Rachel Doerrie, ESPN
The 2024-25 NHL season has begun, which means it’s time for another set of rankings of all 32 teams’ prospect pipelines — and how the business of the offseason changed those rankings compared to April’s edition.
In several cases, prospects are getting a nine-game look at the NHL level before their team must decide whether to send them back to the Canadian junior leagues. The rest have already begun their seasons there or in the NCAA or other leagues worldwide. To qualify as a prospect for this list, the player must be under 23 years old and have his rights owned by an NHL team.
Players expected to be on the NHL roster for most of the NHL season are not considered in the pipeline. Notable players fitting that description include Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Matvei Michkov, Cutter Gauthier, Shane Wright, Logan Stankoven, Brandt Clarke and Rutger McGroarty.
The Bruins find themselves at the bottom of the rankings, specifically after Matthew Poitras and Mason Lohrei graduated last season. The Bruins were able to add Dean Letourneau in the draft, and he joins Fabian Lysell as the only two forwards projected to play in more than 200 games in a meaningful capacity.
Outside of that, the Bruins lack prospects who are expected to reach the 200-game threshold in the NHL, a consequence of sustained success over two decades.
The Lightning haven’t drafted much in the past five seasons, and it shows. The acquisition of Conor Geekie in the offseason via the Mikhail Sergachev trade gives Tampa Bay a prospect expected to play a middle-six scoring role in the NHL. Meanwhile, Isaac Howard and Ethan Gauthier are expected to become NHL regulars, with Howard expected to fit in a secondary scoring role.
If Gabriel Szturc and Dylan Duke can continue to develop with Syracuse, they could be reliable bottom-six options in the future.
When you consistently trade away draft picks and don’t hit home runs on the ones you keep, you end up with bare cupboards.
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Then again, there’s little to complain about in general, because the Oilers have two of the best players in the league and are firmly in their contention window.
The acquisition of Matthew Savoie and Roby Jarventie through trade and Sam O’Reilly in the draft added quality up front. Those three are young players who will need to step up on Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl’s wings.
After Edmonton lost Philip Broberg to an offer sheet, Beau Akey is the player in the Oilers’ pipeline with the best chance to play a top-four role in the NHL. There’s more here than in previous seasons, and the Oilers are hoping their current superstars can elevate the play of those prospects as they filter into the lineup.
Carter Yakemchuk is far and away the best prospect in the pool; he’s the only prospect expected to be a true difference-maker in this pipeline. Outside of Yakemchuk, who looks like a blue-chip defender, Zack Ostapchuk projects to be a reliable bottom-six player. Tyler Boucher continues to be perplexing and is likely to top out in a bottom-six role as a physical, forechecking presence.
Tomas Hamara and Xavier Bourgault have NHL projections as depth players, and could improve their stock with continued development in Belleville this season.
Given how the Golden Knights’ habit of trading their prospects and picks, it is somewhat shocking that this group isn’t ranked last. They traded David Edstrom to San Jose in the Tomas Hertl swap, and drafted Trevor Connelly to replace him in June. Connelly has tremendous talent; if he can mature on and off the ice, he’s got a chance to be a real difference-maker.
Outside of that, forward Brendan Brisson and defenseman Lukas Cormier are the prospects with the best chances to become middle-of-the-lineup players at their respective positions. Matyas Sapovaliv projects as a middle-six winger with modest confidence, but is most likely a third-line player in the NHL. Carl Lindbom is a noteworthy goaltending prospect, but there is not a lot in the nets in the Vegas pipeline.
Keeping with the organization’s modus operandi, there’s a greater chance most of these guys are traded than play 200 games in Vegas.
The Panthers won the Stanley Cup and therefore, there is a moratorium on their fans complaining about prospects for a couple seasons. Often, the price of winning includes trading away picks and prospects, and that’s the case here too.
Mackie Samoskevich graduates to the big club this season, leaving a big hole in the pipeline. Justin Sourdif and Jack Devine are both projected to be serviceable, bottom-six players, and Gracyn Sawchyn has a less confident projection as a middle-six player. The development of Sandis Vilimanis and Marek Alscher last season present good depth options for Florida if they continue to progress in the AHL this season.
The Islanders’ prospect pipeline lacked an impact player until Cole Eiserman fell into their laps at the draft in June. He is projected to be a true scoring threat in the NHL, something this system has lacked for years.
