His offensive game is impressive for a defender of his size and his skating makes him even more intriguing as an NHL prospect. Yakemchuk has a rocket of a shot, scoring 19 goals last season, something that makes him a true goal scoring threat from the point. He challenges opposing players one-on-one like a forward, constantly setting himself up for these incredible dekes. The problem is, he doesn’t succeed 100% of the time and can put himself in tough positions to recover defensively.
Ivan Miroshnichenko, LW, Washington Capitals
Not only has the Swede improved immensely on defense, but he hit 100 points last year, potting 39 goals and adding 63 assists. Shesterkin came back to Earth a bit after winning the Vezina in 2022, but the Rangers goaltender is one of the best in the crease. The Russian netminder posted a 2.48 GAA, a .916 SV% and 28.1 goals saved above expected. The Rangers rely probably too much on Shesterkin at times, but he has been a reliant backbone for their franchise since coming over from the KHL five years ago.
- He’s difficult to play against mostly because of his mobility and large frame rather than because of his smarts, though he has shown some promise on breakout passes after separating an attacking forward from the puck.
- Some will argue that Sorokin deserved the Vezina last year over Linus Ullmark, but it’s only a matter of when, not if, the New York goaltender earns the honor.
- The Edmonton blue liner’s 27 points only trail McDavid and Draisaitl out of all players, but it’s already the fifth-most points in a single playoff by a defenseman of all time.
- Defensemen accounted for 28 of 100 spots, while nine goalies made the top 100 (and only one in the top 25).
- I’d expect Fox gets at least one more nod for defenseman of the year before his career is over.
- Not only has the Swede improved immensely on defense, but he hit 100 points last year, potting 39 goals and adding 63 assists.
- He has second-pairing potential in the NHL, especially if paired with a solid defensive defender who can make up for his deficiencies on that end.
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Throw him on the left wing, or the right, or down the middle — regardless, Rantanen’s proven able to get to his game and inflict his offensive will . And yet, plying his trade in the shadow of two superstars in Colorado, you could argue he’s flown under the radar relative to what he’s done in this league. Players like these two don’t come around often, and where Brady thrives is in the physicality department. He provides strong offense, and set a new career-high in goals last season, but took a bit of a step back in point production after some nagging injuries throughout the season.
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After ranking sixth last year, Victor Hedman tumbled down the list to No. 23 this year. Hedman’s Tampa Bay Lightning teammate Andrei Vasilevskiy also tumbled out of the top 10, checking in at No. 19 after placing seventh last year. Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey.
NHL Rank: Top-100 player predictions for the 2023-24 season
- There’s been plenty of discourse surrounding the Maple Leafs’ “Core Four.” Over the last two seasons, including playoffs, you can certainly argue Nylander has been the most consistent out of the quartet.
- He has a great shot, but more often than not he scores goals because he slipped his defender and managed to find the space and time necessary to score a goal.
- The 24-year-old is coming off a second consecutive 40-goal campaign, finishing with over 100 points for the first time in his career.
- Miroshnichenko made the move to North America last year, scoring roughly half a point-per-game in the AHL and skating in a handful of NHL games.
- Since his outstanding rookie season, Mat Barzal hasn’t been able to get back to the 85-point mark, but last season he came pretty close.
- His 14 assists are tied for fourth in the league, and his six power-play helpers slot him in the same spot.
- He scored six points in his first six games, but slowed down significantly, finishing the season with 11 points after 63 regular season games.
Had Makar played a full season last year, there’s a chance he would be entering this year as a back-to-back Norris Trophy winner. Nonetheless, Makar enters this season as the league’s best defenseman and a top-three player in the league. He missed 22 games last year with injury, but still managed to finish top-10 in defensemen scoring (66 points) and https://gambibet.org/ one of only two blue liners to put up a point-per-game (1.10). He absolutely torched the MHL this year (2 points per game) and scored 28 points in 17 playoff games. 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.
