Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content. 2018-19 rank: 15th Need more? Traded/not signed: Chase Priskie (RHD, FA-CAR). Few teams have a pool with as many quality goaltenders, beginning with undrafted Cal Petersenwho should start the season in the NHL and looks like a legitimate challenger to dethrone No. He signed a professional contract on the day the Kings' season was shut down because of the pandemic and has since been loaned to a team in Germany. Who will win each 2023 conference tournament? Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. The Los Angeles system is forward heavy, with the vast majority of their best prospects being natural centers. Still, the addition of two young stars in power forward Dylan Cozens and smooth puck rusher Ryan Johnson are acceptable consolation prizes for the aforementioned promotions of Rasmus Dahlin and Casey Mittelstadt, who spent all of last season in the NHL. The Sharks more than make-up for their trading of valuable assets by spanning the globe in search of late-round gems andundrafted free agents either coveted or obscure. Swedish wunderkind Adam Boqvist highlights this talented group of defenders for his obvious flair and blistering shot. However, the strength of the organizations depth lies within the forward ranks, and with a dash of Finnish flavor to boot. Hayton went fifth overall in 2018 and didnt disappoint in his post-draft season, averaging 1.67 points a game for the OHLS Sault Ste. If organizational depth werent a factor in these rankings, the Panthers probably would crack the top five, possibly top three. Traded/not signed: Vitalii Abramov (RW, OTT), Jonathan Davidsson (RW, OTT), Veeti Vainio (D). Another sixth-round selection, Matthew Phillips, produced 38 points for Stockton more than most AHL rookies from his 2016 draft class. Poehling may already have a leg up on Suzuki thanks to his hat trick in his NHL debut. 'Im just prepared for anything': Jets' Patrik Laine says he isn't sure what future holds, Recapping what all seven Canadian teams did this offseason, St. Louis, the Blues and the Stanley Cup come together in perfect harmony, Maple Leafs, Senators six-player swap is a win-win as Zaitsev, Ceci start anew, Phil Kessel excited to begin next phase in Arizona: 'I think it's going to be great', Even an offseason ACL tear suffered by promising defenseman, Flames secure goaltending tandem, re-sign David Rittich to two-year deal, Mike Babcock, Bruce Boudreau and 4 other NHL coaches on the hot seat in 2019-20, Comparing the San Jose Sharks to well actual Sharks, The top 32 moments of Sidney Crosby's career. The opening round of the 2021 NHL Draft is now quickly approaching and is set for June 23. The progress of every notable name within Washingtons improving prospect pool appears to be moving in concert with the success of the parent club; as soon as lineup issues occur, a contingency involving a prospect is executed. Additionally, GM's who run teams with a top-heavy prospect pool do not have the same flexibility as those with depth at every position. Traded/not signed: Radovan Bondra (RW), John Dahlstrom (LW), Blake Hillman (LHD), Henri Jokiharju (RHD, BUF), Anthony Louis (C), Spencer Watson (RW). These kids are trending in the right direction and have shortened their path to the NHL, which also shouldnt be a problem for skilled 2019 first-rounder Jakob Pelletier, who classifies as one of the toughest competitors at any level and can get to the show on his work ethic alone. It won't be long before these kids start imposing their will on NHL competition. GOLDEN STANDARDHow Vegas became the most successful expansion team in sports history. Graduated: None Don't expect the league to pity the Lightning for a dearth of prospects considering the team is overloaded at the NHL level and in the midst of revelry from its second Stanley Cup. Defenseman Juuso Valimaki, their top pick in 2017, is both physically and mentally ready to handle the rigors of the AHL, where Calgary has patiently nurtured a handful of NHL-capable players. Furthermore, theres a difference between where a player was ranked versus where he was drafted. Gifted winger Kristian Vesalainen and towering defenseman Logan Stanley were hot topics around the trade deadline but ultimately stayed put, as did top 2018-19prospects Sami Niku and Mason Appleton. Key additions:Tobias Bjornfot (LHD), Carl Grundstrom (LW),Arthur Kaliyev (LW),Alex Turcotte (C) Additionally, the Canucks have two tremendous goaltending prospects in Thatcher Demko and Michael DiPietro. The ridiculous depth Tampa Bay has at the NHL level makes it difficult to predict which prospects have the best chance as promotion. In fact, you have to go all the way back to 1970 to find a Blues draft class that didnt produce at least one NHL player with 100 games or more under his belt. Mounting injuries or veteran rosters can cause exceptions to this idea, but most of the kids you see called up must have done something right to get approval from both AHL and NHL team management; however, dreadful play in the NHL evena small sample size could count against them. The Sabres have officially run out of excuses. Also,Pavel Dorofeyevis a solid bet on the wing. There are plenty of others too, but we don't want to scare you. As odd as the timing was, firing GM Paul Fenton after less than two years seemed like the appropriate course of action even if it had to happen shortly after the draft. MORE:Coyotes can be 2018-19's Devils or Avalanche (with a little luck). Lastly, Russian-born 2019 draftees Yegor Spiridonov and defenseman Artemy Knyazev, were minute-eating mainstays for their under-18 national team. The trade of Derick Brassard to Pittsburgh netted top goalie prospect Filip Gustavsson and a first-round pick that was used to select hard-shooting puck rusher Jacob Bernard-Docker, who will team up with a similar defender in Johnny Tychonick when the duo plays at North Dakota next season. MORE:Comparing the San Jose Sharks to well actual Sharks, 2018-19 rank: 31st In goal, it looks like Jaroslav Halak will return as Tuukka Rasks backup, but if the performance of undrafted netminder Kyle Keyserwith Oshawa during the OHL playoffs is any indication, a long look in the AHL and a late-season promotion sound reasonable. 