Where do Adam Fantilli, Logan Cooley, Leo Carlsson and other top drafted NHL prospects rank on The Athletic's top NHL prospect list? The Blackhawks lead the way with five ranked prospects in the top 50. Full list ⤵️
The AthleticThis two-piece, twice-a-year project ranks the league’s top 50 drafted skaters and top 10 drafted goalies each offseason and then again at the midseason point.
Six prospects who appeared in the last instalment of this ranking are now considered graduated. They are Quinton Byfield, Cam York, Kirill Marchenko, Matthew Knies, Philip Broberg and Jonatan Berggren. He’s a marvel, with legit 50-goal upside at the next level. He can get a little ahead of the play, and he’s got work to do on his game defensively if he doesn’t want to get hemmed in at the next level, but those are things you live with when it comes to talent as singular as his.Michkov is the best prospect I’ve ever ranked at No. 3 in advance of any draft and the best Russian prospect since Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin back in 2004.
Carlsson’s a big kid who has begun to come into his body , but he’s also got slick handling and finesse for a forward his size, regularly finding his way through traffic or around it by out-waiting defenders one-on-one in shielded puck protection off of his hip.
He’s a beautiful, flowing skater capable of beating defenders off the mark, circling the zone to get defenders watching him with the puck, and manipulating them with his footwork and maneuverability in tight spaces. He’s got an uncanny ability to side-step and hop around oncoming players at speed. He’s got a great sixth sense for timing and spacing around the offensive zone which frees him to accept passes or jumps him onto rebounds.
Hughes is a true star prospect and a breath of fresh air to watch. There’s still the odd brain cramp, but his ability to steer and influence play defensively has come a long way, and he makes transporting pucks and making opposing players miss look too easy and effortless. He’s going to be a neutral zone monster and his game in the other two zones has refined really nicely.It’s no secret that I am — and have been — a fan of Nemec.
Different isn’t necessarily a negative and I think that’s the case with Clarke. All of his little quirks make him the weird, fascinating, gifted player that he is. And I expect his intricacies will make him a special player at the next level, just like they have at every level below it. If he can develop his shot , continue to smooth out his game and make better choices, the potential is there in spades. It has also been nice to see him begin to make more play-ending passes and create a ton of chances to add to his standout transition game as a surprisingly confident carrier and transporter for a big man.
He’s the kind of player who fills the stat sheet and elevates his linemates in subtle ways, while providing shockingly impressive two-way play for a smallish winger. Increasingly, I’ve been impressed by his agility in and out of breaks and cuts . He’ll make plays to the inside from the perimeter on one shift, and then go right to the guts of the ice to make something happen in a congested area the next.
While his catch-and-release is his biggest weapon inside the offensive zone, he does have some quiet creativity inside the offensive zone. Wright blends versatile skill with a heady, detailed game that will allow him to drive a line and be relied upon in all situations down the middle at the next level. He tracks back hard.
The big question with Dvorsky for a while was whether or not he’d be a centre or a winger long-term. After noticeably adding some muscle, a little more speed, and rounding out his game nicely, I think he has shown that he’ll be able to stick down the middle. He wants to hang onto the puck and make plays but he’ll also hurry it up and dominate in and out of give-and-gos. He’s got an impressive one-timer from the right flank and can really lean into and rip his catch-and-release or in-stride wrister to score from the high slot. He has added a ton of strength since arriving at the program so that he can overwhelm junior-level players with his power and speed.
Leonard’s the kind of player who will score, add physicality to a line, and slide up and down a top nine in an NHL lineup while endearing himself to his coaches.We sometimes see draft-eligible D play their full draft year in a professional league. We seldom see them play big minutes in a good league, though — even when they’re on the older side, like Reinbacher was in his with his October birthday.
Stankoven’s got this shuffled, compact stride that rattles him around the ice and requires a lot of energy exertion. But that energy defines his game. He’s strong in puck protection, leaning on his lead knee and pivoting to push under bumps. He’s a fire hydrant for his size, rarely getting knocked off balance. The wide gait to his stride also helps him sidestep defencemen with a head of steam and he has legitimate perimeter speed building quickly through his crossovers.
