MrB1P's top 50 affiliated prospects. Volume 6.

[WADEugottaBELAKthat]

Thanks for the effort. Always going to have detractors with such a list.

Personally I have Stankoven top-5. Just want to throw that out there

 

[Mrb1p]

Thanks for the effort. Always going to have detractors with such a list.

Personally I have Stankoven top-5. Just want to throw that out there

Thank you. Do you believe he will have the 5th best career of all available drafted players under 23 and under 25 games played?

 

[gifted88]

I answered that earlier and just did above but if you want i can expand later when I get home, Im at the gym right now.

I don't see any responses to the question. You don't have to answer twice, you could just point me to your response.

 

[Slats432]

Welcome tough crowd.

I ranked the 50 best under-23, under 25 games affiliated prospects for the year of 2024.

As usual, I do not rank goaltenders because it is just too much work to analyze goaltenders, especially because they play a lot, there's a lot of them and they're often hidden in random leagues. I'd be happy to provide a list for anyone who cares but yeah, thats it.

Here's a post I made in 2019 that still describes my views on prospects:

Rank	Name	Draft team	Draft year	2023 ranking	2022 ranking
1	Macklin Celebrini	San Jose	2024	ND	ND
2	Matvei Michkov	Philadelphia	2023	2	ND
3	Ivan Demidov	Montréal	2024	ND	ND
4	Zeev Buium	Minnesota	2024	ND	ND
5	Tij Iginla	Utah	2024	ND	ND
6	Berkley Catton	Seattle	2024	ND	ND
7	Cayden Lindstrom	Colombus	2024	ND	ND
8	David Reinbacher	Montréal	2023	9	ND
9	Jagger Firkus	Seattle	2022	19	24
10	Shane Wright	Seattle	2022	30	2
11	Artyom Levshunov	Chicago	2024	ND	ND
12	Ryan Leonard	Washington	2023	18	ND
13	Will Smith	San Jose	2023	12	ND
14	Cutter Gauthier	Philadelphia (Anaheim)	2022	14	15
15	Lane Hutson	Montreal	2022	32	NR
16	Sam Dickinson	San Jose	2024	ND	ND
17	Denton Mateychuk	Columbus	2022	34	31
18	Joshua Roy	Montreal	2021	43	45
19	Tristan Luneau	Anaheim	2022	44	NR
20	Zayne Parekh	Calgary	2024	ND	ND
21	Jiri Kulich	Buffalo	2022	16	HM
22	Matthew Savoie	Buffalo	2022	18	23
23	Quentin Musty	San Jose	2023	41	ND
24	Matthew Wood	Nashville	2023	11	ND
25	Calum Ritchie	Colorado	2023	NR	ND
26	Connor Geekie	Tampa Bay (Utah)	2022	HM	41
27	Frank Nazar III	Chicago	2022	26	9
28	Ivan Miroshnichenko	Washington	2022	45	HM
29	Danila Yurov	Minnesota	2022	NR	NR
30	Logan Stankoven	Dallas	2021	37	HM
31	Alexander Nikishin	Carolina	2020	23	NR
32	Joakim Kemmel	Nashville	2022	20	30
33	Stian Solberg	Anaheim	2024	ND	ND
34	Mavrik Bourque	Dallas	2020	36	26
35	Jonathan Lekkerimaki	Vancouver	2022	30	22
36	Anton Silayev	New Jersey	2024	ND	ND
37	Beckett Sennecke	Anaheim	2024	ND	ND
38	Nate Danielson	Detroit	2023	31	ND
39	Braden Yager	Pittsburgh	2023	27	ND
40	Gleb Trikozov	Carolina	2022	50	47
41	Seamus Casey	New Jersey	2022	HM	NR
42	Lian Bichsel	Dallas	2022	NR	NR
43	Brad Lambert	Winnipeg	2022	42	HM
44	Carter Yakemchuk	Ottawa	2024	ND	ND
45	Konsta Helenius	Buffalo	2024	ND	ND
46	Dalibor Dvorsky	Saint-Louis	2023	23	ND
47	Andrew Cristall	Washington	2023	24	ND
48	Gabe Perrault	New York Rangers	2023	NR	ND
49	Brennan Othmann	New York Rangers	2021	HM	28
50	Tom Willander	Vancouver	2023	NR	ND

Previous lists: I skipped 2021 for... REASONS.
2023 5th edition

MrB1P's top 50 affiliated prospects. 5th edition.

