{"id":16335,"date":"2017-09-20T08:58:55","date_gmt":"2017-09-20T12:58:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=16335"},"modified":"2025-10-10T22:55:33","modified_gmt":"2025-10-11T02:55:33","slug":"tsp-nhl-organizational-prospect-pool-rankings-top-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2017\/09\/20\/tsp-nhl-organizational-prospect-pool-rankings-top-10\/","title":{"rendered":"TSP: NHL Organizational Prospect Pool Rankings Top 10"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to the 2017 edition of \u201cTop Shelf Prospects\u201d. During the summer, I will feature a team-by-team look at the top prospects in the NHL. I will follow the order of the first round of the NHL draft (as if there were no trades). You\u00a0can find all the articles here<\/a>. Since we had an\u00a0extensive NHL Draft preview<\/a>, I will not be reviewing the players who were drafted this year. There have been no games since then, and my reports on them will not have changed.<\/em><\/p>\n

I will link you to those articles; as well as taking a look at prospects that were acquired before this year\u2019s draft; their progress, and their chances of making the 2017-18 roster.\u00a0<\/em>I will also bring you one sleeper pick \u2013 a player who was either drafted in the 4th-round or later; or an undrafted free agent signing who I pick as a dark horse to make the NHL. 50 NHL games played or being 25 years old is the cut-off for prospects. These are not hard or fast rules though, and I may make some exceptions depending on the circumstances.<\/em><\/p>\n

Part 1 is available here<\/a>.
\nPart 2 is available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

NHL Organizational Prospect Pool Rankings (Top 10)<\/h1>\n

Note: If you click on the team name, you will get a link to a full prospect report on that team. \u00a0The snippets here are just a taste of the information available.<\/p>\n

10. St. Louis Blues<\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n

Ivan Barbashev<\/a> <\/strong>got a taste of NHL action last year. He looks to make the jump full time. The team added first round forwards in Robert Thomas<\/strong> and Klim Kostin<\/strong>, putting some top end talent into the system.\u00a0Oskar Sundqvist<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Zach Sanford<\/strong>\u00a0are two forward prospects added to the pool via trade during the last six months. They join\u00a0Adam Musil<\/strong>,\u00a0Alexei Toropchenko<\/strong>,\u00a0Tanner Kaspick<\/strong>,\u00a0Austin Poganski<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Nolan Stevens\u00a0<\/strong>in the forward pipeline. Sanford spent most of his time, following the trade from Washington, in the NHL. Sundqvist is also very close to NHL ready. At minimum he is an injury fill-in, but could do more in camp.<\/p>\n

The Blues defence has high end talent with Jake Walman<\/strong>, Vince Dunn<\/strong>, and Jordan Schmaltz<\/a><\/strong> all high end prospects who are close to NHL ready.\u00a0Niko Mikkola<\/strong>,\u00a0Petteri Lindbohm<\/a><\/strong>, and\u00a0Tommy Vannelli<\/strong>\u00a0add depth amongst the defence. \u00a0<\/strong>The upside here might be a little limited though. The Blues have a deep, and relatively young defence at the NHL level, and their three top defence prospects all look like good bets to make an NHL impact, so it isn\u2019t too much of a concern today. Look for the Blues to stock the defensive pipeline in future drafts.<\/p>\n

Ville Husso<\/strong> is a top goaltending prospect. In goal, the Blues depth consists of Evan Fitzpatrick<\/strong>,\u00a0Luke Opilka<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Jordan Binnington<\/a><\/strong>. Its an outstanding group of goalies, one of the tops in the NHL. Overall the Blues have done a tremendous job of drafting for a club that always seems to pick late in the first round. The system remains strong.<\/p>\n

9. New York Islanders<\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n

There are a number of high quality forwards in the Islanders system. Mathew Barzal<\/a><\/strong> and Josh Ho-Sang<\/strong>\u00a0are elite level prospects who will compete for NHL spots this year. It is understandable that many are down on Michael Dal Colle<\/strong>. However he is merely 21 years old. Dal Colle may never hit the heights that were expected of him when he was drafted, but he can still develop into a top six forward. The Islanders are also looking for a stronger season from Kieffer Bellows<\/strong>. They also have\u00a0Anatoly Golyshev<\/strong>, and\u00a0Otto Koivula\u00a0<\/strong>developing in Europe. Overall forward depth in the system can certainly be improved though.<\/p>\n

