1/205	Bridgeport (AHL)	`18(11th)
LA	45	Rasmus Kupari	C	20	6-1/185	Ontario (AHL)	`18(20th)
CBJ	46	Liam Foudy	C	20	6-0/175	London (OHL)	`18(18th)
LA	47	Tyler Madden	C	20	5-10/155	Northeastern (HE)	T(Van-2/20)
Mtl	48	Alexander Romanov	D	20	5-11/185	CSKA (KHL)	`18(38th)
NYI	49	Bode Wilde	D	20	6-2/195	Bridgeport (AHL)	`18(41st)
Ott	50	Jacob Bernard-Docker	D	20	6-0/180	North Dakota (NCHC)	`18(26th)
Cgy	51	Jakob Pelletier	LW	19	5-9/165	Moncton (QMJHL)	`19(26th)
LA	52	Akil Thomas	C	20	5-11/170	Nia-Pbo (OHL)	`18(51st)
Wpg	53	Dylan Samberg	D	21	6-3/190	Minn-Duluth (NCHC)	`17(43rd)
Chi	54	Ian Mitchell	D	21	5-11/175	Denver (NCHC)	`17(57th)
Ott	55	Josh Norris	C	21	6-1/195	Belleville (AHL)	T(SJ-9/18)
NYR	56	Matthew Robertson	D	19	6-3/200	Edmonton (WHL)	`19(49th)
VGK	57	Pavel Dorofeyev	LW	19	6-1/170	Magnitogorsk (KHL)	`19(79th)
Dal	58	Jake Oettinger	G	21	6-4/210	Texas (AHL)	`17(26th)
Ott	59	Drake Batherson	RW	22	6-1/190	Belleville (AHL)	`17(121st)
LA	60	Samuel Fagemo	RW	20	6-0/195	Frolunda (Swe)	`19(50th)
Col	61	Justus Annunen	G	20	6-4/215	Karpat Oulu (Fin)	`18(64th)
Bos	62	John Beecher	C	19	6-3/210	Michigan (B1G)	`19(30th)
Phi	63	Egor Zamula	D	20	6-4/175	Calgary (WHL)	FA(9/18)
NYR	64	Zac Jones	D	19	5-10/175	Massachusetts (HE)	`19(68th)
CBJ	65	Kirill Marchenko	LW	20	6-3/190	SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)	`18(49th)
VGK	66	Jack Dugan	RW	22	6-2/185	Providence (HE)	`17(142nd)
StL	67	Scott Perunovich	D	22	5-10/175	Minn-Duluth (NCHC)	`18(45th)
Bos	68	Jack Studnicka	C	21	6-1/170	Providence (AHL)	`17(53rd)
Dal	69	Ty Dellandrea	C	20	6-0/185	Flint (OHL)	`18(13th)
Min	70	Calen Addison	D	20	5-10/180	Lethbridge (WHL)	T(Pit-2/20)
NYR	71	Julien Gauthier	RW	22	6-4/225	Charlotte (AHL)	T(Car-2/20)
Van	72	Olli Juolevi	D	22	6-3/200	Utica (AHL)	`16(5th)
NJ	73	Nolan Foote	LW	19	6-3/190	Kelowna (WHL)	T(TB-2/20)
NJ	74	Janne Kuokkanen	LW	22	6-1/190	Cha-Bng (AHL)	T(Car-2/20)
Ott	75	Alex Formenton	LW	21	6-2/165	Belleville (AHL)	`17(47th)
Det	76	Robert Mastrosimone	LW	19	5-10/160	Boston University (HE)	`19(54th)
NYR	77	Morgan Barron	C	21	6-2/200	Cornell (ECAC)	`17(174th)
Mtl	78	Jesse Ylonen	RW	20	6-1/185	Pelicans (Fin)	`18(35th)
Car	79	Dominik Bokk	RW	20	6-1/180	Rogle (Swe)	T(StL-9/19)
Nsh	80	Egor Afanasyev	RW	19	6-3/205	Windsor (OHL)	`19(45th)
Ana	81	Benoit-Olivier Groulx	C	20	6-1/195	Hal-Mon (QMJHL)	`18(54th)
Min	82	Alexander Khovanov	C	20	5-11/195	Moncton (QMJHL)	`18(86th)
Det	83	Joe Veleno	C	20	6-1/195	Grand Rapids (AHL)	`18(30th)
NJ	84	Kevin Bahl	D	20	6-6/230	Ottawa (OHL)	T(Ari-12/19)
Car	85	Ryan Suzuki	C	19	6-0/180	Bar-Sag (OHL)	`19(28th)
Van	86	Jett Woo	D	20	6-0/205	Calgary (WHL)	`18(37th)
Mtl	87	Mattias Norlinder	D	20	5-11/180	MODO (Swe 2)	`19(64th)
Min	88	Adam Beckman	LW	19	6-1/170	Spokane (WHL)	`19(75th)
Bos	89	Jeremy Swayman	G	21	6-1/190	Maine (HE)	`17(111th)
Wpg	90	Kristian Vesalainen	LW	21	6-3/205	Manitoba (AHL)	`17(24th)
Tor	91	Filip Hallander	LW	20	6-1/185	Lulea (Swe)	T(Pit-8/20)
Fla	92	Owen Tippett	RW	21	6-1/200	Springfield (AHL)	`17(10th)
Car	93	Jake Bean	D	22	6-1/175	Charlotte (AHL)	`16(13th)
Ott	94	Shane Pinto	C	19	6-2/190	North Dakota (NCHC)	`19(32nd)
Col	95	Martin Kaut	RW	20	6-1/175	Colorado (AHL)	`18(16th)
Van	96	Jack Rathbone	D	21	5-10/175	Harvard (ECAC)	`17(95th)
Tor	97	Nick Abruzzese	C	21	5-9/160	Harvard (ECAC)	`19(124th)
Bos	98	Urho Vaakanainen	D	21	6-0/185	Providence (AHL)	`17(18th)
Wsh	99	Alexander Alexeyev	D	20	6-3/200	Hershey (AHL)	`18(31st)
NYI	100	Simon Holmstrom	RW	19	6-1/185	Bridgeport (AHL)	`19(23rd)
LA	101	Jaret Anderson-Dolan	C	21	5-11/190	Ontario (AHL)	`17(41st)
Car	102	Joey Keane	D	21	6-0/185	Hfd-Cha (AHL)	T(NYR-2/20)
Wsh	103	Martin Fehervary	D	20	6-1/190	Hershey (AHL)	`18(46th)
StL	104	Tyler Tucker	D	20	6-1/205	Bar-Fnt (OHL)	`18(200th)
SJ	105	Yegor Spiridonov	C	19	6-2/195	Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk (MHL)	`19(108th)
NJ	106	Joey Anderson	RW	22	6-0/195	Binghamton (AHL)	`16(73rd)
Col	107	Conor Timmins	D	21	6-1/185	Colorado (AHL)	`17(32nd)
StL	108	Klim Kostin	C	21	6-3/195	San Antonio (AHL)	`17(31st)
Mtl	109	Cayden Primeau	G	21	6-3/180	Laval (AHL)	`17(199th)
SJ	110	Jonathan Dahlen	LW	22	5-11/185	Timra IK (Swe 2)	T(Van-2/19)
NJ	111	Reilly Walsh	D	21	5-11/180	Harvard (ECAC)	`17(81st)
Buf	112	Oskari Laaksonen	D	21	6-2/165	Ilves Tampere (Fin)	`17(89th)
NJ	113	Arseni Gritsyuk	RW	19	5-10/170	Omskie Yastreby (MHL)	`19(129th)
Wsh	114	Aliaksei Protas	C	19	6-5/205	Prince Albert (WHL)	`19(91st)
Cgy	115	Dustin Wolf	G	19	6-0/165	Everett (WHL)	`19(214th)
StL	116	Joel Hofer	G	20	6-3/160	Portland (WHL)	`18(107th)
VGK	117	Ivan Morozov	C	20	6-1/180	SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)	`18(61st)
Mtl	118	Jake Evans	C	24	6-0/185	Laval (AHL)	`14(207th)
Nsh	119	Eeli Tolvanen	RW	21	5-10/175	Milwaukee (AHL)	`17(30th)
Wpg	120	Ville Heinola	D	19	5-11/180	Lukko Rauma (Fin)	`19(20th)
VGK	121	Lucas Elvenes	RW	21	6-0/175	Chicago (AHL)	`17(127th)
TB	122	Cole Koepke	LW	22	6-1/195	Minn-Duluth (NCHC)	`18(183rd)
Ana	123	Isac Lundestrom	C	20	6-0/185	San Diego (AHL)	`18(23rd)
NYR	124	Tarmo Reunanen	D	22	6-0/180	Lukko Rauma (Fin)	`16(98th)
Mtl	125	Jordan Harris	D	20	5-11/180	Northeastern (HE)	`18(71st)
Ana	126	Brayden Tracey	LW	19	6-0/175	MJ-Vic (WHL)	`19(29th)
Phi	127	Tanner Laczynski	C	23	6-1/200	Ohio State (B1G)	`16(169th)
Chi	128	Alec Regula	D	20	6-3/200	London (OHL)	T(Det-10/19)
Buf	129	Mattias Samuelsson	D	20	6-3/215	Western Michigan (NCHC)	`18(32nd)
Car	130	Jamieson Rees	C	19	5-10/175	Sarnia (OHL)	`19(44th)
Edm	131	Olivier Rodrigue	G	20	6-1/165	Moncton (QMJHL)	`18(62nd)
Fla	132	Serron Noel	RW	20	6-5/205	Osh-Kit (OHL)	`18(34th)
Det	133	Antti Tuomisto	D	19	6-4/190	Assat Pori (Fin Jr)	`19(35th)
Dal	134	Jason Robertson	LW	21	6-2/195	Texas (AHL)	`17(39th)
Mtl	135	Joni Ikonen	C	21	5-10/170	DNP - Injured	`17(58th)
Nsh	136	Rem Pitlick	C	23	5-11/200	Milwaukee (AHL)	`16(76th)
Ott	137	Logan Brown	C	22	6-6/220	Belleville (AHL)	`16(11th)
TB	138	Samuel Walker	C	21	5-11/160	Minnesota (B1G)	`17(200th)
Phi	139	Wade Allison	RW	22	6-2/205	Western Michigan (NCHC)	`16(52nd)
Wpg	140	Declan Chisholm	D	20	6-1/190	Peterborough (OHL)	`18(150th)
NJ	141	Tyce Thompson	RW	21	6-1/180	Providence (HE)	`19(96th)
VGK	142	Connor Corcoran	D	20	6-1/185	Windsor (OHL)	`18(154th)
Ana	143	Jackson Lacombe	D	19	6-1/170	Minnesota (B1G)	`19(39th)
NYR	144	Lauri Pajuniemi	RW	21	6-0/185	TPS Turku (Fin)	`18(132nd)
Car	145	Tuukka Tieksola	RW	19	5-10/160	Karpat Oulu (Fin Jr)	`19(121st)
CBJ	146	Andrew Peeke	D	22	6-3/210	Cleveland (AHL)	`16(34th)
Ana	147	Axel Andersson	D	20	6-0/180	Moncton (QMJHL)	T(Bos-2/20)
Car	148	Patrik Puistola	LW	19	6-0/175	Tap-Juk-Koo (Fin)	`19(73rd)