Welcome buddies. I ranked the 50 best under-23 (Non-inclusive.), under 25 games affiliated prospects for another year. As usual, I do no goaltenders because it is just too much work to analyze goaltenders, especially because they play a lot, there's a lot of them and they're often hidden in...

forums.hfboards.com

2022 4th edition
MrB1Ps top 50 drafted prospects
2020 3rd edition
MrB1Ps annual affiliated prospect list 2020 Covid edition
2019 2nd edition
https://forums.hfboards.com/threads/mrb1ps-top-50-affiliated-prospects-edition-2019-2020.2669037/
2018 First edition
MrB1P's top 50 NHL affiliated prospects

Recency bias. 6 of the top 7 drafted this year.

 

[Playmaker09]

Recency bias. 6 of the top 7 drafted this year.

That usually happens when the best players from each draft graduate to the NHL.

 

[Sasha Orlov]

My top 10:

Demidov
Reinbacher
Fowler
Hage
Roy
Mailloux
Hutson
Beck
Mesar
Michkov

 

[Arthur Morgan]

Nice. But I have Demidov over Michkov. Demidov is more of a complete player.

obviously u do, ur a habs fan and secretly hate Michkov because your team passed on him but sorry to let you in on this but he's not above Michkov.
not sure why it even matters anyways,. just be happy with Demidov and Reinbacher. who cares about Michkov

 

[Slats432]

That usually happens when the best players from each draft graduate to the NHL.

I think it is more bias than ranking them on quality. I think the 2024 group is just ranked to high as a collective.

 

[Mrb1p]

Recency bias. 6 of the top 7 drafted this year.

Yes, I agree I have recency bias to draft year players, I always do. With that said, a lot of the best players from 2023 graduated already. Of course any of Carlsson, Fantilli or Bedard would be 1/2/3.

My top 10:

Demidov
Reinbacher
Fowler
Hage
Roy
Mailloux
Hutson
Beck
Mesar
Michkov

Hutson too low, missing Engstrom too.

obviously u do, ur a habs fan and secretly hate Michkov because your team passed on him but sorry to let you in on this but he's not above Michkov.
not sure why it even matters anyways,. just be happy with Demidov and Reinbacher. who cares about Michkov

I'm a Habs fan and I have Michkov ranked ahead of Demidov.

I think it is more bias than ranking them on quality. I think the 2024 group is just ranked to high as a collective.

My top 6 from 2023 was Bedard, Michkov, Carlsson, Fantili, Reinbacher and Benson. Only two remain and they are ranked inside the top 10. I would've had Reinbacher as the 2nd D picked this year and Michkov as the 2nd forward picked. I think I'm just lower on the 2023 usual suspects than most.

 

[Mrb1p]

I don't see any responses to the question. You don't have to answer twice, you could just point me to your response.

For Nikishin, I think hes a pretty sure bet top 4 when he comes over, as I said earlier and even last year, I dont believe he has high level elite potential like some of the other I ranked above him

MrB1P's top 50 affiliated prospects. Volume 6.

People ripping Habs players? Damn who would've thought. Yeah those idiots! Hope they're enjoying their crow now that Mete and Juulsen are taking the NHL by storm! Crazy how everyone will agree the Habs have a top 3 prospect pool but then freak out when you rank their prospects high lmfao...

forums.hfboards.com

If you go by defenders only:

Zeev Buium David Reinbacher

Artyom Levshunov

Lane Hutson

Sam Dickinson

Denton Mateychuk

Tristan Luneau

Zayne Parekh

Alexander Nikishin

This is how I ranked them. I don't believe Nikishin is in some kind of other stratosphere, it's quite close and there's no one that blows him out of the water. With him though, I don't expect a top D, while I think every single one of those except Dickinson has #1 potential. Of course they won't all attain that.

