Will Borgen – McKeen's Hockey

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – NEW YORK RANGERS – Team Preview/Player Profiles/Predictions

Sat, 27 Sep 2025 18:51:49 +0000

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 18: New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin (10) is pictured prior to the National Hockey League game between the Calgary Flames and the New York Rangers on March 18, 2025/ at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by Joshua Sarner/Icon Sportswire)

After reaching the Eastern Conference Final in two of the previous three seasons, the Rangers dropped off to 85 points (39-36-7) last season and missed the playoffs altogether, a disappointing result that ended with them firing head coach Peter Laviolette and replacing him with former Penguins bench boss Mike Sullivan. The Blueshirts ranked 20th with a 49.0 percent Corsi and 24th with 48.2 percent expected goals percentage, so they were on the wrong side of the puck possession battle. Their power play ranked 24th, with 6.37 goals per 60 minutes during five-on-four play, and ranked 12th with 6.39 goals against per 60 minutes of four-on-five play. That’s a team that needed its goaltender to be outstanding and Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick were decent and the Rangers had a .902 save percentage.

What’s Changed?

The Rangers replaced Peter Laviolette behind the bench with Mike Sullivan, ex of the Pittsburgh Penguins, but they did not go in for wholesale roster changes. The Rangers also made some big trades, sending left winger Chris Kreider to the Anaheim Ducks and defenceman K’Andre Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes, with defence prospect Scott Morrow coming to New York as part of the return for Miller. The Rangers landed defenceman Vladislav Gavrikov, who is a quality two-way defenceman, as a free agent from the Los Angeles Kings and they signed winger Taylor Raddysh, who played for the Washington Capitals last season. Defenceman Zac Jones signed with the Buffalo Sabres and right winger Arthur Kaliyev signed with the Ottawa Senators as a free agent.

What would success look like?

Returning to the playoffs would be a good start for the Rangers, and there is enough talent on the roster to make that happen, but it also doesn’t look like the team is deep enough to pose a serious threat to the top contenders. With a goaltender like Igor Shesterkin, the Rangers have a chance to punch above their statistical weight class a bit, as he gives them a chance even when they might not deserve it, but that is not the path to sustained success, so the Rangers need to figure out how they will get quality contributions from their bottom six forwards.

What could go wrong?

If the Rangers don’t get solid contributions from the lower half of their lineup, it is likely to fall apart, and they won’t make the playoffs again. Could a rookie like Gabriel Perreault and a young forward like Jusso Parssinen step up and make a difference? They could, but that uncertainty is why the Rangers are vulnerable going into the 2025-2026 season. Leading scorer Artemi Panarin is slated to become an unrestricted free agent next summer and if he doesn’t have a contract extension signed and the Rangers fall off the playoff pace, he could be a huge trade chip, though he has a no-movement clause which typically limits what the trading team gets in return.

Top Breakout Candidate

Blue collar winger Will Cuylle made nice progress in 2024-2025, his point totals jumping from 21 to 45 points as he received nearly four more minutes of ice time per game. He is a physical winger who has proven he can play and now the Rangers have him ticketed for a role in the top six to start the season, possibly on a line with J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad, so if Cuylle keeps earning his ice time with determination and a nose for the net, then his point production should keep climbing.

FORWARDS

Artemi Panarin

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	37	56	93	1.16

It says a lot about the level of Panarin’s play when he wraps up a season with 37 goals and 89 points in 80 games and it is widely viewed as a disappointment. His 1.11 points per game was his lowest since the 2018=2019 season, but 37 goals counted as the second highest total of his career. He has been a focal point for criticism when the Rangers have been bounced from the playoffs in recent seasons, but that was avoided by the Blueshirts missing the playoffs altogether in 2024-2025. For whatever shortcomings Panarin may have, he is an exceptionally creative winger, who has become more dangerous as he shoots more, and generates offense like few others in the league. Panarin has played for the Rangers for six seasons. In that time, he ranks fourth in the NHL with 550 points (186 G, 364 A) in 430 games, putting him behind only Connor McDavid (710), Leon Draisaitl (644), and Nathan MacKinnon (613). Panarin played primarily with Vincent Trocheck last season, and they outscored opponents 53-37 during five-on-five play, so it’s not like they were the ones leading to the Blueshirts’ downfall, but if the Rangers are going to get back to the postseason that will need to continue. Panarin will turn 34 early in the 2025-2026 season, but he should remain an elite offensive performer, capable of 35 goals and 90 points.

J.T. Miller

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	27	56	83	1.04

His time in Vancouver ended in controversy with allegations of a rift between Miller and Elias Pettersson, but a return to the Rangers did seem to reinvigorate Miller. In the past six seasons, he has accumulated 472 points (165 GG, 307 A) in 436 games, which ranks 10th in the entire league over that time. While Miller may have a reputation for being difficult, that can also translate to his on-ice performance, where he often plays with real passion. Every so often, he has had moments when his effort was clearly lacking but those moments don’t seem to creep up as often anymore. In addition to his elite point production, Miller plays a physical game, recording more than 160 hits in four straight seasons and, as he showed during the Four Nations Face-Off against Canada, Miller will drop the gloves, if necessary. Miller tends to be a high percentage finisher, scoring on 15.6 percent of his shots in more than 400 games for Vancouver, then turning full sniper in his return to the Rangers, scoring on 23.6 percent of his shots in 32 games. The upshot is that he may continue to score at a relatively high rate, but it’s unlikely that he can sustain the shooting percentage that he had with the Blueshirts last season. In 2025-2026, Miller should be a prominent part of the Rangers’ attack, and good for 25 goals and 80 points.

Mika Zibanejad

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	25	45	70	0.86

Perhaps the most maligned of Rangers players last season, Zibanejad finished with 20 goals, his lowest total since 2016-2017, and 62 points, his lowest since 2017-2018 (not counting the COVID-shortened 2020-2021 season). Considering that Zibanejad had been such a productive player over his tenure with the Rangers, the decline in goals, points, and shots on goal was clearly a disappointing outcome. His 37 even-strength points ranked sixth on the Rangers. When he is on his game, Zibanejad uses his size effectively to protect the puck and finds openings in the offensive zone to launch shots on goal. Perhaps some of last season’s struggles could be attributed to his deployment. Last season, Zibanejad’s most common linemates were Reilly Smith, Will Cuylle, and Chris Kreider. With Smith and Kreider gone, it is possible that Zibanejad will skate on right wing with Miller and Cuylle, which could offer a better chance at success because Zibanejad and Miller were relatively successful when playing together last season, controlling better than 52 percent of shot attempts and expected goals during five-on-five play. That does provide some reason for optimism, so even though Zibanejad is now 32, and bouncing back gets more difficult as a player gets older, he should be expected to contribute 25 goals and 70 points during the 2025-2026 season.

Vincent Trocheck

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	27	37	64	0.78

A veteran center who plays with the heart of an agitator, Trocheck has played more than 21 minutes per game in the past two seasons, and he is a seven-time 20-goal scorer who recorded a career-high 214 hits while winning a career-best 59.3 percent of his faceoffs last season. His all-around contributions are consistently positive. While he is decent defensively, it is the offensive side of the game that leads to Trocheck generating positive results year after year. He is also very durable, having played in every game for three straight seasons. Trocheck’s ability to drive play is enhanced by playing with a creative winger like Panarin, and their styles complement each other, with Trocheck more direct and straight line in his approach while Panarin changes pace and creates more offensively. Trocheck’s aggressive style plays well in the postseason, too, and it’s why other teams might come calling about him if the Rangers have a down season, as they did in 2024-2025. The Rangers will certainly hope to get back into the playoff mix this season, but if they can’t, Trocheck will surely be in demand. In the 2025-2026 season, it is fair to expect 20-25 goals and 60-plus points from Trocheck and, combined with his propensity for physical play, he will remain a valuable fantasy hockey contributor.

Alexis Lafreniere

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	20	32	52	0.63

After breaking through with career highs of 28 goals and 57 points in 2023-2024, Lafreniere’s production dropped to 17 goals and 45 points last season. His most common linemates are Panarin and Trocheck, so Lafreniere is getting the best possible opportunity to be productive, but his lack of power play production puts a limit on his overall contribution. Only four of his 45 points last season came with the man advantage, so he was tied for 80th with 41 even-strength points. At his best, Lafreniere uses his physicality to wreak havoc on the forecheck, and he’s comfortable going to the dirty areas to make plays. The question that still dogs Lafreniere is whether he skates well enough to get where he needs to go. It’s one thing to be willing to engage in physical battles, which he is, but sometimes, it helps just to be able to pull away from defenders and that remains an area for improvement. That Lafreniere finished with 64 fewer shots than the season before is not the most encouraging sign. He will turn 24 in October and has five years in the league, so the time for improvement may be running out. Given the quality of his linemates, Lafreniere should be expected to push 20 goals and 50 points, most of which will come at even strength.

Will Cuylle

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	23	30	54	0.66

Although some of the higher profile Rangers are catching heat for their performance, Cuylle is a positive story among the Blueshirts forwards. The 2020 second-round pick broke through in 2024-2025, his second NHL season, scoring 20 goals and 45 points. As a 6-foot-3 winger who brings a physical game along with that touch around the net, Cuylle is on his career ascent and should see an even bigger role with the Rangers in 2025-2026. Full credit to Cuylle, because his scoring doesn’t come by accident. He puts himself in position and is not afraid to get to the front of the net. Among players to play at least 500 five-on-five minutes, Cuylle ranked 18th with 1.00 expected goals per 60 minutes. On top of that, Cuylle tied for third in the league with 301 hits, so he is a player who already has value in banger leagues, but as he climbs the depth chart, he has an opportunity to have more widespread fantasy appeal. There is a realistic shot for Cuylle to have a spot in the Rangers’ top six and if he ends up skating with, say, J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad, then that would be the kind of deployment that should see him continue to carve out a bigger role and make himself even more valuable. As an added bonus, he’s an effective penalty killer, too. He had the lowest shot attempts and expected goals against among Rangers forwards in four-on-five situations. Cuylle should be good for 20 goals, 40 points and in the neighborhood of 300 hits, but he could pop for more, too.

Taylor Raddysh

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	9	16	25	0.32

After playing very well in a limited role for the Washington Capitals last season, Raddysh may have an opportunity to earn a bigger role with the Rangers this season. Raddysh had a career high 20 goals and 37 points with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2022-2023, though he was playing 16:34 per game that season. Last season, in Washington, that ice time had dropped to 12:22 per game, but he contributed 27 points with better-than-even possession numbers despite an offensive zone face-off percentage of just 35.2 percent. While the puck tends to move the right way with Raddysh on the ice, he has had some trouble finishing in the past couple of seasons, scoring 12 goals on 213 shots (5.6 percent). There is certainly no guarantee that a bigger role awaits Raddysh in New York, but he is certainly in the competition for a spot in the top nine and that would give Raddysh a chance to elevate his production. He is 6-foot-3, uses his size effectively to gain position to tip pucks in front of the net. With his low percentages and uncertain role, however, expectations have to be modest for the 2025-2026 season, so 25-30 points seems to be a realistic expectation.

Juuso Parssinen

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
72	9	14	23	0.32

A seventh-round pick by Nashville in 2019, Parssinen had 25 points (6 G, 19 A) in 45 games as a rookie in 2022-2023 but he has not been able to maintain that level of production in the two years since. He played with three teams last season, finishing the season with the Rangers, and scoring five points (2 G, 3 A) in 11 games for New York. He also played less than 10 minutes per game and managed just four shots on goal in those 11 games, so while he offers some potential, Parssinen needs more production to secure a regular spot in the lineup. Parssinen is a worthwhile risk for the Rangers to take because he's a 6-foot-3 center with some skill, and he has some offensive upside. He had five points (3 G, 2 A) in eight games for Finland at the World Championships, and he should be able to contribute secondary offence in the NHL. He has, however, bounced around the past couple of seasons with not very much production, so expectations are easily held in check going into 2025-2026. If Parssinen could stay in the lineup for a full season and put up 25 points, that would have to be considered reasonable progress.

Sam Carrick

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	8	14	22	0.27

A veteran fourth-line center who didn’t stick in the NHL as a regular until his age 29 season, Carrick played a career high 80 games for the Rangers last season and delivered a career high 20 points (6 G, 14 A). He also recorded 137 hits, the third time in the past four seasons that he had at least 120 hits. His offensive production is minimal, which is understandable for a center logging 12 minutes of ice time per game, but his limited role means that his hits and penalty minutes aren’t enough to overcome his lack of scoring. None of this is meant to disparage Carrick, who has played 320 NHL games in his career and is now 33 years old. His 2024-2025 season was valuable in an understated way. He played in 80 games, won 54.7 percent of his draws, and while his possession numbers were nothing special, he started 22.3 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone and was a solid penalty killer. Carrick’s contributions hold real-life value in a specific role and can offer more than whatever his fantasy upside might be. The most likely outcome for Carrick is that he provides some bite to the Rangers lineup and contributes 15-20 points.

DEFENSE

Adam Fox

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	12	53	65	0.83

One of the top handful of defencemen in the league, Fox finished 12th in Norris Trophy voting last season and that was his worst finish in the past five seasons. To be fair to Fox, he was probably underrated because the Rangers weren’t a playoff team, because his impacts at both ends of the ice were still excellent. A cerebral player, Fox is sound positionally, reads the play well, has excellent patience, and handles the puck with earned confidence. He actively joins the attack and has excellent vision to spot open teammates in transition. If there is a nitpick about his game, Fox is not the biggest blueliner and is not particularly physical in his defensive approach, so he can get outmuscled at times. He could also shoot the puck more, but these are relatively minor issues because there is no denying the immensely positive impact when Fox is on the ice. In his six NHL seasons, the Rangers have outscored opponents 360-255 during five-on-five play with Fox on the ice and he has never been worse than +9 in terms of five-on-five goal differential for a season. His possession numbers have been excellent, controlling 52.7 percent of shot attempts, with +6.6 percent in relative terms, indicating that the Rangers have been vastly better when Fox is on the ice. For the 2025-2026 season, Fox should be expected to contribute double digit goals and 65 points and, if the team results are better, he could return more seriously to the Norris Trophy discussion.

Vladislav Gavrikov

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	5	22	27	0.35

The veteran defenceman picked a great time to have the best season of his career, producing 30 points (5 G, 25 A) while providing the best defensive impact of his career while logging a career-high 23:05 of ice time per game for Los Angeles. Although Gavrikov is not particularly physical for his 6-foot-3, 220-pound frame, he excels in the defensive zone. He does use his size to seal off opponents, is terrific at playing stick-on-puck defence and will lay out to block passes or shots in the slot. Gavrikov is not especially graceful in his movements but is light enough on his feet to show decent agility for his size. He recorded a career-high 140 blocked shots while playing big minutes for a Kings team that was stingy defensively, ranking third in terms of five-on-five shots and expected goals against per 60 minutes for the 138 defencemen that played at least 1,000 five-on-five minutes. Gavrikov also started 40.4 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, so he was doing heavy lifting on that team, and he still delivered strong results. Going to the Rangers, Gavrikov will be of vital importance to the squad and should play big minutes again. He should be able to contribute between 25-30 points during the 2025-2026 season and is likely only appealing to fantasy managers in deeper leagues.

Braden Schneider

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	6	18	24	0.30

A 6-foot-4 right-shot blueliner who was a first-round pick in 2020, Schneider has been on a gradual path but did start to play a bigger role later last season, averaging 19 minutes per game over the last 20 games. His defensive play suffered, allowing his highest rate of shot attempts and expected goals against through his first four seasons. Schneider is a big hitter who steps up in neutral ice to deter his opponents and his hit and blocked shot counts are some of the reasons that he might have fantasy value. Despite playing in a relatively limited role, Schneider recorded 408 blocked shots and 460 hits in the past three seasons, making him one of 12 defencemen to surpass 400 in both categories over that time. Schneider had a career-high 21 points (5 G, 16 A) in 2024-2025, including seven points (3 G, 4 A) in the last 20 games when his ice time increased. He won’t score enough to generate widespread fantasy appeal – he might get 20-plus points – but if he plays a top four role it would be possible that Schneider adds 150 hits and 150 blocked shots and that might have enough particular category value to make him more appealing.

Will Borgen

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	4	16	20	0.24

A fourth-round pick who has battled his way into a regular role in the NHL, Borgen has played 248 regular-season games across the past three seasons, which is two more than the standard maximum. Borgen made the most of the opportunity provided to him when he was picked by the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft. He was not a star by any means, but he was handling a regular role on the third pairing. That was enough to make him part of the trade return when the Blueshirts sent right winger Kaapo Kakko to Seattle last season and then Borgen played 18:12 per game with the Rangers, which was not only a higher average time on ice than he had in Seattle, but he also started just 35.9 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone. When it comes to fantasy value, Borgen has similar category appeal as Braden Schneider. Borgen might reasonably be expected to chip in 20 points along with 160 hits and 120 blocked shots. It says something about the Rangers’ defence that Borgen and Schneider are expected to play significant roles and neither one has great offensive accomplishments.