I like his stick and his ability to use his feet to defend the rush and disrupt play more and more . His hallmark has become his balance over his skates , allowing him to stay stick-on-stick through stops and starts with opposing carriers at a very high level. We all should have seen it coming, maybe, too. When I polled the 2004 U.S. NTDP players for their most underrated teammate, he was basically the unanimous answer.
It was nice to see him really pop as the second-leading scorer to Stankoven in the WHL playoffs this spring. I’m a believer in him becoming a high-tempo, top-six, goal-creation type. He’s an exciting talent, with clear PP1 upside due to his shooting/skill package and clear five-on-five upside because of his skating and motor. Even in games where the points don’t fall, he’s almost always dangerous and threatening on the ice — and he’s seldom going to leave you wanting more.
There aren’t many players who play like Hutson in hockey. I’ve often been asked just how high he would have gone if he were 6-foot-2 or 6-foot-3 and the reality is that he wouldn’t be able to do a lot of what makes him so interesting if he were. He’s a unique player who uses a light stride to create entries and exits, weave past coverage, escape pressure and find or create seams.
Above all else, he’s the kind of player where when you think you’ve put him in a difficult spot or you’ve got him cornered, he’ll show you that he isn’t with a spin , a fake or his sublime vision through layers. He just looks right past what’s in front of him. I expect him to become a dominant offensive defenceman and PP1 QB who can hold his own defensively in the NHL once he gets a little stronger .
His wrister has shown improved pop in the last two seasons. He’s also a quietly feisty player who rises to the challenge in battles to keep sequences alive or skate them away from danger. He’s got a silky first touch, catching difficult passes mid-stride into a planned movement or a cross-ice pass.
And yet, I remain extremely confident in his ability to become a second-line center who provides value in all three zones. Despite his 5-foot-9 frame, he’s built strong, with a sturdy and low center of gravity that allows him to take bumps on offence and play his determined, detail-oriented game on defence .
He’s already a plus-level skater, which helps him escape pressure with his feet, push up ice in control, trail in transition, walk the line, and steer opposing players into tough spots despite not being the biggest guy. Eklund’s biggest strength, though, is the way he navigates on the ice. He slides in and out of space to get open for his shot and plays the give-and-go game effectively. He also makes a lot of small-area plays around the net to attack the slot or play a puck into it, with proper timing, for a teammate. He’s just a clever problem-solver who knows his game and how to play within himself to make something happen from shift to shift.
Despite his diminutive size, he’s also a smarter player off of the puck than he gets credit for and I’ve been struck by how often he’s in the right position above the puck to hold play inside the offensive zone. He’s a ton of fun to watch with the puck on his stick. When you think you’ve got him trapped, you usually don’t. He’s just a natural creator for himself and others who manufactures offence in a variety of ways.
And then he’s got a hard, quick release which rattles off of the heel of his blade and great feel around the net. He’s always in the guts of the ice. He’ll force turnovers on the forecheck. He doesn’t stop working. He’s got slick hands, especially moving laterally. Increasingly, he looks dangerous in transition with the puck. He’s also got great poise in possession inside the offensive zone.
Add in a commitment to the puck retrievals and battles and a strong base knowledge of when to make the simple play and when to attack, and you’ve got a pretty safely projectable top-nine and probably top-six winger at an early age. And don’t confuse completeness for lack of talent, as I think that can often be misconstrued and that is not the case here. He has been leading more rushes and attacking sequences in control this year. You can’t fault his effort level. He’s strong. He can score.
There are times when he can wait too long to make his decisions and I wouldn’t call him super creative, but he makes good choices more often than he’s careless and he has progressed really rapidly. When he’s on, he can control the game in all three zones. I expect him to become an offensively impactful but defensively capable second-pairing guy.
He’s a better skater than he gets credit for and his spatial awareness, reads and effort level help him avoid losing short races. He’s got raw skill that shows up in his great hands. His finishing touch around the net is there in spades, with a hard one-touch shot that he leverages his strong frame to power through when he gets open in the slot.
I still think he’s got legitimate goal-scoring upside. He’s a multifaceted scorer. He’s got natural, midrange finishing ability. He’s got a unique ability to change his angles in a split second and shoot around sticks and feet.
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