Ryan Pulock<\/a><\/strong> showed strong two-way defensive potential in the 2016 playoffs but couldn’t earn a full-time spot last season. His time is now. Robin Salo<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0Benjamin Mirageas<\/a><\/strong>, and\u00a0Sebastian Aho<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/a>were the Islanders first three picks in the NHL draft as they loaded up on defence. The team also has Devon Toews<\/strong>,\u00a0Mitchell van de Sompel<\/strong>,\u00a0Scott Mayfield<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0David Quenneville<\/b>,\u00a0<\/b>and\u00a0Parker Wotherspoon<\/strong>\u00a0in the system.<\/p>\n

With Ilya Sorokin<\/strong> and Linus Soderstrom<\/strong>, the Islanders have outstanding depth in goal. They are both considered elite goalie prospects.<\/p>\n

8. Tampa Bay Lightning<\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n

In Mikhail Sergachev<\/a><\/strong>, the Tampa Bay Lightning acquired one of the top defensive prospects in hockey this summer. They further added to the defence core with first round pick Cal Foote<\/strong>.\u00a0The Lightning have depth in\u00a0Jake Dotchin<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0Libor Hajcek<\/strong>,\u00a0Erik Cernak<\/strong>,\u00a0Dominik Masin<\/strong>, and\u00a0Ben Thomas<\/strong>. The Lightning have one of the youngest starters in the NHL in Vasilevskiy, so the fact that they do not have a strong goalie prospect ready to play is not a concern. They do have a solid long-term project in\u00a0Connor Ingram<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Up front,\u00a0Brett Howden<\/strong> had an excellent season with Moose Jaw; while Taylor Raddysh<\/strong> impressed with Erie and Team Canada at the World Juniors. Anthony Cirelli\u00a0<\/strong>was another key member of the Otters and Team Canada. Mathieu Joseph<\/strong>\u00a0had a breakout season with Saint John, and also played in the World Juniors. Winger\u00a0Adam Erne<\/a><\/strong> had a strong season in Syracuse, but struggled at the NHL level.<\/p>\n

General manager\u00a0Steve Yzerman<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0has built one of the deepest systems in the game. When most teams would have folded due to a season filled with injuries, the Lightning were able to stay in playoff contention until the final weekend of the season. The Lightning added\u00a0Alexei Lipanov<\/a><\/strong>, and\u00a0Alexander Volkov\u00a0<\/strong>at this year\u2019s draft. They join\u00a0Boris Katchouk<\/strong>,\u00a0Mitchell Stephens<\/strong>,\u00a0Dennis Yan<\/strong>, and\u00a0Matthew Peca<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0as notables in the system.<\/p>\n

7. Vancouver Canucks<\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n

The Canucks have done a really good job of rebuilding their system in recent years. Their top pick of Elias Pettersson<\/strong> is a potential number one centre. He joins top prospect Brock Boeser<\/a><\/strong> as a high end forward on the team, while Olli Juolevi<\/strong> anchors the future on defence. Trade deadline additions Nikolay Goldobin<\/a><\/strong> and Jonathan Dahlen<\/strong> are strong prospects, while Thatcher Demko<\/strong> is one of the best goalie prospects in hockey.<\/p>\n

By drafting\u00a0Michael DiPietro<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0this year, they have added another top notch goalie to the system. The forward group has some depth now. The trade deadline and draft may have been\u00a0Jim Benning<\/a><\/strong>\u2018s best work since taking the reins in Vancouver.\u00a0Kole Lind<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Jonah Gadjovich<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0were solid picks up front, while\u00a0Petrus Palmu<\/strong>\u00a0was a good late round gamble.\u00a0Will Lockwood<\/strong>\u00a0had a solid freshman campaign at Michigan, and Adam Gaudette<\/strong> is excelling at Northeastern.<\/p>\n

