Minnesota GM Josh Rose offers his thoughts on all 32 clubs in BEARD Hockey when it comes to their young guns on their prospect lists.
Prospect systems ranked 1 to 32 in terms of depth and overall potential. (Only notable prospects listed, not including guys who have played plenty of pro games in the NHL/AHL)
1) Calgary:
Kirill Kaprizov
Marco Rossi
Cole Caufield
Matthew Boldy
Alexander Khovanov
Adam Beckman
Jeremy Poirier
Vladislav Firtsov
Analysis: Top to bottom I think Calgary has the most impressive group of young talent in the league. A lot of high end forwards with tremendous potential.
Strengths: Elite Forwards, Depth
Weakness: Defense
2) Colorado:
Ty Smith
Connor Zary
Victor Soderstrom
Nolan Foote
Philip Tomasino
Calen Addison
Ridly Greig
Analysis: Collectively the most balanced group of prospects out of all the systems, they are solid in many areas, a lot of really high end prospects but lacking a truly elite talent.
Strengths: Forwards, Defense, Depth
Weakness: Goaltending
3) New York Rangers:
Alexander Holtz
Philip Broberg
Dawson Mercer
Jakob Pelletier
Mavrik Bourque
Patrik Puistola
Emil Andrae
Vasily Pomomarev
Analysis: The Rangers are rich in talent especially up front, and have some nice pieces on the backend in Broberg and Andrae.
Strengths: Forwards, Defense, Depth
Weaknesses: Goaltending
4) Washington:
Trevor Zegras
Jack Quinn
Kaiden Guhle
Benoit-Olivier Groulx
Blake McLaughlin
Jackson Lacombe
Ian Moore
Lukas Dostal
Analysis: Washington has assembled a really quality nucleus of talent with really talented forwards up front and some nice pieces in the backend. Lukas Dostal is a quality young goaltender too.
Strengths: Organizational depth
Weaknesses: Goaltending depth
5) Minnesota:
Bowen Byram
Cole Perfetti
Alex Newhook
Johnny Beecher
Luke Tuch
Justus Annunen
Alex Beaucage
Mason Lohrei
Analysis: Minnesota has some really high end players in Byram, Perfetti, and Newhook. Mason Lohrei is a long term project.
Strengths: High end talent, depth at every position
Weaknesses: Defensive depth
6) Chicago:
Tim Stuetzle
Lucas Raymond
Spencer Knight
Jack Finley
Alexei Protas
Analysis: The Hawks are loaded with stud prospects in Stuetzel and Raymond with Spencer Knight in goal. Protas and Finley could reward him with some good depth down the line.
Strengths: Elite Forwards, Top Goaltender
Weaknesses: Defensemen, overall depth
7) Pittsburgh:
Alex Turcotte
Rodion Amirov
Artur Kaliyev
JJ Peterka
Akil Thomas
Samuel Fagemo
Aidan Dudas
Tyler Madden
Lukas Parik
Analysis: The Pens are loaded up front with quality forward prospects, Alex Turcotte is a real difference maker, and Amirov, Kaliyev, and Peterka each offer boom or bust potential.
Strengths: Scoring Forwards, depth up front
Weaknesses: Defense
8) New Jersey
K'Andre Miller
Braden Schneider
Nils Lundqvist
Matthew Robertson
Jan Jenik
Alex Vlasic
Zachary Jones
Karl Henriksson
Analysis: New Jersey has the deepest group of defense prospects in the league in my opinion. None of these guy have star qualities but they are all very talented. Need to improve the forward depth.
Strengths: Quality Defensive depth
Weaknesses: Lack of capable Forwards, Goaltending
9) Ottawa:
Jamie Drysdale
Bobby Brink
Cameron York
Jay O'Brien
Roby Jarventie
Yegor Zamula
Analysis: I really love the defensive prospects Ottawa has added to their organization. Drysdale is the total package and York and Zamula both offer really unique qualities. No real star prospects among the forwards but some pretty good players to insulate into their lineup down the road.
Strengths: Quality Defense, depth Forwards
Weaknesses: Top Line forwards, Goaltending
10) St. Louis:
Alexis Lafreniere
Dylan Cozens
Mattias Samuelsson
Jean-Luc Foudy
Erik Portillo
Analysis: With Alexis Lafreniere in the fold, it was very hard not to rank St. Louis higher because he’s such an exceptional talent. Cozens adds another high end forward. Aside from that, they have a few nice potential depth pieces but lack in quality organizational depth.
Strengths: Elite Forwards
Weaknesses: Organizational Prospect depth
11) Seattle:
Vasili Podkolzin
Dominik Bokk
Ozzy Wiesblatt
Egor Sokolov
Jack Drury
Jamieson Rees
Ryan Suzuki
Nico Daws
Analysis: The Kraken have assembled a nice young group of quality forward prospects. They have a few guys with top-line potential as well as guys that can help them in the bottom six. They have a real lack of quality defensemen in the organization.