Goal

Igor Shesterkin

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
63	30	24	6	6	.909	2.67

It wasn't particularly surprising that the New York Rangers missed the postseason this spring, particularly given the continued regression seen from star goaltender Igor Shesterkin. But despite seeing his numbers regress even closer to the league mean, the Rangers bafflingly didn't do much to spare Shesterkin the workload - seemingly operating in a way that pointed to what Henrik Lundqvist did for the club during his career and challenging anyone to criticize their attempt at repeating history. Shesterkin's game relies on crisp decision-making and strong positional foundations, though, which becomes particularly apparent when he's playing just shy of one hundred percent. He's looked like he has needed a nice hefty break for a couple of seasons now, and it's bleeding into his numbers in an increasingly hard to deny way.

Shesterkin will still have veteran voice Jonathan Quick serving as his number two next year, but Quick's consistency has been hard to come by for a number of years now -- and his performance last year looked less like an experienced former starter clocking his team some extra wins, and more like a career backup logging the minutes until his starter was able to suit up again. It's unclear what New York's strategy will be next year - they have a promising young talent in Dylan Garand waiting in the wings, and likely capable of taking on a handful of starts to help manage the workload - but it's surprising to look at the team's depth chart and realize that they're hoping last year was just a fluke.

MCKEEN’S 2023-24 NHL YEARBOOK – SEATTLE KRAKEN – Team Preview – Player Profiles

Sun, 08 Oct 2023 18:12:21 +0000

REVIEW: Unlike Vegas’ amazing run to the Stanley Cup Final in its inaugural season, Seattle had a miserable first NHL campaign, but any Kraken fans who were prepared for a long, painful road to competitiveness were pleasantly surprised when Seattle posted a 46-28-8 record in 2022-23. Seattle turnaround was fueled by the squad scoring 73 additional goals compared to the prior year, flipping them from being among the worst teams offensively to one of the best. Rather than be led by some new acquisition, their scoring renaissance was fueled by returning Kraken players Jared McCann, Matthew Beniers and Jaden Schwartz combining to score an extra 47 goals more than the trio mustered in 2021-22. At the same time, defenseman Vince Dunn shattered his previous career-high of 35 points by contributing 14 goals and 50 assists. Seattle’s goaltenders were still a problem, as evidenced by their combined .890 save percentage, but the Kraken ranked seventh in 5-on-5 expected goals against (163.59), which kept the team defensively above water despite that poor netminding. Not satisfied with merely making the playoffs, Seattle managed to earn its first playoff series win by besting Colorado in seven games before falling to Dallas in the second round.

What’s Changed? Forward Daniel Sprong, who had 21 goals last season, and goaltender Martin Jones left as free agents. Jones’ departure opens the door for Joey Daccord to compete with Philipp Grubauer for starts. Other than that, the team figures to be largely the same.

What would success look like? With the Kraken’s existing forward core, they should challenge for a playoff spot again, but what would take this team to the next level would be a resurgence from Grubauer. Although the goaltender has struggled over his first two campaigns with Seattle, he was once an amazing netminder, posting a .920 save percentage over his first 214 career NHL contests. He briefly regained his form when facing his former team, the Avalanche, in the first round and was a huge part of that series victory. Grubauer didn’t look as impressive against Dallas, but maybe there’s still hope for the 31-year-old.

What could go wrong? McCann is in danger of regressing after scoring a career high with 40 goals in 79 contests last season, particularly because his 19.0 shooting percentage was well above his 12.1% career average. It’s also possible that Seattle’s offensive prowess last year was something of a perfect storm, given that its top five scorers and six of its top seven were able to play at least 79 games. Sprong being limited to 66 contests was the only significant setback the Kraken suffered on the injury front last year. They might not be as fortunate two seasons in a row.

Top Breakout Candidate: Beniers, Seattle’s first ever pick and the second overall selection in the 2021 draft, broke out with 57 points last season. Will Shane Wright, taken fourth overall in 2022, follow in his footsteps this year? Wright could develop into a superb two-way forward in the vein of the now retired Patrice Bergeron. Although Wright was unable to stick with Seattle last year, he got some more seasoning in the OHL and AHL and seems poised to make a serious run at a middle-six spot during training camp.

Forwards

Matthew Beniers

Matty Beniers was drafted second overall in 2021 and was the first ever draft pick of the Seattle Kraken. After finishing up his 2021-22 season at the University of Michigan, Beniers would play 10 games with the Kraken where he scored three goals and six assists. That rolled into his rookie season in 2022-23 where he scored 24 goals and 33 assists in 80 games, winning the Calder Trophy as the rookie of the year by a healthy margin. He has an excellent shot, finishing at a rate of 16.3% so far in his career. Plus, he can use both his big frame and stick skills to excel in tight spaces. Additionally, he is an exceptionally disciplined player, only taking one minor penalty last season, helping him finish fourth in the league in penalty differential. Heading into his sophomore season, Beniers will want to be the one to help the Kraken crack their powerplay woes and he’d love to improve at faceoffs. His 42.2% faceoff win percentage so far in his career is abysmal. If he can keep growing, the 20-year-old who already has a well-crafted game, could become one of the best two-way centers in the NHL.

Jared McCann

The days of Jared McCann being a castaway are over. After being tossed around from Vancouver to Florida to Pittsburgh, McCann was used as a pawn to protect Toronto’s roster in the NHL Expansion Draft. In his first season in Seattle, McCann recorded a career-high 50 points with 27 goals and 23 assists. He went ahead and followed that up with 40 goals and 30 assists last season, both career-highs again. At 27 years old, McCann has found his spot as a first line scoring winger with an up-and-coming Kraken team. He finished fourth behind Pastrnak, McDavid, and Rantanen in even strength goals with 30. McCann was also one of the only bright spots on the Kraken powerplay, leading them with seven goals and 16 points in just over 200 minutes. While there are doubts that he can finish at such a high rate again, ending last season with a 19% shooting percentage, he has shown throughout his career that he can also help his teammates finish well too. Plus, if the Kraken ever figure out their powerplay woes, he will be the one to receive the greatest benefit as the Kraken’s go-to shooter on the man advantage.

Oliver Bjorkstrand

After a career-high 57 points in 80 games in 2021-22, the Columbus Blue Jackets decided that Oliver Bjorkstrand was a luxury that they could no longer afford due to cap constraints and sent him to Seattle. Bjorkstrand finished his first season with the Kraken with his fourth 20-goal season. The six-foot right-handed winger is an excellent forechecker, wreaking havoc on opponents trying to make their way up the ice. On a deeper Kraken team, he is able to dial in to his specific skill set. Dave Hakstol and the Kraken coaching staff placed him largely alongside Yanni Gourde and waiver-wire pick-up Eeli Tolvanen. The trio of more tactical forwards are tasked with keeping the ice tilting in the Kraken’s favor. In their time together, the line had a 56% share of shot attempts and outscored opponents 24 to 16. Bjorkstrand also saw 189 minutes on the powerplay last season, splitting time between units. The Kraken powerplay has struggled in its two years of existence, and Bjorkstrand was a part of that last season. If Bjorkstrand wants a shot at another career year this season, he will need to be a part of a growth in the Kraken powerplay in 2023-24.

Jordan Eberle

The 33-year-old winger played his part in a phenomenal offensive year for the Seattle Kraken, scoring 20 goals and adding 43 assists. Eberle offers a veteran presence alongside Matty Beniers and Jared McCann, in which the former won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, while the latter scored 40 goals for the first time in his career. Eberle has been given offensive deployment most of his career, and Dave Hakstol and the Seattle Kraken coaching staff has amplified that since arriving on the scene in the fall of 2021. He has seen 15% of his 5-on-5 shifts start in the offensive zone with the Kraken, which is 2% higher than his career average. He has also continued to see high usage on the powerplay as he continues to get more than two minutes of powerplay time per game. The only time he has fallen short of that number was in the 2017-18 season with the New York Islanders when he was only on the ice for 1.93 powerplay minutes per game that season. As long as Eberle continues to see the offensive usage he does now, he should continue to age with reasonable production.

Yanni Gourde

As the Kraken’s pick in the NHL Expansion Draft, Yanni Gourde brought a sense of personality and culture to the Kraken locker room. Although he stands at just 5’ 9”, the Quebec-native made his way into the NHL as a scrappy forward. It was the way he made his way into a deep Tampa Bay Lightning lineup at 25 years old, and it’s the way he is continuing to be useful at 31 years old. Gourde battles hard in all three zones, especially on opponents trying to exit their zone. His level of detail is why he can take on tough matchups and tilt the ice in his team’s favor. The only Kraken forwards who started a lower percentage of their shifts at 5-on-5 in the offensive zone were Andre Burakovsky and Ryan Donato. Going along with his defensive usage, Gourde was also on the ice for 164 shorthanded minutes last season, behind only Alex Wennberg and Brandon Tanev. That was the most time that Gourde had spent penalty killing in a season in his career, as the Kraken substituted his powerplay time for penalty killing time. One should expect more of the same of that usage this season but watch out for a bounce-back in his goal scoring with his shooting percentage regressing (9.93% last season vs career 14.5%).

Andre Burakovsky

After a revival of his career in Colorado, notching 61 goals and 89 assists in 191 games, Burakovskly tested unrestricted free agency where he elected to sign with the Seattle Kraken. The Colorado Avalanche had their eye on Burakovsky for his transition skills and shot. After a pair of disappointing 25-point seasons with the Capitals, that may have been hard to spot at the time. With the Kraken, Burakovsky continued to build on the offensive success he was having in Colorado, scoring 39 points in 49 games. However, a lower body injury in February would cause him to miss the rest of the season. Burakovsky found his home alongside Alex Wennberg, a forward who is responsible defensively and can help with the starting phases of breakouts deep in the zone. When he was in the lineup, he also saw time on the top unit. While he can make poor decisions at times, his offensive versatility makes him a valuable asset. The Kraken are hoping that he can pick up where he left off, as he is one of the more skilled forwards on their roster. Given their counterattacking style, they could use his ability to create offense off of the rush.

Alex Wennberg

After a promising start to his career, scoring 59 points in 80 games in 2016-17, Wennberg’s offense would fizzle out in the remainder of his time in Columbus and Florida. The 6’ 2” Swede has great size and playmaking abilities, but his lack of physicality and mentality to shoot the puck left prior coaches wanting more. Of the 371 forwards who played 500 or more minutes at 5-on-5 last season, only two forwards had a lower rate of individual shot attempts. Of course, that leads to a low rate of goal scoring and point production. He has scored 24 goals in his first 162 games with the Kraken, but there is always the risk something like 2018-19 happens again where he finishes with two goals in 75 games, shooting 3.1%. However, it’s clear that Dave Hakstol and the Kraken coaching staff love Wennberg. He was the top penalty killing option for them along with 186 minutes of powerplay time. Ultimately, the Kraken’s use of him as a dependable, defensively responsible forward will hurt his box score stats, but that is also important for helping other players on the team blossom.

Eeli Tolvanen

A first round pick in 2017, the 5’ 10” Finnish forward struggled to make a mark with the Nashville Predators. In 135 games between the 2017-18 season and last season, Tolvanen accumulated only 25 goals and 26 points with the Predators. On December 11th, 2022, Nashville placed Tolvanen on waivers where he was picked up by the Kraken. Over the remainder of the season with the Kraken, Tolvanen would score 16 goals and 11 assists. Some credit must be given to the Seattle Kraken organization who were committed to his success. He would spend 87.5% of his 5-on-5 time with Yanni Gourde, and 70.0% with Oliver Bjorkstrand. Having the opportunity to play with talented players who are experienced alleviated some of the pressure that was resting on his shoulders. His linemates also opened up space for him that he was able to take full advantage of. For a 24-year-old winger, Tolvanen already has a well-rounded defensive game to go along with his above-average shot. But he wasn’t exactly the play-driver that he would’ve needed to be in Nashville in order to succeed there. Alongside play-drivers who need some help finishing, Tolvanen is the perfect complementary piece that we saw in the latter two-thirds of the 2022-23 season.

Jaden Schwartz

After missing most of the Seattle Kraken’s inaugural season, Jaden Schwartz returned with a much healthier year, getting on the ice for 71 games in 2022-23. Any worries that his hand injury that he suffered in January of 2022 would hold him back seem to be alleviated as Schwartz scored 21 goals on 167 shots on goal, a finishing rate of 12.6%. Furthermore, he’s never been much of a shoot-first forward. He only ranked 161^st among regular forwards in the rate he attempted to shoot the puck at 5-on-5 last season, a large chunk of which were blocked. He’s known mostly for being dependable at most things, but not elite at any one thing. This can be reflected both in his lack of consistent linemates, as the coaching staff feels comfortable playing him with many different forwards, but also his quality of competition. Schwartz faced the third-hardest competition at 5-on-5 among Kraken forwards last season in terms of weighted-average time-on-ice of opponents. At 31 years old, it’s clear that Schwartz won’t blow you out of the water with his box score stats. He has only cleared 60 points once in his career. Despite playing on the number one 5-on-5 offense in the league last season and getting a hefty dose of powerplay time, he was not on track to add another 60-point season. He has instead reverted to being a dependable piece for the coaching staff in the middle six.

Defense

Vince Dunn

Vince Dunn had a breakout 2022-23 campaign scoring 14 goals and 50 assists in 81 games for the Kraken. His 64-point total, which ranked tenth among defensemen last season, close to doubled his previous career-high of 35 which he set in 2018-19 and 2021-22. While he did play most of his 5-on-5 minutes alongside Adam Larsson in the inaugural season for the Kraken, he was close to glued to his hip last season, spending 88.3% of those minutes with Larsson. Dunn, a player who is excellent at breaking out of the zone and has a well-developed offensive toolset, has the habit of making big mistakes from time to time. A steady defensive partner like Larsson helps bring the most out of Dunn. It also helped that he had a slightly more skilled forward core to support last season as well. And with Mark Giordano out of the picture, the first powerplay unit was his all year, and no one is set to take that role away from him. He may seem some regression this coming season after shooting 9.3%, but his elevated production should be the new normal for him.

Adam Larsson

Perhaps best known for being the player the Edmonton Oilers exchanged Taylor Hall for, Adam Larsson is a 6’ 3” staple on the back end. Last season, playing with Vince Dunn and a deep forward core that helped push the Kraken’s even strength offense to the best in the league, Larsson was able to achieve a new career-high 33 points in 82 games. The Swede won’t win you over for his offensive play, but rather his dependability. He is talented defensively, allowing his teammates to take risks at times knowing that he will clean it up. He also hasn’t missed a game since November of 2019. Larsson led the Kraken in shorthanded time on ice last season at 227 minutes, or 59.2% of the Kraken’s time shorthanded. His usage and unwavering commitment to defense also helped propel him to ninth in blocked shots last season, and fourth over the last three seasons. Adam Larsson is the guy that does the dirty jobs that no one else wants to do, and he does it well. He will likely find his way into the top 100 in points among defensemen just by his usage and will log a substantial amount of shorthanded time while blocking shots.

Jamie Oleksiak

The 6’ 7” defenseman requires special permission from the league for the length of his stick. Not only is that stick extraordinarily long, but it is also 120 flex. Whatever works for the 2011 first round pick as he scored nine goals on 76 shots on goal last season. The shooting percentage of 11.8% will be impossible for him to reproduce, but it speaks to the utter strangeness in his game. Oleksiak had also gotten hot before, scoring five goals on 33 shots in the 2016-17 season. But at times, Oleksiak gets cold, like his first season in Seattle where he only managed a single goal on 95 shots. His unpredictability is what makes him a fun player to follow. Last season, for the first time in his 11-season career, Oleksiak was a staple to the penalty kill. He was the left-handed defenseman that was deployed alongside Adam Larsson, a role that was previously unfilled. You may have assumed that a defenseman of his size would have played a major role on penalty kills before, but Oleksiak’s preferred play style is as unique as his numbers. He loves to jump up into plays, helping transition the puck like a forward, as opposed to sticking back and being sturdy. Perhaps that’s why he led the Kraken in defensive zone starts last season.

Justin Schultz

After a disappointing 2021-22 season where the Washington Capitals reduced his ice time from 19 minutes per game to 17 minutes per game, Justin Schultz made his way to the west coast where he played just a bit more time with the Seattle Kraken. The two-time Stanley Cup champion has aged out of his days of being a stud offensive defenseman to complement Kris Letang’s work. His 34 points with the Kraken last season was the highest point production he recorded in a season since scoring 51 points in the 2016-17 season with Pittsburgh. Not good enough to be a top-pairing offensive defenseman for most teams, Schultz finds himself in a bit of an odd spot, as most general managers would prefer to fill the bottom four spots with penalty killers or younger offensive defensemen. The Seattle Kraken were one of the few teams that had the perfect slot for him, and he found his way to a bounce back season alongside Jamie Oleksiak. While Vince Dunn is undoubtedly the top choice for the first powerplay unit, Schultz fills in nicely on the second unit. Luckily for Schultz, there isn’t much contention for that spot either. You can expect more of the same from Schultz in the final year of his contract.