NJ	149	Michael McLeod	C	22	6-2/195	Binghamton (AHL)	`16(12th)
Car	150	Pyotr Kochetkov	G	21	6-1/175	SKA-VIT (KHL)	`19(36th)
NJ	151	Michael Vukojevic	D	19	6-3/210	Kitchener (OHL)	`19(82nd)
NYI	152	Ruslan Iskhakov	C	20	5-8/155	UConn (HE)	`18(43rd)
Wpg	153	Sami Niku	D	23	6-0/175	Manitoba (AHL)	`15(198th)
TB	154	Hugo Alnefelt	G	19	6-3/195	HV 71 (Swe)	`19(71st)
NJ	155	Nikita Okhotyuk	D	19	6-1/195	Ottawa (OHL)	`19(61st)
NYR	156	Hunter Skinner	D	19	6-2/175	London (OHL)	`19(112th)
LA	157	Mikey Anderson	D	21	6-0/195	Ontario (AHL)	`17(103rd)
Col	158	Shane Bowers	C	21	6-2/190	Colorado (AHL)	T(Ott-11/17)
NYI	159	Joshua Ho-Sang	RW	24	6-0/175	Bri-SA (AHL)	`14(28th)
LA	160	Cal Petersen	G	25	6-3/190	Ontario (AHL)	FA(7/17)
Col	161	Sampo Ranta	LW	20	6-2/205	Minnesota (B1G)	`18(78th)
Wpg	162	Mikhail Berdin	G	22	6-2/165	Manitoba (AHL)	`16(157th)
Bos	163	Jeremy Lauzon	D	23	6-3/205	Providence (AHL)	`15(52nd)
Nsh	164	David Farrance	D	21	5-11/190	Boston University (HE)	`17(92nd)
Van	165	Will Lockwood	RW	22	5-11/175	Michigan (B1G)	`16(64th)
NYI	166	Sebastian Aho	D	24	5-10/175	Bridgeport (AHL)	`17(139th)
Wpg	167	Logan Stanley	D	22	6-7/225	Manitoba (AHL)	`16(18th)
Buf	168	Ryan Johnson	D	19	6-0/175	Minnesota (B1G)	`19(31st)
Van	169	Michael DiPietro	G	21	6-0/195	Utica (AHL)	`17(64th)
VGK	170	Kaedan Korczak	D	19	6-3/190	Kelowna (WHL)	`19(41st)
Car	171	Jack Drury	C	20	5-11/180	Harvard (ECAC)	`18(42nd)
StL	172	Nikita Alexandrov	C	19	6-0/180	Charlottetown (QMJHL)	`19(62nd)
Col	173	Nikolai Kovalenko	RW	20	5-10/175	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)	`18(171st)
Nsh	174	Juuso Parssinen	C	19	6-2/205	TPS Turku (Fin)	`19(210th)
Chi	175	Pius Suter	C	24	5-11/170	ZSC Lions (NLA)	FA(7/20)
Fla	176	Aleksi Saarela	RW	23	5-11/200	Rfd-Spr (AHL)	T(Chi-10/19)
Bos	177	Trent Frederic	C	22	6-4/215	Providence (AHL)	`16(29th)
CBJ	178	Dmitri Voronkov	LW	20	6-4/190	Ak Bars Kazan (KHL)	`19(114th)
Ott	179	Lassi Thomson	D	19	6-0/190	Ilves Tampere (Fin)	`19(19th)
Car	180	Morgan Geekie	C	22	6-2/180	Charlotte (AHL)	`17(67th)
CBJ	181	Trey Fix-Wolansky	RW	21	5-8/185	Cleveland (AHL)	`18(204th)
Ott	182	Vitaly Abramov	RW	22	5-9/175	Belleville (AHL)	T(CBJ-2/19)
TB	183	Alexander Volkov	LW	23	6-1/190	Syracuse (AHL)	`17(48th)
Tor	184	Mikko Kokkonen	D	19	5-11/200	Jukurit (Fin)	`19(84th)
Ott	185	Kevin Mandolese	G	20	6-4/180	Cape Breton (QMJHL)	`18(157th)
CBJ	186	Daniil Tarasov	G	21	6-5/185	Assat Pori (Fin)	`17(86th)
LA	187	Carl Grundstrom	LW	22	6-0/195	Ontario (AHL)	T(Tor-1/19)
LA	188	Kale Clague	D	22	6-0/180	Ontario (AHL)	`16(51st)
Ott	189	Artyom Zub	D	24	6-2/200	SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)	FA(5/20)
Edm	190	Tyler Benson	LW	22	6-0/200	Bakersfield (AHL)	`16(32nd)
Det	191	Jonatan Berggren	RW	20	5-10/185	Skelleftea AIK (Swe)	`18(33rd)
Tor	192	Yegor Korshkov	RW	24	6-4/215	Toronto (AHL)	`16(31st)
Dal	193	Riley Damiani	C	20	5-9/165	Kitchener (OHL)	`18(137th)
VGK	194	Zach Whitecloud	D	23	6-2/210	Chicago (AHL)	FA(3/18)
Buf	195	Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen	G	21	6-4/195	Cincinnati (ECHL)	`17(54th)
Car	196	David Cotton	LW	23	6-3/205	Boston College (HE)	`15(169th)
Chi	197	Wyatt Kalynuk	D	23	6-1/180	Wisconsin (B1G)	FA(7/20)
Min	198	Hunter Jones	G	19	6-4/195	Peterborough (OHL)	`19(59th)
LA	199	Jordan Spence	D	19	5-10/165	Moncton (QMJHL)	`19(95th)
Cgy	200	Dmitri Zavgorodny	LW	20	5-9/175	Rimouski (QMJHL)	`18(198th)
Col	201	Alex Beaucage	RW	19	6-1/195	Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL)	`19(78th)
TB	202	Dmitri Semykin	D	20	6-3/200	SKA-1946 St. Petersburg (MHL)	`18(90th)
CBJ	203	Matiss Kivlenieks	G	24	6-2/190	Cleveland (AHL)	FA(5/17)
StL	204	Ville Husso	G	25	6-3/205	San Antonio (AHL)	`14(94th)
Phi	205	Bobby Brink	RW	19	5-10/165	Denver (NCHC)	`19(34th)
NYI	206	Otto Koivula	C	22	6-4/220	Bridgeport (AHL)	`16(120th)
Car	207	Eetu Makiniemi	G	21	6-2/180	KOOVEE (Fin 2)	`17(104th)
NYI	208	Anatoli Golyshev	RW	25	5-8/180	Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg (KHL)	`16(95th)
Chi	209	Evan Barratt	C	21	6-0/190	Penn State (B1G)	`17(90th)
Buf	210	Erik Portillo	G	20	6-6/210	Dubuque (USHL)	`19(67th)
Fla	211	Cole Schwindt	RW	19	6-2/185	Mississauga (OHL)	`19(81st)
Chi	212	Michal Teply	LW	19	6-3/185	Winnipeg (WHL)	`19(105th)
Ott	213	Mads Sogaard	G	19	6-7/195	Medicine Hat (WHL)	`19(37th)
Buf	214	Jonas Johansson	G	24	6-4/205	Rochester (AHL)	`14(61st)
TB	215	Cal Foote	D	21	6-4/215	Syracuse (AHL)	`17(14th)
StL	216	Niko Mikkola	D	24	6-5/200	San Antonio (AHL)	`15(127th)
NYI	217	Robin Salo	D	21	6-1/190	SaiPa (Fin)	`17(46th)
Bos	218	Jakub Zboril	D	23	6-1/200	Providence (AHL)	`15(13th)
Buf	219	Will Borgen	D	23	6-2/200	Rochester (AHL)	`15(92nd)
Pit	220	Pierre-Olivier Joseph	D	21	6-2/170	Wilkes-Barre (AHL)	`17(23rd)
SJ	221	Sasha Chmelevski	C	21	5-11/190	San Jose (AHL)	`17(185th)
Ari	222	Kyle Capobianco	D	23	6-1/180	Tucson (AHL)	`15(63rd)
Det	223	Keith Petruzzelli	G	21	6-5/180	Quinnipiac (ECAC)	`17(88th)
Wsh	224	Garrett Pilon	RW	22	5-11/190	Hershey (AHL)	`16(87th)
NJ	225	Nikola Pasic	RW	19	5-10/185	Karlskoga (Swe 2)	`19(189th)
TB	226	Alex Barre-Boulet	C	23	5-10/165	Syracuse (AHL)	FA(3/18)
Edm	227	Ryan McLeod	C	20	6-2/205	Bakersfield (AHL)	`18(40th)
NYI	228	Samuel Bolduc	D	19	6-3/210	BLB-She (QMJHL)	`19(57th)
Ott	229	Joey Daccord	G	24	6-2/195	Belleville (AHL)	`15(199th)
StL	230	Hugh McGing	C	22	5-9/180	Western Michigan (NCHC)	`18(138th)
Edm	231	Cooper Marody	C	23	6-0/180	Bakersfield (AHL)	T(Phi-3/18)
Tor	232	Jeremy Bracco	RW	23	5-9/180	Toronto (AHL)	`15(61st)
Phi	233	German Rubtsov	C	22	6-2/190	Lehigh Valley (AHL)	`16(22nd)
Wsh	234	Brian Pinho	C	25	6-1/195	Hershey (AHL)	`13(174th)
Col	235	Logan O'Connor	RW	24	6-0/170	Colorado (AHL)	FA(7/18)
Buf	236	Casey Fitzgerald	D	23	5-11/190	Rochester (AHL)	`16(86th)
NJ	237	Daniil Misyul	D	19	6-3/180	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)	`19(70th)
Ari	238	John Farinacci	C	19	5-11/185	Harvard (ECAC)	`19(76th)
Edm	239	Aapeli Rasanen	C	22	6-0/195	Boston College (HE)	`16(153rd)
Pit	240	Anthony Angello	RW	24	6-5/205	Wilkes-Barre (AHL)	`14(145th)
Mtl	241	Cam Hillis	C	20	5-10/170	Guelph (OHL)	`18(66th)
Cgy	242	Mathias Emilio Pettersen	RW	20	5-9/170	Denver (NCHC)	`18(167th)
SJ	243	Alexander True	C	23	6-5/205	San Jose (AHL)	FA(7/18)
NYI	244	Reece Newkirk	C	19	5-11/175	Portland (WHL)	`19(147th)
Dal	245	Dawson Barteaux	D	20	6-0/180	RD-Wpg (WHL)	`18(168th)
Bos	246	Jack Ahcan	D	23	5-8/185	St. Cloud State (NCHC)	FA(3/20)
Det	247	Seth Barton	D	21	6-2/175	Mass-Lowell (HE)	`18(81st)
Fla	248	Max Gildon	D	21	6-3/190	New Hampshire (HE)	`17(66th)
Ari	249	Aku Raty	RW	19	6-0/175	Karpat Oulu (Fin)	`19(151st)
Wpg	250	David Gustafsson	C	20	6-1/195	Winnipeg (NHL)	`18(60th)

