If you want to be one of the best teams in the NHL in the Salary Cap Era, you have to draft and develop your own prospects so you can build for the future with young contributors on cheap entry-level contracts. When you look at some of the top teams in the league like the Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils and the Minnesota Wild, you see teams that have developed through the draft and that continue to build their prospect systems for the future.
Related: The NHL’s Top 100 Prospects – Preseason Ranking
Some of the top teams on this list year in and year out, like the Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres and Anaheim Ducks continue to develop and compete for the future, while other teams like the Montreal Canadiens and Columbus Blue Jackets are competing for the playoffs while also having great prospect pools. Having a deep farm system can go a long way toward a team’s long-term success. Without further ado, here are the midseason farm system rankings at roughly the halfway point of the 2024-25 season.
Much like the top 100 prospects article, this ranking is going to be based on the quality and potential of each team’s prospect pool. Players are listed in no particular order. I will be using Corey Pronman’s definition of “prospect” for this, so if you’re confused about why players like Simon Nemec or Olen Zellweger aren’t on the list, this is why. “A skater no longer qualifies as an NHL prospect if he has played 25 games in the NHL in any campaign, regular season and playoffs combined, or 50 games total; or reaches age 25 by Sept. 15. A goalie no longer qualifies as an NHL prospect if he has played 10 games in the NHL in any campaign, regular season and playoffs combined, or 25 games total; or reaches age 25 by Sept. 15.” (From: “Pronman: 2019-20 NHL Farm System Rankings”).
32. Florida Panthers
Previous Ranking: 29
Top Five Prospects: Gracyn Sawchyn, Matvei Shuravin, Michael Benning, Justin Sourdif, Linus Eriksson
The Florida Panthers certainly don’t have the deepest prospect pool, and the top prospect in the their pool over the last few seasons, Mackie Samoskevich, has had a strong year in The NHL, graduating himself from this list. The Panthers have moved several valuable picks and prospects in recent years, but it was all worth it for their Stanley Cup victory last season. Their prospect pool has certainly seen better days, but I doubt they are too upset about that these days.
I was a big fan of Gracyn Sawchyn in his draft season and I like what I’ve seen from him at the junior level since. His ability to play through contact and draw penalties is admirable and I believe it will translate to higher levels as well. Justin Sourdif is another under-the-radar type prospect who I think is worthy of more attention, especially given his success in the AHL.
31. Boston Bruins
Previous Ranking: 32
Top Five Prospects: Fabian Lysell, Dean Letourneau, Phillip Svedeback, Ryan Walsh, Jackson Edward
The Boston Bruins have made just 31 selections in the last six NHL Drafts combined (5.1 selections per year), with only five of those being in the first two rounds (three first rounders and two seconds). That lack of draft capital is bound to leave you near the bottom of a list like this, but their all-in strategy over the past few seasons has left them has really done a number on their ranking here. This season, Boston has taken a serious step back in the standings, and there’s very little in the way of future talent to look towards.
Boston’s prospect pool is quite dry at the moment, with Fabian Lysell standing out as a bright spot. Lysell is an excellent skater and he has great hands so I expect he’ll provide value in the NHL, he’s just barely enough to drag the Bruins out of the bottom spot here. One other prospect who I think deserves attention is Dean Letourneau, a massive forward with excellent hands and agility for someone of his size. His initial plans were to spend all of next season in the USHL but has since decided to take a swing at the NCAA with Boston College. While that transition has been slow, there’s still a ton of potential in his game given his size and skill.
30. Dallas Stars
Previous Ranking: 17
Top Five Prospects: Lian Bichsel, Emil Hemming, Aram Minnetian, Christian Kyrou, Tristan Bertucci
The Dallas Stars have had one of the best groups of young players for several years now, though that strength is draining out of their prospect pool as youngsters like Logan Stankoven, Mavrik Bourque and Wyatt Johnston continue to establish themselves as great NHL players. In fact, Dallas is the biggest faller in this edition of the rankings, due to Stankoven and Bourque’s NHL debuts leaving the prospect cupboards relatively bare.
The Stars have done a solid job of filling their prospect pool over the years, and I don’t expect them to stay at the bottom for too long. Regardless, having the amount of young talent on their NHL roster that they do is certainly impressive. Liam Bichsel is probably the most noteworthy prospect in their group now, with a chance to become a physically dominant force on their second defensive pairing if he continues to trend in the right direction.