Goaltending

Philipp Grubauer

The Seattle Kraken had one job for Philipp Grubauer last season – do better than the year before, and don’t crumble in the postseason. And while he didn’t make the kind of massive bounce-back that the team undoubtedly hoped for, he did complete his assignment; he dragged his save percentage up from the mid-.880’s to just shy of the .900 threshold, doubling his quality start percentage from the year before and creeping closer to the league average in goals saved above expected. He remained an underperformer from a pure monetary standpoint, especially given just how much money they’d handed him in free agency, but he climbed out of the basement enough to bring the rest of the team up with him.

Grubauer’s biggest problem now wasn’t that he looked like he was playing catch-up all year; unlike in his first season with the expansion franchise, he managed to hit crisper angles and corral more shots before allowing sloppy rebounds. While he really elevated his game in his good performances, though, Grubauer’s biggest issue became his consistency; he had a lot of elite games, he had an above-average number of absolute stinkers, and he put up almost zero games that fell in the in-between. There was no such thing for the German-born goaltender as a league-average performance; he gave games his everything or he nearly got chased from the net, and he continued to waffle between the two performances all the way to the last week of the regular season. That, in itself, is a reason for concern for Seattle; he proved he still has excellent games in the tank, but he didn’t prove he could deliver those with enough reliability to tab him as the number one and breathe a sigh of relief. He’ll need to take that final step forward this year if he wants to prove his contract was worth it for the Pacific Northwest club.

Projected starts: 55-60

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – SEATTLE KRAKEN – NHL Player Profiles

Scott Cullen – Forwards and Defense, Catherine Silverman - Goaltending — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 21:33:00 +0000

VANCOUVER, BC - APRIL 26: Seattle Kraken center Matty Beniers (10) skates up ice during their NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on April 26, 2022 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire)

FORWARDS

Jared McCann

Given a bigger role with an expansion team, the 26-year-old rose to the challenge and scored a career-high 27 goals and 50 points. Not only is McCann a play driving forward, but he has the shot to make the most of his scoring opportunities, scoring on 14.0% of his shots in the past two seasons after scoring on 8.8% of his shots during the five previous seasons. Some of that increase in shooting percentage is due to getting more time on the power play, where McCann has scored 15 of his 41 goals in the past two seasons. McCann has a strong defensive track record, so his emergence as a scorer gives him legitimate value as a two-way forward, one that is capable of playing center or wing. Another 50-point season, with 25 goals, should be in the cards for McCann this season.

Yanni Gourde

Coming to Seattle after winning a pair of Stanley Cup in Tampa Bay, Gourde had the third 20-goal season of his career and was the most dangerous playmaker on the roster. He plays with a chip on his shoulder and that passion brings out his best performance. The 30-year-old is a leader on the Kraken, not only because of his success in the league, but also because of the way that he plays. 20 goals and 50 points for this season is an expectation that is consistent with Gourde’s previous production. In his career, he has surpassed 20 goals three times and while he has surpassed 50 points just once, Gourde has two 48-point seasons to his credit as well.

Andre Burakovsky

Desperate to upgrade their skill level, the Kraken signed the Avalanche winger coming off the best season of his career, scoring 22 goals and 61 points. The challenge for Burakovsky will be trying to maintain his level of production even though his teammates will not be as skilled as those that he left in Colorado. The 27-year-old can play both wings and was effective while moving around the Avs lineup, so he should be able to inject some goals into the Seattle lineup. At least that is the expectation. While he might not match last season’s production, Burakovsky could deliver 25 goals and 55 points, which would be awfully valuable to a Kraken team that needs more goals.

Oliver Bjorkstrand

Acquired in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Bjorkstrand is an excellent two-way winger who will immediately upgrade Seattle’s forward group. The 27-year-old had a career-high 28 goals and 57 points last season and even though he was minus-35, the Blue Jackets had outshot and out-chanced the opposition with Bjorkstrand on the ice. That he can score is not any kind of surprise, because he is a three-time 20-goal scorer, but Bjorkstrand has also delivered strong defensive results, and that probably makes him more valuable than the public might perceive. Bjorkstand could add 25 goals and 50-plus points to the Kraken, and the additions of Burakovsky and Bjorkstrand could go a long way towards providing the Kraken with the offensive punch they lacked last season.

Jordan Eberle

The veteran winger had his seventh 20-goal season, which was expected, but his overall impacts were not as strong as they had been in previous seasons with the New York Islanders. Now 32, Eberle can still provide offense but might be getting to the point at which he provides secondary offense because decline should be coming and Eberle has never been one to rely on physical gifts so much as positioning, anticipation, and intelligence to get into scoring position. Eberle could reasonably be expected to contribute 20 goals and 45 points this season.

Jaden Schwartz

A 30-year-old left winger with a strong reputation for his ability to drive play, but also a reputation for missing time with injuries, Schwartz could still drive play last season, but he scored on just 7.9% of his shots and missed 45 games due to a broken hand, upper and lower-body injuries. Getting a healthy Schwartz for the 2022-2023 season should be a plus for the Kraken because he can still get the puck moving the right way when he is on the ice. Health is a big challenge for Schwartz, as he has missed at least a dozen games in four of his past five seasons. If he manages to stay healthy, though, 45-50 points is possible for Schwartz.

Alexander Wennberg

A playmaking center who is quietly effective defensively, Wennberg contributed 37 points in his first season with the Kraken, his most points in a season since 2016-2017. His ability to handle a defensive role helps free up others to play in scoring roles, but when he is on his game, Wennberg can be a skilled playmaker in his own right. He played quite a bit with Bjorkstand in Columbus, and they had success together, controlling 55.6% of 5-on-5 shot attempts and 57.1% of 5-on-5 goals from 2017-2018 through 2019-2020. Considering the newfound depth on the Kraken roster, Wennberg probably won’t be asked to handle a major offensive role, so 35 points is a fair expectation.

Joonas Donskoi

The veteran winger had scored between 14 and 17 goals in four consecutive seasons before 2021-2022, when he scored two goals in 75 games. He is a low volume shooter, which is not ideal, but generally plays a solid enough game to comfortably fit in a middle six role, just so long as he does not finish with two goals in 75 games! With improved depth on the wings in Seattle, there is not going to be as much pressure on Donskoi to produce, but it also could mean fewer opportunities. Donskoi has also had shootout success in his career, as his success rate of 56.3% ranks fourth among active players with at least 10 attempts. It would seem impossible for Donskoi to score on such a low percentage (1.9%) of his shots again, so he should be able to score at least a dozen goals and maybe 30-35 points this season.

Ryan Donato

Typical depth wingers in the NHL are often of the crash and bang variety, players that may not have the most skill, but Donato leans more in that direction, so he might be a fourth line winger but is a shootout specialist and coming off a season in which he produced a career high 16 goals and 31 points. Donato has been successful on 47.4% of his career shootout attempts, ranking 11^th among active players with at least 10 attempts. In any case, Donato does a fair job generating shots and a little offense and if he provides 15 goals and 30 points in a depth role, that would be good value.

DEFENSE

Vince Dunn

Moving to Seattle was supposed to free up Dunn for his best offensive performance and he did play a career high 20:41 per game for the Kraken last season. Dunn’s 35 points tied his career best, set in 2018-2019, and he is the most offensively gifted of Seattle’s blueliners, but he should be able to produce more than he did last season. At 25-years-old, he is in his prime and if the Kraken have upgraded their offense enough, it would be reasonable to expect Dunn to bust out offensively, even if it is a year after it might have been anticipated. Unless the Kraken make a change on the blueline, Dunn is still their best bet to work on the power play so he should be able to exceed last year’s total of 35 points.

Adam Larsson

A steady stay-at-home blueliner, Larsson did produce a career high eight goals and 25 points in his first season with the Kraken, but his value is more related to his shot suppression skills. He is big and mobile and will lay his body on the line as both a hitter and shot blocker and while that is the type of game that can tend to age poorly, the 29-year-old has appeared in every game in three of the past four seasons. His steady presence remains valuable to the Kraken, even if he is not expected to ever produce huge point totals. While he has scored 20 points or more in three different seasons, that is a tad optimistic for Larsson’s production this season.

Jamie Oleksiak

The towering blueliner stepped into a regular role on the Kraken blueliner and played more than 19 minutes per game on his way to tying his career high in points with 17. Oleksiak did record a career high 182 hits while achieving positive shot differentials despite starting more of his shifts in the defensive zone. Oleksiak could be more aggressive offensively – the 29-year-old has shown that he can skate and handle the puck better than one might think of a 6-foot-7, 255-pound defenseman, so there could be room for a bigger contribution, but there is plenty of value in filling the role of a physically imposing shutdown defenseman, too. He might have the potential to record a 20-point season, but the fair expectation would be for a little less than that.

Justin Schultz

The 32-year-old right shot blueliner saw his role reduced significantly in Washington last season, as he averaged a career low 16:55 of ice time per game. He plays a relatively understated role at this stage of his career and yet his ability to make a good pass and get the puck moving out of the defensive zone still leads to favorable shot differentials. The Kraken could use that puck-moving element so Schultz is likely to see more ice time than he did with Washington last season, so there might be a path to greater point production. Schultz had 23 points last season but has had six seasons in which he has recorded more than 25 points, so 25-30 points is still a possibility this season.

GOALTENDING

Philipp Grubauer

The Seattle Kraken entered their inaugural season looking a bit like the cat that got the canary. They’d managed to lure Colorado Avalanche backstop Philipp Grubauer away from the presumed Stanley Cup favorites, forcing the Central Division club to scramble and overpay for a rental instead of entering the year with players they already knew and loved. The lack of a structured defensive system for Grubauer to learn, though, left the analysis-driven German netminder floundering in his new environment; where he was one of the league’s hottest commodities leading up to opening night, he was one of the biggest free agency letdowns by the time the regular season was over.

Grubauer had been open in the past about needing time to fully internalize a team’s desired defensive system in order to move within it comfortably, so Seattle’s disastrous start to their first year almost certainly left him desperate for some order and consistency. He missed reads and seemed to be moving on a different wavelength from his teammates some nights, which left him vulnerable to bad-angle shots and sloppy rebounds – and while Colorado’s monstrous offense was easily able to shelter him during his first-year learning curve with the Avalanche a few seasons ago, Seattle’s chaotic rookie year exposed his struggles and almost certainly made them a little bit worse. As a result, it seems like a no-brainer that his performance this year will be reliant on the team’s ability to give him something to work with – and until they’ve shown that they’re able to learn from last season’s mistakes, it’s not likely he’ll be inspiring much in the way of faith from fans and pundits alike.

Projected starts: 55-60

GOALTENDING

Martin Jones

Very few teams looked to be good fits for Martin Jones this off-season, after he once again struggled to regain his early career form during a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Flyers. His arrival with the Seattle Kraken, though, seems especially perplexing; like Philadelphia, the Kraken are a team that struggled to perform last year and need stability that Jones hasn’t offered in a number of years.

It feels a bit like a broken record to evaluate Martin Jones year after year as his career continues to exhibit strong Groundhog Day-esque tendencies. He still lacks the structure and balance to his lateral movements and reads that could stabilize his timing and close off the massive holes he opened up in his own crease for shooters to capitalize on, even after he finally left San Jose and opted for a fresh start clear across the continental United States. There’s not much that Philadelphia had to offer that made it seem likely that Jones would bounce back last year, which makes it hard to truly evaluate if he’s capable of ever reaching league-average full-season stats again. But the bad news is that Seattle, too, struggled from a systems stability standpoint last year. It’s hard to take a look at what Seattle did in their inaugural year and feel confident that Jones will turn things around.

Of course, there’s always a chance he won’t need to. If Philipp Grubauer is able to stabilize his own game for long enough, the Kraken could find themselves allowing Jones an incredibly short leash until Chris Driedger is able to return from their injured reserve list.

Projected starts: 20-25

2021-22 TOP 15 PROSPECTS: SEATTLE KRAKEN – RANK: #32- TIER VII

McKeen's Hockey — Fri, 10 Sep 2021 00:42:47 +0000

Seattle Kraken

#32 Seattle - This system has only 13 eligible prospects. This system can't really be judged on a list like this until at least 2023.

Matthew Beniers. Photo courtesy of University of Minnesota

Matthew Beniers

The 2021 season was an extremely impressive one for Beniers, capped off with his selection by the Kraken, their first in franchise history. Even without getting onto the scoresheet with regularity (he was limited to three points in seven games), Beniers was playing in a critical two-way top six role for the United States at the World Junior Championships. He also finished his freshman season with Michigan with one point-per-game, with 14 of his 20 points marked as primary points (goals and first assists).

The allure of Beniers is far more than his offensive production as he projects as a first line, two-way center in the mold of a Jonathan Toews, or a Patrice Bergeron. No matter where he plays as he establishes himself in the NHL, he will be making his linemates better, even if they suck up with accolades. He can play a ‘meat-and-potatoes’ game, being disruptive on the forecheck, and killing the clock on the penalty kill, and he can thrill with skill. He is involved in every play, even if they are not going to directly lead to scoring chances. His speed and ability to enter the offensive zone are also major highlights to his repertoire. It would be ideal to see Beniers return to school for one more year, taking on a more offensive-minded role, and focusing on skills growth. His upside could be first line even without it, but a little bit more creative play will give him a better idea of what he can accomplish before hitting the NHL, and ideally make his professional transition that much smoother. - McKeen’s Draft Guide 2021

Will Borgen

The expansion Seattle Kraken, as of the offseason doldrums of August, have five sure thing blueliners that they should feel confident about lining up with game in, game out. Giordano, Larsson, Soucy, Dunn, and Oleksiak are all guaranteed regular minutes. There are six other seasoned pro defenders who seem to be fixing to fight for the #6/7 roles. Lauzon, Carrick, Cholowski, and the Fleury’s, Cale and Haydn, no longer have prospect eligibility, but Borgen does! A 2015 fourth rounder, Borgen was brought along slowly by Buffalo, spending two full seasons in the AHL, honing his stay-at-home game, before finally spending all of last season up with the Sabres, albeit watching from the press box far more often than he got to take the ice.

Like the others (except possibly Carrick) with whom he will be fighting for an NHL job this year, Borgen offers very little offensively. To his credit, though, he has great size, shoots from the right side, is mobile, has shown that he knows how to play within his limitations, and relishes playing the body. The Seattle system is very shallow at present, as they have not had to build up too much depth as they won’t have their own AHL team right away. Borgen is the most NHL-ready who still qualifies for this list. The upside is low, but he could be on their bottom pairing on day one and no one would bat an eye. - RW

Joey Daccord

A relatively anonymous prep school goalie drafted very late in his second year of eligibility, Daccord was the first player of note to play for Arizona State after that institution joined the NCAA ranks in 2015. His numbers improved dramatically year-over-year through his three year stretch on campus, GAA dropping from 4.03 to 3.51 and finally to 2.35, while his save percentage saw a mirroring rise, from .892, to .909, and ending at .926. The Senators promised him an NHL game after signing, but his first full pro season was split between the AHL and ECHL. Daccord got a more prolonged NHL exposure last year, even earning his first win for the Senators, but he hurt his leg in mid-March, ending his season early.

Not that he had done enough by that point to convince Ottawa management that he should be their goalie of the future, but the injury did make it easier for the Sens to give more time between the pipes to the likes of Filip Gustavsson, Marcus Hogberg, and Anton Forsberg, and feel OK about exposing Daccord to the expansion draft. Seattle nabbed him, although with the big money contracts they gave to Philip Grubauer and Chris Driedger, more AHL is in store for Daccord, who will need to stay healthy and turn more of his promise into consistent performance. - RW

Ryan Winterton

Like some other OHL players, Winterton’s only game action this year was at the Under 18’s, where he was impressive in a checking line role for Canada. One of the youngest players available this year (September 4th birthday), Winterton’s physical tools appear to have improved greatly, making him a very intriguing selection by the Kraken in the third round.

Winterton profiles as an extremely versatile player at the next level. He can play any of the forward positions. He can work in the slot or bumper position on the powerplay with his quick hands and size. He can kill penalties because of his strong two-way awareness and ability to get his stick in passing lanes. He can be a support player on a scoring line because of his ability to win battles down low and because of his terrific wrist shot that allows him to finish off chances. He has also shown the ability to play center and lead transitional attacks, backing down defenders and driving the net. Just how much offensive potential Winterton has is the real mystery. At times in his rookie season in the OHL, especially later in the year, Winterton flashed creativity and the ability to create time and space for himself with his hands. However, at the U18’s, he played much more of a North/South, linear game. We should get a better read of what he is capable of in Hamilton this season as the OHL returns. - McKeen’s Draft Guide 2021

Ryker Evans

In his second (and final) year of draft eligibility, Regina Pats defender Ryker Evans finished the WHL season as the leader in assists by blueliners with 25 (over an assist per game). Ranked by us at McKeen’s last year, Evans worked hard to improve his skating, the consistency of his physicality, and his reads in the defensive end to be a more complete overall player. This is what made him a high selection by Seattle this year.