MCKEEN’S 2020 NHL PROSPECT REPORT – EDMONTON OILERS – ORGANIZATIONAL RANK: 21

Tue, 15 Sep 2020 14:17:46 +0000

Edmonton Oilers

The 2018-19 Bakersfield Condors were a dominant outfit at the minor league level. They were the top team in both the Pacific Division and the Western Conference as a whole. Shane Starrett was a rock between the pipes. The defensive core, starring Ethan Bear, Caleb Jones, and Logan Day, was unbeatable. The offensive attack was led by talented stalwarts including Tyler Benson, Cooper Marody, Joe Gambardella, Josh Currie, and Patrick Russell.

This year’s Condors have been bad. They entered the COVID-19 suspension of play with a points percentage of .446, sixth out of seven in the division. Only three teams in the 31-team league have surrendered more goals, and each of those teams has played at least five more games than Bakersfield has.

Minor pro teams at all levels can see their overall quality fluctuate wildly from season to season as the parent club’s needs change. Players develop and graduate, and veteran players leave for greater opportunities. As we will see with the Oiler’s top minor league affiliate, it was all of the above as well as plain old regression and injury that led to the change in fortunes.

Let’s start with the blueline. Outside of winger Kailer Yamamoto, who played roughly one third of the 2018-19 season in the AHL, the only two NHL graduations from the farm to the Show were defenders Ethan Bear, who spent the entire season in the NHL, and Caleb Jones, who was recalled to Edmonton in November and spent all but six days of the rest of the schedule in the NHL. Logan Day was an interesting scouting find as a free agent out of an NCAA DIII who scored an entry level deal after a strong first professional season on an AHL contract, but he backslid at both ends of the ice. The new look D, including top ten pick Evan Bouchard, could not keep the puck out of danger.

That impacted the play of the netminders. Starrett saw his save percentage drop from a very good .918 to an execrable .874 in only 14 games as he dealt with a long-term groin injury that kept him on the shelf for nearly two months. Stuart Skinner assumed the mantle as starter and didn’t fare much better, with a .892 save percentage. A big goalie, he had been a highly touted junior, but his lack of athleticism didn’t help at all.

And what of the forwards, who contributed to a division trailing 162 goals scored? Of the players listed above, Patrick Russell spent the year in Edmonton, not that many noticed his five assists (no goals). I did not list him as a graduate above, as the 27-year old had already aged out of prospectdom. The other veteran of that bunch, Josh Currie, was fine, practically replicating his 2018-19 performance in a losing cause. He might have earned NHL time were the Oilers not finally ascendant. There other three were not so hot. Tyler Benson was perhaps passable, dropping from just shy of point-per-game status to a hair over .75 points-per-game, while shoehorning his first NHL recall. Cooper Marody was injured during the 2019 AHL Playoffs and was never at full strength this year, playing only 30 games and unable to find the handle, scoring only five times. I am prepared to extend him a mulligan, but he is already 23 and next season might be his last real chance to catch on at the highest level. Joe Gambardella, on the other hand, is already 26. He was highly touted as a collegiate free agent, but it looks like his window has closed after his scoring rate fell nearly in half, from 48 points in 50 games down to 28 points in the same playing time.

Perhaps better health, improvement from some of the first-year players this year, and new talent like incoming prospects Olivier Rodrigue in net and Markus Niemelainen on the blueline can swing Bakersfield’s fortunes back on the upswing.

200819 Skellefteå's Philip Broberg during the training match in ice hockey between Skellefteå and Modo on 19 August 2020 in Skellefteå.
Photo: Ola Westerberg / BILDBYRÅN

Philip Broberg, D (8^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 1)

A high-end prospect with a strong long-term projection. Philip Broberg is a lanky defenseman with an impressive toolbox of skills. He has elite speed which he can use both with and without the puck. He defends his blueline well and is tough to beat when he uses his reach.

Broberg still has not excelled at point production but as an 18-year-old rookie in the SHL he played the part of a sixth defenseman well. He had strong underlying numbers and had the highest CF% and FF% among Skelleftea defenseman. Skelleftea were a better team with him on the ice than without him. He is effective at getting the puck up the ice and is hard to catch. Broberg isn’t just unlucky in production though, he will need to develop his offensive game to be more effective. He needs to be able to be control the pace more and to be more composed with the puck in lower pace situations.

His WJC performance was also a bit underwhelming due to inconsistent play. He is at his best at the zone exits and entries. When the game is standing still in either zone, he needs to learn how to use his strengths as well as he does on the rush. He is the type of prospect that could explode with some adjustments to his game. He was the sixth defender on the team this season and will likely get a bigger role next season.

He still is a year or two or maybe even three from competing for an NHL spot but Broberg is a player you would not want to rush. If he can get the time to figure out his game and get physically stronger, he can step right into the NHL and be effective right away. He has top pair potential. - JH

Evan Bouchard, D (10^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 2)

With 2019-20 being the much-anticipated rookie pro season of the reigning Max Kaminsky Trophy winner (top defenseman in the OHL), Bouchard certainly lived up to expectations. One of the top puck-moving defensive prospects on the planet, the 10th overall pick in the 2018 draft led the AHL Bakersfield Condors with 29 assists in just his age-19 season on a team that struggled to generate offense and finished with the fewest goals scored in the AHL Pacific Division (162).

He can and will generate offense on any given shift, using his magical hands and brilliant, mature hockey IQ to facilitate the puck and create high-danger chances out of nowhere. He skates decently for someone with a bulky 6-3” body, a much improved trait once thought of as a weakness, and his shot is speedy, capable of creating rebounds, and one used with frequency and confidence as he was top-ten among AHL defenders in shots on goal last season.

As polished as he is offensively, he can handle challenging defensive minutes with his physical and intelligent play in his own zone; never shying away from a chance to pin someone against the boards and use his long reach to disrupt play from below the goal line. It would be nice to see someone as skilled as him playing with more pace and energy, and that might come when he reaches the faster-paced levels of the NHL, which could come next season; if it was not for the impressive young blueliners already holding down the fort in Edmonton such as Ethan Bear and Caleb Jones, Bouchard would already be a NHL anchor. - TD

EDMONTON, AB - SEPTEMBER 14: Raphael Lavoie of the Edmonton Oilers (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

Raphael Lavoie, RW/C (38^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 3)

Lavoie may have dropped to the Oilers’ laps in the second round in 2019, but he is still a talented forward with size. He proved it last season with a solid contribution in the first half with a lame-duck, Memorial Cup-hangover Halifax squad, and then a strong showing with a contending Chicoutimi team before the season was cancelled.

Lavoie is tall and needs to fill out, but his game will only improve with more weight. He is more of a finesse forward than a power forward, but he can protect the puck very well and loves to play in traffic. He has an excellent shot and creates plenty of opportunity to use it, as his 106 career Q goals suggest. His stickhandling works well at the Q level, but will need refinement, as does his skating. Adding more bulk will give him more balance and help him in the long run, but he is not a physical player.

The potential is there for him to become a power forward in the future, but it would involve a Blake Wheeler-like transition in his game. Much like Wheeler when he was drafted, he could benefit from playing with more snarl and passion. It would open more space for him when his hands or legs cannot at the higher levels. Beyond that, Lavoie is a strong option for a scoring winger with size at the top level and will debut with Bakersfield next season. He projects as a good up-and-down the roster scoring winger at the NHL level. - MS

Olivier Rodrigue, G (62^nd overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 9)

Rodrigue was poised to cap off a very successful QMJHL career with a deep playoff run in Moncton before the season was terminated. He had gotten the attention of Team Canada and was their third goaltender for the World Juniors this past holiday season, and a strong campaign with his new Wildcats teammates was underway. Showing his value to the Oilers, Rodrigue was invited to the Edmonton playoff camp to get more experience and one-on-one time with goalie coach Dustin Schwartz.

He is a patient goalie who plays the refined style of many of the Quebec goaltenders before him. His temperament is evident not only in his own play but how calmly teams play in front of him; he is a goaltender that commands respect at the Q level and his record speaks for itself. His quickness is among the best in junior hockey, and his acceptance of his role as a third goalie with Team Canada is to be commended. He has seen reps at other international tournaments previous to this season, as well.

Chief among concerns for Rodrigue are the fact that he has always played on a contending team in junior hockey. This sounds like a strength, and it is, but it is much easier to be unflappable and confident on a great team than a bad one. As well, he is slight-of-build, weighing in this season at 165 pounds. While playing at a smaller weight never bothered a goalie like Ryan Miller, it comes with concerns in terms of handling the wear and tear of a long season, and Rodrigue has sustained injuries during playoff runs in his junior career. He is also in a dogfight with several other netminders in the organization for playing time. His ceiling is a strong NHL starter. - MS

EDMONTON, AB - SEPTEMBER 6: Tyler Benson of the Edmonton Oilers (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

Tyler Benson, LW (32^nd overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 4)

In his sophomore professional season, Benson fell victim to a team-wide regression as a member of the Condors, which finished sixth out of seven Pacific Division teams after winning the division title just a year prior. His scoring total dropped by 30 points from the 2018-19 season (albeit in 21 fewer games) and he struggled on defense to the tune of a -10 plus/minus rating.

However individually speaking, Benson was the same intelligent playmaking winger/center hybrid as he long has been, and he seems to have his injury issues behind him. Though he was fairly ineffective in his seven-game NHL trial run, that kind of depth facilitating forward would be a godsend for an Oilers team that struggles to generate much offense without its superstars on the ice. Benson’s package of deft hands, decision-making, and crisp, accurate passing allow him to set up linemates from anywhere on the ice, and he is particularly adept at drawing defenders away from linemates to free them up for a dangerous feed.