29. Tampa Bay Lightning
Previous Ranking: 30
Top Five Prospects: Ethan Gauthier, Isaac Howard, Dylan Duke, Niko Huuhtanen, Dylan Gill
The Tampa Bay Lightning narrowly avoided hitting the bottom spot here for a fifth consecutive time (landing in the bottom 5). Tampa has gone all in several times now and they’re clearly trying to find a new balance of young talent on cheaper deals. If Conor Geekie hadn’t established himself in their NHL lineup yet, Tampa might have found themselves a few spots higher, but I’m sure they’re happy with him where he is.
Ethan Gauthier is a solid prospect, combining a high-skill game (he challenges and beats a lot of defenders one-on-one) with a very competitive and physical style. He works incredibly hard which manifests in his ability to win 50/50 puck races, gaining position in front of the opposing net, and getting under his opponents’ skin at will. I think there’s a good chance Gauthier can be a middle-six winger for the Lightning someday, but that’s not enough to vault them out of the league’s basement in terms of prospect pools.
28. Edmonton Oilers
Previous Ranking: 25
Top Five Prospects: Matthew Savoie, Roby Jarventie, Paul Fischer, Beau Akey, Sam O’Reilly
About a year ago, the Edmonton Oilers’ prospect pool was in as rough of a spot as it ever has been during the Connor McDavid era (and probably still going back to the pre-Taylor Hall era as well). The Oilers have been doing the only sane thing a team with McDavid and Leon Draisaitl can do, going all-in by trading prospects and picks year after year. However, that leaves the cupboards pretty bare after a few years. Luckily for Edmonton, the Buffalo Sabres believed they had too many undersized, skilled forwards and traded Matt Savoie to Edmonton in exchange for useful bottom-sixer Ryan McLeod.
Savoie immediately became the Oilers’ top prospect (by a good margin), and I think he’ll prove the Sabres foolish pretty quickly. He’s a highly creative forward with a high-end skill set. The combination of speed, hands and stick handling makes him an offensive catalyst and he maintains offensive zone possession extremely well. Savoie has excellent vision to spot a lane to engage or find his teammates with a perfectly executed pass and he’s a dynamic skater as well. He is producing at the AHL level so far this season, leading all U21 players in scoring at the time of writing.
27. Vegas Golden Knights
Previous Ranking: 25
Top Five Prospects: Trevor Connelly, Lukas Cormier, Matyas Sapovaliv, Mathieu Cataford, Carl Lindbom
In the past I have been very critical of the Vegas Golden Knights’ tendency to trade their best prospects and picks to win-now, and I’m willing to admit when I’m wrong. I was wrong in thinking that Vegas’ “it’s just business” mentality wouldn’t work and that they should have held onto more of their futures. Obviously it all worked out for them with their first Championship in franchise history and that’s not even mentioning the fact that they’re still ranked higher than five other teams on this list.
Vegas held onto their first rounder in the 2023 Draft which they used to select David Edstrom 32nd overall. I was a big fan of Edstrom as the draft approached, and so naturally I loved the pick for Vegas . . . and then they traded him. Trevor Connelly comes with his fair share of baggage, but Vegas hasn’t been afraid to take on a little bad publicity if it means they have a better chance of winning tomorrow than they did yesterday. He’s got a ton of skill and the type of game that makes him look like a potential top-six winger, just don’t count on him doing that in Vegas.
26. New York Islanders
Previous Ranking: 28
Top Five Prospects: Danny Nelson, Marcus Gidlof, Calle Odelius, Cole Eiserman, Jesse Pulkkinen
Before the 2024 Draft, the New York Islanders hadn’t made a first round selection since they took Simon Holmstrom 23rd overall in the 2019, and it shows in their prospect pool. They broke that streak when they took Cole Eiserman 20th overall last year, giving them a prospect who has a chance to be a serious difference maker. They also have a deeper pool of guys who are likely to play for them someday.
Danny Nelson is an intriguing prospect who only recently made the switch to playing center, growing up as a defenseman. Nelson showed flashes of offensive potential in parts of two NCAA seasons, and has a big frame that he uses quite well. His development will likely be pretty unpredictable, but I think he could be a good third-line center if all goes well.
25. Toronto Maple Leafs
Previous Ranking: 27
Top Five Prospects: Fraser Minten, Ben Danford, Nikita Grebyonkin, Dennis Hildeby, Easton Cowan
The Toronto Maple Leafs are firmly within their competitive window so it would be a shock to see them land much higher on this list since they’ve traded several high picks in recent years. Matthew Knies is now a full time NHL player (to nobody’s surprise) and is no longer eligible for this list, but their ranking didn’t take much of a hit because of the positive development of guys like Fraser Minten and Easton Cowan.