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As the team pushed closer to making the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons, Larkin was injured and the team fell apart in his absence. Larkin has scored at a point-per-game pace over the last three seasons and has been a very strong defensive presence for the Red Wings over that span as well. On top of being offensively strong, Kempe had excellent possession numbers and played very well defensively. Dustin Wolf has officially taken the reins as the starting goaltender for the Calgary Flames after Jacob Markstrom left this past off-season. He may be an undersized goalie, but his athleticism and positioning make him the best rookie goalie in the National Hockey League. He’s going to face a lot of shots and a lot of adversity, especially on a poor Calgary team.
Liam Öhgren, LW, Minnesota Wild
He is among the best wingers in the league, he has the skating and speed to compete with anybody and adds a physical element to his game to help with puck retrievals. In his very young career, Jason Robertson wasted no time getting himself on the award ballots. In just four seasons in the NHL, he has a second-place finish in Calder voting and has already earned votes for each of the Hart, Lady Byng, and Selke Trophies twice. He is a goal-scoring winger with high-end defensive play and has been one of the most important players on a Dallas Stars team with high aspirations. After his time in Buffalo came to an end, his fresh start with the Golden Knights has been very promising.
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He was among the best defensemen in the league when healthy, but to continue climbing this list, he needs to show he can do it over a full season. He is a very strong two-way defenseman and is neck-and-neck with Alex Pietrangelo for the true top defender for the Vegas Golden Knights. A career-high in goals and points led Travis Konecny to a big eight-year extension, and his importance to the team is very clearly on display.
Dylan Larkin, C, Detroit Red Wings
He was so good, in fact, that he has made the choice to enter the NCAA early, playing as a 17-year-old for Boston University last season. His play in the NCAA was wildly impressive, with him already establishing himself as the best player in all of college hockey. Celebrini’s performance for Team Canada at the 2024 World Juniors was borderline dominant, and he was their best player in the entire tournament despite being a double-underager. His first-touch passing has improved, making him a more dangerous puck carrier in his own end, and his defensive decision making has made him a serious threat on defense. Lamoureux looks like a future NHLer to me at this point, though his offensive play at the pro level will likely decide his ultimate ceiling. Thankfully, his treatment and recovery have been going well and he returned to play the following season.
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After being selected eighth overall by the Red Wings back in the 2022 Draft, Marco Kasper returned to Sweden as a top-six center for Rögle BK (SHL) at age 18. It quickly became clear that he had more offense to give and all he needed was the opportunity to show it off. Without further ado, here is our ranking of the top 100 NHL prospects as well as a few honourable mentions. Nikita Kucherov – who came in at No. 8 last year – appears to be the only member of the Lightning with a chance to remain in the top 10. Centre Brayden Point checked in at No. 17 Thursday, improving his ranking from No. 26 a year ago.
- Not only did he finish fourth in defensive scoring last season, he finished fifth in Norris Trophy voting, and had good defensive numbers while playing 23 minutes per game.
- 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.
- Isak Rosen laced up for exactly 120 professional hockey games by his 20th birthday, and has added quite a few since.
- Hard to imagine at least one of them doesn’t succeed enough to at least give Michigan average goaltending.
- After playing for the University of Minnesota, the Manitoba Moose, Team USA at the WJC, and the Portland Winterhawks over the course of roughly 3 seasons, it was good for him to get some stability last year in the AHL.
- Forsling has four goals and 11 points in these playoffs, more than both Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour, two of his teammates considered to be extra offensive-minded.
- Through the first two rounds of the playoffs, Skinner turned in a .881 save percentage and 5.43 goals allowed above average, according to Natural Stat Trick.
