Below is the bottom third of the NHL organizations in terms of prospects as voted on by Hockey’s Future staff. Each team’s entire prospect pool was considered to determine the ranking. For reference, just the top five prospects are listed. To be eligible, a prospect must meet HF’s prospect criteria. The rankings are done twice a year, in the fall and spring. Those ranked 21-30 are found here and 11-20 here..
Strengths: The Predators’ blue line prospect pool is still among the deepest and most talented in the entire league.
Jon Blum,
Cody Franson, and
Charles-Olivier Roussel all project as skilled offensive defensemen.
Colin Wilson and
Zach Budish headline the Predators’ forward group, which has a lot of character, but lacks some skill. Behind
Chet Pickard, Nashville boasts other solid goalie pros
pects in
Mark Dekanich and
Anders Lindback. Weaknesses: Their best prospects on defense are decidedly offensive-minded, and they lack the shut-down defender. The emphasis on skill along the blue line has not necessarily carried over to the forwards. After Wilson and Budish, the forwards drop off in quality. Top 5 Prospects: 1.
Jon Blum, D, 2.
Colin Wilson, C, 3.
Cody Franson, D, 4.
Chet Pickard, G, 5.
Charles-Olivier Roussel, D.
Strengths: The Kings have a strong, varied group on the back end, with puck-movers (
Thomas Hickey,
Vyacheslav Voynov), defensive stalwarts (
Colten Teubert,
Davis Drewiske), and two-way guys as well (
Alec Martinez,
Nicolas Deslauriers). Goaltender
Jonathan Bernier has been dominant in the
AHL, and has some quality prospects behind him. Up front,
Brayden Schenn highlights a deep group that’s equal parts skill and grit. Weaknesses: The Kings have no surefire top-six prospects on either wing, and the right side is especially weak. Hickey,
Andrei Loktionov, and
Trevor Lewis were all challenged by major injuries this season, and need to finish the season strong to have a chance at the NHL roster next year. The glut of talented goaltenders in the organization is making it difficult for some important net prospects to get the ice time they need to develop. Top 5 Prospects: 1.
Brayden Schenn, C, 2.
Jonathan Bernier, G, 3.
Thomas Hickey, D, 4.
Vyacheslav Voynov, D, 5.
Colten Teubert, D.
Strengths: The Blues organization is strong at almost all positions. The defensive prospects are some of the best in the league, including
Alex Pietrangelo, who heads HF’s Top 50, Ian Cole and
David Rundblad.
Lars Eller,
Brett Sonne and Phillip McRae form a solid core of prospects at center. Weaknesses: The Blues are weaker on the wing, particularly on left wing. There are only three prospects on the left side, and none of them are in the Top 20. On the left side, St. Louis lost
Aaron Palushaj to a trade to Montreal. Several right wingers are playing in Europe and have some real potential, including
Simon Hjalmarsson and
Sergei Andronov, however, whether they will be contributing to the NHL team anytime soon is uncertain. Top 5 Prospects: 1.
Alex Pietrangelo, D, 2.
Lars Eller, C, 3. Ian Cole, D, 4.
David Rundblad, D, 5.
Jake Allen, G.
Strengths: The Caps’ biggest strength is their goalie depth, with potential starters in
Semyon Varlamov and
Michal Neuvirth. On the blueline, they have a probable top pairing defenseman in
John Carlson, as well as a rock of a defensive specialist in
Karl Alzner and plenty of depth. At forward,
Marcus Johansson is improving his game in the SEL, while
AHL prospect
Mathieu Perreault is starting to get regular ice time with the Caps. Many
AHL prospects in the system have proven all they can at the minor league level. Weaknesses: Their focus on improving the back end has resulted in fewer high picks being spent on forwards; because of this, the Capitals lack a bona fide top-six forward in their system at any forward position. Many of their
AHL-seasoned prospects are getting long in the tooth and having trouble carving out a role on the NHL roster. Top 5 Prospects: 1.
Semyon Varlamov, G, 2.
John Carlson, D, 3.
Karl Alzner, D, 4.
Michal Neuvirth, G, 5.
Mathieu Perreault, C.
Strengths: Despite his transfer to the KHL,
Nikita Filatov remains the top winger prospect. Left wing
Matt Calvert‘s star is rising after another impressive year in the
WHL. The Jackets’ defensive prospect group is among the best in the league, with offensive defenseman
John Moore making a seamless transition to the
OHL and college prospects
Cody Goloubef,
Will Weber, and
Teddy Ruth all illustrating impressive defensive instincts.
Kevin Lalande has performed well considering the struggles of the AHL-affiliate Syracuse Crunch team in front of him. Weaknesses: The multiple recalls of unproven AHL players illustrates a lack of NHL-ready prospects waiting in the wings. The pipeline lacks a quality right winger. The regression of
Dan LaCosta and the lack of a surefire NHL goalie prospect in the system is cause for concern. Top 5 Prospects: 1.