While neither of these prospects had inspiring performances for Team Canada at the 2024 World Juniors and Cowan’s 2025 tournament performance raised some questions about his discipline, a small sample size with new coaches and teammates is not as valuable of a viewing as their league play, which has been nothing but encouraging. Minten is looking like he has the potential to be a good third-line center for the Maple Leafs and Cowan has already made Toronto look really savvy for picking him up in the first round in 2023. If he keeps it up, Cowan will reach the NHL very soon.
24. Ottawa Senators
Previous Ranking: 31
Top Five Prospects: Carter Yakemchuk, Leevi Merilainen, Zack Ostapchuk, Stephen Halliday, Xavier Bourgault
This might be lower than some would expect for the Senators to land, but come on, look at that list. Now, there’s no reason to panic, the reason their prospect pool looks so bare is simply because most of their best young players have graduated from this list and into the NHL full-time. If this were a ranking of the best young cores then the Senators would find themselves significantly higher on this list (closer to top-10 than bottom-10 for sure) on the backs of players like Jake Sanderson, Ridley Greig and Tim Stutzle.
I am a very big Carter Yakemchuk fan. I know he didn’t exactly wow NHL teams with his athleticism at the draft combine, and was snubbed for Team Canada at the 2025 World Junior Championship, but I see a defender of his size who moves through traffic like that and I see someone who could possibly be the next Brent Burns. Despite my very high opinion of him, Yakemchuk was not enough to raise the Senators very much in this league-wide ranking.
23. Los Angeles Kings
Previous Ranking: 18
Top Five Prospects: Carter George, Francesco Pinelli, Koehn Ziemmer, Hampton Slukynsky, Liam Greentree
The Los Angeles Kings’ prospect pool is a shadow of its former self, with prospects like Brandt Clarke, Quinton Byfield and Arthur Kaliyev establishing themselves as NHLers and other young players like Brock Faber and Rasmus Kupari being traded for more established players. Clarke has been a mainstay on this list for LA since he was drafted back in the 2021 Draft, so it’s not surprising the Kings’ ranking took a bit of a hit now that he’s a regular in their lineup.
Liam Greentree is a big winger who looks like he could be a great all-round player in the NHL someday if he can make some improvements to his speed and acceleration. Greentree does most things well, fighting hard in puck battles, making smart passes, and handling defensive responsibilities well. His greatest strength is his shot which looks like a quality NHL tool though his skill with the puck is worthy of mention as well. Greentree has been a dominant offensive force in the OHL so far in the 2024-25 season, scoring at a 50 goal and 120 point pace as of January.
22. Pittsburgh Penguins
Previous Ranking: 23
Top Five Prospects: Rutger McGroarty, Tristan Broz, Harrison Brunicke, Tanner Howe, Joel Blomqvist
The Pittsburgh Penguins have been in a constant state of mortgaging the future for current success for the better part of the last decade as they tried to make the most of the primes of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin’s careers (quite successfully I might add). As a result they have only used three of their last 10 first round picks, and the prospect pool certainly reflects that willingness to move prospects and picks.
The Penguins recently traded away 2023 first rounder Brayden Yager in a 1-for-1 deal with the Winnipeg Jets for Rutger McGroarty. McGroarty is a true power forward, strong and determined enough to win pucks with great playmaking skills that allow him to make smart plays with the puck once he wins it. He’s a natural leader, shoots well, and does just about everything else you could hope for from a top prospect. McGroarty won’t lead your team in scoring, but he’ll do a whole lot of other things at a very high level. After a bit of an adjustment period, he has looked a lot more comfortable at the AHL level of late.
21. Philadelphia Flyers
Previous Ranking: 16
Top Five Prospects: Egor Zavragin, Jett Luchanko, Denver Barkey, Oliver Bonk, Emil Andrae
With Matvei Michkov making his NHL debut this year, the Philadelphia Flyers’ prospect pool is certainly less exciting. Guys like Jett Luchanko and Oliver Bonk project as meaningful contributors down the line, but there isn’t exactly anyone who should be expected to seriously move the needle in Philly anytime soon. Well, that’s unless Egor Zavragin has anything to say about it. Zavragin was selected 87th overall by the Flyers back in the third round of the 2023 Draft, a draft class that already includes Michkov and Oliver Bonk.
He spent his draft season as a great goalie in Russia’s top junior league (the MHL), but didn’t look like more than a potential NHL backup by most accounts. Zavragin followed that up with a dominant 2023-24 season split between the MHL and the VHL, Russia’s second-tier pro league, which earned him a bit more attention as an 18-year-old goalie. This season, Zavragin’s stock has soared after being loaned to HK Sochi in the KHL and earning a .941 save percentage across six starts. He has been strong since being recalled to the KHL’s juggernaut team in SKA St. Petersburg, and looks like a potential start goaltending prospect for the Flyers. Needless to say, Zavragin’s development will be paramount for a Flyers team with the league’s worst team save percentage (as of Jan 20, 2025, via. Natural Stat Trick).