While the former Vancouver Giants star does not possess the blazing foot speed of some of his teammates and counterparts, it has not hampered his ability to change the flow of his game. What helps Benson’s chances of becoming a long-term option in the NHL ranks is that versatility and well-roundedness, and though he won’t ever put the puck in the net at a high rate, he can play a multitude of roles and set his teammates up for high-danger shots at will. Expect him to be a middle-six option in the Oilers lineup for years to come. - TD

Cooper Marody, RW (158^th overall, 2015 [Philadelphia]. 2019 Rank: 8)

A tough 2019-20 season slowed Marody’s development; he got sick in November and lost 10 pounds and was barely back into the thick of things before an upper-body injury ended his campaign in January. What the 23-year-old does well, he does exceptionally, notably his possession play and physical toughness in all three zones. While he is not a fast skater, he can hold his own and likes to carry the puck in transition with his quick and deceptive hands in spite of his lack of speed. He might be on his way to an NHL job if his health complies next season, and he is best suited as a winger on one of Edmonton’s two scoring lines if he can earn that job. - TD

Ryan McLeod, C (40^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 7)

A plus skater, McLeod likes to drive through defenders or use his long reach to pass around them in tight spaces, though he lacks urgency on offense. Smart and anticipatory on defense, he intercepts passes, makes easy changes on defensive assignments, and directs traffic up top in the defensive zone like a seasoned pro. He will have to develop into a more dangerous offensive option to be a surefire NHL weapon, but after just one pro year, he looks like -- worst case scenario -- a shutdown defensive center. - TD

Aapeli Rasanen, C (153^rd overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: UR)

Rasanen recently finished his third season with the Eagles and signed with KalPa in Liiga. Rasanen led BC in face-offs with a 56.3% success rate. He also represented Finland in the World Junior championship twice during his collegiate career, recording the best face-off percentage in both tournaments. At 22 years of age, Rasanen plays a mature game. He is a solid forward who just recorded a career high in points. He has incredibly soft hands, especially while passing. While he can set teammates up, he can also score. Rasanen projects to be a top-nine forward once he returns to North America. - JS

Ilya Konovalov, G (85^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 15)

Sophomore slump? Maybe, but next year he will have a veteran, import goalie to compete with for the starter position (Ed Pasquale) and it is yet to be seen whether he will be able to return to his old self. With that being said, Konovalov is still an interesting prospect, with excellent agility, fast movements, and a strong competitive drive. He needs to work on his consistency and overall technique to take a further step forward. Next year will be crucial to check if the Oilers had a good idea in spending a relatively high pick on him in 2019. - ASR

Dmitri Samorukov, D (84^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 5)

While raw and (reasonably) inconsistent, Samorukov’s package screams NHL potential. After signing a one-year deal with CSKA Moscow of the KHL, he’ll spend the 2020-21 season playing in a top-tier pro league and hopefully work out his flaws overseas. At 6-3” and fairly strong, Samorukov wrestles pucks away at entry and can end plays before they happen against the boards and below the goal line.

He is a very strong skater relative to his size, capable of carrying the puck out of the zone solo. He remains highly regarded in the organization and could shoot right back into the NHL conversation if his KHL stint goes well, but he must play with confidence to succeed. - TD

Kirill Maksimov, RW (146^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 11)

However, the bruising, 6-3” Russian winger has a head start over his exclusively-offensive contemporaries: his penalty kill work and defensive game are impressive and deserving of recognition. He was used in a lot of defensive-zone draw and late-lead situations as someone who can hold shooters out of dangerous areas and change the pace of the opposition’s attack with stick checks and wonderful positioning.

His speed is a concern, as is his inability to create shots for himself to let off his lethal wrister as he can make mistakes on offense, but his NHL future, unlike others in the system, is not solely predicated on offensive production. - TD

William Lagesson, D (91^st overall, 2014. 2019 Rank: 20)

Lagesson is an NHL-ready 24-year-old who has played the same scrappy, solid defensive hockey everywhere he has gone, and has proven he can do just that in the NHL after an eight-game trial in 2019-20. The best compliment you can give to a stay-at-home defenseman is that they are hard to notice, and he deserves that honor. He is smooth in his one-on-one defense, with tight gaps, an active stick, and the size to disrupt a forward’s stride.

He is physical and competitive but not prone to taking excessive penalties, which boosts his value as a one-way guy. His ceiling is depth defensive role player, and he is more than ready to take it on. - TD

Philip Kemp, D (208^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 14)

His selling point as a defender his is skating, which allows him to backcheck well - pivotal for any defender who wants to play pro hockey. He has a big frame at 6-3” and a long reach that he uses well. He also uses his speed to jump up in the rush. A seventh-round draft pick, he is performing above his draft value, but there is room for Kent - who just finished his junior season and will captain Yale - to improve. - JS

Markus Niemelainen, D (63^rd overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: UR)

The biggest knock against him continues to be a lack of offense. His play with the puck is no longer as cautious as it used to be, but he has never been a big point producer and that is unlikely to change. That said, the recent improvement in his game is a reason for some optimism. Niemelainen has a chance to carve out a career in the NHL as a depth defenseman. However, when he goes across the pond, he will very likely need a significant amount of development time first in the AHL. - MB

Maxim Denezhkin, C (193^rd overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: UR)

Moreover, small players need to be flashy to be effective, and while he isn’t a slow skater, his agility and his style still leave some question marks on his game – especially so at the pro level. With that being said, Denezhkin is a hard-working, competitive forward who gives good effort at both ends of the ice and can be useful in any situation, even in penalty killing. He has good hockey sense and a strong passing game; therefore he can still develop into a good player with the right coaching and some seasoning at home. With this type of player, patience is a must. - ASR

AHL Pacific Division Report, October – Developing prospects

Tom Dorsa — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 13:10:03 +0000

October is a month of formation for minor league hockey teams. In the first month of a long regular season, you start to see the players -- most often a mix of wily veterans and first- or second-year pros -- align and adapt to one another’s unique playing styles.

For some clubs, players, and coaches, that transition can be seamless, but for some it’s a disastrous early-season experiment. Such is the beauty of the American Hockey League, wherein young prospects are given chances to succeed not only in spite of, but because of, their early-season mistakes.

As mentioned above, development is a work in progress. Some young players can adjust with relative ease, while the unlucky struggle to acclimatize themselves to the speed, skill, and physicality of the hockey world’s second-best professional sanctioning body.

Today, we’ll be taking a look at the teams and notable prospects in the AHL’s Pacific Division. The teams on the West Coast, desert, and Rocky Mountains have all made strides and adjustments in the early portion of the campaign, and this article will take you through some of the news and notes from each of the Pacific Division’s seven member teams.

Stockton Heat (Calgary Flames)

Record: 7-1-1-1, 16 points, .800 points percentage

The Heat are absolutely on fire (pun intended) to start the 2019-20 AHL campaign. Exploding offensively, the youthful club has scored the most goals in the Western Conference (39) thus far and had four players averaging a point per game.

The job Cail MacLean has done with a team missing the two-way contributions of top-ranked prospect Jusso Valimaki cannot be overstated. Since moving from Glen Falls, New York to Stockton as part of the AHL’s California expansion four years ago, the Heat have never won a playoff series.

Their chances to do so look better than ever before in this season’s early parts. Unfortunately for the fans in San Joaquin county, looming concerns over an arena lease have clouded the much-deserved celebration of the club’s early success.

Calgary Flames Dillon Dube

Dillon Dube, 3rd in McKeen’s Yearbook preseason rankings of Flames farm system (7GP-1G-6A-7P): Though it was a disappointment for the 21-year-old to not crack the Flames’ opening night roster after a decent NHL showing last season, he was arguably the Heat’s best player in October. A playmaker and forechecker extraordinaire heading into the season, he is starting to display heightened awareness and patience on offense as well as an increased defensive presence and responsibility. With exceptional penalty kill work, the former Team Canada World Junior captain is one of the first guys going up to Calgary if needed and can easily find a way to contribute to the big-league team.

Eetu Tuulola, 14th (8-4-1-5): Skating was the biggest concern surrounding the first-year winger from Finland, and while his acceleration and balance can still lag at times, his straight-line speed looks solid. Adding some quickness to his massive 6-3”, 220lbs frame makes the 21-year-old Tuulola a scary player, as his body control, shooting ability, and versatile usefulness on the power play have already impressed scouts around the game.

Glenn Gawdin, 18th (8-2-6-8): Gawdin, a second-year pro, has long had an incredible offensive game, but like Tuulola, his skating had held him back from becoming a go-to option for offense in the pro ranks. His acceleration looks a little better, and he has displayed more energy out on the ice than in his 2018-19 rookie season. His point-per-game pace to this point is a direct reflection of that assertiveness, but I still see Gawdin as more of a two-way bottom-six center with some offensive potential. His smarts and discipline have always been his biggest draw to me, and his skating is too big of a concern for him to pan out as a top-six offensive option.

Tucson Roadrunners (Arizona Coyotes)

Record:8-3-0-0, 16 points, .727% points percentage

After injuries decimated their young club late into the 2018-19 season, the Roadrunners appear to be reaching the potential they missed out on due to ailments last campaign. Head coach Jay Varady’s club was briefly in first place in the Pacific Division in October.

While the club has been top heavy in terms of point-scoring, they have been carried mightily by a pair of young netminders, Adin Hill and Ivan Provsetov, who have combined to allow just 25 goals, the fewest in the AHL’s Western Conference.

After missing the playoffs last year, we expected the team to come back with a vengeance and contend for the top spot in the seven-team division, which they won in 2017-18. Their first 11 games, a solid 16 percent of their season schedule, confirms those beliefs.

Lane Pederson, Unranked in McKeen’s Yearbook preseason rankings of Coyotes farm system (11-9-5-14): Although the former WHLer is not the most intriguing prospect in the game, or the most well-known, Pederson has inarguably been the best skater on the Roadrunners roster this season. Third in the league in both goals and points, his offensive contributions are no coincidence if you remember his efforts in Coyotes training camp, through which he almost broke the NHL roster. His skating has improved from his WHL days, and while his passing game/vision are still to be developed, his shot is a force. He is reliable defensively and kills penalties for Tucson. He went undrafted, but if there was a second or third-round pick attached to his name, hype would be building fast for the potential middle-six center.

Ivan Prosvetov, 6th (3-1-0-0, 1.98 GAA, .944 Sv% in four starts): We knew that Prosvetov was a beast in the goal and would eventually turn into a high-end pro, but it’s somewhat surprising to see how quickly he has transformed into a mature, disciplined netminder. He was a hot head in the OHL, once receiving a five-game suspension for batting a puck into spectators during a stoppage of play. It looks like he has harnessed that competitive fire, boosting his package of 6-5” length and athletic ability with an energized demeanor on the ice. At 20 years old, younger than the large majority of AHL netminders, he is a step ahead of the competition.

Kyle Capobianco, 4th (3-0-2-2): Capobianco looks like, and is to a degree, an NHL player. He made the Coyotes’ opening night roster and has appeared in nine big-league contests so far, after his 2018-19 campaign came to a disastrous end due to a season-ending leg injury in February. So this prospect blurb acts like more of a check-up on a prospect than an actual scouting piece, in this case: he’s fine. He does not look a step slow due to his injury, his playmaking and skating are still capable of contributing in all three zones, and his potential as a power-play quarterback is still there. He will be a full-time NHLer in short order.

Ontario Reign (Los Angeles Kings)

Record: 6-2-2-0, 14 points, .700% points percentage

Last season, Ontario finished seventh out of seven Pacific Division teams, had a .441 points percentage, and recorded a -61 goal differential. Their struggles were a direct reflection of a Kings farm system that had become depleted due to their NHL parent club’s sustained success and desire for more.