On defence,\u00a0Jordan Subban<\/strong>\u00a0keeps scoring at the AHL level. When will the Canucks give him a shot in the NHL?\u00a0Guillaume Brisebois<\/strong>\u00a0also provides defensive depth. Overall though, the Canucks could use another top prospect to join Juolevi on the blueline.<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0Carolina Hurricanes<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n

The Hurricanes had an outstanding 2017 Draft, where we gave them an\u00a0A Grade<\/a>. Martin Necas<\/strong> fills a huge need as a potential first line centre.\u00a0Eetu\u00a0Luostarinen<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0Morgan Geekie<\/a><\/strong>, and\u00a0Stelio Mattheos<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0are also solid picks down the middle. They join Julien Gauthier<\/strong>, and\u00a0Nicolas Roy<\/strong>, two top notch power forward prospects. Meanwhile, Lucas Wallmark<\/a>,<\/strong>\u00a0Janne Kuokkanen<\/strong>,\u00a0Aleksi Saarela<\/strong>,\u00a0Hudson Elyniuk<\/strong>,\u00a0Valentin Zykov<\/a><\/strong>, and\u00a0Warren Foegele<\/strong>\u00a0give great depth at the forward position.<\/p>\n

The Hurricanes have an outstanding defence group that includes Jake Bean<\/strong>, Haydn Fleury<\/strong>, Luke Martin adds to the great young defence the Hurricanes are building, with a number of graduates already at the NHL level. Further defence prospects include\u00a0Roland McKeown<\/strong>,\u00a0Noah Carroll<\/strong>, and\u00a0Trevor Carrick<\/a><\/strong>. In net the Hurricanes also have a good duo with Callum Booth<\/strong> and Alex Nedeljkovic<\/a><\/strong>. The Hurricanes added\u00a0Eetu Makiniemi\u00a0<\/strong>in this year\u2019s draft.<\/p>\n

5. Minnesota Wild<\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n

In Joel Eriksson Ek<\/a><\/strong>, Luke Kunin<\/strong>, Gustav Olofsson<\/a><\/strong>, and Kirill\u00a0Kaprizov<\/strong> the Minnesota Wild have four elite level prospects. The only real question amongst the four is when Kaprizov will come to North America. However the quality in the system really falls off after those four. Not having a pick in the top two rounds of this year\u2019s draft did not help.<\/p>\n

There are some decent projects up front though, with Jordan Greenway<\/strong> as a potential power forward. Dmitri Sokoloff<\/strong> showed big improvements in Sudbury last year. Ivan Lodnia<\/strong> and Mason Shaw <\/strong>were good picks given where they were taken in the draft.\u00a0Andrei Svetlakov<\/strong>\u00a0is another Russian forward that the Wild would like to get to North America. The 21-year-old is signed with CSKA Moscow through the end of the 2019-20 season.\u00a0Mario Lucia<\/strong>\u00a0lost time during his first AHL season due to a broken clavicle. The Wild need to see him take a step forward this year.<\/p>\n

The Wild\u2019s top goaltending prospect is\u00a0Kaapo Kahkonen<\/strong>. The Finnish goalie has good size. He is technically strong, with a polished butterfly technique.\u00a0Steve Michalek\u00a0<\/strong>had a .919 save percentage in 30 AHL games last season. On defence,\u00a0Mike Reilly<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>still qualifies as a prospect. Now 24-years-old, he must solidify his spot in the NHL, or risk being passed by younger players. After moving up prospect charts in 2015-16,\u00a0Gustav Bouramman<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>had a disappointing year in the OHL. He looks to rebound in the AHL.\u00a0Louis Belpedio\u00a0<\/strong>was an honourable mention on the NCHC all-star team. He heads back to the University of Miami (Ohio).<\/p>\n

4. Nashville Predators<\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n

It should not be a surprise that the Predators have a very deep prospect group on the blue line. Dante Fabbro<\/strong>\u00a0is a two-way defender who does everything well. He will spend another year at BU. Alexandre Carrier<\/a> had a strong year in the AHL last season year. He can really move the puck. Samuel Girard<\/strong> is an undersized, offensive dynamo.\u00a0Frederic Allard<\/strong>\u00a0is another smooth skating offensive rearguard from the QMJHL. He moves to the AHL this year.\u00a0Jack Dougherty<\/strong>\u00a0is a defensive defenceman coming up through the system. Other defenders to watch include\u00a0Trevor Murphy<\/strong>, and\u00a0Joonas Lyytinen<\/strong>. David Poile continued to add to the system, taking\u00a0David Farrance<\/a><\/strong>, and\u00a0Jacob Paquette<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>in this year\u2019s draft.<\/p>\n

