Welcome back to Top Shelf Prospects, the column that brings you the next crop of professional hockey players. As we go through the summer of 2023, each day our LWOS Prospects Writers will bring you a look at one NHL team’s top prospects or other topical article. Be sure to bookmark the site, follow Ben Kerr, Kyle Pereira and Frederik Frandson on Twitter, and spread the word for the site that will bring you analytical and critical profiles and scouting reports! You can find all the articles here as well as our extensive NHL Draft preview. In preparation for the new season, here’s our 2023-24 NHL prospect pool rankings! Today, we look at the teams ranked between 22-32!
NHL Team Prospect Pool Rankings: Part One
32.) New York Islanders
Top Three Prospects: Samuel Bolduc, William Dufour, Danny Nelson
To be fair to the Islanders, their NHL prospect pool rankings are not due to a lack of decent prospects. They have several names in their pool that could reach the NHL one day. The problem, and the biggest reason they find themselves on the bottom of these rankings, is because none of them have much potential. There are concerns about if some of these names will actually stick in the NHL. That’s even true with their top three prospects. Just how long will they stick in the NHL? And how high up the lineup could they reach? It’s too many question marks on an aging team.
31.) Florida Panthers
Top Three Prospects: Mackie Samoskevich, Justin Sourdif, Grigori Denisenko
For the Panthers, their NHL prospect pool has a couple names. For one, Samoskevich does instill some hype into the group. Sourdif and Denisenko are also solid youngsters to have. But the list thins out quickly. What slots them ahead of the Islanders is the potential at the top of the list. But the Panthers do not have much in the way of depth down the chart to compete much with the other pools around the league.
30.) Pittsburgh Penguins
Top Three Prospects: Brayden Yager, Owen Pickering, Samuel Poulin
Similar to the Panthers, the Penguins find themselves near the bottom of the league with their NHL prospect pool because of depth. One could even argue they have less depth than the Panthers. However, names like Yager and Pickering have a ton of potential if they can hit their marks in the NHL. Meanwhile, Poulin looks like a guy who can be a tough NHLer down the line, the kind that other teams wish were on their team. They have a few other names, like Joel Blomqvist and Tristen Broz, who also possess NHL potential. That just edges them over the Panthers for the 30th spot.
29.) Tampa Bay Lightning
Top Three Prospects: Ethan Gauthier, Dylan Duke, Niko Huuhtanen
The Tampa Bay Lightning NHL prospect pool has thinned out considerably over the last several seasons. That’s due to constantly going on deep playoff runs and trading young players for NHL pieces. Despite that, the Lightning have proven to be really good at finding valuable pieces late in drafts. Gauthier, Duke, and Huuhtanen were high upside swings, with Huuhtanen especially proving to be far better than expected. Then there’s other names like Isaac Howard, who had a tough season last year, but possesses good potential. Or other names, like Jack Thompson or Jack Finley, who have pro-style games that could get them decent NHL time in the future. Additionally, with their strong drafting, they’ve managed to maintain some depth to their system. Not a lot, and they don’t have an elite name. But it’s a good job considering the lack of early picks.
28.) Vegas Golden Knights
Top Three Prospects: Pavel Dorofeyev, Brendan Brisson, Kaeden Korczak
Similar to the Lightning, the Golden Knights have been one of the best teams in the NHL for years. That’s led to trades thinning out their NHL prospect pool, as well as later draft picks limiting who they can take. Despite that, Dorofeyev looks like a legitimate NHL prospect, with some real upside to his name. Brisson and Korczak provide high ceilings. The question is if they can translate their skill to the NHL level. Then there are names like David Edstrom, Lukas Cormier, and Daniil Chayka. All of them have upside to their names as NHLers, but still have a lot to prove to reach that next level. Of the thinner pools without a true elite name at the top, Vegas is among the best.
27.) Edmonton Oilers
Top Three Prospects: Xavier Bourgault, Raphael Lavoie, Tyler Tullio
For the Oilers, they too have seen their prospect pool grow thinner. However, with some earlier-than-expected exits and some seasons where they missed the playoffs altogether, they’ve managed to land some names. Bourgault is one of the smartest prospects not yet in the NHL around the league. Lavoie looks to be on the Oilers roster this season, where he could earn some good minutes if he can show off his offence. Tullio is undersized, but looks to be a big steal from the 2021 class. Meanwhile, they’ve also added high upside swings to their NHL prospect pool in recent drafts, with Beau Akey and Matvei Petrov, who strengthen that group further. But it quickly thins out after those names. It is a top-heavy pool, but they have the best names to this point, arguably.
