The NHL’s Top 100 Prospects Preseason Rankings NHL News, Analysis & More

He was great in the MHL last year, even earning himself a five game tryout in the KHL as a 17-year-old. Chernyshov plays a very direct style, charging the net frequently whether he has the puck or not. He has had a rather slow start to this year production-wise, but his skill set looks well designed for the pro game with the ability to make strong plays and smart decisions at a higher pace than most teenagers. With two high-end center prospects in Celebrini and Will Smith both coming in at 6-feet tall, adding wingers with size has clearly been a priority for the Sharks.

Gustav Forsling, D Florida Panthers

This feels like the right level of competition for him right now, challenging enough that he’s not going to score two points each night but manageable enough for him to be one of the best players on his team. He had a great season with the Coachella Valley Firebirds and is looking like the player everyone thought would go first overall back in 2022 once again. Dickinson’s defensive game has shone in an increased role this year and his offense has improved as well, nearly tripling his previous career high for points. There’s a ton of two-way, top-four defender potential in his game, and room for something more if his offensive numbers from this year are to be believed. Jonathan Lekkerimäki had a really tough post-draft season, with multiple injuries/illnesses ruining any momentum he tried to build. That was true all year until the Allsvenskan playoffs where he seemed to finally look like his old self again, scoring 15 points in 15 games.

NHL Rumors: Oilers, Bruins, Flames, Golden Knights

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.

Artemi Panarin, LW, Rangers

The second half of Edmonton’s dynamic duo is a top-five player in the league himself, regarded as one of the premier passers and goal scorers in the NHL. The playoff edition of ESPN NHL Rank seeks to identify the top forwards, defensemen and goaltenders in the upcoming tournament. Dozens of voters participated, choosing one winner in a series of head-to-head voting matchups of the players on the 16 postseason qualifiers. Panarin hasn’t completely lived up to his monster contract, but that says more about his mega-deal rather than his production.

Simon Edvinsson, LD, Detroit Red Wings

The Russian dynamo is the easy favorite behind Macklin Celebrini to be in contention for the Calder trophy. He has the opportunity and the skill set from his playing time in Russia to become a dominant rookie in his first season in the national hockey league. He may be the most skilled rookie in this class, but he already has the IQ and game sense to play at the highest level. He will automatically become one of the Philadelphia Flyers’ best players, and it won’t even be close. His talent alone can help elevate the ceiling of the Philadelphia Flyers this season. After a 54-goal regular season, Hyman is out to 14 goals in 18 contests this postseason — a jaw-dropping 0.77 goals per game rate.

Zach Hyman, F, Edmonton Oilers

He has been a strong shut-down center for the club, and while his play has taken a step back over his massive $77 million deal, he is still a very valuable player. He still has good offensive numbers, especially with the fact that he has three other forwards who can challenge for 100+ points annually. He had the captaincy moved from him to Auston Matthews, but he is still a very strong leader in the locker room and that will continue to be one of his biggest assets as well. Despite having his lowest point total of his career, Brett Pesce didn’t take any steps back in his all-around game last season. His defensive metrics, like Ekholm’s, were some of the best of his career, and that is what earned him a big contract with the New Jersey Devils. A lot of missed time last season resulted in what seemed like a quiet year from Shea Theodore, but in reality, he nearly broke his career-high in points in just a short amount of time.

• Regardless, his defensive impacts are outstanding, and is a regular 60-point player even without playing a full season.
• Rutger McGroarty is a true power forward, strong and determined enough to win pucks with great playmaking skills that allow him to make smart plays with the puck once he wins it.
• He did tie his career-high in points, but with a significant amount more games played than any other season, the Senators were hoping for a bit more out of him than that.
• His superb skating allows him to break down opposing defenses before making his move and charging to the middle or making a clever pass to an open teammate.
• Denton Mateychuk is a dynamic offensive defenseman who excels with the puck and can control the play from the point.

Watch NHL games on ESPN networks

He was drafted to be a two-way center with a strong shot and he’s not far from being just that in the NHL. Minten’s first WHL season after being drafted was a great showcase for his shot and his compete level, with Minten becoming a very important forechecker and defensive forward for the Kamloops Blazers. Luneau made the opening night lineup for the Ducks last year but bounced between the NHL and AHL before heading to Sweden for the World Juniors where he was sidelined with an infection in his knee that ended his season.