Jesse Pulkkinen was a solid selection at No. 54, and projects to be a top-four, all-situations defender. Calle Odelius and Danny Nelson project to be reliable middle-of-the-lineup players who should fit well in Patrick Roy’s offensive system. William Dufour, Matthew Maggio and Alex Jefferies are potential depth options, but are likely to be bubble players.
The Islanders’ prospect pool improved with the additions of Eiserman and Pulkkinen, and they will need both to play meaningful roles in the near future.
The Penguins haven’t had a strong prospect pool in two decades, probably because they’ve won a few Stanley Cups and have had three first-ballot Hall of Famers on their roster for the duration of that time.
Owen Pickering is projected to play NHL games, but he is going to need to take some major development steps to be the impact defender the Penguins projected when they drafted him in 2022. Tristan Broz is on his way to becoming a middle-six offensive contributor, and he will look to find his groove in the AHL after leaving Denver. Ville Koivunen provides a boost to the pipeline and has a shot to be a bottom-six player. Joel Blomqvist offers a good option in goal and will see limited action in the NHL this season.
Calum Ritchie is the lone exciting forward prospect, and he projects to be a middle-six play driver at the NHL level. Ritchie scored a highlight-reel goal in the preseason and has developed into a two-way threat in the middle of the lineup. He’s starting the season with the NHL club but should be sent down barring an extraordinary performance.
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Sean Behrens and Mikhail Gulyayev are both noteworthy prospects, with Gulyayev projected to be an impact defender.
Two impact players are why Colorado is ahead of a few other teams who have more prospects, as those two are both expected to be cornerstone pieces of the future. Behrens, Oskar Olausson and Jean-Luc Foudy are expected to play NHL games, but their projections are less confident as their development plateaus.
The Kings’ pipeline has taken a bit of a hit because of the graduations of Alex Laferriere, Alex Turcotte and Brandt Clarke.
Liam Greentree is a good addition to the prospect pool, and represents Los Angeles’ best chance at an impact player. The Kings have projectable depth players in Koehn Zimmer, Francesco Pinelli, Kenny Connors and Samuel Helenius. Zimmer is the best of that bunch and should fill a third-line role in the next few years.
But for the first time in recent memory, the Kings lack a true top-tier prospect and will need to rely on developing the current stable to fill the lineup.
The Stars have made it their modus operandi to extract value out of late first-rounders and middle-round picks. They lack depth in the prospect pool but have a few players who are expected to play major roles at the NHL level. The fall in the rankings (they were No. 18 in the spring) is directly related to the graduations of Logan Stankoven and Mavrik Bourque.
Lian Bichsel and Emil Hemming are the top names in the pool, and both are expected to play middle-of-the-lineup roles. Defensemen Christian Kyrou and Aram Minnetian have chances to play meaningful games, but they have less confident projections.
Dallas might not have the highest prospect pipeline value, but if there is one team capable of developing future stars, it is the Stars.
Tom Willander and Jonathan Lekkerimaki are the prized prospects of the pool, with Lekkerimaki representing the best shot for a true impact player in the top six. Willander didn’t have the season the Canucks had hoped for in 2023-24, but he is comfortably projected to become a reliable second-pairing option and should take a major step forward this season. Both players carry tremendous value at their respective positions, and are more likely to be impact players than not.
Elias Pettersson (the defenseman) and Kirill Kudryavtsev have fair shots to be depth defenders, providing good value for the selections.
Easton Cowan took a leap last season, to the point where quite a few in hockey circles opined he’d be a top-15 pick in a 2023 redraft after going No. 28 in the actual one. The Leafs have needed a player to match up against players like Brad Marchand and the Tkachuks in the Atlantic Division, and while Cowan is unlikely to hit that level, his play style is a rare commodity.
Artur Akhtyamov is a real possibility to be starting in goal for the Leafs in the next few years. Fraser Minten needs another big season to cement himself as a middle-six possibility, but the talent is there. Ben Danford and Topi Niemala are valuable defenders, and while Niemala might not fit under Toronto’s new management, he has value around the league. Nikita Grebyonkin caught the eyes of many in the preseason and is likely to be a depth player for the Leafs in the next year or so.
The Leafs have quality prospects at every position, something they will need if they are to have success given their current salary cap situation.
The Devils continue to draft well, specifically in the early rounds. Seamus Casey is starting the season with the Devils but might head back to the AHL when other players on the blue line get healthy. He is projected to be a No. 4 or No. 5 defenseman as soon as next season.
Anton Silayev, this year’s first-rounder, is a great addition to the pool as a big, rangy defender who can balance out the team’s soft skill on the blue line. Arseni Gritsyuk and Lenni Hameenaho have fair NHL projections as middle-of-the-lineup players.