26.) Colorado Avalanche
Top Three Prospects: Calum Ritchie, Sean Behrens, Mikhail Gulyayev
Once again, it’s another highly competitive team with long playoff runs and a Cup ring from recent seasons. The Avalanche NHL prospect pool is still respectable, however. Similar to the Lightning, they have proven to have a strong draft history in recent seasons. Ritchie slipped into the laps of the Lightning in the most recent draft. He has legitimate top-six upside. Then, Behrens has proven with each passing year that teams should not have passed up on him for his size. Gulyayev has massive upside, the epitome of a boom-or-bust, that feels like a good swing. But there’s more to the pool, with Justus Annunen looking like a future NHL goalie. Nikolai Kovalenko also looks like a future NHLer, dominating in the KHL. Other names, like Jean-Luc Foudy and Oskar Olausson looked like great picks in their classes, but have had less-than-impressive recent seasons. Yet, their potential still exists. Suffice to say, the Avalanche have a very respectable group, with some depth to boot.
25.) Boston Bruins
Top Three Prospects: Fabian Lysell, Matthew Poitras, Mason Lohrei
The Boston Bruins NHL prospect pool is full of players they were not afraid to take outside of public expectation. But they also possess the first potentially elite player on this list to this point in Lysell. Lysell slipped quickly in his draft, to the shock of some. But the Bruins should feel lucky to have him. Poitras has paid off in spades for them, as he could earn an NHL role with Lysell this season. Then there is Lohrei, who, when he was picked, earned the look of bewilderment from fans everywhere. He was taken well before the consensus. But again, he has made the Bruins look smarter and smarter each year, and could also earn an NHL role this season. The depth is less-than-stellar in the Bruins system, but they still have some other names like Reilly Walsh and the fan-favorite Brandon Bussi.
24.) Winnipeg Jets
Top Three Prospects: Rutger McGroarty, Colby Barlow, Brad Lambert
Another potentially elite player on this list, the Winnipeg Jets NHL prospect pool is another step up. McGroarty was a favorite amongst scouts in his draft class, and he has only gotten better since he heard his name called on draft day. Barlow is another really strong option, though he isn’t considered to have elite upside. Regardless, he looks like a top-six power forward down the line, something every team could use. Lambert looks like a pro-style prospect who could step into a solid middle-six role down the line. Outside of those guys, the Jets also possess Chaz Lucius, an out-standing goal-scorer. Then there’s Ville Heinola, who has gotten NHL time, but has failed to maintain a role to this point. Nikita Chibrikov has high upside as a playmaker, but needs to keep taking strides in the right direction. Ultimately, the rest of the Jets pool has good upside, but feel a bit too risky to truly project to the NHL. Yet, there’s still upside. Just a tad better than the Bruins for that reason.
23.) Vancouver Canucks
Top Three Prospects: Tom Willander, Aatu Raty, Jonathan Lekkerimaki
The Canucks being this low is disappointing to say the least. While many of the teams behind them have been highly competitive, limiting their drafting options, the Canucks have no such excuse. However, their 2023 pick of Willander adds a high-end defensive prospect to their pool. Then, the trade for Raty last season also aided the group. Lekkerimaki is a great prospect. He may not have elite upside, but he has great traits. But he is coming off a major injury. Adding the two aforementioned names went a long way in getting them within the top-25. Add Arturs Silovs, a solid goalie, and Elias Pettersson (no, not that one), among others, and there’s a little bit of depth, and a good amount of skill.
22.) Ottawa Senators
Top Three Prospects: Ridly Greig, Tyler Kleven, Jacob Bernard-Docker
The Senators NHL prospect pool is amongst some of the worst in the league because of poor drafting. They have taken lesser upside players in the hopes that they can pan out as an NHLer in some capacity. It’s almost as if they’re scared of taking big swings sometimes. Greig should be an NHLer this season, full-time, and he provides a gritty, in-your-face style, but he lacks true top line upside. Kleven is a big defender, who plays a solid all-around game, but again lacks top pair upside. Bernard-Docker was a promising prospect for a time, but he still hasn’t taken that next step, and time is still winding down. Outside of those guys, they have a ton of depth, but no truly elite name. The depth keeps them ahead of several teams, but only just. Sooner or later, they have to make those big swings.
Part Two (21-11)
Part Three (10-1)
Main Photo: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