The Dickinson- Nikishin group is actually insanely close, I wouldn't bat an eye if anyone took one above the other. I'm trying to extrapole their career values with this list, thinking about Nikishin already being 22 and wasting maybe 1 or two years of his prime outside of the NHL, I have a hard time labelling him super high. Maybe it's the forwards he should be ranked ahead of because I have trouble seeing a D here that he clearly blows out the water. I appreciate that he's dominating the 2nd best league in the world and I appreciate that he was a better player than Michkov last year, in a more important position, but like I've been saying, I'm not ranking players on their production, I'm ranking them on where I think their career lines up.

What do we expect of Nikishin ? 2nd pair ? For sure. Top pair ? Reasonable. #1D? I can see it but it requires some imagination. Norris winner ? Thats a no from me. I think everyone above him atleast checks those boxes to a higher degree. I don't see Luneau, Levshunov, Reinbacher, Mateychuk or Dickinson as norris winners but I see them as having that much more potential to be a top pair rather than a 2nd pair.

Now the tough part is juggling all that, and it's an age old debate for certainty vs upside.

totally unfair that internet strangers don't show you the respect they'd show their own children, I don't blame you for being upset!

I don't know man, your mom showed me a lot of respect, am I wrong to think everyone else could be the same ?

 

[Mrb1p]

So, what puts Hutson and Roy over Stankoven and Parekh??

Roy does more in the same role he should occupy. Stank is gonna be a top 6 winger that brings A+ effort and amazing transition along with elite offensive talent. Roy is a top 6 winger that will bring elite offensive talent, two way acumen, amazing transition ability, great puck cycling, and a knack for scoring goals in all kinds of ways.

They are both very similar, Roys stature and ability to use his strength to cycle just makes him a beauty to watch. I've been comparing him to guys like Stone and Tyler Toffoli with the way their IQ is just off the chart. I compare Stank to Gourde and Palat. I don't think there's really a wrong answer but I think one group as more value, of course Stone is a very high comparable and I fully expect him to fall short of that.

As for Parekh, it's a good question. Parekh has heavily relied on his shooting in ways that remind me of Boqvist, a propsect that has burned me before (I still believe injurys and being rushed in the NHL played a great part in that but ...). I'll need to see more of Parekhs IQ to know if he is in fact the real deal or if he is more of a gambler. Hutson is a better skater now than Parekh is, even though Hutson was worse in his draft year. Hutson can't shoot like Parekh but he does open up lanes and get shot through at a similar rate. I don't care much about their defensive involvement. It's overrated, that's not why you draft Parekh or Hutson, but I'd say Parekh probably has more potential to at least hit NHL average +. With that said, Hutson sets himself apart with his IQ compared to Parekh. Parekh isn't a dumb player, but he's a very junior player in ways he attacks seams and creates space. Hutson is not, he's just next level, his vision is better, his shake-n-bake ability is next to none after Makar and he's a fantastic kid that is clearly closer to the NHL than Parekh. Maybe next year things are different, maybe theyre not. We'll see.

 

[Akrapovince]

I have never claimed to own absolute truth and I don't know why you'd hold me, a simple amateur hobbyist scout, to a higher degree than actual pros. Do you also boo your kids when they don't come close to running as fast as Bolt?

I think I have this conversation with you every time you post a prospects ranking.

Results and projections are two different things entirely.

Just because you say betting 100$ on flipping a coin is better odds than winning the lottery, it doesn’t make it not true because someone won the lottery.

You can back up your reasoning as to why you like a prospect more than another, and sometimes even while being 100% right, the other prospect will develop better based on things that you cannot project. (A team’s roster, development program, coaching, injury, etc).

