Prospect Info: 2023-24 Kings Prospects in CHL/College/Europe

[King'sPawn]

As always, keeping the scope of this discussion to prospects not in the NHL or AHL. That said, here's the current list of players the Kings have rights on, and which leagues they're playing in. One in particular doesn't normally count as a prospect by my criteria (not Calder eligible), but technically the Kings still own his rights - Alexander Dergachyov.

Of course, it would be awesome to update this daily but I'm not ready to make that commitment. I'll try to pretty up the format when I have more energy.

CHL PROSPECTS
OHL

Name	Team	Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM	Plus/Minus
Kaleb Lawrence	Ottawa 67s	18	6	3	9	24	Plus-6
Matthew Mania	Sudbury Wolves	5	1	2	3	2	Minus-3

QMJHL

Name	Team	Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM	Plus/Minus
Angus Booth	Cataractes de Shawinigan	23	1	11	12	20	Plus-0

WHL

Name	Team	Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM	Plus/Minus
Koehn Ziemmer	Prince George Cougars	20	11	20	31	11	Plus-7

EUROPE PROSPECTS
KHL (Russia major pro league)

Name	Team	Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM	Plus/Minus
Alexander Dergachyov	Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk	37	11	7	18	18	Minus-6
Bulat Shafigullin	Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk	36	8	10	18	28	Plus-2
Kirill Kirsanov	Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod	9	0	0	0	2	Minus-5

VHL (Russia minor pro league)

Name	Team	Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM	Plus/Minus
Kirill Kirsanov (Inactive)	Ryazan-VDV	6	1	3	4	2	Plus-0

Liiga (Finland major pro league)

Name	Team	Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM	Plus/Minus
Aatu Jamsen	Lahden Pelicans	14	8	5	13	4	Plus-7
Kasper Simontaival	Kalevan Pallo (KalPa)	23	7	6	13	10	Minus-1
Otto Salin	Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna i Helsingfors (HIFK)	27	0	6	6	8	Plus-1

Name	Team	Games Played	GAA	SV%	SO	W-L-T Record
Juho Markkanen	Hämeenlinnan Pallokerho (HPK)	6	3.60	.862	0	1-4-0

Tipsport Extraliga (Czechia major pro league)

Name	Team	Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM	Plus/Minus
Jakub Dvorak	Bílí Tygři Liberec	17	2	1	3	14	Plus-3

NCAA PROSPECTS
Hockey East

Name	Team	Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM	Plus/Minus
Ben Meehan	University of Massachusetts Lowell River Hawks	8	0	3	3	10	Plus-6
Braden Doyle	Northeastern University Huskies	7	1	0	1	0	Plus-1
Jack Hughes	Boston University Terriers	14	1	3	4	8	Plus-1
Kenny Connors	University of Massachusetts Minutemen	14	3	5	8	8	Plus-1
Ryan Conmy	University of New Hampshire Wildcats	12	6	9	15	2	Plus-6

NCHC

Name	Team	Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM	Plus/Minus
Jared Wright	University of Denver Pioneers	15	4	4	8	6	Plus-3

OTHER PROSPECTS
USHL

Name	Team	Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM	Plus/Minus
Jack Sparkes (Inactive)	Muskegon Lumberjacks	14	1	2	3	23	Plus-4

Name	Team	Games Played	GAA	SV%	SO	W-L-T Record
Hampton Slukynsky	Fargo Force	11	1.48	.928	3	10-0-0

BCHL

Name	Team	Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM	Plus/Minus
Jack Sparkes	Chilliwack Chiefs	2	1	1	2	29	N/A

Click to read more...

 

[Chazz Reinhold]

Any insight into why Kirsanov has regressed from playing consecutive seasons of 20-30 games in the KHL to being stuck in the VHL now?

 

[King'sPawn]

Any insight into why Kirsanov has regressed from playing consecutive seasons of 20-30 games in the KHL to being stuck in the VHL now?

I'll try to research a bit, but I'm not immediately sure. He is playing for a different team though, as he signed a new contract. So, maybe the new club shares the same philosophy of "slow boiling" younger players.