The Kings of that era valued size and defensive strength over anything else, and now, as the game of hockey has progressed, so has the L.A. system. The revamped Reign roster is beginning to see the effects of the newly-implemented Rob Blake system, and have used that speed and skill to ascend back to the top of the division table.

Of course, a healthy chunk of the credit for the Reign’s turnaround has to go to head coach Mike Stothers, as well as many of their young players. If October is any indicator, the Reign could be playing postseason hockey again this season.

Los Angeles Kings Goalie Cal Petersen e)

Cal Petersen, 11th in McKeen’s Yearbook preseason rankings of Kings farm system (6-2-2-0, 2.55 GAA, .929 Sv% in ten starts): Since his pro debut in 2017-18, Petersen has been one of the AHL’s top goaltenders. Last season was grim, as his GAA floated over four due mostly to a horrid club in front of him, but he looks to have bounced back big time. The 25-year-old plays a wild, entertaining style of highly-athletic goaltending, and rarely cracks mentally. His hulking physical size and ability to read plays as they develop helps him compensate for a lack of decisive tool-selection and overall refinement. His contract goes from a two-way deal this year to one-way the next year and beyond, meaning he is essentially auditioning for an NHL job this season.

Carl Grundstrom, 8th (4-5-2-7): Along with a 2019 first round pick (used on Tobias Bjornfot), Grundstrom was the return from Toronto in the Jake Muzzin trade, and the young forward has added some instant value to the Kings system. In dominating the AHL in the early parts of the season, he has earned some appearances with L.A. and can only get better from here. He is a hard-working player who competes in all three zones, never slows down out there, and can flash a surprising goal-scoring touch. A hard forechecker to escape, that effort translates to the other end of the ice, where he has become an impactful penalty killer. He can be prone to mistakes, but Grundstrom’s relentless motor and two-way reliability give him a solid ceiling of a middle-six winger with some offensive upside that has not even been tapped into.

Matt Luff, 20th (9-3-4-7): The undrafted 22-year-old was one of Ontario’s best players (and a bright spot in his short Kings stint) last season, and he looks to have carried that promise and excellence into 2019-20. One thing that helps accumulate NHL-worthy stats is just how much the winger loves to shoot, leading the club with 34 shots through nine AHL games so far, in addition to being third on the team in shots (153) despite just 33 games with the AHL team has year. Luff has good reason to be a volume shooter, with a heavy, spinning wrist shot that has menacing velocity and tremendous accuracy, but his toughness and puck skills are also elements to watch out of the depth forward.

Bakersfield Condors (Edmonton Oilers)

Record: 5-5-1-0, 11 points, .500% points percentage

While Edmonton’s two superstar talents, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisiatl, have ripped the NHL to shreds in the early going of the 2019-20 season, some of the club’s top prospects are continuing the trend in the AHL.

Oilers’ CEO Bob Nicholson’s laid-out plan of allowing prospects to “over-ripen” seems to be the organization’s modus operandi, and the Condors are reaping the benefits of having more experienced, longer-tenured players on the roster this season.

For head coach Jay Woodcroft, it’s mostly the same players that dominated during their historic 2018-19 run that have been at the forefront of their 2019-20 operations. You can’t bank on Bakersfield having the same 17-game winning streak as the division champs did last season, but they will compete to bring playoff hockey to Kern County, California for the second time after relocating from Oklahoma City in 2015.

Tyler Benson, 4th in McKeen’s yearbook preseason rankings of Oilers farm system (11-2-7-9): His maturity, hockey IQ, and vision make it easy to forget, but Benson is only 21 years old and has just one full pro season under his belt. After pacing the Condors in points last season, his heads-up rushing action and high-end playmaking skills have put him out front early this year. A speedy skater with beautiful acceleration and swift pivots, his ability to draw space to himself and pass the puck off is reminiscent of the NHL’s preeminent puck-movers. His only flaw is his shot, which lacks speed and accuracy. His early-career development was plagued by injuries, but with full health, he looks downright scary good and could soon be a top-six facilitator for the Oilers.

Kailer Yamamoto, 6th (11-4-3-7): Sent down to Bakersfield as part of a rehab schedule for his wrist injury from last season, Yamamato has had a pretty decent start to his AHL season. The former first-round pick has been so-so on offense, and you would like to see him use his slippery skating, speedy hands, and creativity to drive offense more. But his penalty kill and overall defensive game have been exceptional, and it is impressive to see the way he has rounded out his game. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the 21-year-old get a recall to Edmonton soon, especially as the Oilers’ bottom six is starved for skill.

Evan Bouchard, 2nd (11-3-4-7): The reigning Max Kaminsky trophy winner as the Ontario Hockey League’s best blueliner, Bouchard has been playing up to that billing since joining the AHL ranks at the start of the season. With his creativity, vision, and booming shot, the 10th overall pick in 2018 has excelled with Bakersfield thus far. Two of the defenseman’s three goals have come on the man-advantage, which speaks to his effectiveness on the power play. His skating is not as big of an issue as it was in his draft season, but can still improve.

San Jose Barracuda (San Jose Sharks)

Record:4-4-0-1, 9 points, .500% points percentage

San Jose has so few certified “veteran” players on the roster that it is genuinely impressive that they have posted a .500 record so far this season. Kudos to Roy Sommer, the club’s head coach, but also, the team’s European scouting group for plucking legitimate talent from some obscure areas.

Swedish winger Joel Kellman, German forward Lean Bergmann, and Danish forwards Alexander True and Joachim Blichfeld are the club’s top-four scorers through nine games. All four of the Barracuda stars were either undrafted signees or seventh-round draft selections.

Their top goaltender, Josef Korenar, was also an undrafted signee who has emerged as one of the AHL’s top goalies at just 21. Hopefully the team can be carried by these otherwise-unheard of players to the club’s fifth consecutive postseason appearance since relocating from Worcester, Massachusetts.

Sasha Chmelevski, 2nd in McKeen’s yearbook preseason rankings of Sharks farm system (6-0-1-1): Both things can be true: Chmelevski has had a hard time adjusting to the pro ranks, and he has been battling injuries since the beginning of the season, having missed the last few Barracuda games with a lower-body ailment. So, you have to take his early-season results with a grain of salt. He has flashed some of that quick, precise passing and smart decision making early on in his pro career, especially on the San Jose power play, where he is playing first-unit minutes. His injuries have hampered his skating some, and you would like to see him use his heavy, accurate wrist shot more. He almost made the Sharks roster out of training camp, which means there is something special about the 21-year-old, but we just have to wait and see a fully healthy version of him.

Joachim Blichfeld, 7th (8-3-3-6): Whereas Chmelevski has had a troublesome professional hockey adjustment process, Blichfeld has been excellent since puck drop on opening night. While his offensive numbers don’t equal that of his godly WHL totals a year ago (68-53-61-114), he has been exceptional at what he does best; drive play with speed and creativity, fire the puck at will, and get into dirty areas without the puck. He has been a pest in front of the goal and seeks out crease-front rebounds at every chance. A power-play staple, the right-hander has played a variety of roles on the man-advantage. However, the Danish winger can be prone to frequent turnovers, and needs to amp up his three-zone awareness to prevent getting the puck stick-checked away.

Josef Korenar, 10th (3-2-1-2, 1.82, .932): An AHL All-Star last season, the 21-year-old Czech has only stepped his game up from there. Most importantly, the former undrafted signee has provided the Sharks with one thing they arguably didn’t have: a denoted goaltender of the future. His tool selection can still be a little spotty, and he plays an inconsistent positional game (when to come out and challenge, when to guard posts, etc), but his raw package is that of a future NHL stud. Korenar displays otherworldly smarts, vision, and anticipation while playing a calm and composed style in the crease. He is highly athletic and can scramble to make saves, and his rebound control has improved since last season.

Colorado Eagles (Colorado Avalanche)

Record: 4-5-0-0, 8 points, .444% points percentage

Whereas some teams have benefited from an influx of their organization’s brightest young stars, the Eagles have stagnated with a bunch of veteran guys with low ceilings. I don’t believe their slow start to the season is a coincidence; they just don’t really have that pure, youthful skill to mesh with the aged, seasoned pros on the club.

It is not like Colorado has no high-end prospects on the roster, as the club sports names like Shane Bowers, Conor Timmins, or Martin Kaut, but moreso that these young players are having trouble finding a rhythm or just coming into their own as prospects.

Luckily, they are through just nine games of the Pacific Division’s 68-game schedule. Head coach Greg Cronin and the club have time on their side and a group of experienced players who know what it takes to make it through the tough and tiresome winter months. With that, the goal is to bring playoff hockey to Loveland, CO, in just their second year in the AHL.

Conor Timmins, 6th in McKeen’s yearbook preseason rankings of Avalanche farm system (7-1-2-3): We all knew Timmins could play, but how quickly he has jumped back into action and found a way to contribute after missing the entirety of the 2018-19 season is nothing short of amazing. The right-shot defenseman who made the Avs roster out of camp has not missed a beat, and has emerged as the versatile, three-zone defender he was picked as in the second-round of the 2017 draft. His physical strength makes him capable of outmuscling anyone in a puck battle, and his vision to get the puck out of the zone — via his solid outlet pass or his skating — makes him a threat joining the rush. He has the potential to be a top-four minute-munching defender at the highest level of the game.

Nick Henry, 11th (9-1-2-3): An assist machine in his final year with WHL Lethbridge, Henry’s main asset — playmaking and transitional play — has translated well in his first full professional season. Although he is not racking up points at an insane pace, the 20-year-old has been instrumental in driving play for the Eagles’ fourth line. His skating is not great, but good enough to get through the neutral zone, where his vision and high hockey IQ can take over a rush. He is solid defensively, with decent strength for an undersized winger, and his energy and tenacity on the forecheck has been noticeable. His main issue is his hesitance to shoot, mainly defaulting to passing; he will need to improve upon his shot assertiveness to succeed long-term in the pros.

Logan O’Connor, 12th (9-1-2-3): The former University of Denver captain continued his emergence as a top-notch prospect in the Avs system in October. Boosted onto the top line for the Eagles (mostly playing with veterans T.J. Tynan and Erik Condra), O’Connor’s well-rounded, mature game has provided plus value for Colorado thus far. He has the acceleration and top speed of an NHL top-six winger, along with the hockey IQ and smarts to make an impact in all three zones. He can play any role, at any forward position, against any competition, and that kind of versatility is what makes him a surefire future NHLer.

San Diego Gulls (Anaheim Ducks)

Record: 2-6-0-0, 4 points, .250% points percentage

The diagnosis for their slow start is a simple one: the Gulls have suffered from a transitioning, transformative roster in Anaheim depleting the AHL club, which made the Western Conference Finals last season.

Head coach Kevin Dineen has his work cut out for him with a roster that has lost his stars from last campaign, such as former first-round picks Sam Steel and Max Jones as well as Team U.S.A. World Junior hero Troy Terry, all of whom are on the Ducks’ active roster.