If you saw something in Romanov’s game pre-draft that made you think about selecting him over Sanderson, as long as you are able to articulate why, it really doesn’t matter to me the end result.

 

[Arthur Morgan]

Yes, I agree I have recency bias to draft year players, I always do. With that said, a lot of the best players from 2023 graduated already. Of course any of Carlsson, Fantilli or Bedard would be 1/2/3.

Hutson too low, missing Engstrom too.

I'm a Habs fan and I have Michkov ranked ahead of Demidov.


My top 6 from 2023 was Bedard, Michkov, Carlsson, Fantili, Reinbacher and Benson. Only two remain and they are ranked inside the top 10. I would've had Reinbacher as the 2nd D picked this year and Michkov as the 2nd forward picked. I think I'm just lower on the 2023 usual suspects than most.

I think most do, not that it matters anyways. it kinda all worked out, Demidov/Reinbacher will work out nicely

 

[LeProspector]

Worthless poster who whines whenever any prospect/player from a popular team is acknowledged.

NEXT...

Or… a realist who keeps biased posters in check.

 

[Heffyhoof]

Or… a realist who keeps biased posters in check.

Oh that's just adorable.

 

[Eegs]

Props to OP for sticking by his picks and arguing in their favor.

Way easier to pick holes in other people's lists than to post your own and stand behind it.

 

[Mrb1p]

OP, what is your methodology for rating these players? Specifically, please describe what games you watch.

I generally assume that anyone posting on this board is just an average Joe who watches games on the TV. Nothing wrong with that, but to go to the lengths of a top50 list I think we'd like to know more about how often you're clapping eyes on these dudes. From what I recall, and as others point out, you have a... slight penchant... for ranking Montreal's AHL players quite highly on your lists and that's where you take the most heat.

I'd wager that you watch the Rocket quite a bit, and probably that you watch some games that Habs prospects play in other leagues. Anything more than that is going to be hard for a single dude to manage. Of course, this is a total guess and you might be able to set the record straight.

I'm not tryin' to player hate here, I think I'm offering you a good method of defending yourself, but the allegations of bias are always going to linger after the ol' Josh Brook situation. Having highly valued the prospects from another team isn't a real defence against bias, that just means you could be biased for a second team as well, for whatever reason. The best defence against your bias will be your methodology.

I'm a bit tired for a big day physically but i'll give this a shot.

I don't watch drafted prospect per say, unless of course they play meaningful games (wjc u20, wjc u18, wc, olympics, POs, NHL against Habs, AHL against Laval, KHL playoffs, you get the jist.) I mostly scout undrafted players for fun and get views from seeing those. I watch about 10-15 games of every top prospects and one, two or some tape at least of other players that I have an interest in for the upcoming draft. I don't really hone in on drafted prospect, like say I saw about 15 games of Levshynov but I won't go out of my way to scout him again, I'll just see him if he plays NHL or AHL or NCAA.

I'd say I watch Habs games, tournament games and then watch either lives or taped games of draft year prospects and then the odd Laval games. I take notes whenever I "scout" a player. When it's NHL or AHL I don't. I still have a lot of notes on X and Y from their draft years though, and i can compare their progression easily.

 

[Pavels Dog]

Hutson being #15 while ASP isn't even ranked is more comedy.

He doesn’t think ASP is a powerplay guy so I think he just doesn’t know who the player is.

 

[gifted88]

MrB1P's top 50 affiliated prospects. Volume 6.

People ripping Habs players? Damn who would've thought. Yeah those idiots! Hope they're enjoying their crow now that Mete and Juulsen are taking the NHL by storm! Crazy how everyone will agree the Habs have a top 3 prospect pool but then freak out when you rank their prospects high lmfao...

forums.hfboards.com

If you go by defenders only:

Zeev Buium David Reinbacher

Artyom Levshunov

Lane Hutson

Sam Dickinson

Denton Mateychuk

Tristan Luneau

Zayne Parekh

Alexander Nikishin

This is how I ranked them. I don't believe Nikishin is in some kind of other stratosphere, it's quite close and there's no one that blows him out of the water. With him though, I don't expect a top D, while I think every single one of those except Dickinson has #1 potential. Of course they won't all attain that.