Up front, Eeli Tolvanen<\/strong> slipped to the end of the first round. The Predators were thrilled to get a player of his talent at that position. Pontus Aberg<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and \u00a0Frederick Gaudreau<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>made names for themselves in the playoffs. Aberg could fill a second line role, while Gaudreau projects as more of a grinder long-term. Vladislav Kamenev<\/a><\/strong> is a two way centre who is close to NHL ready, but not quite. Yakov Trenin<\/strong> makes the jump from the QMJHL to AHL.\u00a0Victor Ejdsell\u00a0<\/strong>is a big centre the Preds signed as a free agent. He had a monster season in the Allvenskan. We\u00a0looked at him here<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0Grant Mismash<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>can play a power forward game. The Predators drafted him this year.\u00a0Tyler Moy<\/strong>,\u00a0Rem Pitlick<\/strong>,\u00a0Justin Kirkland<\/strong>,\u00a0Patrick Harper<\/strong>, and\u00a0Anthony Richard\u00a0<\/strong>provide organizational depth.<\/p>\n

While Juuse Saros<\/a><\/strong> is a prospect for the purpose of these rankings, he is now a full-time NHL player. Te Predators need another prospect goalie in the system.\u00a0Konstantin Volkov<\/strong>\u00a0is a 2016 draft pick who is developing in Russia.<\/p>\n

3. New Jersey Devils<\/span><\/a><\/h2>\n

The Devils have really improved their prospect depth in recent years. They are looking very strong up front, and have some excellent depth. They got the first overall pick in the draft and took Nico Hishier<\/strong>. He is a dynamic centre, with outstanding skill. Last year’s first round pick Michael McLeod\u00a0<\/strong>shows outstanding skating ability and had a huge OHL playoff for Mississauga. Centre\u00a0John Quenneville<\/a> <\/strong>had a strong season in the AHL last year and a cup of coffee in the NHL. He hopes to make the team full time.<\/p>\n

Jesper Boqvist<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0Nikita Popugaev<\/strong><\/a>, and\u00a0Fabian Zetterlund<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0also improved the team\u2019s forward depth at this year\u2019s NHL Draft.\u00a0Blake Speers<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0is another talented winger in the system. He should make the jump to the AHL this season.\u00a0Joey Anderson<\/strong>\u00a0is a 2016 pick who had a solid season at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. 2016 second rounder\u00a0Nathan Bastian\u00a0<\/strong>had a bit of a disapointing season though, he is young enough that he could bounce back.\u00a0Brandon Gignac<\/strong>\u00a0had a decent season in the QMJHL. Meanwhile,\u00a0Nick Lappin<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0had plenty of time with the Devils last season, and could take a bottom six role this year.<\/p>\n

The Devils are also solid in goal where\u00a0Ken Appleby<\/strong>,\u00a0Gilles Senn<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Evan Cormier\u00a0<\/strong>provide depth behind top prospect MacKenzie Blackwood<\/strong>. However the defence lacks a top notch puck moving prospect.\u00a0Damon Severson<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0is young and can take that role at the NHL, but this should be a focus for the Devils as they build their prospect pool going forward. Yegor Rykov<\/strong> has potential but is signed for two more years in the KHL.\u00a0Steve Santini<\/strong> is a solid prospect, but is more of a defensive defenceman.<\/p>\n

2. Arizona Coyotes<\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n

Clayton Keller<\/a><\/strong> is an elite offensive talent and early season Calder Trophy Candidate.\u00a0Dylan Strome<\/a><\/strong> has the size and skill to be a potential top line centre in the NHL. He is NHL ready now, and all indications are that he will make the Coyotes roster this fall. Christian Fischer<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0plays a power forward style, driving the net, getting in quickly on the forecheck, and battling for loose pucks along the boards. He has really improved since being drafted. Nick Merkley<\/strong> is ready to jump from the WHL to the AHL this year.\u00a0Up front they also have\u00a0Ryan MacInnis<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Jens Looke<\/strong>; and then added key prospects in\u00a0MacKenzie Entwistle<\/strong><\/a>, and\u00a0Nate Schnarr<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0on draft day.<\/p>\n