There still shine some bright lights amid a dark and frightening tunnel however, as a Ducks farm system with a decent amount of talent steps on the ice in San Diego.

Isac Lundestrom, 4th in the McKeen’s yearbook preseason rankings of Ducks farm system (6-2-1-3): After starting the season eating healthy scratches with the Ducks, the 2018 first-rounder returned to the AHL and has fared well centering the Gulls’ third line, scoring his first career AHL goal just a few games ago. His ability as a puck carrier has received a well-deserved spotlight on the power play, and his versatility and maturity (it’s easy to forget that he is just 19-years-old) has received abundant penalty kill time thus far. The youthful Swede is such a multi-faceted player and thinks the game at such a high level that he will not need much more improving to do before being a solid, consistent NHL player. He just needs to improve upon his offensive assertiveness, most importantly how underused his wrist shot is.

Joshua Mahura, 9th (6-0-0-0): Mahura was recently recalled to the NHL roster (where he promptly recorded three assists in his season debut), and it was a well-deserved promotion. The scoresheet won’t prove it to you, but he had quietly been one of the Gulls’ better players in the young season. Playing on both special teams, the defender exhibited his high-end two-way versatility and desire to play up at most times. He is a highly dangerous option to start or join a rush at any opportunity, and that same mentality is paying off in the NHL, with his 3.9 CF% Rel. It’s early, and both the Ducks and Gulls are undergoing a lot of changes, but perhaps he has already played his last regular season AHL game.

AHL Western Conference 2019-20 Season Preview

Tom Dorsa — Thu, 17 Oct 2019 19:20:02 +0000

The new hockey season is finally upon us, and with it, comes the return of the American Hockey League, which serves as the primary development league of all 31 National Hockey League franchises.

As the AHL’s 31 teams prepare to clash over the long winter stretch, hoping to lift the Calder Cup in June, their NHL parent clubs are bulking up their farm team’s rosters with some of their best and brightest prospects.

With the NHL season up and running, the rosters for the AHL teams in each organization are coming to fruition. The solid mix of veterans with familiar faces alongside some exciting, exuberant youthful prospects of many teams are giving fans in the AHL’s member cities hope for the present and the future, while giving NHL fans faces to look for as potential replacements for the parent clubs, if and when the need arises.

Let’s take a team-by-team look at the competitors in the AHL’s Western Conference, beginning with last season’s conference champions.

(Team rundown is listed by 2018-19 point totals, and are not a projection of 2019-20 conference standings.)

Chicago Wolves (Vegas Golden Knights)

The Wolves, who paced the Western Conference with a 44-22-6-4 record in the regular season, lost their two leading scorers from last season over the summer. Daniel Carr, whose 71 points in 52 games led the AHL in points per game (1.37) last season, departed for the Nashville Predators system, while T.J. Tynan (led the league with 59 assists) joined the Colorado Avalanche organization.

Head coach Rocky Thompson might have trouble finding the same scoring, but will not have any issue on the blue line, with a defensive corps headlined by some top prospects like Nic Hague (4th in McKeen’s Vegas farm system rankings), Zach Whitecloud (6th), and Jake Bischoff (8th) all manning the defensive zone. Hague and Bischoff are presently up with Vegas, but both should spend significant time on the farm this year.

Chicago should maintain a spot near the summit of the Central Division standings, bolstered by all-world defense and solid goaltending.

Prospects to watch (quotes from the 2019-20 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook):

Nicolas Hague

“[T]he 2017 second-rounder has can’t-miss shutdown potential in a two-way package. His lanky, 6-6” frame makes him nearly unbeatable at the blueline, as his length and mobility give him a package that can compete with any AHL forward for space in the defensive zone.”

Lucas Elvenes

“[A] smooth skater with soft hands. He has skill, and his inconsistent scoring is a product of him being more of a perimeter player, as he likes to create from the outside and that play isn’t always there and his creativity isn’t enough in those instances.”

Dylan Coghlan

“[A]n impactful offensive-defenseman by virtue of his skating, his atomic bomb of a slapshot, and his vision and playmaking, which allow him to quarterback a power play unit. His ceiling is as a middle-pair puck-rusher, but we will have to see how he does with an increase in tougher minutes on a depleted AHL Chicago this season.”

Bakersfield Condors (Edmonton Oilers)

The Condors made American Hockey League history last season with a stretch of 17 consecutive wins between January 12 and March 1. The win streak is tied for the second-longest in the 83-year history of the AHL, and allowed the Condors to soar (pun intended) to the Pacific Division regular season title.

Though they fell to the San Diego Gulls in the second round of the Calder Cup Playoffs, Bakersfield enjoyed its most successful season since the Oilers moved its primary development affiliate from Oklahoma City to Kern County, California, scoring more goals (242) and allowing fewer (182) than ever before.

With a solid group of top prospects from a deep Edmonton farm system, the Condors can be expected to contend alongside their California rivals for another Pacific Division crown.

Prospects to Watch (quotes from 2019-20 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook):

Tyler Benson

“A speedy and creative forward, the former second-rounder’s natural playmaking ability — driven by top-notch vision, decision-making, and very crisp and accurate passes — can carry play from both the left wing and from the center position.”

Kailer Yamamoto

“A highly creative, smooth-skating winger, the former first-rounder creates plays out of thin air and is intense on the puck at all times. The quick-handed forward possesses strong hockey sense and the ability to drive play and carry a line from his position with his speed and vision.”

Cameron Hebig

“The undersized center plays a solid 200-foot game, exhibits mature offensive anticipation, has lightning-fast hands, and possesses a pro-level wrist shot, albeit a criminally underused one.”

Milwaukee Admirals (Nashville Predators)

After failing to make the playoffs in 2017-18, the Admirals returned to the postseason scene, losing to the Iowa Wild 3-2 in a five-game set. Riding a 14-game point streak through a hard Spring schedule, the Admirals made an improbable climb from seventh to second in the Central Division to end the season.

Milwaukee, celebrating their 50th season in the North American pro scene, look to rebound with an influx of solid Nashville prospects. Though AHL staples Adam Helewka and Dustin Siemens departed in the offseason, the introduction of prospects Rem Pitlick and Jeremy Davies (a New Jersey prospect traded in the P.K. Subban deal) will boost the offense.

Goaltender Troy Grosenick, one of the AHL’s best, will be back in the Admirals crease with a deeper team in front of him and head coach Karl Taylor.

Prospects to Watch (quotes from 2019-20 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook):

Eeli Tolvanen

“His shot is mesmerizing, with speed, a wicked and deceptive release, and insane accuracy, while his skating has improved to compliment has lethal shooting. His excellent touch for the puck gives him an underrated playmaking game as well, as his hands can create space for himself and teammates while his elite stick skills enable him to dish passes over with ease.”

Rem Pitlick

“As solid as his shot is, Pitlick is also a clever playmaker, with good vision as he flies down the wing towards the net. While he will take risks to create offense, he is responsible in his own end, and has been a trusted penalty college for the University of Minnesota.”

Frederic Allard

“A former point-per-game blueliner in the QMJHL, his speed, shot, and offensive vision all grade out as average or better. He sees the ice and anticipates plays at a very mature level, and he has legitimate top-four potential if he can work on his defensive game, with his puck-moving and skating playing big roles in his projected big-league value.”

Iowa Wild (Minnesota Wild)

For the first time since the team formerly known as the Houston Aeros moved to Iowa, fans in Des Moines were treated to postseason hockey from an Iowa Wild team that won more games (37) and scored more goals (242) than in any past season.

The offense was paced by usual suspects like team captain Cal O’Reilly, but goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen carried the defensive efforts of the club with poise and consistency. First-year head coach Tim Army’s group knocked off Milwaukee in the first-round of the Western Conference playoffs.

Although the AHL club made few big-name acquisitions in the offseason, their returning players should keep them afloat in their search for a postseason spot in the Spring of 2020.

Prospects to Watch (quotes from 2019-20 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook):

Nico Sturm

“He has great size and skates very well, with intriguing puck skills to boot. He is close to ready and has a third line ceiling.”

Kaapo Kahkonen

“His calm, composed mentality in the crease bodes well for his highly-athletic, technically-refined butterfly style, and his maturity as a young netminder was on display for all of last season in Des Moines. From a talent standpoint, he projects to be a midtier NHL starter in the near future.”

Louie Belpedio

“A right-handed, puck-moving defenseman is an untouchable prospective asset to any organization, but throw in some offensive upside and a veteran level of composure, and you have a surefire future NHLer. His smarts are top notch, and his speedy skating and vision make his mission of exiting the zone as fast as possible an easy one most times.”

Grand Rapids Griffins (Detroit Red Wings)

The Griffins are a team that benefits mightily from the Red Wings’ aggressive style of prospect development. A year after the debut of Filip Zadina -- the sixth overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft -- Grand Rapids will say hello to Joe Veleno and Moritz Sieder, two more first-round picks.

Add in Michael Rasmussen and Evgeny Svechnikov, you can argue that the Griffins have the most young, raw talent in the game, and head coach Ben Simon is prepared to put it all to use. Only three years removed from a Calder Cup championship (2016-17), the Griffins look primed for another run at the AHL equivalent of the Stanley Cup.

The Griffins fell victim to Chicago, the eventual conference champions, in the first round of last season’s playoffs.

Prospects to Watch (quotes from 2019-20 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook):

Filip Zadina

“His intense skating speed, technical footwork skill, and elite shooting prowess [are] capable of changing the game on every shift. Furthermore, even if the numbers don’t pop, the fact that he did it all as a teenager is incredibly impressive.”

Moritz Sieder

“Big, mobile right-shot defenseman who oozes confidence and has great hockey sense. He has the quickness to join the rush and he does so in a timely manner. The German blueliner is very gifted offensively, possessing high-level passing skills and a strong shot selection.”

Evgeny Svechnikov

“He is a beast with the puck, able to get inside position on anyone and his control and balance are incredible for his size. He doesn’t shy from playing hard defensively. We will have to see if his injuries continue to hold him back when he returns this season, but if his health holds -- and his consistency improves -- he can be a middle-six scoring wing in the NHL.”

San Jose Barracuda (San Jose Sharks)

In their four years at SAP Center (after formerly playing in Worcester, MA), the Barracuda have never missed the playoffs. A beacon of consistency in the minor leagues in spite of an NHL club that is a perennial contender, there is no reason San Jose shouldn’t be hosting postseason games next Spring.

With the additions of Noah Gregor, Sasha Chmelevski, and Ivan Chekhovich -- along with a formidable returning core of players -- the Sharks boast a reinvigorated prospect pool ready to make things happen at the AHL level.

The Barracuda led the Pacific Division for much of the season before the Condors went on an incredible 17-game winning streak; San Jose finished second, four points behind Bakersfield. San Jose fell three games to one to San Diego in the first round of the playoffs.

