Prospect Pool Rankings 17-32
Washington Capitals prospect, Ryan Leonard (Photo via Boston College Athletics)
I have ranked the prospect pools of each NHL team, as of July 2024. It is based off of the current success of the team, how they have drafted, and the talent lined up in their pipeline. Better teams are usually lower on the list, as they trade assets for current players to bolster playoff runs. Here is the bottom half of my list!
32. New York Islanders: Lou seems to have fallen asleep at the helm. The New York Islanders have all but the 2nd round pick in the 2026 draft, for the next three drafts. They have been missing their 1st round selection since 2019, but took Cole Eiserman 20th overall this year. They are the only team to lack a top-100 prospect in their pool, but have the likes of William Dufour, Danny Nelson and Samuel Bolduc in their farm system, who have the potential to make the NHL. Overall, a pool with no overwhelming talent and mediocre on-ice performance in recent years, I have them in last place here. Lou, do something!!
31. Ottawa Senators: Ottawa has been stuck in an in-between for a few years now. Having graduated Jake Sanderson (big-time extension for the youngster, too), Shane Pinto (welcome back!), and Ridly Greig the past year, the Sens are in need of up and coming talent. Tim Stutzle is also a young player, but has cemented himself as a full time NHLer, and therefore has no impact here, but is worth noting. Ottawa lacks a Stutzle-caliber player in the pipeline, and lacks the current talent to compete within the NHL. In the pipeline they have various players who may one day have impact- Carter Yakemchuk (7th overall in 2024 draft!), Zack Ostapchuk and Tyler Kleven to name a few. No recent success and a lack of upcoming talent puts them at 31st on my list.
30. Boston Bruins: The Boston Bruins are currently a solid team, making the playoffs ever year since 2017. With this continued success comes the tradeoffs of the pipeline, as they trade picks and prospects for current pieces. Boston currently posses 17 picks in the next three drafts, including all first round picks, but has made only 27 selections the past five drafts. Fabian Lysell is the bright spot within the Bruins depleted pool, as Mason Loheri, John Beecher and Matthew Poitras have made their way from prospects to current players. Brandon Bussi is not considered a prospect, as he is 26 but is a solid AHL goaltender and could make his way to the NHL level soon. Recent success can explain the shallow prospect pool, but with recent graduation of top prospects leaves them depleted and in 30th here.
29. Tampa Bay Lightning: Another team with the recent success that has left its pool dry (5 picks and a player for Tanner Jeannot ???) but with two cups and three finals appearances in the past five years, Lightning fans cannot be dissapointed. Again, the Lightning have missed out on big draft years due to trading away resoures for current players, but it has worked out for them. In the pipeline, we have Isaac Howard and Ethan Gauthier. Dylan Duke signed his ELC at the end of his NCAA season, and is projected to be a NHL bottom-six forward. The future is understandably bleak for the Lightning, but success has its trade-offs. With the recent successes, but poor management of assets, I have the Lightning at 29th.
28. Pittsburgh Penguins: After a two years missing playoffs and couple first round exits, the Penguins are in an interesting state. Not wanting to let go of their legends (understandable) and move into a rebuild is a choice, but their pool looks better under Dubas than Rutherford. In the past 9 years, they have only drafted 3 players in the first round. However, they have 25 picks in the next three drafts, and a few promising players acquired recently. Brayden Yager was drafted 14th overall in 2023 and is very promising, with a wicked shot and good defensive game as a forward. However, Owen Pickering, 21st overall in 2022, has plateaued since his draft, and has lost stock on the blueline. Players acquired in the Guentzel trade, Vasily Ponomaryov and Ville Koivunen, have a chance to make the NHL as bottom-six forwards. I have the Penguins at __ because they have rebounded from abysmal asset management and set themselves up better for the future, but are still a middle of the road team, both on-ice and in the pipeline.
Brayden Yager (Photo by Chaz Palla, TribLive)
27. Washington Captials: I have Washington only a spot higher than Pittsburgh, even though I think Pittsburgh is the better team. Why? Ryan Leonard. While both teams are mediocre in every sense of the word, Washington was able to draft a great player with the personality to make him a star (watch his BC highlights, you’ll see what I mean). They offered him an ELC when they made playoffs, but he made the choice (the correct one, I might add) to the return to Boston College for his sophmore season. Ivan Miroshnichenko is projected to be a middle-six long-term forward. Like Pittsburgh, the Capitals are riding out the legacies of many of their keystone players, while Ovechkin chases the goal record. While a rebuild will rebound their on-ice performance sooner, other factors are at play here. Again, mediocre, but I have them at 27.
26. New Jersey Devils: The Devils once had one of the strongest pools in the game, but as players age and graduate, they have fallen in the rankings. Luke Hughes, Simon Nemec, and Alexander Holtz (pre-trade) graduated, but have a few promising studs, such as Seamus Casey, who recently signed his ELC. His development will be interesting, as the Devils have many young blueliners who will be fighting for NHL minutes. Arseni Grutsyuk and Lenni Hameenaho are forwards with solid NHL projections, most likely slotting into the bottom 6. As the Devils young stars continue to make steps, their pool will thin (as expected). Their recent graduations have them sitting at 26.