Strengths: Organizational depth at forward
Weaknesses: Lack or quality defense prospects
12) Dallas:
Yaroslav Askarov
Connor McMichael
Jonatan Berggren
Johnny Ludvig
Danil Gushchin
Max Gildon
Analysis: I have a lot of time for quality prospects like McMichael and Berggren, and Askarov is an elite goaltender to shore up the crease. High-end defensive prospects are an issue despite having some interesting pieces in Ludvig and Gildon.
Strengths: Elite Goaltender, Quality Forwards
Weaknesses: Poor defensive depth
13) Florida:
Peyton Krebs
Anton Lundell
Justin Barron
Kaeden Korczak
Ivan Morozov
Pavel Dorofeyev
Jack Dugan
Analysis: Florida has two top-six forward prospects in Krebs and Lundell, both difference makers. The organization also has a few interesting depth forwards. Barron and Korczak offer some good defensive talent.
Strengths: Strong Forward Group
Weaknesses: Goaltending
14) San Jose:
Jacob Bernard-Docker
Lassi Thomson
Shane Pinto
Lukas Reichel
Jan Mysak
Mads Sogaard
Analysis: The Sharks have quite balanced prospect depth. Thomson and Bernard Docker both are capable NHL prospects, and Pinto, Reichel, and Mysak are all really unique prospects to build with at forward. Mads Sogaard is a goalie with some talent that may need patience to develop him well.
Strengths: Defense, Depth Forwards
Weaknesses: High-end Scoring
15) Anaheim:
Samuel Poulin
Jake Sanderson
Tyler Kleven
Brock Faber
Drew Commesso
Analysis: Jake Sanderson was one of the highest risers over the last year. He’s an exceptional skater and the potential is great. Pouliot is an interesting talent up front. Anaheim made a nice trade bringing in Commesso to shore up their goaltending future.
Strengths: Defense
Weaknesses: Lack of good Forwards
16) Philadelphia:
Ty Dellandrea
Thomas Harley
Helge Grans
Martin Chromiak
Keith Petruzzelli
Analysis: Ty Dellandrea is the prototypical guy that can help you up and down your lineup. He can play any role and help you in so many ways. Thomas Harley is a real quality defense prospect. Two of my favorite prospects from the past draft were Helge Grans and Martin Chromiak. I think Philly did well to add a couple potential steals.
Strengths: Character players, good depth
Weaknesses: Lack of quality Future goaltenders
17) Buffalo:
Raphael Lavoie
Ryan Merkley
Serron Noel
Olivier Rodrigue
Matias Maccelli
William Wallinder
Analysis: Buffalo has some interesting players. The enigma that is Ryan Merkley - his offensive ceiling is high but I don’t know about the rest of his game. I like the forwards the team has assembled. Matias Macceli was a sneaky good pickup and I really like his skill level.
Strengths: Quality Wingers
Weaknesses: Center Depth
18) Montreal:
Ville Heinola
Brayden Tracey
Nils Hoglander
Jett Woo
Analysis: Montreal isn’t deep at any position really. But they do have some real quality players to build with. I personally am very high on Nils Hoglander, and Brayden Tracey has a lot of skill as well. Ville Heinola and Jett Woo give some good young pieces to build with on the backend too.
Strengths: Defense, Wingers
Weaknesses: Goaltending, Center
19) Nashville:
Tyson Foerster
Antti Tuomisto
Jared McIsaac
Luke Evangelista
Robert Mastrosimone
Analysis: I really like the talent Nashville has up front with Foerster, Mastrosimone, and Evangelista. While none of them are sexy prospects I think they all offer some untapped upside. Tuomisto and McIsaac are really quality puck movers on the backend too.
Strengths: Depth Forwards, Puck Moving Defensemen
Weaknesses: Shutdown Defense, Star Quality forwards
20) Winnipeg:
Dylan Holloway
Liam Foudy
Yegor Chinakhov
Kirill Marchenko
Analysis: The Jets are very fortunate to have selected Dylan Holloway rather late in Round 1 of the most recent draft. I think this player is gonna be a steal. Liam Foudy is also a really skilled and fast player up front. Marchenko and Chinakhov each offer boom or bust potential.
Strengths: Speed and Skill at forward
Weaknesses: Depth on Defense and Goaltending
21) Toronto:
Seth Jarvis
Jacob Perreault
Tristen Robins
Lukas Cormier
John Farinacci
Analysis: Seth Jarvis and Jacob Perreault both offer the Leafs a ton of skill. They both have loads of potential, particularly Jarvis, to be difference makers. Also have some nice depth forwards to develop with patience.