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Even though he didn’t record as many goals last season as the two before, he is still a high-end player for them and is a prime candidate to get back to 35+ goals. He has been a consistent 60-point player who plays with a ton of speed and can be good defensively, but he never gets the high-end minutes he seems to deserve and often doesn’t get top power play unit time. Both are fantastic two-way options and while Theodore produced more offense, Pietrangelo specializes in the defensive department. He blocks a ton of shots, plays excellent defense, and is one of the strongest leaders and mentors in the league. After a bit of a production dip in his sophomore season, Seth Jarvis came into his third season and took huge strides offensively scoring 67 points. He has become an important part of the Carolina Hurricanes’ top-six, and has been an excellent playoff performer for the team, who has struggled to score in the postseason over the last few years.
The Winnipeg goaltender was in trade rumors this offseason after the two sides could not come together to a contract extension, but he’s still their starting goaltender entering this year. The tall UMass Lowell product has been a workhorse for years, and it was no different last year, leading the league in starts while finishing third in Vezina voting. The days of being a perennial MVP candidate may be in the rearview mirror, but the Great 8 is still as entertaining as ever at age 38. He lit the lamp 42 times last season, passing Wayne Gretzky for the most 40-goal season in NHL history with 13. After moving into second on the all-time goal list last year, Ovechkin remains on the hunt for Gretzky’s record. Aho’s rise among the NHL elite took a bit of a bump last year, as he regressed from 81 points to 67.
The top of the Oilers’ lineup, headlined by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, is as loaded as they come. Edmonton has no problem lighting up the scoreboard with so much high-end skill on the ice, but players like Mattias Ekholm give the lineup some balance on the back end too. Bobrovsky was a large reason why the Panthers made its Stanley Cup Final run last season, but, like the team, he ran out of gas against the Golden Knights. The Panthers have limited opponents to 24.4 shots per game, but the Oilers average 28.8. The Panthers are known for their structured systems that make scoring a pain, but at the end of the day, you need an elite goaltender as the last line of defense. Florida’s netminder is 12-5 this postseason with a 2.20 goals-against average, a .908 save percentage, and one shutout.
Prospects #80-71
What I’ve seen from him this year is a natural progression of him getting bigger and stronger, allowing him to dominate the WHL. It’s not just his improved finishing that makes him exciting, it’s his strength, speed, and motor. Columbus already has Adam Fantilli as their 1C of the future, and adding Lindstrom who could conceivably fill the 2C spot will be a huge answer for the team’s future.
- Scott Morrow plays a high-octane style and he’s always quick and decisive in transition.
- With all this talent ready to be debuted, the Calder Trophy race will be as enjoyable as ever.
- Will Smith is an incredibly shifty playmaker who can create high danger plays at will (pun intended) by threading passes through traffic, stickhandling around pressure, or taking a shot of his own.
- The knock on the Maple Leafs is their playoff performances, but with Nylander, he has been one of the best players for them come the post-season.
- The Lightning winger is an elite playmaker who always finds himself among the league leaders in assists.
- He’s extremely deceptive when setting up his teammates and has a very underrated shot.
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His greatest strength is his shot which looks like a quality NHL tool though his skill with the puck is noteworthy as well. The biggest barrier in the way of NHL success for Greentree at the moment is his skating. He’s got okay speed once he gets going, but his first few steps are sluggish and he could use some explosiveness to help him accelerate more quickly. He may not have the offensive skill to wow you, or the size/physicality to excite NHL GMs, but Lindstein has a steadiness and consistency that is so rare for a U20 player.
- At 23, he took it one step further, winning the Rocket Richard with a 48-goal, 95-point outburst, and earning the first Hart Trophy votes of his career, too.
- The Rangers rely probably too much on Shesterkin at times, but he has been a reliant backbone for their franchise since coming over from the KHL five years ago.
- Offensively, he has been consistently around 50 points over the past three seasons, and on the defensive side, he has been very strong for the club.
- Forsling has tallied 31 hits, 23 blocked shots, and 14 takeaways up to this point in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
- While he may not be the most reliable player when it comes to play driving or defensive results, he is an incredibly reliable goal scorer and projects to be a 30+ goal scorer in the NHL someday.