20. New Jersey Devils
Previous Ranking: 24
Top Five Prospects: Anton Silayev, Seamus Casey, Arseni Gritsyuk, Lenni Hameenaho, Mikhail Yegorov
Luke Hughes making the New Jersey Devils full time out of training camp last year was great news. Hughes has looked like a future star, with much of the agility and edgework of his older brothers and a much more typical NHL frame. With him moving on to the NHL, the rest of the prospect pool looks quite a bit weaker by comparison. However, I did love the Anton Silayev pick for them in the 2024 Draft, and guys like Seamus Casey and Lenni Hameenaho both look like future NHLers to me as well.
Silayev was the story of the year early on last season, going from an unknown defender in Russia’s junior system last year to an elite defensive prospect who was tearing up the KHL. He’s been a difficult player to scout because the sample size of his great play is still relatively small, but his potential is as high as any defense prospect we’ve seen in the past few years due to his abnormally strong skating for a defender of his size (6-foot-7).
19. Colorado Avalanche
Previous Ranking: 22
Top Five Prospects: Calum Ritchie, Mikhail Gulyayev, William Zellers, Sean Behrens, Ilya Nabokov
The Colorado Avalanche had a very successful first round at the 2023 Draft, selecting Calum Ritchie and Mikhail Gulyayev, who I consider to be their best and second best prospects respectively at this point. They’ve moved plenty of prospects and draft picks over the last few years, and while they’ve done a respectable job of gathering young talent regardless, the lack of depth past these top-5 prospects shows.
Ritchie had a rough draft year, with a shoulder injury derailing what could have been an elite OHL season bringing up questions about his lack of consistency. However, the fact remains that Ritchie possesses an excellent toolkit to succeed as an NHL centerman, with the size, face-off proficiency, and puck skills to even be a second-line center someday. Ritchie has been dominant in the OHL this season, and looks ready to make the jump to the pro game whenever the Avalanche have an opening in their lineup.
18. New York Rangers
Previous Ranking: 20
Top Five Prospects: Gabe Perreault, Brennan Othmann, Adam Sykora, EJ Emery, Dylan Garand
The New York Rangers have many incredibly talented young players who have already broken into the NHL full time which is why they aren’t higher on this list, although they still have a good number of players I think will have real value in the NHL someday. Adam Sykora looks like he could factor into the Rangers’ bottom-six forward group in just a few years while Gabe Perreault and Brennan Othmann each have a chance at cracking the top-six group.
Gabe Perreault was a prospect I was quite high on entering the 2023 Draft, but I understand why he fell to the Rangers at 23rd overall. His skinny frame and skating issues are certainly worrisome from an NHL projection standpoint, but in the late-teens to early 20s of the first round I really think teams were leaving a lot of potential on the table by passing on Perreault. He’s got high-end skill and hockey sense which should make him an imposing figure on an NHL power play someday even if he can’t be a dominant player at even strength. He has dominated offensively in the NCAA over the past year and a half, not skipping a beat when running-mate Will Smith made the jump to The NHL.
17. Vancouver Canucks
Previous Ranking: 19
Top Five Prospects: Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Tom Willander, Sawyer Mynio, Arturs Silovs, Elias Pettersson
The Vancouver Canucks have risen significantly in this ranking over the past two years, rising all the way to from 30th with the addition of Tom Willander and the resurgence of Jonathan Lekkerimaki as a legitimate top-six potential prospect standing out as the main reasons. Lekkerimaki has been through the wringer since being drafted back in 2022, but his final season in Sweden was an excellent one, leading all U20 players in goals and points in the SHL, as well as earning tournament MVP at the 2024 World Juniors in Gothenburg.
Tom Willander is an excellent defensive prospect, with the skill and defensive chops to be a great top-four defender for the Canucks down the road. He is also a phenomenal skater and will likely take a significant amount of pressure off Quinn Hughes once he establishes himself in the NHL. Willander’s skating allows him to remain solid defensively even on off nights, making him a remarkably consistent game-changer, much like Vancouver’s Filip Hronek can be.