Prospects to Watch (quotes from 2019-20 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook):

Joachim Blichfeld

“[I]s a natural scorer with very good offensive instincts, has a great shot, and plays a pretty good all round game. He should be able to translate his game to a higher level of play. He will start as a bottom six forward, and could move up to a top six role if he settles in and produces even a portion of his WHL production.”

Sasha Chmelevski

“He is the type of forward who can excel in any situation and this versatility will make him an NHL player sooner rather than later. His best asset might be his shot release, which is lightning quick. But he is more than just a goal scorer, as he processes the game very well and is especially dangerous in transition with his ability to make quick decisions with the puck.”

Antti Suomela

“He still has the potential to be a top-six forward; a lethal skater and often deadly setup man, Suomela can contribute in many ways, even without the puck, as his anticipation for where the play is flowing is unreal. He still has the potential to be a top-six forward; a lethal skater and often deadly setup man, Suomela can contribute in many ways, even without the puck, as his anticipation for where the play is flowing is unreal.”

Manitoba Moose (Winnipeg Jets)

In their four years in Winnipeg, the Moose have played in the playoffs just once, missing the postseason last year with a very young and inexperienced team. With some of their younger players expected to make a leap this season, the Moose should be much improved.

Getting Sami Niku back to the AHL club is a major boost. Last season, Niku made the Jets roster but was a healthy scratch for the majority of the NHL campaign, and instead the mobile, smart defender will get some valuable reps instead of wasting away in the press box.

Youthful goalie Mikhail Berdin is anticipated as the club’s number-one goalie, and seems capable of the job after success in a somewhat-limited role last year. Head coach Pascal Vincent, the winner of the 2018 Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as the AHL’s most outstanding coach, is back behind the bench of the Jets’ affiliate.

Prospects to Watch (quotes from 2019-20 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook):

Logan Stanley

“The physical beast is one of the tallest prospects (or player of any level) in hockey, and his high-end defensive game leans heavily on his near-incomparable length. With his long and impassable gaps, active stick, and ability to take any opposing forward off the puck, his defensive game is one that seems NHL ready at just 20 years old.”

Michael Spacek

“As one of the finest defensive players in the Winnipeg system, Spacek has a clear NHL future due solely to his hard work and intensity in all three zones, but he can be better than a defensive specialist. The Czech native’s high-end two-way game has translated well from the WHL to pro hockey, as his shot, passing skill, and of course, his maturity and responsibility as a defender has impressed in the Winnipeg system.”

Mikhail Berdin

“Extremely athletic and hard-nosed, Berdin plays a fundamentally refined game that minimizes high-danger chances. He also possesses the last-resort agility to shut down anything that he can’t immediately get to.”

Texas Stars (Dallas Stars)

A year removed from winning the Western Conference and coming just a game away from taking home the franchise’s second Calder Cup, the Stars missed the postseason last year amid injuries and recalls toward the end of the season.

In addition, Texas has bid farewell to their two longest tenured players this offseason. Travis Morin, the 2014 AHL Most Valuable Player, retired from pro hockey while Justin Dowling, the team’s captain last season, made the Dallas roster out of training camp and seems primed to stick in the NHL.

With that transition brings youth and excitement into head coach Derek Laxdal’s lineup, as 11 first-year pros will compete in their rookie season with the Stars, including goaltender Jake Oettinger and forward Riley Tufte, both former first-round picks.

Prospects to Watch (quotes from 2019-20 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook):

Jason Robertson

“At his best, Robertson is a monster in possession who prolongs offensive zone time because of how well he protects the puck. He also possesses terrific instincts, a great release, and a high skill level with the puck that makes him a very complete offensive player.”

Jake Oettinger

“Not only is Oettinger one of the top prospects in the Dallas system, the 20-year-old is firmly among the elite goaltending prospects in the sport. He is a 6-5” behemoth in the crease, but with the mental composure of a veteran and the agility of an NHL starter, boasting one of the most impressive packages of netminding skill in the game today.”

Joel L’Esperance

“The 6-2” center plays a high-energy game in all three zones, forechecks hard, and has some solid technical skating skill for a big man. He has a splendid wrist shot and a hockey IQ that is as high as his experience from the college ranks would suggest.”

San Diego Gulls (Anaheim Ducks)

After a somewhat surprising run to the Western Conference Finals that ended with a loss to Chicago, head coach Dallas Eakins was given a promotion to the Anaheim Ducks and now serves as the bench boss of the Gull’s NHL parent club.

What that means is, like with Texas, a lot of transition and a lot of unknown. Kevin Dineen was hired as the head coach in the offseason and now oversees a team with a lot of turnover from the year prior. Prospects like Hunter Drew and Andrew Morand will lead the club from the side of youth, while AHL scoring phenom Andrew Poturalski joins the fray after a Calder Cup championship with Charlotte.

The 2019-20 Ducks sure look like the 2018-19 Gulls, and San Diego will have to rediscover an identity to be in contention for a postseason spot as the winter turns to spring again.

Prospects to Watch (quotes from 2019-20 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook):

Joshua Mahura

“A crisp, accurate, and heads-up passer, the 2016 third-rounder is a beast in transitional play, and is never afraid to start -- or join -- an offensive rush. Solid vision of up-ice development is aided by his tight gaps, which can force turnovers at the blue line and spark a chance the other way.”

Antoine Morand

“Knows where to be on the ice. He is a creator who distributes very well and can run an offense. He is a solid skater with great agility and strong edgework, but his size is a question mark going forward. Morand will have to bulk up to have extended success at the NHL level.”

Andrew Poturalski

“A decisive, speedy playmaker with quick hands and high-end vision, the 25-year-old possesses a ceiling of a depth scoring forward with potential to have a ton of success on the power play.”

Rockford IceHogs (Chicago Blackhawks)

The IceHogs failed to qualify for the postseason in a transformative 2018-19 campaign that saw their NHL parent club make many internal moves that trickled down to Rockford. Most notably, Jeremy Colliton getting a midseason promotion from AHL bench boss to NHL headman, leaving Derek King and crew without much time to implement their voices on the room.

Now, King will get a full season as head coach and an influx of well-regarded prospects at his disposal. Adam Boqvist and Nicolas Beaudin, two 2018 first-round picks, will man the blue line, while returning goaltenders Collin Delia and IIHF World Championships winner Kevin Lankinen can hold down the fort in the crease.

Prospects to Watch (quotes from 2019-20 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook):

Aleksi Saarela

“Saarela is a hard-working, dynamic player who wins battles and moves so efficiently that his energy stays high throughout the entirety of each game. He is a great shooter and his accuracy is impressive which makes him a tough opponent to stop. He is an all-around fun and creative player to watch and with his hockey sense and skill, he has the potential to be a top six forward and lead a team despite his size.”

Adam Boqvist

“An elite offensive defender, Boqvist has the requisite tools to be a high scorer in the NHL. His skating stride is not only smooth, it is powerful, and it allows him to take risks by jumping up into the rush quite frequently. He also possesses fantastic scoring instincts for a defender, sliding down into the slot or using his agility to open up shooting lanes for himself at the blueline.”

Dylan Sikura

“From the standpoint of raw skating, he was one of the best in the AHL and in this very deep farm system. His playmaking has long been his calling card, and he loves to make space for teammates with his speed only to pass it off. He is a smaller center, but does not shy away from doing the dirty work on both ends of the rink.”

Colorado Eagles (Colorado Avalanche)

After winning two straight Kelly Cups in their final two years of action in the ECHL, the Eagles wasted no time bringing Calder Cup playoff action to Loveland, Colorado in their first season of AHL play. Finishing fourth in the Pacific Division before losing to Bakersfield in round one, it was a terrific start for an AHL expansion team.

Eagles head coach Greg Cronin has arguably a deeper team in the dressing room this season, and the Eagles can be expected to not only reach the postseason again, but perhaps go even deeper. Losing top scorer Andrew Agozzino and starting goaltender Pavel Francouz is a pain, but the addition of veterans T.J. Tynan and Erik Condra, as well as prospect Calle Rosen and the health of Conor Timmins bring balance to the club.

Like the Avalanche above them, they’re a team that preaches chaos and excitement over anything else. They’re incredibly fun.

Prospects to Watch (quotes from 2019-20 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook):

Martin Kaut

“Although his offensive game was stagnant, his defensive game -- where his value is most apparent -- needed no adjustment from Europe to the North American style. His incredible rink sense make him a pest on the puck, and his willingness to play deep in the defensive zone is an unteachable, immeasurable talent.”

Shane Bowers

“Bowers is the type of player that specializes in performing the little things, doing the grunt work while his linemates hog the glory. He can accelerate the cycle game, bringing the puck in from the perimeter and putting a scoring chance in motion. He plays with energy and can be used in all situations.”

Logan O’Connor

“He is a wonderful skater with the acceleration of a top-line scorer, and possesses the smarts and discipline to consistently make a major impact in all three zones. His versatility is his strongest weapon, as he can play all three forward spots -- up and down the lineup -- with surprising effectiveness.”

Tucson Roadrunners (Arizona Coyotes)

Injuries bit the Roadrunners hard near the end of the 2018-19 season, and the team narrowly missed the playoffs directly because of it. In particular, the losses of defenseman Kyle Capobianco and forwards Michael Bunting and Nick Merkley all hit head coach Jay Varady hard, but the team is full of depth and excitement if their health cooperates.

This team won the Pacific Division title in 2018, with several of those players still suiting up in Tucson brick red and black. In their fourth year in Arizona, they should be expected to contend for the Pacific crown once again, so long as heavily-revered goaltending prospect Adin Hill can play up to his level.

Prospects to Watch (quotes from 2019-20 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook):

Nick Merkley

“Agile and athletic, he has the edgework and plus acceleration to make up for his small, albeit stocky, stature. His creativity with the puck is fueled by his elite hands, and his shot is an ever-evolving weapon. It is difficult to tell what kind of player Merkley is going to be, but if he can finally stay healthy, the 22-year-old has the skill and potential to be a future top-six winger.”

Adin Hill

“At 6-6”, Hill’s size is the first thing that jumps out about the 2015 third-rounder, but his incredible technical refinement and immeasurable mental composure are major bright spots in the development of the Coyotes’ goaltender of the future. With both AHL Tucson and the NHL club, Hill displayed his excellent total package as a near-term big-leaguer.”

Tyler Steenbergen

“His 200-foot game, defensive responsibility, and effectiveness as a bottom-six, penalty-killing guy who can play all three forward spots reliably gives him something many players of his ilk have not: a surefire NHL ceiling.”

San Antonio Rampage (St. Louis Blues)

While no St. Louis Blues fan will trade their first and only Stanley Cup last season for a better prospect pool, the Blues are certainly lacking in terms of a competitive AHL team. Their 2018-19 season started about as poorly as their parent club’s, and the Rampage never got above a .500 winning percentage at any point of the season.

But a new year always brings promise and hope. Prospect winger Klim Kostin, a 2017 first-round pick, had a solid preseason with St. Louis and brings to his third season in the AHL a quest to be more disciplined and consistent, while goaltender Ville Husso looks for redemption after a disastrous season in 2018-19.