Edit: Slight correction. He didn't sign with the new team, he re-signed with his old team and was subsequently traded.

 

[Chazz Reinhold]

I'll try to research a bit, but I'm not immediately sure. He is playing for a different team though, as he signed a new contract. So, maybe the new club shares the same philosophy of "slow boiling" younger players.

Even last season it looks like his KHL time with SKA was minimal.

 

[King'sPawn]

Even last season it looks like his KHL time with SKA was minimal.

That's true - I misread that and thought he played 31 games in the KHL last year.

I do know that younger players just typically get less ice time across the board. Even Matvei Michkov, who was a top 10 pick this year (and was expected to challenge Bedard for 1st overall a couple years ago) was loaned to another team because St. Petersburg was giving him single-digit minutes a game.

 

[King'sPawn]

Any insight into why Kirsanov has regressed from playing consecutive seasons of 20-30 games in the KHL to being stuck in the VHL now?

I've done a little bit of checking on things since you asked. Unfortunately, news in a language I've only heard makes it hard to navigate sources.

There's still nothing definitive. There is this interview with him after he was traded but before he was sent down to the VHL. He didn't say explicitly he knew he'd be playing in the VHL but by him talking about playing in the KHL as a goal suggests that he knows it wasn't guaranteed: Кирилл Кирсанов: «Чтобы пережить такое, как Танков, нужен характер!»

— Was there a moment in your life when you wanted to quit playing hockey?

- No, I’ve never had anything like this. My goal has always been to play in the KHL, NHL and the Russian national team.

I might check in the Russia forums if there are any good resources or explanations.

Some random guesses, non-accusatory towards him of course, could just involve that they plan to move him up later after some time in the system. They have one younger defenseman on the team who has actually played games for the KHL squad, so maybe they don't want to have too many? Movement in Europe can be quite frequent, especially with no waiver rules and a lot of the youth/minor teams are close proximity of the pro team.

I remember a frustration from last year, although I forget the prospect in this story. I recorded an SHL game with the intention of making a video of this player. He had been in the SHL almost all season, so I was certain I'd catch his play. The one day I record a game of his team, he was playing in the SuperElit league and I missed him. He then played on the SHL team the next day. It sucked. One of my eventual goals is to find the best resources for rosters well in advance so I can plan accordingly. Also understanding their rules and mentalities for how decisions are made would be helpful. As Daryl says in Bob's Burgers, "Too much work and not enough friends."

 

[Chazz Reinhold]

I've done a little bit of checking on things since you asked. Unfortunately, news in a language I've only heard makes it hard to navigate sources.

There's still nothing definitive. There is this interview with him after he was traded but before he was sent down to the VHL. He didn't say explicitly he knew he'd be playing in the VHL but by him talking about playing in the KHL as a goal suggests that he knows it wasn't guaranteed: Кирилл Кирсанов: «Чтобы пережить такое, как Танков, нужен характер!»

— Was there a moment in your life when you wanted to quit playing hockey?

- No, I’ve never had anything like this. My goal has always been to play in the KHL, NHL and the Russian national team.

I might check in the Russia forums if there are any good resources or explanations.

Some random guesses, non-accusatory towards him of course, could just involve that they plan to move him up later after some time in the system. They have one younger defenseman on the team who has actually played games for the KHL squad, so maybe they don't want to have too many? Movement in Europe can be quite frequent, especially with no waiver rules and a lot of the youth/minor teams are close proximity of the pro team.

I remember a frustration from last year, although I forget the prospect in this story. I recorded an SHL game with the intention of making a video of this player. He had been in the SHL almost all season, so I was certain I'd catch his play. The one day I record a game of his team, he was playing in the SuperElit league and I missed him. He then played on the SHL team the next day. It sucked. One of my eventual goals is to find the best resources for rosters well in advance so I can plan accordingly. Also understanding their rules and mentalities for how decisions are made would be helpful. As Daryl says in Bob's Burgers, "Too much work and not enough friends."

Awesome, thanks for doing some digging into that! Hopefully the Kings can get him over here as soon as his contract is up.