16. Nashville Predators
Previous Ranking: 15
Top Five Prospects: Joakim Kemell, David Edstrom, Matthew Wood, Tanner Molendyk, Yegor Surin
The Nashville Predators have been in a weird position over the last few seasons, with their best players aging and slowing down a bit despite Juuse Saros being one of the league’s best goalies on a nightly basis. They ultimately looked poised to take a bit of a step back two seasons ago, trading guys like Mattias Ekholm and Tanner Jeannot each for massive returns. Regardless, they went all in on the 2024 Free Agency Class, handing out a lot of money that has already not aged particularly well.
After extending Saros to a long-term contract, Yaroslav Askarov quietly requested to be traded as he saw no future for himself in Nashville with the starter’s net filled for another eight years. Askarov was Nashville’s top prospect by a solid margin, but they managed to net some good value in return for him in David Edstrom and a first round pick in the 2025 Draft. Edstrom isn’t the flashiest player offensively, but he skates well for his size and wins tons of battles, clearing the way for his linemates to produce more offense. I also loved the Yegor Surin pick in the first round of the 2024 Draft as a winger with an engine that doesn’t quit and a bit more offense to give than his stats might indicate.
15. Calgary Flames
Previous Ranking: 13
Top Five Prospects: Zayne Parekh, Samuel Honzek, Hunter Brzustewicz, Matvei Gridin, Henry Mews
The Calgary Flames are going to look very different over the next couple of seasons, and they’ve begun to build a really solid group of young players. The Flames have quietly done a really solid job of managing their assets during a massive fire-sale (pun-intended) over the last year or so, trading Jakob Markstrom, Elias Lindholm, and Chris Tanev amongst other players. As a result, the Flames have added some nice young talent via picks and prospect such as Hunter Brzustewicz and Matvei Gridin.
Zayne Parekh will be a massive piece for Calgary’s future, and I do think he’s a solid defender when he’s properly engaged, cutting off passes and angling opponents toward the boards. Parekh is a remarkable talent, with Quinn Hughes-like offensive upside if his development goes well, but his defensive game could get more consistent. He’s talented enough and looked strong enough defensively in the Memorial Cup that I think he’ll figure it out in the NHL though, becoming an imposing figure on the Flames’ blue line if given the chance.
14. Anaheim Ducks
Previous Ranking: 3
Top Five Prospects: Beckett Sennecke, Lucas Pettersson, Nathan Gaucher, Stian Solberg, Damian Clara
The Anaheim Ducks looked to be on the rise a few years ago when they came out hot with a rookie Trevor Zegras and a breakout year from Troy Terry. Ultimately that season fell apart in the new year and then the past two seasons have been forgettable for the Ducks. That appears to have been the an okay option for Anaheim as they have continued to build a strong pipeline through the draft, with difference makers at every valuable position. However, the majority of those players (Leo Carlsson, Mason McTavish, Cutter Gauthier, Olen Zellweger, etc.) have graduated to The NHL and the Ducks’ prospect pool is finally starting to look a bit more pedestrian. The 2024-25 season hasn’t looked too hot down in Anaheim, so there’s a good chance they add an excellent prospect to their prospect pool for the next edition of this ranking and jump right back up into the top-10 or even top-5.
Anaheim shocked the world (and Sennecke himself), when they took Beckett Sennecke third overall in the 2024 Draft, giving them yet another high-end wing prospect to play next to McTavish, Zegras and Carlsson. Sennecke is a big winger with very impressive puck skill that allows him to regularly deke through several layers of defense. However, he can get a bit of tunnel vision and try to play hero-puck a bit, losing sight of the best play and turning the puck over by trying to deke too much. He has been phenomenal in the OHL this season, and was a late addition to Team Canada’s selection camp for the 2025 World Junior Championship as well.
13. St. Louis Blues
Previous Ranking: 14
Top Five Prospects: Jimmy Snuggerud, Adam Jiricek, Dalibor Dvorsky, Otto Stenberg, Theo Lindstein
The St. Louis Blues began their retool in the 2022-23 season, and committed to giving themselves the best chance to succeed in the future, entering the 2023 Draft with three first rounders. Dalibor Dvorsky, Otto Stenberg, and Theo Lindstein are all legit NHL prospects and adding them to a pipeline that already had guys like Jimmy Snuggerud and Zachary Bolduc gave their prospect pool a huge boost.
Adding Adam Jiricek with the 16th pick of the 2024 Draft was a strong choice as well. Jiricek is very engaged physically, and has a penchant for taking big point shots. He produces a ton of chances on offense from the blue line, readily activating into play to support his teammates and keep the puck moving. Unfortunately, his excitement to join the play offensively means that he takes a lot of risks, leaving himself in really poor positions to recover defensively if things don’t go according to plan. Jiricek is really great at scanning the play off puck and he persists through pressure quite well so I think he will be able to cut down on the over-the-top risks in time.