2018-19 rank: 28th And keep an eye on Finnish two-way center Aarne Talvitie,a late-round pick who, like Bratt, has a diverse skill set that compliments his tireless effort. Oliver Wahlstrom had 10 goals in 45 AHL games in 2019-20 and has a high-octane style of play. Graduated: None Traded/not signed: Brendan Lemieux (LW, NYR). Is Oilers' Evan Bouchard ready to take on a full-time role? Another first-rounder, 2018's Ty Dellandrea, has top-line center potential, and goalie Jake Oettinger is also rising. However, fans are growing impatient, even if they know all about sniper Eeli Tolvanen and heady puck rusher Dante Fabbro, Nashvilles two best prospects who appeared briefly in late-season action. He's a centerpiece along with defenseman Moritz Seider, who was picked sixth overall in 2019 and spent 49 games in the AHL, posting 22 points. NYR | OTT | PHI | PIT | SJ | STL Betting against San Joses front office is a risky endeavor, as the NHL roster came within a game of itssecond trip to the Stanley Cup Finalin four years had six players who werent even drafted. It's tough to evaluate a depth chart when the team has only two offseasons in its history. Center Gabe Vilardi shook off an early-season injury to become the OHL's best player in the second half, and Finnish pivot Rasmus Kupari has Vilardi's creativity while owning excellent speed and agility. 2018-19 rank: 12th But does it even matter anymore? On the blue line, Jett Woo has 112 points in his past two junior seasons and has a physical edge too. Key additions: John Beecher (C) Unfortunately for the general public, they tend to keep us in the dark about the inner workings, which is why its up to us to figure out where theprospects stand and how each teams success with player development can be measured. He scored 40 points in 34 games as an NCAA junior and isn't far away. Jets fans probably aren't used to seeing their prospect pool ranked so low. Want more? Go ahead and get their lockers ready. Not only do they own two elite goalie prospects in Ilya Sorokin and Jakub Skarek, but also a collection of young defensemen whose on-ice presence range from the dominant (Dobson)to the offensively gifted (Bode Wilde, Sebastian Aho, Parker Wotherspoon, Mitchell Vande Sompel) to the engulfing (Robin Salo). Back in the net, Spencer Knight was the best goalie in college hockey as a first-year player at Boston College and could be a future Florida mainstay. On the blue line, 2018 first-round pick Ryan Merkley is an offensive standout. He's the No. Rugged two-way winger Samuel Poulin is a notable prospect with promise, but he is the clubs lone first-round pick in the last five years (and at 21st overall, a bit of a reach at that). He scored 40 points in 34 games as an NCAA junior and isn't far away. Owen Power, LHD, Michigan Wolverines (NCAA) 3. LA | MIN | MTL | NSH | NJ | NYI Their inspired play could make this years training camp more competitive than in previous seasons, and not to be forgotten are goal-scoring wingers Oliver Wahlstrom and Kieffer Bellows two recent first-round picks who likely spend the season in Bridgeport but are held in high regard. Behind them, 20-year-old winger. The hockey world still awaits the coming-out parties for wingers Denis Guryanov and Riley Tufte, two former first-rounders. I've broken down prospects for each club into three categories, noted in parentheses in the team prospect rankings: A prospects have a high likelihood of becoming NHL high-impact players (i.e. On paper, the Stars look pretty healthy when it comes to prospect depth. Since the majority of players on these lists are relatively unproven by NHL standards, it isnearly impossible for them to validate their draft position before ever earning a regular shift specifically those picked in the first round. Key additions: Philip Broberg (LW), Ilya Konovalov (G),Raphael Lavoie (RW), Joakim Nygard (LW) 1 prospect in hockey and one of the most complete wings to enter the league immediately following his draft in some years. Still, you can make a strong argument that Finnish stud Miro Heiskanen was the more dominant teenage European defender over Rasmus Dahlin, as Heiskanen won the SM-Liiga Defenseman of the Year award. The Golden Knights sure know how to emulate the city they represent when it comes to attracting attention. Jim Bennings plan to beef up his organization with speed and skill continues to achieve benchmarks, as the Canucks not only received a Calder Trophy-winning season from electrifying 2017 first-round pick Elias Pettersson but now have playmaking puck rusher Quinn Hughesready to challenge for a full-time role and his own hardware. The No. Ilya Samsonov was the blue-chipper in the wings, but he made a dent in the NHL in 2019-20 and isn't going anywhere. The waters are far from murky, however, as they have two of the AHL's best youngsters in late-round 2015 draftees Sami Niku and Mason Appleton, in addition to owning elite Finnish sniper Kristian Vesalainen. Additionally, they added a premier playmaking center in Trevor Zegrasthis year and a hard-working scorer in Brayden Tracey via the first round of thisyears draft. NHL prospect rankings: Top 50 players in NHL pipelines for 2019-20. You also should expectdefenders Jake Walman and Jordan Schmaltz will see some time with the big club. Not far behind is center AlexNewhook, who is a blur on skates, had 42 points in 34 games as a college freshman and was named the NCAA's top freshman for 2019-20. Graduated: A.J. In addition to Byfield, the team has five other A-rated prospects and 10 B-rated prospects, both coming in as high-water marks for our entire ranking. MORE: For polarizing talent Brady Tkachuk, rewards outweigh the risks. 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