Nikita Filatov, LW, 2.
John Moore, D, 3.
Cody Goloubef, D, 4.
Maksim Mayorov, LW, 5.
Matt Calvert, LW.
Strengths: Prior to the start of this season, the Leafs prospect list was a list full of question marks. But it has become clear that the Leafs at the very least have some talent to work with in the coming seasons. First and foremost would be
OHL star
Nazem Kadri, who has come on in the second half of the season after a slow start in London. Two other forwards that appear to have a future with the Leafs are former collegians
Tyler Bozak and
Viktor Stalberg.
Jerry D’Amigo, one of the stars for Team USA at the 2010 WJC, is another promising forward currently in the college ranks. The acquisition of
Luca Caputi adds another solid forward with some size, a trait valued by Leafs’ GM Brian Burke. In goal,
Jonas Gustavsson has emerged as a legitimate future starter. Weaknesses: Where the Leafs may lack future support is along the blueline, with trade deadline acquisition
Keith Aulie and
Carl Gunnarsson representing the only current prospects of real magnitude at defense. But, considering where the Leafs were after last season, the future is looking brighter. Top 5 Prospects: 1.
Nazem Kadri, C, 2.
Jonas Gustavsson, G, 3.
Tyler Bozak, C, 4.
Carl Gunnarsson, D, 5.
Viktor Stalberg, LW
Strengths: Two-way prospects
Carl Klingberg,
Spencer Machacek, and
Patrice Cormier have the work ethic and skill to build around. Offensively-gifted
Jeremy Morin and
Eric O’Dell give options on offense. Newly-acquired blueliner Ivan Visnevskiy has NHL-caliber offensive skills and stay-at-home defenseman
Arturs Kulda is just getting his first taste of NHL action. Weaknesses: There are question marks regarding attributes of some of the Thrashers’ top prospects: Morin’s speed, Cormier’s sense, and Vishnevskiy’s defensive zone play. Assets such as
Angelo Esposito and
Riley Holzapfel haven’t developed as expected. There is goaltending depth, but no top prospect in net. Top 5 Prospects: 1.
Carl Klingberg, LW, 2.
Ivan Vishnevskiy, D, 3.
Jeremy Morin, C, 4.
Patrice Cormier, C, 5.
Spencer Machacek, RW.
Strengths: The Canucks have a variety of talented forwards headlined by blue-chip prospect
Cody Hodgson. Behind Hodgson are gifted second-line forwards such as
Michael Grabner and
Jordan Schroeder. Goaltending prospect
Cory Schneider is among the best netminders not playing in the NHL.
Yann Sauve heads a group of serviceable two-way defensemen. Weaknesses: While there is a fair amount of depth at both defense and forward, most project to be either checking forwards or defensive defensemen. Outside of Schneider, there are no impact goaltending prospects. Top 5 Prospects: 1.
Cody Hodgson, C, 2.
Cory Schneider, G, 3.
Michael Grabner, RW, 4.
Jordan Schroeder, C, 5.
Anton Rodin, RW
Strengths: The lowest scoring team in the Western Conference has found a few high-end offensive talents in
Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson,
Riley Nash, and
Jordan Eberle, who is exceeding expectations at every level. Outside of those three,
Linus Omark and
Toni Rajala are two players who have the ability to make a major impact. The team is also covered up front in terms of role players, with
Teemu Hartikainen and
Anton Lander having successful seasons, still a few years away from impact. Weaknesses: With neither
Jeff Deslauriers and
Devan Dubnyk having a strong season in the NHL, a lot of pressure falls to 2009 pick
Olivier Roy as the only potential starting goalie in the system. The system is lacking in bona fide two-way defenseman outside of
Jeff Petry. Top 5 Prospects: 1.
Jordan Eberle, C, 2.
Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson, LW, 3.
Riley Nash, C, 4.
Jeff Petry, D, 5.
Linus Omark, LW.
Strengths: The Bruins are very deep down the middle.
Joe Colborne had a sensational season in Denver, and the Bruins also have two former first-round picks in
Zach Hamill and
Jordan Caron at the same position. Defensive depth is strong from smaller puck-movers like
Andrew Bodnarchuk and
Jeff Penner to bigger, physical defensemen in
Adam McQuaid and the recently-acquired
Matt Bartkowski. Weaknesses: Outside of the top three forwards, there is not much scoring depth, with enigmas like
Mikko Lehtonen and project players in
Alexander Fallstrom and
Yannick Riendeau populating the bottom of the top 20. Top 5 Prospects: 1.
Joe Colborne, C, 2.
Brad Marchand, RW, 3.
Yuri Alexandrov, D, 4.
Zach Hamill, C,
Jordan Caron, C.
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