12. Washington Capitals
Previous Ranking: 21
Top Five Prospects: Ryan Leonard, Cole Hutson, Andrew Cristall, Eriks Mateiko, Terik Parascak
The Washington Capitals have been going all-in for more than a decade and while it was ultimately a success with their Stanley Cup victory in 2018, their prospect pool has been a sight for sore eyes for a very long time. The Capitals haven’t had much success since despite the remarkable durability of Alex Ovechkin, and the 2022-23 season functioned as a bit of a turning point for the team as they began to re-tool and look to the future. Even though their prospect pool hasn’t looked this good in over 20 years, Washington has been dominant this season, and is setting themselves up for success even after The Great Eight hangs up his skates.
The past two drafts have seen Washington’s prospect pipeline improve significantly, with the crowning piece of their future coming with the eighth overall pick in the 2023 Draft where they selected Ryan Leonard, a remarkable offensive talent who makes his teammates better at every turn. Leonard works incredibly hard and has a knack for scoring big goals in dirty areas and winning puck battles. Cole Hutson had himself an excellent showing at the 2025 World Juniors, where he led the tournament in scoring, and several other Capitals prospects such as Andrew Cristall, Eriks Mateiko, and Ilya Protas are all developing extremely well.
11. Columbus Blue Jackets
Previous Ranking: 11
Top Five Prospects: Cayden Lindstrom, Denton Mateychuk, Gavin Brindley, Jordan Dumais, Charlie Elick
The Columbus Blue Jackets have made some massive changes over the last few years, from trading away Seth Jones for the picks that became Cole Sillinger and David Jiricek, to landing the late Johnny Gaudreau in the biggest surprise of the 2022 Free Agency period. Several of their best young players have already entered the NHL like Jiricek and Adam Fantilli, but the Blue Jackets still have a great pipeline, led by Gavin Brindley and Denton Mateychuk.
Mateychuk is an incredibly smooth skater, and he’s super confident when jumping into the play. Injuries to Tristan Luneau and Tanner Molendyk meant that Mateychuk was asked to do much of the heavy lifting for Team Canada at the 2024 World Juniors, and he did more than his share. He looked the part of a dynamic offensive creator, with crisp stretch passes and clever off-puck routes in the offensive zone, but he also showed how his tenacity and speed make him a real factor defensively. Mateychuk may not be a number-one defenseman in the NHL, but he has a really good chance of being a meaningful top-four piece in Columbus.
10. Seattle Kraken
Previous Ranking: 8
Top Five Prospects: Julius Miettinen, Carson Rehkopf, Berkly Catton, Jani Nyman, David Goyette
The Seattle Kraken are in a really strange place for a team that has only played three seasons in franchise history. Typically, expansion teams are really bad for several years until their accumulation of draft picks turns into a strong prospect pool which eventually grows into a good NHL team. The Kraken had a rough go in their inaugural season, but they followed that up with a remarkable bounce-back that saw them not only make the playoffs, but play spoiler as they upset the defending champion Avalanche. Now they’ve come back to Earth again and were in the wild-card race at best for most of last season. They’ve done an admirable job of accumulating talent in their prospect pool, even in the 2023 Draft when they were picking much later.
Berkly Catton is a remarkably intelligent player, creating chances and advantages for his teammates through clever manipulations rather than through physical force. The Spokane Chiefs have lacked high-end talent during Catton’s entire WHL tenure, so he has been leaned upon heavily for the past three seasons. Luckily for the Chiefs, Catton has more than been up to the task of leading the team, scoring points at an absurdly high rate throughout his junior career. He is a very skilled player with a ton of speed and a high-end motor. I think his offensive versatility and his potential while attacking off the rush will make him an excellent addition for the Kraken.
9. Carolina Hurricanes
Previous Ranking: 12
Top Five Prospects: Alexander Nikishin, Scott Morrow, Bradly Nadeau, Dominik Badinka, Felix Unger-Sörum
Teams that are as good as the Carolina Hurricanes shouldn’t have prospect pools as good as this team does. Despite being one of the best teams in the NHL over the past several years, the Hurricanes keep finding ways to improve their prospect system. Some of that is through shrewd scouting, which led to them drafting Bradly Nadeau near the end of the first round and Felix Unger-Sörum late in the second round of the 2023 Draft, and some of it is through remarkable development curves with prospects like Alexander Nikishin.
Nikishin is a remarkable defensive prospect who has exploded offensively, leading all KHL defenders in scoring in each of the past two full seasons. He is big (6-foot-4), has a heavy slapshot, and skates remarkably well for someone of his size. Nikishin has proved that his breakout was no fluke, and is once again among the KHL’s top scoring defensemen. If the Hurricanes are able to convince him to come to play for them in the 2025-26 season, I expect he’ll look like a strong top-four defender immediately upon arrival.