25. Edmonton Oilers: The Oilers (who just hired Stan Bowman) have two of the most dominant forwards in the league right now, and are currently in win-now mode. They have traded away lots of draft picks, and missed on several selections, leading them to have less tools than a fan would desire. They recently acquired Matthew Savoie fromm Buffalo, who should take the next step in his pro career and see NHL minutes. With the addition of promising talent meant the exit as well, as Edmonton sent former top prospect Xavier Bourgault to Ottawa, in exchange for Roby Jarventie, Jake Chiasson and a pick. Sam O’Rielly is also a prospect they traded for, which should bring them upside in the future. With the current success of the team, and management of assets to bring in higher end future talent, I have the Oilers ranked higher than I originally thought, coming in at 25th.
24. Vegas Golden Knights: Another team with lots off on-ice success here. 2023 champions are known for dealing players the way dealers deal cards- quick (rip Fleury, Marchessault, ect.). Not surprising they are lacking the young talent. With David Edstrom traded to the San Jose Sharks for Tomas Hertl, Brendan Brisson, Grigori Denisenko and Lukas Cormier are the next best options. Pavel Moysevich and Carl Lindbom are good goaltender prospects, but both are overseas. Vegas is known to be aggressive with loading up on current talent, so it does not come as a shock that they have a mediocre pool. They do have some talent ready, therefore leading me to put them at 24th.
23. Florida Panthers: The most recent Stanley Cup champions have a decent pool, despite recent successes. Spencer Knight is an interesting case, because he has played NHL games, but entered the NHLPA program, which took him away from the game for a chunk of time. He has since returned to the AHL, but is a fantastic piece for the Panther’s future. Mackie Samoskevich is another player on the path to the NHL, having had a successful first AHL season, as well as Jack Devine, a Hobey Baker nominee and NCAA national champion. Several players who can slot in soon, and plenty of assets still available despite recent successes, I have the Panthers at 23.
Spencer Knight (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)
22. New York Rangers: The New York Rangers have graduated many of their young players into the NHL recently, causing them to fall on this list. They also have a wealth of LW prospects (share the wealth ?) and lack diversity. Brennan Othmann and Gabe Perreault are projected to crack the top-six, while prospects Adam Sykora and Bryce McConnell are most likely bottom-six contenders. Dylan Garand is also a potential NHL goaltender. Other than Othmann and Perrault, the Rangers lack NHL ready talent, and I have them at 22.
21. Toronto Maple Leafs: Toronto is currently within their win-now window (aren’t they always?) and that puts them understandably lower on this list. Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten both took strides in their development and were able to keep the prospect pool afloat with Matthews Knies becoming a full-time NHLer. The Leafs have also thrown themselves into the goaltender game, having spent the past few seasons with issues in net. Artur Akhtyamov and Dennis Hildeby have NHL projections and could one day be the savior Toronto is looking for. I have them at 21 because they are competitive on-ice, but lack top-end talent to maintain this run (outside of Cowan and Minten).
20. Vancouver Canucks: The Canucks have two pillars of their pool, Tom Willander and Jonathan Lekkerimaki. They traded Hunter Brzustewicz to get Elias Lindholm dropped their ranking, but they also have Aatu Raty in the pipeline. For defenseman, Elias Pettersson (the other one) and Kirill Kudryavtsev look to be depth players. They have drafted well recently, and have plenty of players within their AHL farm system, and have rebounded from a low point a few years back. I have them at 20th.
Elias Pettersson (Photo by Amy Irvin, The Hockey Writers)
19. Colorado Avalanche: The Avalanche are in win-now mode, as are most of the teams in the bottom half of my list. Winning the Cup in 2022, their window is very much open but Sakic and MacFarland have set their club up for elongated success with a diverse prospect pool. They drafted nine players in the 2024 draft after several shallow draft years. Top rated prospects include forwards Oskar Olausson, Jean-Luc Foudy and Calum Ritchie, all who have a shot to make the team out of training camp or earn minutes throughout the season. Mikhail Gulyayev was taken this draft, and is a smooth defenseman with a few more years on his KHL deal, but will fit into the Avalanche blue line well. I have the Avalanche at 19 because they lack a true gamebreaker, but don’t necessarily need one, as they have the reigning MVP.
18. Los Angeles Kings: The once highly touted prospect pool has fallen. With Quinton Byfield and Alex Laferriere becoming full-time NHL players, and Alex Turcotte stuck in the AHL, Brandt Clarke is the next best thing. Clarke is one of the best defensive prospects in the game, but there is a significant drop after him. In the AHL, they also have Francesco Pinelli, Martin Chromiak, and Samuel Helenius, all players who have found limited success with the Reign and will need to develop more before seeing NHL ice. I have the Kings at 18, as they have a decent farm team and have drafted well, despite not having much capital in recent years.
17. Dallas Stars: The Dallas Stars have been a force within the NHL for the past few seasons, while somehow maintaining a decent prospect pool. With Logan Stankoven making the jump to the NHL this past season, they have dropped slightly in the rankings, but the likes of Mavrik Bourque (AHL’s MVP), Lian Bichsel, Christian Kyrou, Ayrto Martino and Aram Minnetain are all progressing as may find themselves earning NHL minutes this season. It is impressive to be a consistent on-ice team while maintaining many of your development assets, and I think the Dallas Stars have found a great balance. It will be interesting to see if they make big moves to take the next step towards the Stanley Cup, or if they will continue on the stable path they have been on. I have ranked them at 20th.