Oil Kings’ Alex Worthington Playing Well After Taking Over Starting Spot

• 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.
• 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.
• He will likely provide a ton of value off the rush in the NHL someday as his speed and ability to make smart passes while manipulating defenders’ skates allows him to create tons of scoring chances.
• He is surrounded by a ton of veteran talent that will put him in the best position to succeed while also being on an incredibly talented roster that could go deep into the playoffs.
• 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.

He’s still incredibly young, having been born just two days before the cutoff for the 2024 Draft, so there’s a ton of runway for him to develop into an effective player. David Pastrnak seemed destined for greatness from the jump, making his presence known with a 35-goal campaign just three years into his NHL career. 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. Just a few years after that, he was sniping 60 — joining one of the most exclusive goal-scoring clubs in the modern NHL — while topping 100 points for the first time and collecting his first Hart nomination.

NBA Teams

He is still a bit of a raw prospect at this point, which means there’s a lot of room for growth. Levshunov was a poor defender in the USHL when he first arrived, but finished that season as a strong two-way player. His first NCAA mirrored that closely, with an increased defensive responsibility as the year wore on. It looks like Levshunov is set to make the jump to the pros next season, and while his defensive game may not be great right off the bat, he’s shown himself to be a quick study.

Editor’s Picks

Augustine’s return gives MSU a high floor, because they can project to get very solid goaltending most nights from one of the more talented NHL goalie prospects in the world. Augustine was a huge piece of MSU’s success as I was not terribly high on the defense they played in front of him and returning the netminder is a coup. Losing Levshunov, who signed with the Blackhawks after being drafted (may spend the year in the AHL), was a big blow and will be the big challenge for Nightingale’s staff.

• Fraser Minten has developed very well since being drafted 38th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs back in the 2022 Draft.
• He doesn’t score many goals, doesn’t shoot the puck much and doesn’t throw many hits.
• He works hard in all phases of the game and could become a great middle-six center if all goes well in his development.
• He is excellent offensively, posting a career-high of 90 points last season, he is exceptional defensively and can skate very well.
• Rutger McGroarty is in an exciting position after being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
• He was one of only two players to hit at least 80 helpers on the year, (McDavid was the other), en route to his third triple-digit points campaign.

And if it is more solid in the DZ, I feel much more comfortable about the goaltending situation. I never like not having a proven commodity, but there are real reasons for optimism for both Cameron Korpi and Logan Stein. Hard to imagine at least one of them doesn’t succeed enough to at least give Michigan average goaltending. If they’re a solid defensive team and have a robust and deep offense, average goaltending should get this team into the NCAA Tournament.

Quentin Musty, LW, San Jose Sharks

Nugent-Hopkins has spent over a decade with the Oilers, and in that time he has been a very reliable two-way center and has spent a lot of time killing penalties and working hard on the forecheck. For anyone who hasn’t looked for college hockey content beyond MGoBlog, it is sparse. I would honestly venture that many of the opponent previews above are more detailed than what you can find from those programs’ own fanbases. Various museums report that a form of the game was also played by the Romans and Greeks, as well as the Aztecs.

Mackie Samoskevich, LW/RW, Florida Panthers

He’s an athletic winger who can beat goalies with his hard shot or by crashing the net and scoring in tight. He doesn’t project to be much of a factor defensively, but his shot and playmaking are his best tools and they could make him a great NHL player someday. Tanner Molendyk was one of the best skaters in the 2023 draft, with excellent edgework and speed. Molendyk’s edgework makes him incredibly mobile in all directions, capable of acting on new information at a moment’s notice. He isn’t the biggest defenseman (just under 6-feet) but he competes hard and defends well as a result of his energy and skating.

Dylan Larkin, C, Detroit Red Wings

• He has the size that NHL general managers dream of, and he has great puck skills and shooting mechanics for a player of his size.
• He was the lone reason the Lightning made the playoffs last season, and with some movement in the Lightning lineup, Kucherov could benefit from the moves made this offseason in Tampa Bay.
• The Florida winger is a perfect blend of skill and physicality, playing the same exact power forward style his dad, Keith, did in his NHL days.
• One of the best defensemen in the league, Roma Josi continues to score a significant amount of goals and points every season.
• It may be a little while before we see him playing in the NHL, but I’m sure Utah is more than willing to wait as they look to establish themselves in the league.
• McDavid picked up all 20 first-place votes last season despite having finished second in Hart Trophy voting to Auston Matthews just a few months earlier.