He may not be the kind of dynamic skater you want to see from an average sized defender, but he has made some necessary adjustments to his game. What the next step for him is remains to be seen. He could return to the WHL for his overage season, or he could turn pro and play in the AHL with Charlotte, who will be Seattle’s AHL affiliate this season. If he returns to Regina in order to further improve his two-way play and physical tools, Evans has a chance to be one of the WHL’s elite defenders. In terms of a high-end upside, Evans likely profiles as a second or third pairing defender who can also play on the powerplay. As an “older” drafted player, he could move through the system faster than some of Seattle’s other prospects. - McKeen’s Draft Guide 2021

Luke Henman

The very first player in history to be signed by the Seattle Kraken, Henman has proven to be an extremely consistent QMJHL player. He is not an elite player, but he is someone who is well rounded and brings a lot to the table. This includes being a terrific leader for Blainville-Boisbriand. He sets an example with his consistency and the excellence of his game in all facets. In addition to being such a complete player, Henman has also led the Armada in scoring the last two seasons.

He may not have the skills to be an impact player in the NHL, however, he executes the small details very well. He is responsible over 200 feet, and he is appreciated by everyone, as much for his qualities as a hockey player as for his qualities as a person. This should lead him to play at least a few games in the NHL at some point. He's still a little slight to face the more rigorous demands of the pro game, but it's something that can be easily improved. He will play in the AHL this coming season and could be a third- or fourth-line winger for the Kraken in a few years. - BB

Alexander True

After three full seasons of pro hockey, there was hope that True could jump to the NHL full-time in 2020-21, but he ended up splitting time between the Sharks (seven games, one point) and the Barracuda (27 games, 20 points). The summer got hectic for True, who went to the World Championships and appeared in seven games for his native Denmark. Then, he was selected by the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft, returning to the area where he played junior and delivered the championship-winning overtime goal in 2017. On the Kraken, True looks to become a full-time NHLer on a forward corps that certainly figures to have some open slots available to be grabbed in training camp.

True is a typical power forward with a developing set of hands and a mean streak. He saw penalty-killing duties for the Sharks last season and didn’t allow a goal. He utilizes his massive frame well and is starting to round out his offensive skills. His poor skating is probably what kept him from being drafted initially but is being improved. He struggles with discipline, takes far too many minors, and is likely limited in terms of upside at the NHL level, but certainly has the potential to be a full-time bottom of the lineup asset who could contribute on the penalty kill and even as the net-front body on the powerplay. - AS

Kole Lind

Kole Lind has taken a step in each of his first few seasons as a pro, culminating in seven NHL games with the Canucks during the most recent Covid shortened season. His game is that of a power forward where his skill level can surprise a bit. He has very good hands and a heavy shot that make him an offensive weapon. He doesn’t drive play as much as you would like for a player that plays the game like he does.

His skating is fine, but he doesn’t have the pull away speed or the high agility to be a very strong rush player or one on one attacker. His game away from the puck is still a work in progress and he may never improve enough on that side of the puck to make him a lock for consistent NHL minutes. He has shown that he can help offensively though and if he was paired with a defensively sound center, he could perhaps fit into a middle six role that suits his game more than a bottom six role would. He should get a great chance to open the year in the NHL on a new Seattle team looking to unearth a few gems in a bottom six role. - VG

Justin Janicke

Janicke’s role with the USNTDP was always as a bottom six forward, grinding, competing in board battles, and making sure that the opponent doesn’t have an easy time when his more skilled teammates were on the ice. He can get a second gear to push defenders back, is a creative passer, and has a decent shot release to boot. He might be able to produce more if given a bigger role and will try to earn one when he joins his older brother, Anaheim prospect Trevor, at Notre Dame this season.

Sometimes players like Janicke can be underutilized on the US U18 team, masking their true potential as offensive players as they conform to the role they are asked to play. While Janicke likely develops into a potential checking line player for the Kraken, there is a chance that his offensive skill set continues to improve at a quality program like Notre Dame. The answer to “what is Janicke’s high end upside,” likely is not answered any time soon as he probably spends at least three years in college before making the jump to the professional ranks. As mentioned, Justin will simply try to establish himself as a useful rotation player this coming season before earning greater trust. - - McKeen’s Draft Guide 2021

Ville Ottavainen

Selected by Seattle in his second year of draft eligibility, Ottavainen had a much better 2020/21 season after returning home to Finland after playing the year prior for Kitchener in the OHL. With Kitchener, Ottavainen was limited to more of a depth role because of the depth of the Rangers and it prevented him from really showcasing his talents. Playing in the JYP program this past season, Ottavainen split the year between their U20 team and the main Liiga club.

One of the main reasons that Ottavainen put himself back on the scouting map was that he was able to improve his skating, in particular his explosiveness in all four directions. A big (6’4) right shot defender, Ottavainen's lack of power limited his effectiveness offensively and defensively playing with Kitchener in the OHL during his draft year. But, by making improvements to his skating, he was able to play with significantly more confidence back home in Finland. A potential two-way defender, with the potential to still develop into a powerplay quarterback, Ottavainen will remain in Finland again, where he will look to play a larger role in Liiga this coming season. He remains a long-term project, but the growth shown thus far remains encouraging. - McKeen’s Draft Guide 2021

Jacob Melanson

Injuries have really hurt the development of the hard hitting, power forward thus far in his young career. A combination of upper body injuries and a trade demand limited him to only 18 games in his draft year, but his finish to the year with Acadie-Bathurst was strong. He could be a breakout candidate in 2021.

Semyon Vyazovoi

A sixth rounder by the Kraken this year (the team’s inaugural draft), Vyazovoi performed well in the MHL this past year, posting the third best save percentage in the league. He will continue his development in Russia this season and is most definitely a longer-term project for the organization.

Carsen Twarynski

Selected from the Philadelphia Flyers organization, this former Kelowna Rockets (WHL) star has had difficulty putting up any sort of offensive numbers at the pro level the last three seasons. However, he does have NHL experience, can bring a physical element, and competes hard. He is a possible short-term solution in the bottom six until Seattle fills out their depth.

McKeen’s 2020-21 Hockey Yearbook: Buffalo Sabres Top 20 Prospects

Wed, 18 Nov 2020 20:17:34 +0000

McKeen's Top 20 Buffalo Sabres 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.

Dylan Cozens, C/RW (7^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 1)

Cozens has a unique blend of size, speed, and vision, and has since grown as a 200ft player who can drive play. He can play the prototypical power forward game where he gets in on the forecheck, works hard, creates turnovers, and generates a strong cycle game. He also has the ability to make high end plays, using both his vision and his feet. His top speed is very good and enables to him to beat guys wide although he has made a point of taking the puck directly to the net more last year. From the cycle game there are few who have the vision to make the passes he can. Either from below the dots along the half wall or from the rush he can put pucks into dangerous locations. He uses his body so effectively to shield the puck that he draws a ton of penalties. His comfort level with the puck on his stick was always high in traffic but now he is more dangerous in open space and his improving shot makes him a threat all over the ice. At the WJC he was highly productive, playing a mix of wing and center. – VG

Jack Quinn, RW (8^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

A late bloomer, Quinn is now pushing 6-1” and finished the season with 52 goals, good for second in the OHL. He can create his own scoring chances and fight through traffic to make plays. It has also helped him to become a fully engaged two-way player who excels just as much off the puck as he does on it. We cannot discuss Quinn without talking about his shot, one of the best shots in this draft class, particularly his powerful and accurate wrist shot, allowing him to score in many ways. He notably scored 34 even strength goals. Quinn is also a quality two-way player, excelling away from the puck. He also has terrific instincts, and this makes him a very good penalty killer. His skating stride, while improved, will continue to need work as he looks to improve his top speed. Additionally, his vision as a playmaker is not at the same level as his shooting ability. He can be such a valuable asset as an elite level goal scorer whose usage does not need to be sheltered in his own end. This will endear him to his future coaches. – BO

John-Jason Peterka, LW (34^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Without a great deal of ice time with EHC Munchen, it was internationally that Peterka shined this season. He is a dynamic offensive player blessed with high end creativity, finishing ability, and offensive instincts. His bread and butter is his one-timer from the faceoff dot, especially with the man advantage. He is excellent shooting from a standstill, able to beat goaltenders cleanly, with a high-end wrist shot as well. His hands are silky smooth, and he seldom loses the puck cheaply, in addition to great creativity. He can create his scoring chances. Even lacking strength, he navigates traffic and puts himself in position to utilize his skill set. He sees the game well enough indicating that production will continue to increase as he matures. He knows how and where to move the puck and has shown a propensity for setting up shop behind the net, in the corners, and along the hash marks. He knows how to get open and when to go to the net. As a two-way player, Peterka still has some growing to do. He also needs to improve his skating. Greater speed would open up his offensive game. - BO

Oskari Laaksonen, D (89^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 2)

Laaksonen’s puck moving abilities and vision were always there, making him an intriguing prospect with a lot of raw talent. He was lanky in his draft year, but he has gained strength and his overall game is headed in the right direction. The right-shot defenseman has a lot to offer offensively. He can make the simple first pass, stretch the ice with long passes or carry the puck from his own end. He has smooth hands and fast, poised stickhandling. He lacks a big slap shot from the point, but he has added power to it, which applies to his skating as well. He is a strong skater with good lateral movement. His first few strides are quick, and he has a good glide as well. He is smooth, mobile and athletic. He is not overly physical, and he could use his size and strength more effectively for hitting and in one-on-one battles. His second full Liiga season could have been much stronger. In the long term, Laaksonen has a good chance to develop into a middle- pairing NHL blueliner who would be useful on a second power play unit, after additional maturity and experience. - MB

Mattias Samuelsson, D (32^nd overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 3)

Not only does Samuelsson have old-school-scout-wet-dream size, but he is also a recognized leader, having worn the ‘C’ on multiple previous teams, as well as for his school as a sophomore. After two seasons each in the spotlight for both the USNTDP and Western Michigan, we know without any doubt that Samuelsson lacks any real offensive value. Of course, he can shoot and pass the puck, but that simply is not part of his game. The strength of his game lies off the puck. Samuelsson has accepted his size and his limitations and plays within himself. He has enough mobility to be able to stick with most opposing forwards, and positions himself well while also using his stick like a pro, so that the faster forwards are forced to the outside if he has trouble keeping up with them stride for stride. He is a very good skater for his size. Even if he never gets a shift on the power play, he will be a staple on the penalty kill, and should develop into a shutdown option at even strength, capable of defending against the opposition’s top lines with regularity. - RW

Ryan Johnson, D (31^st overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 4)

Johnson’s freshman at the University of Minnesota was underwhelming, at best. While his slight figure didn’t hamper his effectiveness at the USHL level, it definitely was a factor as a freshman. He still flashed occasional first round skills, though. He is a fantastic skater, smooth and quick in all directions. His backtracking ability is especially impressive. His skating also is the primary cause to hope that he can regain some offensive luster, as even as he struggled this year, he still showed the ability to walk the blueline nimbly, helping to open up lanes. On the other hand, Johnson demonstrated little ability to make good on whatever lane he could open up. His puck decisions felt rushed and all too rarely led to a dangerous scoring chance. His shot especially seemed meagre as a freshman. Even with his freshman struggles, it is worth remembering that Johnson was a young freshman, with a July 2001 birthdate, and he should be expected to continue developing, both physically, and in his game. He will need more strength to maintain effectiveness defensively, especially in terms of his defensive positioning. He needs a step forward next season. - RW

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, G (54^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 5)

Luukkonen is a big, athletic, and focused goaltender who has the ability, skill, and knowledge as though he was born to set foot in the crease. After surgery, he built back up the majority of his confidence in the ECHL where he performed well. Getting some time in the Liiga this season will get him prepped and ready to face the shots of the AHL where he is most likely to start sharing the role with Jonas Johansson. Luukkonen is the full package and is mature and physically built enough to play the NHL. He has a calm and mentally strong game where he tracks and sees the puck very well, is capable of playing high intensity games, and does not get easily rattled. He gets right over the puck, battles well and is not afraid to play the puck. Luukkonen will have to get better at communicating with his team and being more vocal. When the Sabres finally decide to call him up, it will most likely be his only call up. Expect him to be able to handle the pressure and to step into a role as Buffalo’s long-term starting goaltender. - SC

Erik Portillo, G (67^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 6)

Already in his second year of eligibility when the Sabres added another potential future staple in net in last year’s third round, Portillo showed that he could play on the big ice as well as he showed on the smaller rinks of his native Sweden. In his first season in North America, he was named the goaltender of the year in the USHL, with the best GAA (2.11), and the third best save percentage (.911) of any goalie with at least 20 games played. He was even named to Sweden’s WJC team as the third goalie, although he didn’t play. The gigantic 6-6” puck stopper plays a technically mature, athletic game, and is almost impossible to beat down low. Furthermore, his puck handling is near exception for a player at his level. Per InStat, the vast majority of the goals he surrendered with the Fighting Saints were from in tight, where he can sometimes go down too early. For the most part, though, he plays a calm game and forces the opposition to generate puck movement near the crease to create a hole. Portillo will tackle his next challenge at the University of Michigan. - RW

Jonas Johansson, G (61^st overall, 2014. Previous ranking: 7)

After spending some time up with the Sabres this past season, Johansson’s development has been good, and he has nearly earned the right to being a full time backup in the NHL. That being said, there is still a large ‘maybe’ hanging in the air and with the depth that Buffalo has for goaltenders in their system it is almost undeniable to say that the competition level is high for the starting role. Johansson will need more time in the AHL with Rochester to get a better grasp on reading plays and rebound control so he does not have to try so hard to make crazy second and third saves as those pucks should be held on to or deflected to the side. He is good at maintaining position and finding loose pucks; however he will need to be louder and communicate better with his team so he can gain confidence playing the puck. For now, Johansson stands a good chance at being backup option in Buffalo’s system when he earns his next call up but expect him to still get a few starts as a part timer, nonetheless. - SC

Will Borgen, D (92^nd overall, 2015. Previous ranking: 8)

Borgen brings the heat when it comes to laying the body and making sacrifices to keep the puck out of his own net. He is a solid and gritty defender who does well both with and without the puck. He does well at carrying it up and starting breakouts. He plays a well-structured two-way game; however he has the tendency to bite a little early on plays or make the wrong pinch which can catch his man flat-footed and off guard. In the future he will have to tighten his gap and ensure he is not causing so many unnecessary turnovers. Borgen needs to ensure his shots get to the net. Should he do that, then he will become an even bigger threat for the opposing team. He brings the intensity and strength with the maturity of a player already seasoned in the professional game. It will come as no surprise next season if he gets a chance to prove himself for a longer stint as a part of Buffalo’s bottom four. - SC

Casey Fitzgerald, D (86^th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 9)

Oftentimes the players coming from the NCAA program have smoother transitions into the American Hockey League and that applies to Fitzgerald. He fits into the game as a strong skater with good instincts. As an undersized defenseman, he has no choice but to redeem himself as a strong skater and play maker. He is strong defensively and keeps his head on a swivel and his stick active when defending, he is reliable on the penalty kill, and he does well at keeping opponents to the outside. His play in the attacking zone could be more aggressive at times and he still needs to work on his timing for when to pinch going into next season. Fitzgerald has the potential to reach a bottom four position as a call up for the Sabres in the near future after his confidence grows and he plays more aggressively when shooting the puck. - SC

Marcus Davidsson, C/LW (37^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 10)

A skilled winger/center who has good tools. Davidsson skates well and is both smart and puck skilled. He lacks some competitiveness and consistency, though. I was pretty high on him during his draft year and while he was picked early in the 2nd round, his development since then has not been as expected yet. He changed SHL teams this season but did not succeed and actually produced at a lower rate. It was not only him choosing to change team as his former team had a hard time finding a top six role for him, mostly due to lack of consistency. This season, both Davidsson and his team struggled. I still see him as a player with a possible breakout year if he plays more a determined and consistent game. The NHL projection is as a middle six player if he gets everything together. At this point, soon to be 22 years old, the risk of him not becoming that player is growing higher. The next season will be important for him in that sense. - JH

Matej Pekar, C/RW (94^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 11)

A hard-nosed, high energy winger, Pekar saw himself move from Barrie to Sudbury in the OHL this season. With Sudbury, Pekar developed great chemistry with top 2020 draft prospect Quinton Byfield. Pekar was able to open up more space for the skilled Byfield with how he drives the net and with how he retrieves dump ins and applies pressure on the forecheck. For these reasons, he is a great complimentary player on a scoring line at the OHL level. However, at the next level, he does not likely possess the high-end skill, skating ability, or finishing ability to be a top six forward. He should settle into a bottom six role after a few seasons in the AHL and could carve out a long NHL career as a checking line player and penalty killer. Right now, the focus for Pekar should be on improving his explosiveness to ensure continued success at the pro level. - BO

Jacob Bryson, D (99^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 12)