 

[King'sPawn]

10/5 games
Jakub Dvorak was scoreless in a 4-3 OT win.
Kirill Kirsanov was scoreless in a 4-1 loss.

Tomorrow's games
Kasper Simontaival (KalPa) vs Vaasan Sport
Juho Markkanen* (Hameenlinna) vs KooKoo
Aatu Jamsen (Pelicans) vs TPS Turku
Matthew Mania** (Sudbury) vs Kingston
Angus Booth (Shawinigan) vs Chicoutimi
Koehn Ziemmer (Prince George) vs Wenatchee

* Markkanen has been a backup, so may not play
** Mania had surgery and is unlikely to play

 

[King'sPawn]

Any insight into why Kirsanov has regressed from playing consecutive seasons of 20-30 games in the KHL to being stuck in the VHL now?

Okay, one last time I'm bugging you with quoting you on this post.

I reached out to Caser, who does a wonderful job tracking Russian prospects and news. He had this information about Kirsanov:

Not easy to tell about Kirsanov, since Vityaz has been the most awful team this season so far, but clearly he hasn't impressed them in the preseason, so he has been sent to the VHL. One of his common issues is that he has tendency to get overweight a bit, but not sure if that was the case here. However Vityaz coach has been fired now and I now see that Kirsanov has been called up to Vityaz, so maybe he will be given a chance.

So, maybe he'll be back to playing in the KHL.

 

[Chazz Reinhold]

Okay, one last time I'm bugging you with quoting you on this post.

I reached out to Caser, who does a wonderful job tracking Russian prospects and news. He had this information about Kirsanov:



So, maybe he'll be back to playing in the KHL.

Great info, thanks. You're the prospect whisperer.

 

[King'sPawn]

10/6 games:
Kasper Simontaival: 1assist in a 4-3 OT win
Aatu Jamsen: 1 assist in a 5-4 OT loss
Angus Booth: 1 goal in a 4-1 win
Koehn Ziemmer: 2 assists in a 6-4 win
Kirill Kirsanov: Scoreless in a 3-2 OT win.

Matthew Mania and Juho Markkanen did not play
Kirill Kirsanov has been promoted to Vityaz in the KHL

Tomorrow's games:
Otto Salin (IFK) vs Assat
Juho Markkanen (Hameenlinna) vs SaiPa
Aatu Jamsen (Pelicans) vs Tappara
Kaleb Lawrence (Ottawa) vs Matthew Mania* (Sudbury)
Angus Booth (Shawinigan) vs Rouyn-Noranda
Hampton Slukynsky** (Fargo) vs Sioux City
Koehn Ziemmer (Prince George) vs Wenatchee
Jack Sparkes (Michigan State) vs Lake Superior State
Kenny Connors (UMass) vs AIC
Jack Hughes (BU) vs Bentley
Ben Meehan (UMass-Lowell) vs Alaska-Anchorage
Jared Wright (Denver) vs Alaska
Braden Doyle (Northeastern) vs Stonehill
Ryan Conmy (UNH) vs Maine (Exhibition)

HIGHLIGHTS
Angus Booth's goal


Koehn Ziemmer's secondary assists:

 

[King'sPawn]

I realized I erred when I said Sparkes is with Michigan State. That's next season. He is spending another year in the USHL with Muskegon. I have updated the tables above as needed.

 

[King'sPawn]

Prospect update 10/7
Otto Salin: 1 A
Aatu Jamsen: 1 G, 1 A
Kaleb Lawrence: scoreless
Angus Booth: 1 A
Jack Sparkes: scoreless
Koehn Ziemmer: scoreless
Kenny Connors: scoreless
Jared Wright: scoreless
Hampton Slukynsky: 16/20 saves, 3.81 GAA, .800 SV%, 5-4 OT win

Jack Hughes: DNP
Juho Markkanen: DNP
Braden Doyle: DNP

Highlights
Otto Salin's first point of the season


Angus Booth's powerplay assist:

 

[Motoro]

Aatu Jämsen continues his dominance in the FEL. His goal can be seen in the video at 4:25 and the assist at 5:07. He's a super entertaining player on the ice. I look forward to seeing what he's capable of next season in NA.