The Devils are a young team with exciting players, and their fall in the rankings is more a function of graduations of players such as Simon Nemec. They are set up for long-term success at all positions.
Cutter Gauthier is gone, and Matvei Michkov is with the big club. The top two prospects are no longer in the pipeline, and Jett Luchanko is starting the season with the Flyers (though I’d be surprised if he played all season in Philly).
Oliver Bonk and Emil Andrae represent a bright future on the Flyers’ blue line. The Flyers have three potential middle-six players in Denver Barkey, Elliot Desnoyers and Massimo Rizzo, with all three projected to contribute in the next two or three years. In goal, the Flyers have two intriguing prospects in Alexei Kolosov and Carson Bjarnason.
The Flyers have quite a bit of talent in the pipeline at each position, with much of the attributed value at the goaltending position.
The Caps’ pipeline lacks depth but has a few gems. Ryan Leonard is one of the best prospects outside of the NHL and projects to be a long-term player in the top six who impacts the game at both ends of the ice. He’s not Tom Wilson 2.0, but he certainly fits the mold of a skilled player who drives opponents nuts.
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Ivan Miroshnichenko and Hendrix Lapierre have shown they can make an impact at the NHL level, and both come out of the pipeline given their expected NHL roles this season. Andrew Cristall is a high-risk, high-reward player whose projection is less confident, but his ceiling is as a top-six playmaker. The recent addition of Terik Parascak gives the Caps another skilled forward with top-six potential. Jake Karabela has tools to become a bottom-six NHL player if he continues to develop at the current pace.
The Caps have two defensemen projected to play consistently at the NHL in Ryan Chesley and Vincent Iorio, but they lack a true blue-chip defender in the pipeline.
The Jets have multiple forward prospects expected to be top-nine impact players. Colby Barlow, Chaz Lucius and Brayden Yager are projected to be middle-six players. Brad Lambert is a high-risk, high-reward player and projects to play in a secondary scoring role. Kevin He has some projectable NHL-caliber tools and is worth monitoring over the next few years.
Two Swedish defensemen, Elias Salomonsson and Alfons Freij, could play in depth roles for the Jets, with Freij having a fair chance at a second-pairing role with good development.
Zayne Parekh leads the way and buoys the Flames’ prospect pool value in a significant way. He’s projected to be a top-pairing offensive dynamo in the NHL.
Samuel Honzek, Andrew Basha and Matvei Gridin all have fairly confident second-line projections. Luke Misa and Aydar Suniev have top-nine NHL projections with variance.
Outside of Parekh, the blue line has a few notable prospects in Hunter Brzustewicz, Henry Mews and Jeremie Poirier all having NHL potential. Brzustewicz and Poirier have the strongest NHL projections, as both are projected to play No. 4 or No. 5 roles at the NHL level with continued development.
The Rangers lack depth, but their top prospects are expected to be difference-makers. Gabe Perreault and Brennan Othmann are both projected to play offensive roles in the middle of the lineup.
Perreault had an incredible season with Boston College in the NCAA and should become a top-six player, with a decent chance to become a top-line scoring winger. He will be a key member of the Rangers’ offensive scheme for years to come. Othmann isn’t quite ready yet after a good first AHL season, and he projects to be a third-line player that plays both special teams.
EJ Emery is the key prospect on the blue line; he comfortably projects as a top-four defender. Other notable prospects include Bryce McConnell-Barker, Adam Edstrom, Adam Sykora, Brett Berard and Victor Mancini, who are expected to have solid seasons in the AHL.
The Predators skyrocketed up the list when Barry Trotz stated they would draft players with star potential — and followed that up by taking Matthew Wood and Tanner Molendyk in 2023. However, the trade of Yaroslav Askarov, who is arguably the best goaltending prospect in the game, is a big loss to the pool value.
Outside of Wood and Molendyk, who have solid NHL projections toward the top of the lineup, the Preds have good depth. Adding Egor Surin and Teddy Stiga to Fedor Svechkov, Zachary L’Heureux and Joakim Kemell gives the Predators more than a few darts at the board when it comes to the middle of their lineup. Losing Askarov is a calculated risk, but the Preds are well set up to score goals for quite some time.
The Blues are loaded with NHL forward talent and drafted Adam Jiricek this summer, a player with incredible potential on the blue line.