8. Utah Hockey Club
Previous Ranking: 9
Top Five Prospects: Tij Iginla, Cole Beaudoin, Dmitri Simashev, Daniil But, Maveric Lamoureux
The Arizona Coyotes are no more, and in their place, the Utah Hockey Club makes holds their spot on this list. The team showed some improvement last year despite still finishing 27th in the league, largely due to the continued excellence of Clayton Keller, and both Logan Cooley and Matias Maccelli shining as solid supporting pieces. While the team wasn’t ready to emerge from the league’s basement quite yet, they’ve significantly improved the team with the addition of Mikhail Sergachev in a trade from the floor of the 2024 Draft.
Under new ownership, the Utah Hockey Team looks poised to take a serious step forward next season, hopefully ducking the dark clouds that have been circling the franchise for many years. Drafting Tij Iginla will certainly help push the team in that direction. His game relies heavily on speed and he’s able to do a ton of damage on the rush at the junior level because of it. Iginla has an excellent wrist shot as well, but he isn’t the most gifted playmaker or physical guy. Regardless, he works hard and is often the first guy in on the forecheck.
7. Buffalo Sabres
Previous Ranking: 2
Top Five Prospects: Anton Wahlberg, Noah Östlund, Konsta Helenius, Devon Levi, Isak Rosen
The Buffalo Sabres’ young core is the envy of the league at this point, with an embarrassment of riches on their NHL roster with guys like Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power holding down the fort on the backend and both Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens looking like potential star centermen for the next decade (note the word “potential”). Following the 2024 Draft, the Sabres decided that prospect Matthew Savoie was not needed, given the large number of undersized, skilled centers in their prospect pool. That certainly dropped them in this ranking, but they’ve also seen a few of their most important prospects underperform this season such as Noah Ostend and Devon Levi.
Konsta Helenius is an excellent playmaker who competes hard enough to succeed in the Finnish Liiga as a 17-year-old in his draft year. Helenius is level-headed under pressure and makes difficult passes look routine, setting his teammates up for success. He was good (though not spectacular) for Finland at both the 2024 and 2025 World Junior Championships, though the stat sheet might not give you the best idea of how impactful he was. Helenius’ two-way play against pros as a teenager has been very impressive, especially in transition where he is able to keep up with the pace of play both physically and mentally.
6. Winnipeg Jets
Previous Ranking: 6
Top Five Prospects: Brayden Yager, Chaz Lucius, Brad Lambert, Elias Salomonsson, Colby Barlow
The Winnipeg Jets have an incredible group of forward prospects, with very little to show when it comes to prospects on the backend. Brad Lambert, Chaz Lucius, Brayden Yager and Colby Barlow all have great chances to become at least top-nine mainstays for the Jets someday, with each of them having varying levels of top-six upside. They will need to diversify their prospect pool sooner than later unless they want to be left with no young options on the backend internally.
Brad Lambert has been one of the least predictable NHL prospects over the past few years, alternating between games where he looks like a sure-fire top-six centreman and games where you are left frustrated with his apparent lack of effort. Lambert’s skating ability is elite and gives him a standout skill that will translate to the NHL someday. He also has tons of skill skills and can make great passes or dekes while at his remarkable top speed. Last season was a positive one for Lambert who looked like a top young player in the AHL, though his start to the 2024-25 season has been uneven at times.
5. Detroit Red Wings
Previous Ranking: 4
Top Five Prospects: Trey Augustine, Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, Nate Danielson, Axel Sandin Pellikka, Sebastian Cossa
The Detroit Red Wings haven’t had much to celebrate over the last seven or eight years except for their prospect pool. Although many of those players haven’t panned out (I’m looking at you Filip Zadina), the Red Wings have continued to develop one of the league’s deepest pipelines in terms of both NHL quality and star potential. Nate Danielson projects to help fix the team’s questions at center going forward, while Axel Sandin Pellikka is looking like a potential star on the backend.
Axel Sandin Pellikka (ASP) is a right-handed offensive defenseman who has been an offensive leader in the SHL as a teenager. Sandin Pellikka had a great showing for Sweden at the World Juniors in his draft year, improving his draft stock considerably, and has represented Sweden in two more World Junior Championships since, even being named the tourney’s top defender in back to back years. He is a force on offense but don’t let that fool you, he is a hard-working defender who makes a lot of stops despite his 5-foot-11 frame, especially off the rush.