 

[ru4reals]

Aatu Jämsen continues his dominance in the FEL. His goal can be seen in the video at 4:25 and the assist at 5:07. He's a super entertaining player on the ice. I look forward to seeing what he's capable of next season in NA.

8 games 5 goals and 9 points. Damn gonna hold my excitement for a bit but can't wait for him to snipe for the Blackhawks in the next few years. LOL.

 

[King'sPawn]

Prospect Updates from 10/8:
Jakub Dvorak: scoreless
Bulat Shafigullin: scoreless
Alexander Dergachyov: scoreless
Kaleb Lawrence: scoreless
Jared Wright: scoreless
Ben Meehan: 1 A

HIGHLIGHTS


Prospect Update 10/9:
Kirill Kirsanov: Scoreless
Angus Booth: 1 A (shorthanded)

HIGHLIGHTS

 

[King'sPawn]

Upcoming Games on 10/10:
None

Upcoming Prospects playing on 10/11:
Markkanen (Hameenlinna) vs Salin (HIFK)
Simontaival (KalPa) vs TPS
Shafigullin + Dergachyov (Nizhnekamsk) vs Kirsanov (Vityaz)
Jamsen (Pelicans) vs Bolzano
Ziemmer (Prince George) vs Swift Current

Statistics have been updated as of the end of 10/9 games.

 

[Fat Elvis]

Is Meehan wearing the C?

 

[King'sPawn]

Is Meehan wearing the C?

Yep. He and Jake Stella are both considered captains.

Meehan, Stella Named Captains Ahead of 2023-24 Season - UMass Lowell Athletics

LOWELL, Mass.—UMass Lowell Hockey Head Coach Norm Bazin officially announced his leadership core for the upcoming season, naming rising senior Ben Meehan (Walpole,

goriverhawks.com

 

[King'sPawn]

Prospect updates from 10/11:
Aatu Jämsen with 2 assists (CHL tournament)
Otto Salin: scoreless in 2-1 overtime victory
Kasper Simontaival: scoreless in 3-2 loss.
Bulat Shafigullin: 1 G in a 3-0 win
Alexander Dergachyov: scoreless in 3-0 win
Koehn Ziemmer: 1 G, 1 A in 2-1 win

Kirill Kirsanov and Juho Markkanen: did not play

HIGHLIGHTS

 

[King'sPawn]

Kings prospects playing tomorrow:
Otto Salin (HIFK) vs Karpat
Shafigullin & Dergachyov (Nizhnekamsk) vs Sochi
Kaleb Lawrence (Ottawa) vs North Bay

 

[Mattias]

Small world.

I'm currently in Prince George at the moment. I'll go check out a Cougars game and type out what I see on Ziemmer. Oct 21st game looks decent.

 

[King'sPawn]

Heard something interesting. Possibly contributing as to why he didn't play yesterday, but I was told of a rumor that Kirsanov will be traded. The rumored team is Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo, of which Igor Larionov is the head coach.

Would be huge for him. Torpedo is tied for the second best record in the league. Vityaz has the worst record in the KHL.

 

[King'sPawn]

Kings prospect update for 10/12:
Otto Salin: 2 A
Bulat Shafigullin: Scoreless
Alexander Dergachyov: 1 G
Kaleb Lawrence: 1 A

HIGHLIGHTS

 

[King'sPawn]

Upcoming Kings prospect games for 10/13
Kirill Kirsanov (Vityaz) vs Salavat Ufa
Jakub Dvorak (Liberec) vs Vitkovice
Juho Markkanen (Hameenlinna) vs Jukurit
Angus Booth (Shawinigan) vs Quebec
Kenny Connors (UMass) vs Michigan
Matthew Mania* (Sudbury) vs Owen Sound
Kaleb Lawrence (Ottawa) vs Sault Ste Marie
Hampton Slukynsky (Fargo) vs Cedar Rapids
Jack Sparkes (Muskegon) vs Madison
Koehn Ziemmer (Prince George) vs. Kelowna
Jack Hughes (BU) vs Ryan Conmy (UNH)

*Questionable due to injury