Dalibor Dvorsky, Jimmy Snuggerud, Zach Dean and Zachary Bolduc are all expected to contribute offensively at the NHL level. The combination of those four players brings a blend on scoring, dynamic transition play, playmaking and forechecking. Add Otto Stenberg, a two-way player who controls the pace of game, and Adam Jecho, a player with skill and size, and the Blues have six players projected to be impactful in top-nine roles.
The Blues lack that level of talent on the blue line aside from Jiricek, with Theo Lindstein representing the best chance at developing into a middle-pairing defenseman. The value is clearly with the forward group, one that could be really good for years to come.
The Kraken have quite a few interesting prospects that are expected to be impactful at the NHL level, led by Berkly Catton, a skilled center who piles up points.
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Beyond Catton, the Kraken have Eduard Sale, Jagger Firkus, Carson Rehkopf, David Goyette and Jani Nyman, all of whom have fair NHL projections in middle-six roles.
The back end is loaded with prospects, with Ryker Evans, Lukas Dragicevic and Caden Price projected to play consistently in the NHL. Niklas Kokko is a good prospect in goal with a reasonable NHL projection.
The Kraken have built themselves quite the prospect pipeline, with lots of players who should make an impact in the NHL in the next two to three seasons.
The Canes are routinely in the “winners” conversation after every draft because they pick high-ceiling players with tons of skill.
The most impactful players in their system are on defense, with Alexander Nikishin expected to be a top-pairing defenseman in the next few years, and the recently signed Scott Morrow projecting to be a solid, second-pair option. Dominik Badinka is another interesting defender who is further away from NHL-readiness but is projected to be a good depth defender.
The Canes have good depth up front, with Bradly Nadeau projected to be a second-line scorer while Jackson Blake and Gleb Trikozov are expected to play top-nine roles.
With three prospects at each skating position expected to be impactful to varying degrees, and depth in the form of Felix Unger Sorum, Nikita Artamonov and Jayden Perron, the Canes’ prospect pool remains strong.
After graduating Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther last season, and trading Conor Geekie at the draft, Utah is in a different spot than their previous life as the Arizona Coyotes. New owners who want to win allow the league’s newest club to leverage their deep prospect pool to acquire impactful NHL players.
The pipeline is now headlined by Tij Iginla, Cole Beaudoin and Dmitry Simashev, who are all projected to be impactful NHL players. Julian Lutz and Daniil But are intriguing prospects but lack a confident offensive projection.
On defense, Maveric Lamoureux has developed nicely and should fit in a depth role, and Michael Hrabal is projected to be an NHL goalie.
Utah has a stocked prospect cupboard that can be leveraged in trades to make the NHL roster better, and they are not far away from being a real problem in the Western Conference.
It’s usually helpful when you have back-to-back high lottery picks, and that description fits Chicago. Artyom Levshunov — the No. 2 pick this summer — has all the makings of a top-pairing defender, joining Kevin Korchinski as another impact defender in the pipeline. Oliver Moore and Frank Nazar are head and shoulders above the other forward prospects, with both projected to be top-six offensive contributors.
Beyond Levshunov and Korchinski on the blue line, Sam Rinzel and Nolan Allan are projected to become depth NHL players. Chicago’s prospect pool gets a boost in goal with Adam Gajan and Drew Commesso, who have a fair chance of becoming NHL goaltenders.
They have potential impact players at every position in the pipeline, with good depth when Sacha Boisvert, Marek Vanacker, Ryder Rolston, AJ Spellacy, Ethan Del Mastro and Wyatt Kaiser are considered.
The Sabres use a distinct blend of analytical tools and scouting to approach the draft, and very clearly, approach every pick with the “best player available” mantra. As a result, they have a well-rounded pool that includes Devon Levi in goal, Maxim Strbak and Gavin McCarthy on defense, and a litany of high-value forwards in Jiri Kulich, Noah Ostlund and Konsta Helenius.
Trading Matthew Savoie to Edmonton drops them in the rankings, as does the graduation of Zach Benson.
They have projectible NHL players at every position, four potential impact players and good depth to complement the talent on their NHL roster. Buffalo is set up for long-term success but needs to start translating the value into wins at the NHL level.
I’m not quite sure what magic potions director of amateur scouting Judd Brackett and his staff are using to consistently extract value out of the draft, but every year they snag two or three players well past where they should be selected.
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Zeev Buium and Aron Kiviharju were those two players in 2024, and the Ryder Ritchie selection at No. 45 was a solid one, too. The Wild have signed the highest percentage of their draftees to entry-level contracts since 2020.