After leading all defensive in points on the AHL Rochester Americans, Bryson proved to the Sabres management that they had indeed drafted a strong defenseman despite his 5-9” stature. He is a smooth skater, a physical player, and a defenseman who makes good plays with the puck while generally staying in a good position. His passing stands out in his skillset as a threat in the way he sees the ice and reads offensive opportunities, oftentimes seeing back door passes or quick shots not visible to most. Without a doubt, if given the chance, Bryson can be tested at the NHL level, however he needs to simply touch up on the details and the smaller areas of his game like gap control, keeping his feet moving, and not getting caught flat footed. Those are all details that make a big impact on the overall game and the development of Bryson’s play. Expect him to continue his development this coming season in order to earn a bottom four spot with Buffalo in the medium-term future. - SC

Brett Murray, LW (99^th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 13)

Size has a lot to do with Murray’s success in his rookie professional season in the AHL with the Americans. He uses his size well to protect the puck and has no trouble getting to the net and finding shooting lanes. He is a good attacker and often causes or capitalizes on turnovers in the neutral zone where he showcases his quick reaction time and alertness to plays, which for a big guy he does well. Murray can stand to improve his play in his own end as he tends to be a little lazier and more scattered when challenging opponents. He has the potential to be a standout power forward when it comes to the NHL but his skating and defensive play have to get faster and he needs to bring more intent and energy to certain situations to become a better two way player before he can take over a bottom six role in the NHL. – SC

Albert Lyckasen, D (193^rd overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Passed over in his first year of draft eligibility, Lyckasen took his game to a new level as an offensive force, finishing as the second leading scorer among defensemen. He excels at both ends with his strong skating ability and does well on the powerplay with a good right-handed point shot. Although he lacks a great deal in terms of physical tools, he has a few strengths that suggest potential NHL future. He is a fine skater with alluring puck skills as well as a mature approach to the game. Lyckasen was also more of a offense driver from the blueline last season, finishing second in scoring among all Allsvenskan defenders last season. He will have to continue to add strength to allow his skills to play, as he is not a good candidate to play a shut down role. While there is tweener risk, in the seventh round, Lyckasen is a good gamble as he at least has some NHL caliber projections, even if they are faint. - RW

Arttu Ruotsalainen, C/LW (Undrafted Free Agent, signed May 8, 2019. Previous ranking: 14)

After breaking out in 2018-19 and earning an NHL contract, Ruotsalainen returned to Ilves on loan for another season. He was one of the club’s driving forces, helping the team achieve their best ranking of the decade in the Liiga regular season. He scored important, timely goals and he was the engine of Ilves’ power play. He was always extremely industrious and relentless at the junior level – his compete level has never been an issue – but he has shown some new elements to his game at the pro level. An offensively skilled center, his play with the puck continues to improve. He is a very good playmaker and delivers quality passes to his wingers. He has great speed and can pull away from defenders. He is committed to the defensive game, plays with passion and could develop into a strong 200-foot player. His development curve is heading straight up, and he has a real chance to make the Sabres roster as soon as next season. His rise into a top Liiga player has been a great success story, yet his best hockey is ahead. - MB

Brandon Biro, C (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Mar. 18, 2020. Previous ranking: 15)

Entering his fourth season at Penn State, Biro was expected to be one of the most sought-after collegiate free agents at the conclusion of the season. While the undersized winger finished with a point-per-game campaign, the Nittany Lions captain did not live up to his early billing, which suspect was due to a mid-season injury. A crafty offensive force, when he is healthy Biro can change the pace to keep defenders on their toes. He has deft hands that work well in tight spots. Off the puck, he reads the opposition well and can pick a few pockets with a quick stick. The big question as he moves to the professional ranks is whether he can still be productive even without the size or pure dynamic skillset usually found in a scoring role. He is a young college senior, having turned 22 a few days before signing with the Sabres, so there remains the possibility of more future development we generally see with senior signs, but the clock will only tick for so long and Biro will have to prove himself to reach the highest level. – RW

Dawson DiPietro, LW (UFA: Mar. 23, 2020. Previous ranking: UR)

Over four seasons with Western Michigan, DiPietro turned himself into an off-the-beaten-path candidate to play in the NHL, despite his humble beginnings. Never drafted by a CHL or even a USHL team, and only appearing in a single game as a freshman, he showed dominant flashes on occasion during his sophomore and senior campaigns for the Broncos. If his flashes came about more consistently, DiPietro would have likely signed earlier in his collegiate career. He makes up for his good-not-great production with a solid two-way game and the ability to play in all situations. His hands are fine enough that one could see him getting occasional game higher in a top six role, adding energy to scoring lines. He will turn 25 before this annual preview is published and his one-year entry level contract is a reminder that the Sabres took a no-risk step in bringing him into the organization. He is a low-risk gamble with a few paths to providing real value in the NHL. - RW

Miska Kukkonen, D (125^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: 17)

A right-handed shooting blueliner without any offensive game of note, Kukkonen has improved his future projections since turning pro for good last year. Even though injuries limited him to 23 total games, he showed enough flashes of above average skating, a big shot and a strong physical game, to make his potential hit home, if only he can play a full season without additional injuries. Kukkonen lacks any high end characteristics to his game, and there are also questions that he could contribute heavily at the top level in a shut down role, which reminds one of his persistent struggles to add anything to the offensive attack of his team. Like a number of the players immediately above, Lyckasen has only a moderate chance to reach the NHL – and the Sabres still haven’t given him an NHL contract – but he has a few NHL tools that keep the goal within reach. We would like to see some ability to contribute to the offensive attack before moving him up the list. - 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 – BUFFALO SABRES – ORGANIZATIONAL RANK: 13

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 17:09:23 +0000

Buffalo Sabres

Through the first 43 years of the Buffalo Sabres’ existence, the organization had employed only six men in the role of General Manager, a total that includes six months under interim GM John Anderson. The news from mid-June that Jason Botterill was out and Kevyn Adams was in marked the team’s third GM since early January 2014. Uncoincidentally, the team has not made the playoffs in that span.

When a team hires a new GM, I like to look at the unique tendencies of the predecessor and compare them to the background of the incoming head honcho. As we will see momentarily, that isn’t going to be so easy in the case of the changing of the guard in Western New York.

Let’s start with what we saw out of Botterill. Over the course of three draft classes, he almost completely avoided drafting players out of the CHL, with the only exception being the selection of top prospect Dylan Cozens at 7^th overall last June. A couple of his other picks moved over to the CHL after being drafted by the Sabres, in Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen and Matej Pekar, who were both drafted out of Europe and moved to OHL clubs through the CHL Import Draft. I am not one to argue against a strategy that focuses on college-bound players and/or Europeans, but I can see an argument that Botterill would have been better served by mixing things up a bit more, especially as CHL talents – high-end CHL talents – are more ready for the pro game after their junior careers, if for no other reason than the length of the CHL seasons compared to the college game. Think Casey Mittelstadt, the highly skilled Minnesota high schooler taken 8^th overall in Botterill’s first draft. It is far too early to write the book on Mittelstadt’s career, but the Sabres pushed him too far, too soon and he has struggled to establish himself as an NHLer. OHLers like Nick Suzuki and Robert Thomas, taken later in that first round, have certainly had softer NHL landings so far.

On the other side, we have Adams who was named General Manager with almost no executive experience at the NHL level. Since his NHL playing career petered out after a stint with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2007-08, the one-time first round pick spent a few years as a player-agent and joined the Sabres organization in 2009-10. His first role was as a development coach (two years) and then as an Assistant Coach (two more years), a period which coincided with the end of the Lindy Ruff era in Buffalo.

Since then, Adams has remained in the organization as a youth hockey supervisor, while also taking on the role of President of the Buffalo Jr. Sabres, of the OJHL. He was named Senior Vice President of Business Administration for the club last year before finally taking on the GM role in June 2020.

The remainder of the front office has not been filled out yet, but as part of the organizational swap, the tea also let go of the bulk of its scouting staff, leaving only (seemingly) Jeremiah Crowe and Jason Nightingale in the department. The former is the new Director of Scouting, and the latter is the new Director of Analytics ad Assistant Director of Scouting. Nightingale has been on the analytics side for a while and his retention and appointment to the number two role in the scouting department indicates that analytics will play a greater role in player acquisition.

As for Crowe, his playing career ended after playing for Clarkson in college, after which he coached in DIII for three years before moving into scouting at the USHL and then to the USNTDP program, where he was the Director of Player Personnel for two seasons, before joining the Sabres as a pro scout in the 2017-18 season.

In summary, I would not be surprised if the Sabres continue to scout heavily from the college-track cohort of prospects, although perhaps not as exclusively so. Either way, Adams will need more time at the helm than either Botterill or his predecessor, Tim Murray, were afforded to have a chance to build his vision.

Dylan Cozens. Photo by Erica Perreaux - Lethbridge Hurricanes

Dylan Cozens, C/RW (7^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 1)

Cozens has taken a noticeable step in his draft plus one season. His unique blend of size, speed, and vision made him a top 10 pick but his growth as a 200ft player and his ability to drive play have turned him into one of the top five drafted prospects outside of the NHL. He can play the prototypical power forward game where he gets in on the forecheck, works hard, creates turnovers, and generates a strong cycle game that wears down opposing defenders.

He also has the ability to make high end plays, both using his vision and his feet. His top speed is very good and enables to him to beat guys wide although he has made a point of taking the puck directly to the net more last year. From the cycle game there are few who have the vision to make the passes he can. Either from below the dots along the half wall or from the rush he can put pucks into dangerous locations.

He uses his body so effectively to shield the puck that he draws a ton of penalties. He drives play much more than a season ago; there was no doubt who set the offensive table for Lethbridge in 2019-20. His comfort level with the puck on his stick was always high in traffic but now he is more dangerous in open space and his improving shot makes him a threat all over the ice.

At the WJC he was highly productive, leading team Canada in +/- and was second in assists with seven in just seven games playing a mix of wing and center. There is real NHL promise to come from the young Yukoner and his ability to play the wing only enhances his chance of making an impact on the Sabres as soon as next season. - VG

Oskari Laaksonen, D (89^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 4)

The Sabres surprised many people when they selected Laaksonen in the third round of the 2017 NHL draft. Since then his development has been quite impressive. The puck moving abilities and vision were always there, making him an intriguing prospect with a lot of raw talent. He was lanky in his draft year, but he has gained strength and his overall game is headed in the right direction.

The right-shot defenseman has a lot to offer offensively. He can make the simple first pass, stretch the ice with long passes or carry the puck from his own end. He has smooth hands and displays fast stickhandling. He makes mistakes from time to time, but he shows skill and poise with the puck.

He lacks a big slap shot from the point, but he has added power to it, which applies to his skating as well. He is a strong skater with good lateral movement. His first few strides are quick and he has a good glide as well. He is smooth, mobile and athletic. He is not overly physical though, and he could use his size and strength more effectively for hitting and in one-on-one battles.

His second full Liiga season could have been much stronger – he will need to bounce back in 2020-21 and get his development back on track. In the long term, I think Laaksonen has a good chance to develop into a middle- pairing NHL blueliner who would be useful on the power play, at least on the second unit. However, he needs to mature and gain more experience at high levels to be prepared for the demands of the NHL. - MB

Mattias Samuelsson, D (32^nd overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 5)

Although not as big as father Kjell, Mattias Samuelsson is still a very large human being, currently measured at 6-4”, 220. Not only does he have old-school-scout-wet-dream size, but he is also a recognized leader, who has worn the ‘C’ for Team USA at the WU18 tournament in his draft year and last year at the WJC, as well as for his school as a sophomore. The captaincy honorific could not convince Samuelsson to stick to school for a third year though, as he signed an Entry Level Deal with the Sabres in late March, shortly after the 2019-20 NCAA season was cancelled.

After two seasons each in the spotlight for both the USNTDP and Western Michigan, we know without any doubt that Samuelsson lacks any real offensive value. Of course, he can shoot and pass the puck, but that simply is not part of his game. The strength of his game lies off the puck. Samuelsson, unlike many other bigger defenders, has accepted his size and his limitations and plays within himself.

He has enough mobility to be able to stick with most opposing forwards, and positions himself well while also using his stick like a pro, so that the faster forwards are forced to the outside if he has trouble keeping up with them stride for stride. It is fair to say that Samuelsson is a very good skater for his size, while being around average in a vacuum.

Even if he never gets a shift on the power play, he will be a staple on the penalty kill, while I expect him to develop into a shutdown option at even strength, capable of defending against the opposition’s top lines with regularity. Not a very exciting prospect, but potentially a very valuable one. - RW

Ryan Johnson, D (31^st overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 2)

Before saying anything else, it needs to be said that Johnson’s freshman season at the University of Minnesota was underwhelming, at best. Calling it disappointing would be more accurate, truth be told. Son of former NHL’er Craig Johnson, the native Californian is still very slight. While his figure didn’t hamper his effectiveness at the USHL level, where his play made him a reasonable first round pick, it definitely was a factor in his first collegiate season.

He was still able to show the occasional flash of the skillset that saw him rising up draft boards throughout the second half of his draft eligible season. He is a fantastic skater, smooth and quick in all directions. His backtracking ability is especially impressive. His skating also is the primary cause to hope that he can regain some offensive luster, as even as he struggled this year, he still showed the ability to walk the blueline nimbly, helping to open up lanes. On the other hand, Johnson demonstrated little ability to make good on whatever lane he could open up. His puck decisions felt rushed and all too rarely led to a dangerous scoring chance.

His shot especially seemed meagre as a freshman. Even with his freshman struggles, it is worth remembering that Johnson was a young freshman, with a July 2001 birthdate, and he should be expected to continue developing, both physically, and in his game. He will need more strength to maintain effectiveness defensively, especially in terms of his defensive positioning. It is too soon to give up on the upside of a two-way, top four defender, but without a big step forward next year, it may be appropriate to start downgrading expectations. - RW

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, G (54^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 3)

Luukkonen is the future of the Buffalo Sabres in terms of goaltending. He is a big, athletic, and focused goaltender who has the ability, skill, and knowledge to be naturally good at what he does as though he was born to set foot in the crease. Despite having surgery within the past year, Luukkonen ending up building up the majority of his confidence back in the ECHL where both his save percentage and GAA were very respectable.

He will start the 2020 season back in the Liiga in his native Finland with TPS but expect him to be back for the commencement of the AHL season in December. Getting some time in the Liiga will get him prepped and ready to face the shots of the AHL where he is most likely to start sharing the role with Jonas Johansson.

Luukkonen is the full package as a goaltender and is already mature and physically built to play in the NHL. He plays a calm and mentally strong game where he tracks and sees the puck very well, is capable of playing high intensity games, and does not get phased or rattled easily. He gets right over the puck, battles well and is not afraid to play the puck. Luukkonen will have to get better at communicating with his team and being more vocal, however that could be due to last season being only his second in North America.

When the Sabres finally decide to call him up, it will most likely be his first and last call up. Expect him to be able to handle the pressure and to step into a role as the Buffalo Sabres long term starting goaltender. - SC

Erik Portillo, G (67^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 7)

The gigantic 6-6” puck stopper plays a technically mature, athletic game, and is almost impossible to beat down low. Furthermore, his puck handling is near exceptional for a player at his level. Per InStat, the vast majority of the goals he surrendered with the Fighting Saints were from in tight, where he can sometimes go down too early. For the most part, though, he plays a calm game and forces the opposition to generate puck movement near the crease to create a hole. Portillo will tackle his next challenge at the University of Michigan. - RW

Jonas Johansson, G (61^st overall, 2014. 2019 Rank: UR)

After spending some time up with the Sabres this past season, Johansson’s development has been good, and he has nearly earned the right to being a full-time backup in the NHL. That being said, there is still a large ‘maybe’ hanging in the air and with the depth that Buffalo has for goaltenders in their system it is almost undeniable to say that the competition level is high for the starting role.