On defence, Kyle Wood<\/strong> had an excellent season in Tucson and allowed the team to move Anthony DeAngelo<\/a><\/strong> in a trade to the Rangers. They added Pierre-Oliver Joseph<\/strong>, a strong two-way defender who needs to add muscle, in the first round of this year’s draft.\u00a0Cam Dineen<\/strong>\u00a0had a disappointing season. He must bounce back from the injury filled year but still has high end talent.\u00a0Kyle Capobianco<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Dysin Mayo<\/strong>\u00a0are intriguing prospects. 2017 picks\u00a0Filip Westerlund<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0\u00a0Cameron Crotty<\/strong><\/a>, and\u00a0Noel Hoefenmayer<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0provide depth. \u00a0In net,\u00a0Adin Hill<\/strong>\u00a0had a strong season in Tucson, and\u00a0Marek Langhamer<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>has proven dependable as his back-up.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    Philadelphia Flyers<\/span><\/a><\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The Flyers have built a system that is deep at nearly every position. They got the second overall pick in the draft and took Nolan Patrick<\/strong>, who we had as our top rated prospect pre-draft. Winger\u00a0Oskar Lindblom<\/strong> comes to North America this year and could make an NHL impact.\u00a0Tanner Laczynski<\/strong> had a strong season with Ohio State. The Flyers also have\u00a0German Rutsov<\/strong>,\u00a0Mikhail Vorobyev<\/strong>,\u00a0Pascal Laberge<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Morgan Frost<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0at centre. On the wing\u00a0Nicolas Aube-Kubel<\/strong>,\u00a0Wade Allison<\/strong>,\u00a0Cole Bardreau<\/strong>,\u00a0Isaac Ratcliffe<\/strong><\/a>, and\u00a0Matthew Strome<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>all have a chance to develop into NHL players.<\/p>\n

    The Flyers blue line has been a particular source of strength in recent years with Ivan Provorov<\/a><\/strong> and\u00a0Shayne Gostisbehere<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>already making NHL impacts. While they are no longer considered prospects, the team still has top prospects on the blue line with Philippe Myers<\/strong> and Travis Sanheim<\/strong>. Fellow defenders\u00a0Sam Morin<\/strong>,\u00a0Robert Hagg<\/a><\/strong>, and\u00a0Mark Freidman<\/strong>\u00a0could become excellent depth pieces.<\/p>\n

    In goal, Carter Hart<\/strong> is one of the top goalie prospects in the world.\u00a0Anthony Stolarz<\/a><\/strong>, was good in a small sample at the NHL level last year. He should be NHL ready soon.\u00a0Alex Lyon, Matej Tomek,\u00a0Kirill Ustimenko<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Felix Sandstrom<\/strong>, provide plenty of depth.\u00a0<\/strong>The Flyers have the best prospect group in the league. They also own the St. Louis Blues 2018 first round pick (lottery protected), so things could get even better going forward.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Welcome to the 2017 edition of \u201cTop Shelf Prospects\u201d. During the summer, I will feature a team-by-team look at the top prospects in the NHL. I will follow the order of the first round of the NHL draft (as if there were no trades). You\u00a0can find all the articles here. Since we had an\u00a0extensive NHL […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13094,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[309],"tags":[107,136,221,243,151,491,475,126,2148,39,42,298,158],"class_list":["post-16335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nhl-top-prospects","tag-arizona-coyotes","tag-carolina-hurricanes","tag-minnesota-wild","tag-nashville-predators","tag-new-jersey-devils","tag-new-york-islanders","tag-nhl-prospects","tag-philadelphia-flyers","tag-scouting-reports","tag-st-louis-blues","tag-tampa-bay-lightning","tag-top-shelf-prospects","tag-vancouver-canucks"],"modified_by":"Michael Kovacs, ADMIN","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16335","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16335"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16335\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":475812,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16335\/revisions\/475812"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13094"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}