His goal-scoring ability is unmatched in today’s league, and on top of that, he was a nominee for the Frank J. Selke Trophy last season as well. Artemi Panarin had the best season of his career last season and finished fourth in scoring league-wide. He has always been among the most productive wingers around the league, but took a huge step this season scoring 49 goals and shattering his career-high of 31 goals before that. On top of that, it was his first time hitting the 100-point mark, and while he was on pace to do it plenty of times, he hasn’t been able to push that number until now. A career year from William Nylander earned him not only a massive contract extension but also a high spot on this list. He has scored 80+ points in each of the last three seasons and has back-to-back 40-goal seasons.
Add to that his smooth skating, strong work ethic, and strong stick-work defensively and there’s a real chance for him to become an important defenseman for the Blackhawks down the line. There are still several things that need to be addressed before he reaches that level, mainly his hockey sense and decision making, but he’s already come a long way and I expect he’ll make it. Ever since scoring 30 goals as a rookie in the OHL, Colby Barlow has been on my radar as a pro-sized winger with a legit NHL-caliber shot.
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- I see a defender who could become a good offensively minded second-pairing defender who excels in transition.
- Dalibor Dvorsky was very impressive in his draft year against men, playing in HockeyAllsvenskan, the second-tier Swedish professional league.
- Apparently, that time to clear his head worked because Skinner was exceptional in the Western Conference Final, boasting a .922 save percentage and 0.45 goals saved above average.
- His playmaking skills either at full speed or after settling in the offensive zone are impressive and make him a very mobile and shifty threat whenever he has the puck.
- An elusive skater with incredible hands to match, Huston is the definition of a puck, moving defenseman with elite offensive abilities.
- Shane Wright’s biggest obstacle since being drafted has been the NHL/CHL agreement but he was granted an exception last year so he could compete in the AHL despite not being officially eligible.
He is a very intelligent offensive player and can make these great reads and plays at full speed. Catton was phenomenal for Team Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup a year ago as well where he scored 10 points in just five games while captaining Canada to the gold medal. I think his offensive versatility and his potential while attacking off the rush will make him an excellent addition for the Kraken.
Beckett Sennecke is a big winger with very impressive puck skill that allows him to regularly deke through several layers of defense. He was phenomenal for the Generals in the OHL playoffs, who ran out of steam in the OHL final with Sennecke on the sidelines injured. Sennecke has a solid playmaking game, with good enough sense to spot difficult lanes and make smart passes.
Barlow was also named captain of the Owen Sound Attack at just 17 which speaks to his maturity and leadership abilities. Riley Heidt’s excellent acceleration and edge work make him a natural choice as the lead puck carrier for zone entries and he has excelled in that role with the Prince George Cougars throughout his junior career. His playmaking skills either at full speed or after settling in the offensive zone are impressive and make him a very mobile and shifty threat whenever he has the puck. Good habits away from the puck give me some confidence that he’ll become a full-time NHLer as well.
In the ensuing offseason, he was signed by the Canucks and loaned to the SHL where he played with Örebro HK and led all U20 SHL players in goals and points. Lekkerimäki was excellent at the 2024 World Junior Championship for Sweden, scoring seven goals in as many games and winning the award as the tournament’s MVP en route to a silver medal. Cole Eiserman was the 2024 Draft’s premier goal scoring prospect, and he was by far the most polarizing player in the group. He can play physically, but can sometimes get caught chasing hits and losing track of defensive coverage. 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.
He is great at finding open space off the puck and he rewards teammates for passing to him by charging the middle of the ice or ripping a puck mid-stride. Öhgren’s ability to out-work opponents stands out, even at the pro level, and should continue in the AHL next season. David Goyette is finally starting to earn some of the attention that I think he has deserved all along. He’s an excellent skater who doesn’t quit on the play which helps him win a lot of puck battles and races to pucks.