Johansson will need more time in the AHL with Rochester to get a better grasp on reading plays and rebound control so he does not have to try so hard to make crazy second and third saves as those pucks should be held on to or deflected to the side. He is good at maintaining position and finding loose pucks; however, he will need to be louder and communicate better with his team so he can gain confidence playing the puck. For now, Johansson stands a good chance at being backup option in Buffalo’s system when he earns his next call up but expect him to still get a few starts as a part timer, nonetheless. - SC

Will Borgen, D (92^nd overall, 2015. 2019 Rank: 11)

In the future he will have to tighten his gap and ensure he is not causing so many unnecessary turnovers. Borgen needs to ensure his shots get to the net. Should he do that, then he will become an even bigger threat for the opposing team. He brings the intensity and strength with the maturity of a player already seasoned in the professional game. It will come as no surprise next season if he gets a chance to prove himself for a longer stint as a part of Buffalo’s bottom four. - SC

Casey Fitzgerald, D (86^th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 15)

His play in the attacking zone could be more aggressive at times and he still needs to work on his timing for when to pinch going into next season. Fitzgerald has the potential to reach a bottom four position as a call up for the Sabres in the near future after his confidence grows and he plays more aggressively when shooting the puck. - SC

Marcus Davidsson, C/LW (37^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 8)

This season, both Davidsson and his team struggled. I still see him as a player with a possible breakout year if he plays more a determined and consistent game. The NHL projection is as a middle six player if he gets everything together. At this point, soon to be 22 years old, the risk of him not becoming that player is growing higher. The next season will be important for him in that sense. - JH

Matej Pekar, C/RW (94^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 12)

However, at the next level, he does not likely possess the high-end skill, skating ability, or finishing ability to be a top six forward. He should settle into a bottom six role after a few seasons in the AHL and could carve out a long NHL career as a checking line player and penalty killer. Right now, the focus for Pekar should be on improving his explosiveness to ensure continued success at the pro level. - BO

Jacob Bryson, D (99^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: UR)

Without a doubt, if given the chance, Bryson can be tested at the NHL level, however he needs to simply touch up on the details and the smaller areas of his game like gap control, keeping his feet moving, and not getting caught flat footed. Those are all details that make a big impact on the overall game and the development of Bryson’s play. Expect him to continue his development this coming season in order to earn a bottom four spot with Buffalo in the medium-term future. - SC

Brett Murray, LW (99^th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 17)

Murray can stand to improve his play in his own end as he tends to be a little lazier and more scattered when challenging opponents. He has the potential to be a standout power forward when it comes to the NHL but his skating and defensive play have to get faster and he needs to bring more intent and energy to certain situations to become a better two way player before he can take over a bottom six role in the NHL. - SC

Arttu Ruotsalainen, C/LW (Undrafted Free Agent, signed May 8, 2019. 2019 Rank: 19)

He was always extremely industrious and relentless at the junior level – his compete level has never been an issue – but he has shown some new elements to his game at the pro level. An offensively skilled center, his play with the puck continues to improve. He is a very good playmaker and delivers quality passes to his wingers. He has great speed and can pull away from defenders.

He is committed to the defensive game, plays with passion and could develop into a strong 200-foot player. His development curve is heading straight up, and he has a real chance to make the Sabres roster as soon as next season. His rise into a top Liiga player has been a great success story, yet his best hockey is ahead. - MB

Brandon Biro, C (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Mar. 18, 2020. 2019 Rank: IE)

A crafty offensive force, when he is healthy Biro can change the pace to keep defenders on their toes. He has deft hands that work well in tight spots. Off the puck, he reads the opposition well and can pick a few pockets with a quick stick. The big question as he moves to the professional ranks is whether he can still be productive even without the size or pure dynamic skillset usually found in a scoring role.

He is a young college senior, having turned 22 a few days before signing with the Sabres, so there remains the possibility of more future development we generally see with senior signs, but the clock will only tick for so long and Biro will have to prove himself to reach the highest level. - RW

Buffalo Sabres 2019-20 Prospect Review: Top 20

Sat, 14 Sep 2019 10:11:09 +0000

With only two full years and three drafts under his belt, it cannot yet be said that the Buffalo Sabres’ pipeline has been built in the imagine of current General Manager Jason Botterill. Looking at the 20 players highlit below – the 20 best prospects in the system – six predate the Botterill era. The other 14, including each of the top five, as well as the three nearest misses were all brought to the Sabres by Botterill and company.

Much ink – digital and literal – has already been spilled on Botterill’s draft tendencies. In particular, the peculiarity about his reluctance to draft players out of the CHL. In three drafts, he did not select a CHLer until his first pick this past June, taking current top Buffalo prospect Dylan Cozens out of Lethbridge of the WHL. And then the Sabres went back to the rest of the world, not touching any of the three CHL leagues with any of their remaining picks. They have had a number of players that they had drafted from other locales who later moved on to the CHL, including Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen (#3) and Matej Pekar (#12) below, but Buffalo’s scouts have been able to keep their sight turned south of the border, or across the water.

So, where do they go? Most common is looking for players on the collegiate track. Not counting players drafted out of Europe who proceeded to cross the pond to play for an NCAA school (see #7 Erik Portillo), there were seven players drafted in three years who were either already in college, or playing in a league that traditionally leads to college, generally the USHL.

After that, Botterill’s Buffalo has invested heavily in Scandinavian scouting. They drafted five players out of Sweden and another four out of Finland. That leaves only two players added to the system in the past three years we haven’t covered. One, the aforementioned Cozens, was their sole CHLer. Lastly, with their final 2019 pick, the Sabres had their first foray into Central Europe, drafting Lukas Rousek out of the Czech Republic.

It is too early to state that Botterill’s drafting habits will continue, especially considering the additions of both the CHL and the Czech Republic to his route. Who knows where the Sabres will turn to next year? More pressingly though, as time passes and the drafted players continue to develop – or is some cases, fail to develop – we will learn about whether this depth at the expense of width scouting will turn out well.

The Sabres used to draft players from everywhere but struggled to pick up good players outside of the first round. Since 2010, Jake McCabe and J.T. Compher are the only players picked outside of the first round by Buffalo who have played in at least 100 games in the NHL. That number will increase, and player like Oskari Laaksonen (#4) may be the harbinger of what is to come. Not only was he a surprise third round pick in 2017, but some draft experts didn’t know him at all. Now he is one of the best prospects in the system, a testament to trusting area scouts.

-Ryan Wagman

BUFFALO, NY - APRIL 02: Buffalo Sabres left wing Victor Olofsson (41) skates during a game between the Nashville Predators and the Buffalo Sabres on April 02, 2019, at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. (Photo by Jerome Davis/Icon Sportswire)

1 Dylan Cozens, C/RW (7^th overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) Dylan Cozens is a surprisingly fast skater with high agility despite his 6-3” frame. He uses his speed effectively on zone exits and entries as well as to engage on the forecheck. Once he closes the gap on the defender, he has good hand eye coordination to knock down errant passes and the strength to out-battle his opponent along the wall. He is excellent in traffic whether trying to get a shot off, make a pass or carry the puck to the net. Below the dots he consistently creates turnovers and disrupts opponents’ zone exits. In open ice he has good puck handling skills and a powerful wrist shot. His playmaking is under-rated as he makes everyone on the ice more dangerous. He projects as a top six forward who could start out on the wing and move into the middle once he has established himself at the pro level, which may not be too far away. - VG

2 Ryan Johnson, D (31^st overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) As last season progressed, one of the draft prospects with the most helium was undoubtedly Johnson. That helium continued to expand and lift his profile right through the final whistle of the USHL season as Johnson was a key driver of his Sioux Falls’ squad’s postseason run to a Clark Cup championship. His game is the type that can require multiple viewings to really appreciate as his offensive skills are not yet fully at fruition. He is a beautiful skater, with fine speed and great edges and agility. His own zone game is also remarkably refined, a reminder that having a longtime NHLer and skills coach as a father can supersede growing up in a non-traditional hockey market such as Southern California. Heading to the University of Minnesota, Johnson looks like a future second pairing mainstay, and possibly more if his instincts in the offensive zone grow more acute. - RW

3 Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen, G (54^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 6) Luukkonen starred for the Sudbury Wolves this past year, earning not only top goaltender in the OHL, but also the Red Tilson as the league’s most outstanding player. Additionally, he backstopped Finland to an U20 gold medal. He is the complete package as a goaltender with his size and athleticism. Luukkonen moves so well in his crease, but with his size is able to square up to shooters still and take away all angles. He also reads and reacts to the play around him as he is rarely caught out of position. His composure in the crease this year was one of his more impressive features. Luukkonen has what it takes to develop into a topflight NHL netminder and has to be considered one of the best goaltending prospects on the planet. He just had hip surgery and will be sidelined for at least the next six months. Buffalo would be smart to take things slowly with his recovery because they potentially have a great one on their hands. - BO

4 Oskari Laaksonen, D (89^th overall, 2017. Last Year: Not ranked) Laaksonen has made tremendous strides since being drafted in the third round of the 2017 NHL Draft. His skating is very good, he is agile and smooth, with the ability to pivot well and transition quickly from forwards to backwards and vice versa. He gives a crisp first pass which consistently arrives precisely on the tape His hands are smooth and swift, allowing him to carry the puck up the ice. Laaksonen has improved his physicality and defensive game. Neither is his strength right now, but the improvements make me very optimistic about his future as an NHL defenseman. His shot has also improved. I think he has a realistic chance to be a second-pairing NHL blueliner, one who moves the puck well and helps his team start offensive transitions. - MB

5 Mattias Samuelsson, D (32^nd overall, 2018. Last Year: 4) Looking at the top three defensemen on this list, all acquired in the Botterill era, we can begin to see that the current Buffalo brass has a clear preference for high end IQ, especially when it comes to drafting blueline prospects. They also have an appreciation for speedsters, which Johnson and Laaksonen, as well as 2018 first overall pick Rasmus Dahlin all have in spades. Samuelsson has the former trait of high hockey IQ as the son of longtime NHLer Kjell Samuelsson, as well as two years with the USNTDP program. While he also skates relatively well for his gargantuan size, his speed will never be better than average. He has decent offensive tools and is a solid puck mover, but he projects as more of a people mover, using his great size and strength to maintain order in front of his own net. He might be ready to turn pro after his upcoming sophomore season at Western Michigan. - RW

6 Victor Olofsson, RW (181^st overall, 2014. Last Year: 7) For a player selected in the seventh round, Olofsson has defied the odds with his natural skill and hockey smarts. He is a gifted player and by far one of Buffalo’s top prospects. After spending several years playing professionally in Sweden in the SHL, he made his North American debut this past season starting with the Rochester Americans of the AHL where he led the Amercs with 63 points in 66 games. After gaining momentum in the second half of the season he earned a successful call up to the Sabres where he managed four points in six games. Olofsson has a high ceiling and natural scoring ability, and I expect to see him play what is likely his last season in the AHL as a top six forward before earning a longer call up to the Sabres where he will most likely start as a bottom six attacker. - SC

7 Erik Portillo, G (67^th overall, 2019, Last Year: IE) A large goalie with good reach and big hands, Portillo plays with poise and reads the play well. He uses his size well and is strong mentally in the way that he can totally shut down games when he is at his best and also bounces back well from a bad goal. When he plays his best game, every shot looks simple to save and he talks a lot with the defense helping to demonstrate poise towards the opposition. Portillo has some technical flaws and can overwork when he is stressed. He needs to get stronger to hold up his big body and could get faster as well, but he has NHL potential. He has committed to NCAA Michigan for next season and Buffalo can follow his development in North America over the next couple of seasons. Last season, he was the best goalie in SuperElit, but has no senior experience yet. - JH

8 Marcus Davidsson, C/LW (37^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 5) A top six talent that has shown steady, but not explosive, development over his time in Sweden. He has scored just over 0.5 points per game his first two seasons as a senior level player. It is tough to secure a job as a top six forward in the NHL and he will need to take bigger steps forward to reach that potential. He has signed on with Vaxjo for next season where he hopes to find a fresh start and a bigger role. The potential is still there and when he plays his best games, he shows a lot of promise. He is smart and processes the game well, making quick decisions with his quick hands. He is a bit soft physically, but if he can get more consistent with his skills he can get that break. He is a quite sneaky forward with skill who has some similarities with Loui Eriksson that way, but he still has a long development road ahead. - JH

9 Lawrence Pilut, D (Undrafted free agent, signed May 15, 2018. Last Year: 10) After earning accolades in Sweden, including recognition as defenseman of the year in the SHL two seasons ago, it was easy to see why Buffalo did not hesitate to sign him and made sure to give Pilut lots of opportunities both in the NHL and AHL this season. Starting the season with Rochester in the AHL, Pilut had 26 points in 30 games leading him to split the second half of the season between the AHL and the Sabres, where he was slow to fit in, often finding himself behind the play and slow to move the puck. Pilut is good at finding shooting lanes and has the smarts to play with Buffalo. He will be a good pick to start up with the Sabres this coming season once he is 100% healthy, ideally in a third pairing to start, due to the Sabres influx of defensive talent. - SC

10 Rasmus Asplund, C (33rd overall, 2016. Last Year: 9) Despite having a somewhat shaky start to the season, Asplund managed to prove he is deserving of a second line spot with the Rochester Americans as the season progressed. He is a smaller forward but a great forechecker working well to fill a spot as a grinder. Always keeping his feet moving, many of his 41 points this year came from rebounds and net scrambles. At times he is a little bit sloppy with his positioning which may be the reason why he has yet to earn a call up to the Sabres. Asplund’s progress and development throughout his first AHL season led him to earn Most Improved at the end of the season for the Americans and with any luck will lead him to also earn his first call up to the Sabres next season. He will be a top six forward with Rochester to start and should hopefully be reclaiming his spot on the Americans top penalty killing unit as well. – SC

11 Will Borgen, D (92^nd overall, 2015. Last Year: 12) Borgen is a strong player and a good skater who shows off those skills most when protecting the net and on the breakout. Although he only managed 14 points in a near complete AHL season with Rochester, he is a very offensive defenseman. Borgen is a skilled player with a good shot, however he would be able to get even more scoring opportunities if he spent less time in the penalty box. His skills are better used on the ice as he is a big and energetic defender who has adjusted well to the maturity of the professional level. His ceiling is high if he can clean up his game and focus on securing his spot as a top two pairing instead. Borgen is set to start with the Rochester Americans again and if he can use his gritty attitude to his advantage, he may see time up as a bottom two pairing in Buffalo as well. - SC

12 Matej Pekar, C/RW (101^st overall, 2019. Last Year: 17) Pekar is a relentless and fearless offensive player who had a successful first season with the Barrie Colts this past season. He plays an aggressive brand of hockey, constantly looking to attack the net like a gnat who just will not go away. He excels East/West by working the cycle and looking to get the puck to the middle of the ice. Pekar is also a tremendous penalty killer when that high-end motor is put to work. Unfortunately, a broken collarbone ended his season early, but the groundwork was laid for future success. Moving forward, Pekar’s ceiling as an offensive player may not be extremely high, but Buffalo may have a quality third line winger eventually who can slide up and down the lineup and play a variety of different roles for them. His versatility and well-rounded game will play well at the pro level and endear him to whatever coaching staff he works with. - BO

13 Brandon Hickey, D (64^th overall, 2014 [Calgary]. Last Year: 15) Hickey is an average defenseman capable of getting things done. His skills are not spectacular and nothing he does particularly stands out except for the fact that he is dependable and solid. Hickey has yet to join the big club for a game but plays with the maturity to do so. He is great defensively and a capable shot blocker with just enough grit and skill to play on any line with Rochester. With Buffalo’s defensive chart so full of talent it is hard to say if Hickey will see a long term stay with the Sabres should he earn a call up, however that is not saying he lacks the skill or the know-how but simply that he may not be able to find a permanent spot amongst the many offensive defensemen in their system. With Hickey’s more stay at home style look to find him as a veteran top four defenseman with Rochester next season. - SC

14 C.J. Smith, LW (Undrafted free agent, signed Mar. 30, 2017. Last Year: 18) The Buffalo Sabres have this uncanny ability of seeing the talent that other teams have passed over with their undrafted prospects. Smith is a great example of this as he is an entertaining player to watch and brings energy and drive to each game. It comes as no surprise that Smith will be given the chance to start up with the Sabres next season and with the way his development has played out so far, this coming season should be even better than his last where he spent the majority with Rochester tallying a total of 58 points and finishing second on the team behind only Victor Olofsson. His natural skill and scoring ability made him a stand out forward for the Americans last year, and are what will hopefully push him to work hard to gain a top six spot despite starting as a bottom six forward with the Sabres for the 2019-2020 season.- SC

15 Casey Fitzgerald, D (86^th overall, 2016. Last Year: 16) Fitzgerald isn’t the biggest defenseman at 5-11”, 186 pounds but he has had an outsized impact at Boston College. His family tree includes an impressive array of hockey players along a number of branches. He has a low accurate point shot and is a positive contributor on the power play. His passing is also solid. His stick and puck control are both above average for the levels he has played. Beyond that, one of his best traits is good puck pursuit in his own zone. He took his college career as far as it could go and turned pro after his senior season ended, his second as team Captain. He had three points in four games with Rochester and is expected to play the entire season there next year. He could be a decent second pairing defender down the road. - RC

16 Jean-Sebastien Dea, C (Undrafted free agent, signed Sep. 16, 2013 [Pittsburgh]. Last Year: 14 [Pittsburgh]) Dea is a hard-working forward who plays a good offensive game. He is always present on the forecheck and plays well in the neutral zone. In the defensive end he is sometimes behind the play and out of position, but thankfully he makes up for that with his smarts. After bouncing around amongst four teams last year, Dea will make his start with the Rochester Americans next season. He is a veteran forward with professional experience who brings a level headedness and know-how with the puck. Having already played 29 games in the NHL it would not be surprising if Dea were to see a few more games in the NHL again next season. It will be tough to estimate where Dea will fit in Rochester’s lineup due to the number of veteran forwards they have and set lines from previous seasons therefore he may have to start as a bottom six and work his way up. - SC