Prospects to Watch (quotes from 2019-20 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook):

Ville Husso

“Husso had a horrendous season that further damaged his falling prospect stock. After a strong 2017-18 campaign, the Finn went 6-18-0 with a 3.67 GAA and .871 Sv% in 2018-19, eventually losing the clear-cut starting job to a slew of random cast-offs that featured Binnington and Jared Coreau. Husso still has the raw skill to make a name for himself, including his athleticism, size (and more importantly, the way he uses it), and his ability to read plays as they develop and position himself accordingly.”

Klim Kostin

“Though he went through another underwhelming AHL season, the 6-3”, 212lbs 20-year-old impressed scouts with his body control, momentum on his skates, and his physical, power-forward game. A fast shot and nifty puck-protection skills make Kostin a fun player to watch when he gets to enter the zone with momentum, though his lack of speed and assertiveness can hold him back.”

Mitch Reinke

“His speed allows him to frequently exit the defensive zone, while his vision and hockey sense give him the instincts to put the puck in the right place. He can jump into the play and let off his strong, accurate wrist shot, but he is more of a facilitator than anything.”

Stockton Heat (Calgary Flames)

Since moving to Stockton from Glens Fall, New York, the Flames have not won a single playoff series. With their NHL parent club in a “win now” window, it has obviously been difficult for Stockton to establish a consistent winner in the AHL.

And with Calgary bulking up the big-league club for another potential run at the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs, Stockton head coach Cail MacLean has his work cut out for him again. Especially without Jusso Valimaki, who tore his ACL in offseason training and is expected to miss the entire 2019-20 season, several others with the AHL Flames will need to step their games up this year.

Prospects to Watch (quotes from 2019-20 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook):

Dillon Dube

“Shifty and quick on his feet, the former captain of Team Canada at the World Junior Championship exhibited plus value as a playmaking passer while also playing as a forceful, self-assured shooting option. His undersized frame is not a hindrance to his highend rough-and-tumble, forechecking game, as his play in the cycle is where he really shines as a passer and in-tight puck-handler.”

Matthew Phillips

“Grading out as an above-average skater and shooter, the Calgary native can impact games with his slippery skating, tricky shot release, and plus vision to create lanes for his linemates. At just 5-7” and 155 pounds, his physical game obviously lags, but he can be effective enough at separating himself from opposing defenders against the boards.”

Tyler Parsons

“A master scrambler, Parsons lacks technical refinement but more than makes up for it with competitiveness, play-tracking, and the reflexes to complement his all-out style of goaltending. The 2017 WJC gold medalist needs nothing more than a clean bill of health to continue his ascent up the ranks of NHL goaltending prospects, as the 2016 second-rounder projects to be a mid-tier NHL starter, but with more room to grow.”

Ontario Reign (Los Angeles Kings)

The Reign suffered through a dreadful 2018-19 season, one that became increasingly hard as the campaign continued, with the Kings recalling many Ontario’s best players.

Matt Luff, Carl Grundstrom, and Austin Wagner joined L.A.’s forward group, Sean Walker and Matt Roy saw time on the blue line, and Cal Petersen played in the crease at some points in the year. Using a core of inexperienced defensemen, ineffective forwards, and whoever else the Reign could snag from ECHL Manchester was not a recipe for success.

New additions Jaret Anderson-Dolan (2017 second-rounder) and Rasmus Kupari (2018 first-rounder) hope to turn the tide, to say nothing of the possible return to help of 2017 first rounder Gabriel Vilardi, bringing excitement to San Bernardino county. The Reign could be a sneaky playoff team, or just die out early like last season, but unpredictability can be entertaining, at least.

Prospects to Watch (quotes from 2019-20 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook):

Rasmus Kupari

“His greatest asset is, without doubt, his skating. Highly agile on his skates, he can make tight turns and cuts and he possesses strong edge control. He stops and starts well and has excellent top-end speed. He can maneuver with the puck in tight spaces and has a lot of puck skill as well.”

Gabriel Vilardi

“He possesses a great size and skill package down the middle and is a terrific playmaker who thinks the game at a high level and really can dominate possession down low. He is just so strong and difficult to separate from the puck. Vilardi played only four games for Ontario last year because of a lingering back injury that appears to be threatening his promising career.”

Jaret Anderson-Dolan

“Anderson-Dolan had a tough season last year battling injuries, but managed to finish the season strong. He finished the season by putting up 20 goals and 43 points in 32 games for the [Spokane] Chiefs, and 15 in 13 games in the playoffs, demonstrating that his multi-tool impact was still there.”

Tyler Benson – McKeen's Hockey

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – EDMONTON OILERS – Top 20 Prospects

2021-22 TOP 15 PROSPECTS: EDMONTON OILERS – RANK: #11 – TIER III

Oh, Canada: Lucic Lives (CGY), Caufield’s Limbo (MTL), McLeod Gets The Call (EDM), Norrris Catching Fire (OTT), Foligno’s Welcome (TOR), Canucks Battle Through (VAN) and Wheelers Return (WPG)

Calgary Flames – Lucic Lives

Edmonton Oilers – McLeod Gets The Call

Montreal Canadiens – Caufield’s Limbo

Ottawa Senators – Norris Catching Fire

Toronto Maple Leafs – Foligno’s Welcome

Vancouver Canucks – Battling Through

Winnipeg Jets – Wheeler returns

SEATTLE KRAKEN EXPANSION DRAFT: Prospects to Target – Part Two – Forwards

Rasmus Asplund - Buffalo Sabres

Morgan Geekie - Carolina Hurricanes

Kevin Stenlund - Columbus Blue Jackets

Henrik Borgstrom - Florida Panthers

Nathan Bastian - New Jersey Devils

Yegor Sharangovich - New Jersey Devils

Janne Kuokkanen - New Jersey Devils

Nick Merkley - New Jersey Devils

Kieffer Bellows - New York Islanders

Julien Gauthier - New York Rangers

Vitaly Abramov - Ottawa Senators

Filip Chlapik - Ottawa Senators

Logan Brown - Ottawa Senators

Nicolas Aube-Kubel - Philadelphia Flyers

Alex Barre Boulet - Tampa Bay Lightning

Alex Volkov - Tampa Bay Lightning

Mitchell Stephens - Tampa Bay Lightning

Mathieu Joseph - Tampa Bay Lightning

Boris Katchouk - Tampa Bay Lightning

Taylor Raddysh - Tampa Bay Lightning

Joey Anderson - Toronto Maple Leafs

Isac Lundestrom - Anaheim Ducks

Matthew Phillips - Calgary Flames

Adam Mascherin - Dallas Stars

Tyler Benson - Edmonton Oilers

Rem Pitlick - Nashville Predators

Jonathan Dahlen - San Jose Sharks

Alexander True - San Jose Sharks

Maxim Letunov - San Jose Sharks

Rudolfs Balcers - San Jose Sharks

Kole Lind - Vancouver Canucks

McKeen’s 2020-21 Hockey Yearbook: Top 300 Prospect Rankings

McKeen’s 2020-21 Hockey Yearbook: Edmonton Oilers Top 20 Prospects

Philip Broberg, D (8th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 1)

Evan Bouchard, D (10th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 2)

Raphael Lavoie, RW/C (38th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 3)

Dylan Holloway, LW (14th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Olivier Rodrigue, G (62nd overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 4)

Carter Savoie, LW (100th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Tyler Benson, LW (32nd overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 5)

Ryan McLeod, C (40th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 6)

Ilya Konovalov, G (85th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 9)

Tyler Tullio, RW (126th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Dmitri Samorukov, D (84th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 10)

Cooper Marody, RW (158th overall, 2015 [Philadelphia]. Previous ranking: 7)

Aapeli Rasanen, C (153rd overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 8)

Kirill Maksimov, RW (146th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 11)

William Lagesson, D (91st overall, 2014. Previous ranking: 12)

Philip Kemp, D (208th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 13)

Markus Niemelainen, D (63rd overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 14)

Maxim Denezhkin, C (193rd overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 15)

Maxim Berezkin, LW (138th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Patrik Siikanen, LW (195th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 16)

MCKEENS 2020 NHL PROSPECTS REPORT – TOP 250 PROSPECTS

MCKEEN’S 2020 NHL PROSPECT REPORT – EDMONTON OILERS – ORGANIZATIONAL RANK: 21

Edmonton Oilers

Philip Broberg, D (8th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 1)

Evan Bouchard, D (10th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 2)

Raphael Lavoie, RW/C (38th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 3)

Olivier Rodrigue, G (62nd overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 9)

Tyler Benson, LW (32nd overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 4)

Cooper Marody, RW (158th overall, 2015 [Philadelphia]. 2019 Rank: 8)

Ryan McLeod, C (40th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 7)

Aapeli Rasanen, C (153rd overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: UR)

Ilya Konovalov, G (85th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 15)

Dmitri Samorukov, D (84th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 5)

Kirill Maksimov, RW (146th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 11)

William Lagesson, D (91st overall, 2014. 2019 Rank: 20)

Philip Broberg, D (8^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 1)

Evan Bouchard, D (10^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 2)

Raphael Lavoie, RW/C (38^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 3)

Dylan Holloway, LW (14^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Olivier Rodrigue, G (62^nd overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 4)

Carter Savoie, LW (100^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Tyler Benson, LW (32^nd overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 5)

Ryan McLeod, C (40^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 6)

Ilya Konovalov, G (85^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 9)

Tyler Tullio, RW (126^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Dmitri Samorukov, D (84^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 10)

Cooper Marody, RW (158^th overall, 2015 [Philadelphia]. Previous ranking: 7)

Aapeli Rasanen, C (153^rd overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 8)

Kirill Maksimov, RW (146^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 11)

William Lagesson, D (91^st overall, 2014. Previous ranking: 12)

Philip Kemp, D (208^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 13)

Markus Niemelainen, D (63^rd overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 14)

Maxim Denezhkin, C (193^rd overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 15)

Maxim Berezkin, LW (138^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Patrik Siikanen, LW (195^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 16)

Philip Broberg, D (8^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 1)

Evan Bouchard, D (10^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 2)

Raphael Lavoie, RW/C (38^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 3)

Olivier Rodrigue, G (62^nd overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 9)

Tyler Benson, LW (32^nd overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 4)

Cooper Marody, RW (158^th overall, 2015 [Philadelphia]. 2019 Rank: 8)

Ryan McLeod, C (40^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 7)

Aapeli Rasanen, C (153^rd overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: UR)

Ilya Konovalov, G (85^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 15)

Dmitri Samorukov, D (84^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 5)

Kirill Maksimov, RW (146^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 11)

William Lagesson, D (91^st overall, 2014. 2019 Rank: 20)

Philip Kemp, D (208^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 14)

Markus Niemelainen, D (63^rd overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: UR)

Maxim Denezhkin, C (193^rd overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: UR)