Strengths: Skilled Forwards, Depth up front
Weaknesses: Lacking difference makers on Defense, quality goaltenders
22) Columbus:
Ilya Sorokin
Jake Neighbours
Thomas Bordeleau
Ruslan Ishakov
Sam Colangelo
Analysis: Ilya Sorokin is a real quality netminder to build around. Neighbours is an extremely hard-working forward who plays a complete game. Bordeleau also has some real unique qualities.
Strengths: Good Goaltending, 2-way Forwards
Weaknesses: Need to improve on Defense
23) Arizona:
Hendrix Lapierre
Simon Holmstrom
David Farrance
Yegor Afanasyev
Analysis: Hendrix Lapierre is a highly touted piece that had a tough junior career with injuries but is a real intriguing player. Simon Holmstrom is a player who’s gotten better and better in the Swedish hockey system. David Farrance is a real quality offensive defender who has improved every year in NCAA.
Strengths: Offensive Forwards, Skill
Weaknesses: Shutdown Defense, Goaltending
24) Boston:
Alexander Romanov
Noel Gunler
Gabriel Fortier
Hugo Alnefelt
Analysis: Alexander Romanov might be my absolute favorite pick from the Entry Draft. He’s done nothing but shine every time I see him play. He’s a really quality prospect. Gunler and Fortier each have some inconsistency in their game but both have potential if developed properly.
Strengths: Defense, Skill
Weaknesses: Star Power at Forward
25) Tampa Bay:
Nicholas Robertson
Nicolas Abruzzese
Theodor Niederbach
Mikko Kokkonen
Analysis: Nicholas Robertson is one of the more intriguing prospects in this Bolts organization exceeding well past his draft position. He became quite the prolific point producer in junior, so we will see how his game translates to pro hockey. Also have some good skill players in Abruzzese and Niederbach.
Strengths: Offensice Skill at Forward
Weaknesses: Quality Defense, Goaltending
26) Los Angeles:
Brendan Brisson
Ian Mitchell
Evan Barratt
Alec Regula
Analysis: The first thing that jumps out at me with LA is the quality of the puck-moving D-men. I really like Ian Mitchell, and Alec Regula has really improved as well. Brendan Brisson has some untapped offensive upside as well.
Strengths: Puck movers on Defense
Weaknesses: Skilled Forward
27) New York Islanders:
Jordan Harris
Jayden Struble
Roni Hirvonen
Jacob Olofsson
Analysis: Lacking real quality assets throughout the organization, I do like Harris and Struble quite a bit but no guarantees with either defenseman. Severely lacking skilled forwards
Strengths: Depth Defensemen
Weaknesses: Lack of Skilled Forwards, Goaltending
28) Edmonton:
Nikita Alexandrov
Joel Hofer
Scott Perunovich
Eemeli Rasanen
Analysis: Joel Hofer is a nice piece in net for the Oilers, and Perunovich offers some puck moving ability. Rasanen is polar opposite and really takes care of his own zone. Alexandrov has some potential to become a good offensive player.
Strengths: Key depth players, Good Goaltender
Weaknesses: Overall Depth in the organization
29) Vegas:
Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson
Landon Slaggert
Oliver Tarnstrom
Jeremy Swayman
Analysis: There’s not a lot to be excited about in Vegas. Forsbacka-Karlsson offers the most potential but he’s not a flashy player. Tarnstrom is small and skilled but a bit of a long shot. Swayman is a goalie who has had an excellent NCAA career, so we shall see if he can put it together in the pros.
Strengths: None
Weaknesses: Depth at all positions
30) Detroit:
Dillon Hamaliuk
Jonathan Dahlen
Filip Hallander
Olof Lindblom
Analysis: Cleary GM Mathias Lundgren likes Swedish prospects. Dahlen and Hallander both offer some upside offensively. Hamaliuk fits the mold of a two-way player but he’s had health issues. Lindblom is a bit of a project.
Strengths: Skilled up Front
Weaknesses: Inconsistent Forwards, Defensemen
31) Carolina:
Ryan O'Rourke
Brandon Koe
Kim Nousiainen
Analysis: Carolina looks pretty bleak in the prospects department. Outside of Ryan O’Rourke, there’s not a whole lot to build around. Brandon Koe and Kim Nousiainen offer some ability if developed properly.
Strengths: None
Weaknesses: Depth, Goaltending
32) Vancouver:
Simon Lundmark
Pyotr Kochetkov
Nathan Smith
Analysis: Someone has to hold the home of poorest prospect system and for me that is none other than the Canucks. I’m not really confident in a single prospect in this organization becoming a capable player.
Strengths: None
Weaknesses: Everything