17 Brett Murray, LW (99^th overall, 2016. Last Year: Not ranked) Drafted out of the CCHL, Murray spent a year with Youngstown of the USHL for a half season before moving on to the NCAA to play with the burgeoning Penn State program. He was never a big scorer as a teen, with a game that was more reliant on great size, although not physicality, outside of trying to establish space. After a year and a half of disappointment with Penn State, Murray returned to the USHL as an over-ager. He led the league with 41 goals. The results were very impressive but need to be taken with a few dozen grains of salt. I have already mentioned his age, and I should also note that he is a below average skater, which can be forgivable due to the size. He has decent hands and smarts and we should keep an eye on him, wherever he goes next, but don’t expect more than a decent fourth liner as his highest projection. - RW

18 Linus Weissbach, LW/RW (192^nd overall, 2017. Last Year: Not ranked) To Murray’s yin, Weissbach adds the yang. The Swedish winger is tiny, speedy and as proven it at higher levels, getting better and more effective with experience. None of his individual tools are exceptional, but they work well in tandem to produce a player who, at least at the levels he has performed at, is fun to watch. He performed at close to a point per game pace as a sophomore with Wisconsin, finishing one point off the team lead despite missing 10 games, although his role may diminish a bit next year in light of the school’s bumper crop of incoming recruits. He may be a bit of a tweener, as he lacks the physicality of defensive zone play to be a traditional bottom six forward and his skill game, while promising, is unlikely to be enough to feature in a top six. If he can increase his agitation levels, he could max out in an energy role. - RW

19 Arttu Ruotsalainen, C/LW (Undrafted free agent, signed May 8, 2019. Last Year: IE) Ruotsalainen had a breakout season with Ilves in the Liiga and the Sabres took notice, signing him to an NHL contract. The small, speedy forward has an excellent work rate, he plays with energy, passion and competes in every shift. He is versatile and played both on the power play and penalty kill last season. He also has some skill to boot – quick hands and solid passing skills. Ruotsalainen is a quick thinker with the puck and does not need a whole lot of room to maneuver and be a scoring threat in the offensive zone. He has a decent wrist shot and scoring touch. It remains to be seen how he adapts to the North American game, but with his speed, versatility and work rate, he has a chance to make it to the NHL. - MB

20 Miska Kukkonen, D (125^th overall, 2018. Last Year: Not ranked) Kukkonen was having a decent season with Tappara U20 before leaving the club for Lukko, where he played both with the Liiga and U20 teams. The right-shot defenseman possesses good puck moving abilities. He sees the ice very well and can quarterback a power play. His skating isn’t particularly explosive, but he is quite mobile with good foot speed and balance. He likes to play rough and lay heavy hits from time to time – he uses his size to his advantage and punishes opposing forwards when the opportunity arises. Kukkonen needs to work on his defensive game, especially positioning and play reading away from the puck. There is some upside and although he has a way to go, I could see him develop into a respectable third-pairing NHL defenseman. - MB

Buffalo Sabres Prospect System Overview

Ryan Wagman — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 20:28:59 +0000

The road has been dark and long for the Sabres. They have not seen a postseason game in seven seasons, and have only two first round losses since making the Eastern Conference finals in 2007.

Sure, the Carolina Hurricanes have gone longer without experiencing the playoffs, but the team in Raleigh was at least semi-decent. The Sabres have been awful.

Focusing on the seven year dry run, they were a near miss in the first year and then bottomed out quickly. In the lockout shortened 2012-13 season, they finished 12^th in the Eastern Conference. In the five seasons since, they finished seventh in the Atlantic Division once, and eighth the other four times.

What has all this losing brought to Buffalo? While Edmonton had the drop on the lottery, the Sabres were generally relegated to sloppy seconds, or worse. Looking only at their first picks, Buffalo drafted blueliner Rasmus Ristolainen eighth overall in 2013, forward Sam Reinhart was the second pick in 2014, recent face of the franchise Jack Eichel was the second pick after Connor McDavid in 2015 and back-to-back eighth overall picks in 2016 and 2017 yielded Alexander Nylander and Casey Mittelstadt.

Finally, their years of decrepitude won Buffalo the first overall pick this year, with one of the best defensemen to hit a draft class in ages heading up the draft. The Sabres did not hesitate to draft another Rasmus, with Dahlin joining Ristolainen on the Buffalo blueline of the present and future.

There were some pretty talented players named in the previous two paragraphs. Player who, surrounded by the right supporting cast, could feasibly be the core of a playoff team. Unfortunately for the locals, former GM Tim Murray was unable to round out the roster. Eichel is a star and Reinhart has finally shown signs of being a legitimate top six winger, if not quite yet living up to expectations.

As it so often is, the problem with Buffalo was that they failed to draft well after their first pick.

From the 2013 draft class, Ristolainen has been a workhorse, but overextended in a shut down role. They drafted 10 other players in that draft. Nikita Zadorov was taken later in the first round and was traded to Colorado after his rookie season in the Ryan O’Reilly deal. Second rounder J.T. Compher also was moved out in that deal. Of the other eight selected, they received a total of 100 NHL games played, mostly by up and down forwards Justin Bailey and Nicholas Baptiste.

In 2014, Buffalo drafted eight others after Reinhart. Only second rounder Brendan Lemieux has played in the NHL and that was with Winnipeg, as he was moved as part of the Tyler Myers trade.

The Sabres only had six total picks in 2015. Other than Eichel, second rounder Brendan Guhle has appeared in 21 games already and is in line for much more. Fourth rounder Will Borgen could join him as a third pairing defender within a few years.

The above-mentioned Alex Nylander is the only class of 2017 player to reach the show, but he has struggled thus far in his professional career. The Sabres have already neglected to sign three of their final four picks and have traded away their third pick as part of the exchange for Jeff Skinner. If not Nylander, Rasmus Asplund and Casey Fitzgerald are the only potential impact players from that class.

It is far too early to judge Buffalo’s 2017 or 2018 draft classes, but with Mittlestadt and Dahlin ready for immediate insertion into the NHL lineup, Buffalo is finally seeing some light at the end of their long road.

Rasmus Dahlin

1 Rasmus Dahlin, D (1^st overall, 2018. Last Year: IE) There was never any real question but that Rasmus Dahlin would be the first player selected in the 2018 NHL Draft. Both his skating and his puck skills grade out at the elite level. His overall game is incredibly mature and he famously represented Sweden at the WJC (while also playing as a regular in the SHL) as a 16 year old. He has average size for the NHL even considering that he has not yet fully accessed his man strength. Many have compared his game to previous top end Swedish defenders in the NHL, from Nicklas Lidstrom to Victor Hedman, but his game is most reminiscent to that that of Drew Doughty. Dahlin is the rare blueliner that can take over a shift in all zones, shutting things down in his own end and controlling the possession in the offensive end. He has been ready for the NHL for at least 12 months, and is maybe 12 months away from being an All Star.

2 Casey Mittelstadt, C/LW (8^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 1^st) If all you saw of Mittelstadt was his performance for Team USA in the most recent WJC (in Buffalo), you would think that you were looking at a future super star. His late season cameo with Buffalo did not disabuse that notion. But in the past two seasons, first split between Green Bay of the USHL and Eden Prairie HS, and the latter with the University of Minnesota, his production was good, but never great. At his best, he is breathtaking. He is so patient with the puck, defenders look hypnotized. At his worst, he tries to force plays. Perhaps playing with NHL caliber players more often will allow him to feel that he is not the only one who can produce, while the presence of Jack Eichel will ensure that he is not the focal point of the offense. Either way, he is ready to show what he can do in the NHL.

3 Alexander Nylander, LW (8^th overall, 2016. Last Year: 2^nd) Two years into his professional career, and Alex Nylander’s lack of offensive output is jarring. He still dominates against his age peers, with a third productive WJC, but he barely surpassed the point every other game rate and has all too often been a non-factor for Rochester. When seen at his best, he still looks like a future star, with his shot, puck skills and hockey IQ all grading out as high end facets in his game. He also skates well, although his feet are not dynamic. Sources have confirmed that he played through injuries last year, and he did perk up somewhat in the second half, but time has come for Nylander to step up. He still has to earn a full time NHL job.

Mattias Samuelsson

4 Mattias Samuelsson, D (32^nd overall, 2018. Last Year: IE) When you are as big as Mattias Samuelsson, it is OK to note that a player skates well for his size. Were he three inches shorter, or 20 pounds lighter, we would note that he has to overcome his relative lack of mobility, but at 6-4”, 218 and likely still growing, we can watch him play and nod in appreciation of his mobility for his size. Regardless of his size, we can appreciate his destructive presence in back. Overpowering in the USHL, he was masterful at shutting down opposition attacks and was a pure bull in the corners. His offensive tools are not as impressive, but his point shot can generate rebounds, and he can orchestrate a few zone entries. As long as he doesn’t get so bulky that his skating suffers, he could be a true shut-down defender at the highest level.

5 Marcus Davidsson, C/LW (37^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 8^th) Only average as a skater and he will never be known as a high end finisher, but Marcus Davidsson’s playmaking ability will always make him a desirable prospect. He more than doubled his point totals in his second season in the SHL and played a complimentary role for Sweden in the WJC. He plays a mature game, capable of fitting into various special teams’ roles and versatile enough to play either center or on the wing. Although his top speed is nothing special, he does show impressive agility on the ice. He is signed for one more season with Djurgarden, after which we expect the Sabres to try to bring him over.

6 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, G (54^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 5^th) The Sabres may not have a goalie of the present, but Luukkonen is doing what he can to be the goalie of the future. The first European goalie selected in the CHL Import Draft since the moratorium on overseas goalies was lifted, he will spend next season with the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves, another team trying to end a lengthy rebuild. He has above average athleticism, advanced technical ability and high end ability to read the play. Unfortunately, the results have not always been there. For example, in his first taste of men’s hockey in Finland, his save percentage was fourth out of the four netminders who played for LeKi. He also struggled in the WJC, playing a bit out of control. He has time, but he is another that needs to turn ability into production.

7 Victor Olofsson, RW (181^st overall, 2014. Last Year: 18^th) The 2014 seventh rounder was almost an afterthought in the Buffalo system before he exploded in his fourth season in the SHL, his second with Frolunda. By exploded, we of course mean that he led the SHL in both goals and power play goals. Previously viewed with a ceiling as a tweener the uptick in his finishing ability gives the Sabres that he may be a bit more. You want to see better skating ability in a player of his size, but to his credit, he battles hard for loose pucks and has above average puck skills in addition to his propensity for putting the puck in the net. We will all know a lot more after he completes his first season with Rochester.

8 Brendan Guhle, D (51^st overall, 2015. Last Year: 3^rd) A fantastic skater whose offensive game has grown year over year, Guhle now finds himself on the doorstep of breaking through full time into the NHL. His ascent up the ranks has been fairly crisp, as he acclimated to the AHL immediately, and earned his 18 game NHL trial. He is not a terribly physical defender, but has filled out his previously lanky frame nicely, and is very aggressive with is stick when defending. He has enough of a point shot to be usable on the power play and defends well enough to not be sheltered and even contribute on the PK. With Dahlin expected to feature right away, the Sabres may hesitate to roll with two rookies on their blueline, but there is no reason why Guhle shouldn’t entrench himself on the third time in short order, and slowly work his way up the depth chart.

Rasmus Asplund

9 Rasmus Asplund, C (33^rd overall, 2016. Last Year: 4^th) In four seasons spent largely with Farjestad of the SHL, Asplund’s point totals have steadily increased from three, to 12, to 19, and finally, to 28. Small, but very quick, he brings above average puck skills and mature hockey sense to the ice. While the improvement too his output is certainly impressive, he has not taken off to the extent that his original high end projections would have suggested as a possibility. He could still find a home on an NHL third line, but top six is looking less likely. He is also one of several Buffalo prospects who should be receiving their AHL debuts this year, giving us a better understanding of their future projections.

10 Lawrence Pilut, D (UDFA: May 15, 2018. Last Year: IE) Fleet of foot and silky smooth with his hands, Lawrence Pilut, the most recent winner of the Salming Trophy, given to the defenseman of the year in the SHL, signed an entry level deal with the Sabres in May. He is on the smaller side and last season’s offensive outburst was an anomaly as far as his historical record is concerned, more than tripling his previous career high in points in a season. On the other hand, he turned 22 during the season, and the fact that he did not produce much in the SHL from ages 18-21 is not that crazy. The fact that he chose Buffalo is a sign that the Sabres can find ways to acquire true talent outside of the draft.

11 Danny O’Regan, C (Trade: Feb. 26, 2018 [San Jose]. Last Year: 3^rd [San Jose]) A top scorer over four years with Boston University, O’Regan had a hard time breaking into the San Jose roster, a team that has skewed largely towards veteran players, since he has turned pro. As a way out of that log-jam, he was traded to Buffalo last season at the trade deadline as part of the return for front line scoring winger Evander Kane. He is undersized and can play a bit too much on the perimeter, but O’Regan has a fine collection of tools that suggests that the top end scoring he displayed from day one in the AHL can translate to the NHL to an extent as well. Nothing dynamic, per se, but his offensive instincts can play.

12 Will Borgen, D (92^nd overall, 2015. Last Year: 7^th) After three seasons as a steady defensive defenseman for St. Cloud State, Borgen is turning pro. Not dynamic in any way, Borgen is simply steady. He skates well. He is very reliable off the puck. While not especially offensively inclined, he has a solid sense for when to make his presence felt in the offensive zone, whether that is engaging deep to unbalance the defense, or walking the line to get a clear sight of goal. He also has a burgeoning physical game, and will occasionally line up an opponent for a big open ice hit. All of the above aside, when he is at his best, you barely notice that he played.

13 Nicholas Baptiste, RW (69^th overall, 2013. Last Year: 10^th) A strong skater who came two games short of losing prospect eligibility last year, Baptiste plays a solid two way game that gives him a small leg up on the player ranked immediately below. He has good size and while not shy, does not typically go out of his way to physically engage with opponents. Despite his recent record of scoring more than he sets up others, his shot is only so-so, but his puck skills can be fairly fancy. Given a consistent opportunity in the NHL, he can emerge as a solid bottom six energy winger who can pick up some depth minutes on special teams as well.

14 Justin Bailey, RW (52^nd overall, 2013. Last Year: 12^th) Were it not for an unfortunately timed lower body injury, Bailey would probably have played in the eight additional NHL games that he needed to graduate from prospectdom. One might say that he is build like a football player, and it would be appropriate as his father Carlton was a longtime member of the Buffalo Bills. The younger Bailey is a strong skater, who plays a physical brand of hockey. Add in a good shot and he starts to look a lot like a bottom six power forward. He still has to get the new Buffalo regime to believe in him as an asset going forward and he was not able to engender that belief last year.

Brandon Hickey

15 Brandon Hickey, D (Trade: Jun. 14, 2018 [Arizona]. Last Year: 7^th [Arizona]) In a league where most teams hesitate mightily to trade their prospects, Hickey is the rare one that has been traded twice before even signing his ELC. Drafted by Calgary in 2014, he was shipped to Arizona as part of the return for Mike Smith. With all signs pointing to Hickey not signing with the Coyotes after completing four years at BU, he was dealt to Buffalo for Hudson Fasching. A calm and composed blueliner, he is stronger in his own zone than he is when his team has the puck. In the offensive zone, he is more of a supporting character,

16 Casey Fitzgerald, D (86^th overall, 2016. Last Year: not ranked) The other Casey in the Buffalo pipeline, Fitzgerald, whose brother Ryan is in the Boston system, is an energetic, yet undersized, offensive defenseman who is entering his senior season with Boston University with a “C” on his chest. A good puck mover who shows the type of hockey IQ one expects from a player whose father played over 1,000 NHL games, he plays a game that seems suited for the modern NHL. Presuming that Buffalo can sign him to a contract after his final collegiate season, his right hand shot could help him get a leg up on similarly skilled second/third pairing types in the system.

17 Matej Pekar, C/RW (94^th overall, 2018. Last Year: IE) Matej Pekar left his native Czech Republic as a 15 year-old, spending two years playing in U16 hockey in Michigan before making a splash with Muskegon in his draft year. He is very quick, with some creativity to his game. He also plays a responsible defensive game, providing tight man coverage in his own zone and picking up regular shorthanded minutes for the Lumberjacks. He has soft hands and demonstrates plus vision when looking to pass. He is heading to play for Miami University where the Sabres will want to see physical maturity and less of a propensity to cheat out of the zone. He has a good chance to leap up this ranking in the coming years.

18 C.J. Smith, LW (UDFA: Mar. 30, 2017. Last Year: not ranked) By the time Smith got the UMass-Lowell, he had been passed over at the draft twice, first as a member of the Austin Bruins of the NAHL and second with the Chicago Steel in the USHL. The Iowa native came into his own with the River Hawks, honing his wrist shot and puck skills into above average tools, and working on his edges to help hi overcome his middling top speed. In his first year in the AHL, he proved that his game could translate to the pros, but the fact that he lacks any truly dynamic skills leaves some doubt about how well he could perform given an NHL opportunity.