Brandt Clarke boasts some of the best offensive smarts and decision-making with the puck as a defenseman in the world. Selected eighth overall in 2021, Clarke can take control of a shift or lead a rush chance whenever he’s on the ice with his skating and speed. He’s great at identifying the open lanes and attacking with force to take advantage of an opportunity.

Prospects #100-91

This season, Clarke has been the best offensive defender in the entire AHL, earning himself a callup to the NHL in January. Clarke will likely never be the best defensive defender, but the amount of offense he provides will make that an afterthought for most of his NHL career. Gauthier has great size, skating, and has the effort and ability to become a great defensive forward. Axel Sandin Pellikka is a right-handed offensive defenseman who has been an offensive leader in the SHL as a teenager. Sandin Pellikka had a great showing for Sweden at the World Juniors in his draft year, improving his draft stock considerably.

Brady Tkachuk, LW, Ottawa Senators

• He combines size and aggression with slick skill, showcasing some of the best hands in the league while not being afraid to muck things up.
• Joshua Roy has proven just about everyone wrong ever since he was drafted 150th overall in the 2021 Draft.
• This site is not endorsed by, sponsored by, or affiliated with these schools or teams.
• His offensive game is impressive for a defender of his size and his skating makes him even more intriguing as an NHL prospect.
• Dalibor Dvorsky was very impressive in his draft year against men, playing in HockeyAllsvenskan, the second-tier Swedish professional league.
• 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.

He was loaned to a different KHL club this year where he had to prove himself once again. Khusnutdinov joined the Wild for a stretch at the end of the season, playing his first 16 NHL games, scoring four points. Connor McDavid, known for his breathtaking speed and impeccable puck-handling abilities, remains a standout. His ability to change the course of a game single-handedly makes him one of the most electrifying players to watch. Nathan MacKinnon, with his powerful skating and scoring prowess, consistently shows why he is one of the league’s top forwards, leading his team with intensity and precision.

Trophy Tracker: Keefe of Devils preseason choice for Jack Adams as coach of year

The New Jersey Devils and Tampa Bay Lightning lead the charge with six players each in the top 100, while the Anaheim Ducks and Philadelphia Flyers failed to get anyone on our list. Positionally, centers continue to dominate, with 34 of 100 slots and six of the top 10. Defensemen accounted for 28 of 100 spots, while nine goalies made the top 100 (and only one in https://gambibet.org/ the top 25). As for the wings, left wings win this round, with 18 in the top 100 compared to 11 right wings. Ullmark’s play was a big reason the Bruins broke the regular-season records for most points and wins last year. The Boston goaltender was sensational in net, leading the league in wins (48), GAA (1.89) and SV% (.938) en route to his first Vezina win.

Here, in the twilight of his career, he’s still doing it, altering his game to keep up with a league that seems to be running a hundred miles-per-hour faster than it did when he was in his prime. Whether that’s enough to pull the team around him back into playoff relevancy remains unclear. But coming off another summer of roster tweaks, with a new young linemate to mold into an ideal wingman, it would be foolish to count Crosby out. Aleksander Barkov has taken over as the top two-way center in the NHL now that Patrice Bergeron has retired, and on top of that, has found strong offensive consistency over the past three seasons. During the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Barkov had some of the toughest matchups possible and did an excellent job shutting down the top players on all of the teams he faced on the path to winning the Stanley Cup.

The combination of his skating, shot, and quick hands makes him a really fun offensive weapon. He is agile enough that I expect he’ll be very successful on zone entries in the NHL some day, giving the Blackhawks a chance to control play in the offensive zone every time he touches the puck. He produced solid offense as a freshman in the NCAA last season, but only time will tell if he can handle a top-six workload in the NHL or if he’ll be better suited as a third-line center. Dalibor Dvorsky was very impressive in his draft year against men, playing in HockeyAllsvenskan, the second-tier Swedish professional league. He has made the move to North America and absolutely schooled the OHL last season with the Sudbury Wolves.