4. San Jose Sharks
Previous Ranking: 1
Top Five Prospects: Igor Chernyshov, Sam Dickinson, Leo Sahlin Wallenius, Filip Bystedt, Quentin Musty
The San Jose Sharks had made some big moves to vault themselves up this ranking, but the calculations changed entirely when they won the 2024 draft lottery and traded for Askarov, one of the world’s best goalies who wasn’t already in the NHL. Landing a no-doubt top-line center in Celebrini and someone with a high chance of becoming a strong starting goalie in the matter of two months gave them a huge boost. However, both of those prospects, as well as Will Smith, have made the leap into The NHL and are no longer eligible for this list.
Sam Dickinson is a big two-way defender with a tool kit that NHL General Managers dream of. He’s a 6-foot-3 defender who defends well, has shown flashes of great puck skills, and competes incredibly hard. Dickinson skates well for his size which bodes well for his NHL projection, though he will need to put in some work for his offensive game to be worthy of power play minutes in the NHL someday.
3. Montreal Canadiens
Previous Ranking: 7
Top Five Prospects: Ivan Demidov, David Reinbacher, Logan Mailloux, Michael Hage, Owen Beck
The Montreal Canadiens have continued to build their prospect pool despite several important players, like Kaiden Guhle and Juraj Slafkovsky, graduating into full-time NHL spots. The Canadiens have a great young core already in the NHL, so having a top-5 prospect pool as well means that they are quite likely to be a dangerous team in the NHL in a few years. With Lane Hutson and David Reinbacher looking like some great young defensemen, the Habs did well to land two quality forward prospects in the 2024 Draft with Ivan Demidov and Michael Hage.
Ivan Demidov is an incredibly talented offensive player, with great hands, a zippy shot, and some sneaky-good playmaking instincts. Demidov is a legit top-end talent who has clear top-line potential in the NHL. One thing he and fellow Russian super-prospect Matvei Michkov have in common is a difficulty earning minutes in the KHL as a draft eligible player. Demidov sat out many games to start his draft year and has scored tons this year despite his limited minutes. There aren’t many players who can handle the puck quite like Demidov. He leads all U20 players in scoring at the halfway point of the KHL season, and should be a safe bet to hold onto that lead all season. I’m confident he’ll score a ton of points in the NHL, it’s just a question of how effective of a player he can be at even strength given his smaller frame and strange skating stride.
2. Minnesota Wild
Previous Ranking: 5
Top Five Prospects: Jesper Wallstedt, Zeev Buium, Danila Yurov, Liam Öhgren, Caeden Bankier
The Minnesota Wild have had one of the best prospect pools in the NHL for a very long time, dating back to when they had dreams of signing Kirill Kaprizov and were left waiting for a few extra years. Now that he has broken several franchise records and established himself as a superstar in the NHL, the Wild still have a really solid pipeline with offensive talents like Zeev Buium, Liam Öhgren, and Danila Yurov as well as one of the hockey world’s most exciting goaltending prospects in Jesper Wallstedt.
Jesper Wallstedt has been considered to be one of the best goaltending prospects in the NHL for several years now, and he has been excellent in the AHL ever since he made the move to North America. Wallstedt looks like he’ll become a good starting goaltender in the NHL at least, with the potential to be a star. After playing really well in the SHL in both his draft year and the following season, Wallstedt finally tried his hand in the AHL where he quickly showed that his talent is legit and that he may be a force to be reckoned with in the near future. The team hasn’t had the best goaltending over the past year or two, but Wallstedt’s NHL debut last January (2024) suggested that they will need to take the patient route with their top prospect and avoid rushing him.
1. Chicago Blackhawks
Previous Ranking: 10
Top Five Prospects: Artyom Levshunov, Oliver Moore, Frank Nazar, Sacha Boisvert, Sam Rinzel
The Chicago Blackhawks were obviously not going to stick at the top of this list for long after Connor Bedard joined the NHL, but the development of their group and a general lowering of the talent pool after a number of the league’s top prospects entered The NHL has brought them back into the top spot on this ranking. Oliver Moore and Frank Nazar look like potential top-six pieces, while second overall pick Artyom Levshunov looks like a potential top-pairing defender.
Artyom Levshunov has an incredibly exciting toolkit as a big, right-handed defender who skates incredibly well. Levshunov has a very projectable game, with the size, skating, and offense to be a great NHL defender. He plays with a ton of confidence, which can be a bit of a double-edged sword at times. Levshunov’s offensive game is dynamic, with his smooth skating serving as the catalyst for each thing he does well. He’s strong in breakout/entry situations, has some clever stretch passes in his toolkit, and walks the blue line with confidence.
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