19 Andrew Oglevie, C (UDFA: Apr. 11, 2018. Last Year: IE) In a down season for undrafted NCAA free agents, Oglevie was one of the best forwards to sign an NHL deal. The undersized California native is a good skater who thinks the game quickly and can finish, but prefers to create for his teammates, which he seems like a natural when doing. He knows how to find space in the offensive zone and is responsible in his own end. If he can convert his fast paced game to the AHL, Oglevie should find a way to gain NHL experience. Like Smith above, he lacks the dynamic qualities to be an impact player, but does enough well that he should be able to find a role at some point.

20 Eric Cornel, C/RW (44^th overall, 2014. Last Year: 20^th) When Cornel was first drafted as a mid-second rounder, the thought that he would rank 20^th on the Sabres’ prospect list four years later would have been a grave disappointment. Today, Cornel taking the bottom spot on this list is more of an indictment on the Sabres and their struggles drafting in the later rounds, which is highlighted above. He is a good skater, and can flash a good wrist shot, especially when he times his release right, but on the whole, his game is hesitant and he has shown little to no growth in two years at Rochester. Without taking a big step forward this year, producing in line with his skills, he might find a contract hard to come by.

Buffalo – System Overview

Ryan Wagman — Thu, 14 Sep 2017 20:44:40 +0000

Always a bridesmaid, never a bride, the Buffalo Sabres continue to miss the playoffs and continue to come up short in the lottery. Despite fielding some of the worst teams in recent NHL history, the Sabres could pick no higher than second overall. In 2014, that cost them the chance to draft Aaron Ekblad, so they passed over Leon Draisaitl to select Sam Reinhart instead. More famously, after an out-and-out tank job in 2015, they lost the lottery to the Oilers, who drafted Connor McDavid and instead accepted the consolation prize of Jack Eichel.

Not that there is anything wrong with either Reinhart or Eichel, or really with any of their recent first round picks that were not traded to Colorado for Ryan O’Reilly, but there is always the feeling that they should have walked away with more. If one were being cruel, one would compare that feeling to the Sabres disappointing history in the playoffs.

The fact is that the Sabres, as much as they have underwhelmed on the ice over the entirety of the Tim Murray era, that management team actually did a strong job at rebuilding the wreck of a franchise that was left once Darcy Regier was let go. Of course, there are still further steps that need to be taken before the club will find itself back in the postseason, but new GM Jason Botterill takes over a franchise that no longer needs to tear things down. In addition to Reinhart and Eichel, the vast majority of the roster is under 30 years old and many of their most important players are still on the upswing of their respective careers.

The forward group is the most intriguing, a fact that only gets more credence when we consider the players not yet guaranteed a roster spot as their first round picks in each of the past four seasons were all forwards. Unfortunately for the Sabres, it takes more than just forwards to win in the NHL. Teams also need to be able to prevent the opposition from scoring. While smart forwards can go a long way to ensuring that objective is met, good defensive teams must also be strong at the back.

Starting between the pipes, the Sabres have struggled in net since Ryan Miller’s heyday. Robin Lehner has been decent since he was acquired in a controversial trade with Ottawa, but he has yet to prove himself to be a goalie that can carry a team on his back. Buffalo had reasonable hope that 2013 5th rounder Calvin Petersen might be a shining star, but he opted for free agency after leaving college. Future hopes will now be placed on 2017 second round pick Ukka Pekka Luukkonen.

The defensive corps has been even more neglected, as can be seen below, with only two of the top ten listed as blueliners. There is hope that Victor Antipin, a young free agent signing out of Russia, can step right into the rotation, but one of Botterill’s main early goals will be to nail down a number one for now and the future. The sooner that happens, the sooner we can all stop talking about what might have been had the lottery balls fallen just a little bit differently.

Casey Mittelstadt

1 Casey Mittelstadt – One of the most offensively talented players available in this year’s draft, many were surprised that Mittelstadt was still available when it was Buffalo’s turn to pick at #8. He is a magical puck handler with serious possession abilities and good vision. Although there are some murmurs about his agility, he is a strong skater. He will need 1-2 years with the Minnesota Golden Gophers to better hone his team play, but once he does, he should be a first line scoring winger.

Buffalo Sabres Right Wing Alexander Nylander (70) (Photo by John Crouch/Icon Sportswire).

2 Alexander Nylander – Ignore his point totals as one of the few teenagers playing regularly in the AHL, and marvel that he was able to play there at all, finishing behind only Jesse Puljujarvi in league scoring among the U19 set. Focus on his 12 points in seven games at the WJC. See his impressive puck moving ability and his strong skating stride. He still needs to add bulk to his frame and tighten up his game away from the puck, but it may be time to let him play in the NHL.

3 Brendan Guhle – Last season, when the Sabres needed a blueliner in a pinch, instead of making the call for someone in Rochester, performed a rare emergency recall, bringing Guhle up from the WHL. He held his own in a brief trial by fire in the NHL before finishing up his WHL career. Tall, with good reach and great skating, he is a very effective defender when he plays with aggression. His offensive game is somewhat limited. He can carry the puck well and begin the transition, but will not be a big point producer.

4 Rasmus Asplund – A teammate of Nylander’s in Sweden’s last two WJC squads, Asplund does not have Nylander’s dynamic offensive abilities, but has nothing to be ashamed about what he does have. A strong skater with silky puck skills and an advanced hockey IQ, he finished tied for second among teenagers in SHL scoring. Although he will be playing in Sweden for another year, once the center does come over, he profiles as a top six playmaking center.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen at the 2016 Ivan Hlinka Tournament. Photo by Karel Svec

5 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen – The current front-runner for the title of Sabres’ goaltender of the future, Luukkonen is blessed with ideal size for a netminder as well as plus athleticism. He is very active and competitive in the crease, often coming out to challenge shooters, but also able to recover and get back thanks to very quick legs. A solid puckhandler for a goalie he has been among the hardest goalies in Finnish junior hockey to score against in the last two years. He is now ready for the challenge of Liiga.

6 Hudson Fasching – Looking only at his rookie pro season, you might think that Fasching should not be ranked this highly on a solid list such as this. He struggled in close to half a season with a groin injury at Rochester and did nothing of note in a 10 game trial with Buffalo. Going back to his time in NCAA, he impressed greatly as a scoring winger who would grind through shifts, playing a heavy, physical game with smart puck play and patience. If he recovers more of that, he should not be long for the AHL.

7 Will Borgen – Selected with the Sabres next pick in the 2015 draft after drafting Guhle, Borgen also has a similar skillset to Guhle’s, if we could trade some of the higher-raked player’s footspeed with a great emphasis on the physical game. A very smart player who puck skills basically end with a solid first pass in or near his own zone, he plays a much stronger game than his lanky-looking frame would suggest. Heading back to St. Cloud State for a junior season, he needs to work at limiting penalty minutes.

8 Marcus Davidsson – Although his offensive numbers as a teenager with Djurgardens of the SHL do not impress, Davidsson has a lot of qualities to his game that suggest that better things are on the way. From a scouting perspective, his skating, shooting and puck play all project as above average, but his hockey sense – his best attribute – should make the whole equal to something greater than the sum of its parts. Expect a lot more in his second SHL season.

9 Cliff Pu – Another plus skater in the Buffalo system, Pu took on more of an offensive role in his first post draft season with the London Knights and excelled at it. He is a fine passing winger with solid offensive vision. He projects as more of a middle six than top six winger as a pro, as a down postseason recalled questions about his ultimate offensive upside. Thankfully, he is also notable for his 200 foot game, puck seeking instincts and willingness to pressure the puck carrier.

10 Nicholas Baptiste – We are definitely not finished with speedy Sabres’ prospects. Baptiste had a strong showing in his second go-round the AHL, earning a 14 game trial in Buffalo for his efforts, which led to a near 50% increase in scoring. He also has an impressive goal scorer’s touch, along with solid puck skills. Definitely more a shooter than a playmaker, he should be given a chance to win a bottom six winger job in the NHL this season.

11 Viktor Antipin – A five year KHL veteran who has consistently put up strong offensive numbers from the blueline, Antipin was signed as a free agent to a one year entry level contract with the carrot of an NHL job dangled in front of him. Not a flashy player, he produces through effective two-way play, showing a good passing game and an above average point shot. He may need to be sheltered in the NHL at first until he proves that his small stature will not be a hindrance.

12 Justin Bailey – The former second round pick, whose father was also a sports (football) star in Buffalo, Justin Bailey showed considerable gains in his second pro season, and spent a good chunk of the year in the NHL, falling only three games short of losing his prospect status. A strong skater for his size, he has been usable in all situations in the AHL, combining a tricky wrist shot with developing hockey sense. With a touch more aggressiveness, he could have a long NHL career as a power forward.

13 Jonas Johansson – One of the primary candidates for goalie of the future before this season, Johansson once again failed to make any headway at getting an SHL job and once again spent the season on loan with Almtuna of Allsvenskan. Once again, he stopped exactly 91.3% of shots faced, giving him once again a shiny GAA. This time, Johansson signed an ELC with Buffalo at year’s end and will likely play next year with Rochester. He does everything well enough, but has no standout tools.

14 Devante Stephens – Linked with Guhle and Borgen as defensive products of the 2015 Sabres’ draft class, Stephens also has a game which bears passing resemblance to the aforementioned duo. His best traits are skating and physicality. The former is characterized by impressive acceleration and the latter is represented by his lanky frame which he throws around with purpose. Although his offensive numbers last year were very impressive, we should not expect that to continue in the pros.

15 Oskari Laaksonen - A surprise third round pick this year, the largely unheralded junior league Finnish defender is more notable for his plus hockey sense and puck moving abilities than for flashy play. Rail thin, he can run a power play, but struggles in coverage as he is too easily outmuscled. His puck skills project to average or above, but he is still in the early stages of his development and very raw.

16 Brandon Hagel – The eighth of ten players selected by Buffalo in the 2016 daft, Hagel has done more to improve his stock in the organization than anyone after the top three, if not altogether. Previously seen as a meat-and-potatoes WHL grinder, he showed more in the way of puck skills and a grinding style that leads to prolonged possession. He also might have more upside offensively than previously believed, although bottom six is still his likely destination at the next level.

17 Sean Malone – After muddling through three uninspiring seasons at Harvard, Malone finished with a bang, setting career highs in goals (18), and assists (24) for a Frozen Four entrant, while showing off a skillset that will keep him drawing paychecks for his work on the ice for a few years yet. A good north-south skater and play-driver, who sometimes shows more wiggle to his game than is expected. The Buffalo-area native had a single game cameo for the Sabres after his collegiate career ended.

18 Victor Olofsson – A one-way offensive winger whose development seems to have stalled in his third SHL season, Olofsson nevertheless has enough offensive promise to deserve a mention near here, particularly after a strong SHL playoffs and European Champions League with Frolunda. His shot – dangerous from just outside the slot - and puck skills are both reasons for promise. On the down side, if he cannot make it as a top six player, few North American teams would use him in the bottom six.

19 Evan Rodrigues – Signed as a collegiate free agent after a fantastic senior season playing with Jack Eichel at Boston University, Rodrigues spent close to half of last season with the Sabres, falling five games shy of losing prospect eligibility. A good skater with strong puck skills, his impressive hockey IQ and ability to play a 200 foot game may help him overcome his size deficiencies and earn continued bottom six opportunities. A limited prospect, but useful nonetheless.

20 Eric Cornel – A former second round pick who had a solid, if ultimately unfulfilling OHL career, Cornel struggled mightily in his rookie AHL season with Rochester with only 14 points in 67 games. It is too soon to state that he has lost the skill set including both very promising shots and puck skills that made him a top OHL pick as a youth, but he needs to bring his skills out more consistently to remain on the radar.

With the type of players currently in the system, the Sabres seem geared to bring excitement back to Buffalo. With nearly every player on the top 20 earning accolades for their skating prowess, they could wield a fun run-and-gun team over the next few years. Of course, as discussed earlier, they still have significant work to be done on the back end. Even run-and-gun teams need puck carrying blueliners to begin the transition and get the puck moving in the right direction.

Will Borgen – McKeen's Hockey

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – NEW YORK RANGERS – Team Preview/Player Profiles/Predictions

FORWARDS

DEFENSE

Goal

MCKEEN’S 2023-24 NHL YEARBOOK – SEATTLE KRAKEN – Team Preview – Player Profiles

Forwards

Matthew Beniers

Jared McCann

Oliver Bjorkstrand

Jordan Eberle

Yanni Gourde

Andre Burakovsky

Alex Wennberg

Eeli Tolvanen

Jaden Schwartz

Defense

Vince Dunn

Adam Larsson

Jamie Oleksiak

Justin Schultz

Goaltending

Philipp Grubauer

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – SEATTLE KRAKEN – NHL Player Profiles

FORWARDS

DEFENSE

GOALTENDING

2021-22 TOP 15 PROSPECTS: SEATTLE KRAKEN – RANK: #32- TIER VII

McKeen’s 2020-21 Hockey Yearbook: Buffalo Sabres Top 20 Prospects

Dylan Cozens, C/RW (7th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 1)

Jack Quinn, RW (8th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

John-Jason Peterka, LW (34th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Oskari Laaksonen, D (89th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 2)

Mattias Samuelsson, D (32nd overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 3)

Ryan Johnson, D (31st overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 4)

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, G (54th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 5)

Erik Portillo, G (67th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 6)

Jonas Johansson, G (61st overall, 2014. Previous ranking: 7)

Will Borgen, D (92nd overall, 2015. Previous ranking: 8)

Casey Fitzgerald, D (86th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 9)

Marcus Davidsson, C/LW (37th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 10)

Matej Pekar, C/RW (94th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 11)

Jacob Bryson, D (99th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 12)

Brett Murray, LW (99th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 13)

Albert Lyckasen, D (193rd overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Arttu Ruotsalainen, C/LW (Undrafted Free Agent, signed May 8, 2019. Previous ranking: 14)

Brandon Biro, C (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Mar. 18, 2020. Previous ranking: 15)

Dawson DiPietro, LW (UFA: Mar. 23, 2020. Previous ranking: UR)

Miska Kukkonen, D (125th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: 17)

MCKEENS 2020 NHL PROSPECTS REPORT – TOP 250 PROSPECTS

MCKEEN’S 2020 NHL PROSPECT REPORT – BUFFALO SABRES – ORGANIZATIONAL RANK: 13

Buffalo Sabres

Dylan Cozens, C/RW (7th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 1)

Oskari Laaksonen, D (89th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 4)

Mattias Samuelsson, D (32nd overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 5)

Ryan Johnson, D (31st overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 2)

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, G (54th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 3)

Erik Portillo, G (67th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 7)

Jonas Johansson, G (61st overall, 2014. 2019 Rank: UR)

Will Borgen, D (92nd overall, 2015. 2019 Rank: 11)

Casey Fitzgerald, D (86th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 15)

Marcus Davidsson, C/LW (37th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 8)

Matej Pekar, C/RW (94th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 12)

Jacob Bryson, D (99th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: UR)

Brett Murray, LW (99th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 17)

Arttu Ruotsalainen, C/LW (Undrafted Free Agent, signed May 8, 2019. 2019 Rank: 19)

Brandon Biro, C (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Mar. 18, 2020. 2019 Rank: IE)

Buffalo Sabres 2019-20 Prospect Review: Top 20

Buffalo Sabres Prospect System Overview

Buffalo – System Overview

Dylan Cozens, C/RW (7^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 1)

Jack Quinn, RW (8^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

John-Jason Peterka, LW (34^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Oskari Laaksonen, D (89^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 2)

Mattias Samuelsson, D (32^nd overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 3)

Ryan Johnson, D (31^st overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 4)

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, G (54^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 5)

Erik Portillo, G (67^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 6)

Jonas Johansson, G (61^st overall, 2014. Previous ranking: 7)

Will Borgen, D (92^nd overall, 2015. Previous ranking: 8)

Casey Fitzgerald, D (86^th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 9)

Marcus Davidsson, C/LW (37^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 10)

Matej Pekar, C/RW (94^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 11)

Jacob Bryson, D (99^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 12)

Brett Murray, LW (99^th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 13)

Albert Lyckasen, D (193^rd overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Miska Kukkonen, D (125^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: 17)

Dylan Cozens, C/RW (7^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 1)

Oskari Laaksonen, D (89^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 4)

Mattias Samuelsson, D (32^nd overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 5)

Ryan Johnson, D (31^st overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 2)

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, G (54^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 3)

Erik Portillo, G (67^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 7)

Jonas Johansson, G (61^st overall, 2014. 2019 Rank: UR)

Will Borgen, D (92^nd overall, 2015. 2019 Rank: 11)

Casey Fitzgerald, D (86^th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 15)

Marcus Davidsson, C/LW (37^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 8)

Matej Pekar, C/RW (94^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 12)

Jacob Bryson, D (99^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: UR)

Brett Murray, LW (99^th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 17)