Jesper Wallstedt leads the way in this group, as he looks like Minnesota’s goalie of the future after signing his new contract. Up front, the Wild have Danila Yurov, Marat Khusnutdinov, Riley Heidt, Charlie Stramel and Ritchie as projected top-nine players.
Buium is the jewel of the blue line, along with Carson Lambos and Daemon Hunt in the group. The three have confident projections as a top-pair, second-pair and No. 4/5 defenseman, respectively.
The Wild continue to draft incredibly well, which is why their value does not drop with the graduations of Liam Ohgren and Marco Rossi.
The Ducks have been a top drafting team for over a decade, so there is no surprise they remain in the top 5 here. The Ducks have prospects at every position that are high-end, with 2024 No. 3 pick Beckett Sennecke headlining the pipeline. With Sennecke and Olen Zellweger adding to a young NHL core that includes Leo Carlsson, Mason McTavish, Cutter Gauthier, Pavel Mintyukov and Lukas Dostal, the Ducks are primed for years of success.
On the back end, Stian Solberg joins Tristan Luneau, Tyson Hinds and Noah Warren as defenders who are projected to fit in bottom-two pairings. Nathan Gaucher and Sasha Pastujov could be good depth pieces up front, with Calle Clang and Tomas Suchanek as reasonable depth options in goal.
The value of the Ducks’ pool is on defense, with five players expected to make the NHL in varying roles.
The Red Wings have collected some top talent in recent drafts, giving them the fourth-most-valuable prospect pool.
Simon Edvinsson and Axel Sandin-Pelikka are both projected to be impactful top-four defenders in the next two years. William Willander and Shai Buium are two other candidates who could be depth defenders at the NHL level.
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and Nate Danielson should become middle-six players, with Marco Kasper making the leap to the NHL lineup.
Both Sebastian Cossa and Trey Augustine are solid options in goal and provide the Red Wings with depth at the position.
Five of the players in the Red Wings pool are projected to be impactful NHL players, and three more are projected to be serviceable NHL depth. There is a lot to like about Detroit’s future with the level of prospects they have at each position.
Montreal passed on Matvei Michkov in the 2023 draft, but it wasn’t going to pass on Ivan Demidov. Adding Demidov to a pipeline that has Lane Hutson and David Reinbacher on the blue line is tidy work. Demidov is projected to be a star at the NHL level, and will be a key piece of Montreal’s scoring.
Hutson looks as if he’s going to be a difference maker offensively at even strength and running the power play. Reinbacher’s development is a concern given his injuries, but he has the talent to become a solid top-four defender.
Michael Hage is off to a good start with Michigan, and has a good chance to be a middle-six offensive contributor. Filip Mesar, Owen Beck and Joshua Roy all project as reliable bottom-six contributors. Jacob Fowler’s development has been outstanding and while goaltenders are harder to project, he could be Montreal’s goalie of the future if he continues on his current trajectory.
The Blue Jackets’ prospect pool is loaded with skill and depth. The strength of the prospect pool is on the blue line, with blue-chip prospects in David Jiricek and Denton Mateychuk, who are confidently projected to be top-four defenders. Stanislav Svozil, Charlie Elick, Corson Ceulemans and Samuel Knazko project to be No. 4/5 defenders with reasonable confidence.
Up front, adding Cayden Lindstrom is a big boost. He and Adam Fantilli will be a strong duo down the middle for years to come. They’ve added quite a few skilled forwards to the pool in recent drafts by selecting Gavin Brindley, Jordan Dumais and Luca Del Bel Belluz, who have all developed well and are not far off from contributing in the middle of Columbus’ NHL lineup.
When a prospect pool has three projected stars, four players projected to be impactful and depth behind them, that is a lot of value.
There is quite a bit to be excited about in San Jose, and while the current team is tough to watch, help is on the way.
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The Sharks’ prospect pool got a big boost with the drafting of defenseman Sam Dickinson and acquisition of goaltender Yaroslav Askarov. Add Quentin Musty and Mattias Havelid to the group and the Sharks have plenty of talent with which to surround Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith. Every player mentioned has the potential to be a difference maker at the NHL level.
Outside of that, the value of the pool is buoyed by the presence of Luca Cagnoni on the back end, and several potential middle-six players in Filip Bystedt, Daniil Gushchin and Thomas Bordeleau. The strength of the Sharks’ prospect pool is in the forwards, but the addition of Askarov and Dickinson will make the Sharks a formidable opponent in the next few years.
There are a lot of baby sharks on the way who could turn the Shark Tank back into a feeding frenzy for years to come.