The Dickinson- Nikishin group is actually insanely close, I wouldn't bat an eye if anyone took one above the other. I'm trying to extrapole their career values with this list, thinking about Nikishin already being 22 and wasting maybe 1 or two years of his prime outside of the NHL, I have a hard time labelling him super high. Maybe it's the forwards he should be ranked ahead of because I have trouble seeing a D here that he clearly blows out the water. I appreciate that he's dominating the 2nd best league in the world and I appreciate that he was a better player than Michkov last year, in a more important position, but like I've been saying, I'm not ranking players on their production, I'm ranking them on where I think their career lines up.

What do we expect of Nikishin ? 2nd pair ? For sure. Top pair ? Reasonable. #1D? I can see it but it requires some imagination. Norris winner ? Thats a no from me. I think everyone above him atleast checks those boxes to a higher degree. I don't see Luneau, Levshunov, Reinbacher, Mateychuk or Dickinson as norris winners but I see them as having that much more potential to be a top pair rather than a 2nd pair.

Now the tough part is juggling all that, and it's an age old debate for certainty vs upside.

Did you watch Nikishin at all this season?

The question is, why do you consider Nikishin as having a stagnant season? What about his game this year did you consider not progressing?

 

[Sacha BOXviert]

Reinbacher 8th
Stankoven 30th
Edvinsson not ranked

 

[Mrb1p]

He doesn’t think ASP is a powerplay guy so I think he just doesn’t know who the player is.

You think ASP is going to play PP1? He is fantastic at walking the line and pinching down, I can't deny that. In fact I actually love his ability to do so. His pea shot, some of the passing decisions he makes and of course the size are all going to keep him from being a PP1 threat IMO. I know he split PP duties with Pudas in Skelleftea.

Did you watch Nikishin at all this season?

The question is, why do you consider Nikishin as having a stagnant season? What about his game this year did you consider not progressing?

Yes I did.

Ive seen all games of Demidov in the KHL
20 games of Silayev and Artomonov including like 5 against SKA
5 games of Schuchinov including one against SKA

I'm not sure what you want as an answer. Nikishin didn't become a new player over night, he's still largely the same player. Stagnating is not a negative state, it's neutral, it means you don't move. He was great last year, he was great this year. Michkov, Reinbacher and Leonard also stagnated. I don't think he's a very different player than he was last year. Do you?

Reinbacher 8th
Stankoven 30th
Edvinsson not ranked

Edvinsson does not qualify.

Thanks for reading the criterias.

 

[gifted88]

I'm not sure what you want as an answer. Nikishin didn't become a new player over night, he's still largely the same player. Stagnating is not a negative state, it's neutral, it means you don't move. He was great last year, he was great this year. Michkov, Reinbacher and Leonard also stagnated. I don't think he's a very different player than he was last year. Do you?

Caught a few SKA games. His shot and shot selection has improved quite a bit from the previous year. There was an improvement on his decision making without the puck, as well as defending off the rush. He was also named the teams captain, so presumably is being recognized for his contributions in the room.

I don't see it as a stagnant year for Nikishin, that's why I asked for your input specifically on his play this year. But again I'm not reading anything you say as someone who has eyes on the player.

Ask anyone who watched him if he's the same player from the 2022-23 season to last season and I don't think you'll hear anyone say he didn't improve anywhere and didn't regress.

 

[raymond23]

Feels like every thread on this forum turns into mtl prospect discussion

 

[Jee]

Feels like every thread on this forum turns into mtl prospect discussion

show your list

 

[Mrb1p]

Feels like every thread on this forum turns into mtl prospect discussion

Well there's 4 prospects out of 50 and people choose to focus on these for some reason. Instead of asking why I rank X and Y high they ask why I'm a homer and why X and Y isn't higher (usually prospects from their own team)