Ivan Demidov is an incredibly talented offensive player, with great hands, a zippy shot, and some sneaky-good playmaking instincts. He spent last season in the MHL, Russia’s top junior league, where he was dominant as a 17-year-old rookie, scoring 64 points in 44 games (third most points in the league). Stankoven’s offensive skills have translated incredibly well to the pro game and the Dallas Stars are going to need to find a permanent spot for him in the lineup very soon.

Oliver Bonk is a strong two-way defender who has the size and skating NHL teams look for, and the hockey sense to be a meaningful contributor in the modern NHL. He anticipates play really well, and is vocal with his teammates, coordinating play at both ends of the ice. Bonk isn’t a highly skilled defender so I don’t think he’ll be fighting for lots of power play minutes with Jamie Drysdale, but I expect he’ll be a strong second pairing defender who can tilt the ice in Philly’s favor. He has the size that NHL general managers dream of, and he has great puck skills and shooting mechanics for a player of his size. His skating has grown on me over the past two seasons, with enough speed and agility to really use his size to his advantage, powering through defenders and protecting the puck well. It may be a little while before we see him playing in the NHL, but I’m sure Utah is more than willing to wait as they look to establish themselves in the league.

He brings great offensive skills and has some of the best possession metrics on his team last season. Playing with some more high-end forwards on the Predators will likely see his goal total drop to closer to 30 goals, but he will be in a great position to set personal point-total records. Sanderson will likely jump higher on this list over the next few years, and he has decent offense with 70 points in his first two years, but his skating and defending are his best assets.

• Now, entering the final year of his contract, all eyes will be on whether the Avs and the veteran Finn can agree on a deal that keeps him in Denver long-term.
• Matthews hasn’t found success in the playoffs yet, while three of the four ahead of him have won the Stanley Cup and the other one was the Conn Smythe winner on a losing team.
• He can complement the top centers on the Devils very well, and back to the physicality, is one of the only top players to bring a good amount of hits to the table.
• His 10 goals are tied for second out of all skaters, and his 14 power-play points rank first.
• Greentree does most things well, fighting hard in puck battles, making smart passes, and handling defensive responsibilities well.
• Perreault was one of the most creative and intelligent players in the 2023 Draft and he is great at weaving his way out of trouble when defenders collapse around him, either with a pass or his lightning-quick hands.
• Axel Sandin Pellikka is a right-handed offensive defenseman who has been an offensive leader in the SHL as a teenager.
• Previously he worked for NBC Sports on their national news desk reporting on breaking news for the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL, in addition to covering the 2020 and 2022 Olympic Games.

While some will look just at the point total and question if he he reaches the level of a strong first-line center, his defensive impacts are his biggest strength. Since being acquired by the Colorado Avalanche, Devon Toews has developed into an excellent defenseman to support all of the superstars on the team. He has had impressive point totals, and incredible defending, and has earned Norris Trophy votes in three straight seasons before last season.

He finished last season third in hits, fourth in shots, and second in penalty minutes. TJ Hughes’ point totals may take a step back because Michigan’s PP likely won’t be the most efficient PP in modern NCAA history, but you scan this lineup and see a lot of guys with the potential to give you 8-12 goals. Moldenhauer, Hallum, Eernisse, Werner, Humphreys could all reasonably chip in something in that range and then you’re hoping to get from Hughes and Schifsky based on their production last season. The two X-Factors are Michael Hage and William Whitelaw, two guys who could easily score 8-10 goals or could hit 20 on the high side. If they can each meet somewhere in the middle, given the rest of the scoring depth, you’re really not in bad shape as a robust offense.

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 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.

Like the other elite, young blue-liners who’ve lit up the league over the past few seasons, it took only one night under the bright lights of the NHL for the hockey world to see that Makar was something special. He was quick and rangy and daring right from the start, scoring his first goal in his first game, in the post-season no less. In the half-decade since, he’s collected the second-most points in the league from the blue line, Roman Josi earning a pair more, albeit in far more games. On paper, it may be difficult to pull apart why exactly Makar stands out from the other new-school rovers in the league, the Hugheses and the Foxes.

Levshunov has a very projectable game, with the size, skating, and offense to be a great NHL defender. He plays with a ton of confidence, which can be a bit of a double-edged sword at times. Levshunov’s offensive game is dynamic, with his smooth skating serving as the catalyst for each thing he does well.