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Prospect Info: **New Top 10 Prospect List**

Deebs said:
Just like Petry in the past, he plays better when he has less responsibility.

If Matty would ever fully commit to becoming a shutdown D man, with his skating ability, he could add another 4-5 years to his career.


Hutson - Reinbacher
Guhle - Carrier
Matheson - Veteran RD

Arber
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I agree Matheson's best games have all been when he's had a specific short term shut down assignments.
I was one of his harshest critics last season for this very reason he has this game in him when he focuses.
I've had very few negative things to say about Matheson this season. How bad would we be if we didn't have him playing RD.
 
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Rapala said:
I agree Matheson's best games have all been when he's had a specific short term shut down assignments.
I was one of his harshest critics last season for this very reason he has this game in him when he focuses.
I've had very few negative things to say about Matheson this season. How bad would we be if we didn't have him playing RD.
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I'm with ya. If he only has to think about shutting down his opponent moving forward in his career, I would definitely consider an extension for him.
 
Matthew McConaughay said:
Here's what DeepSeek said.

Predicting the future success of NHL prospects is inherently uncertain, as development paths can vary widely due to factors like injuries, opportunity, and overall growth. However, we can analyze the profiles of Owen Beck and Oliver Kapanen to assess their potential for a high-impact NHL career.

### Owen Beck
- Draft Position: Selected 33rd overall in the 2022 NHL Draft by the Montreal Canadiens.
- Playing Style: Beck is known for his two-way game, high hockey IQ, and strong faceoff skills. He’s a reliable center who excels in defensive responsibilities while also contributing offensively.
- Strengths:
- Excellent skating and agility.
- Strong defensive awareness and positioning.
- Good puck-handling and playmaking ability.
- Development: Beck has shown steady progress in the OHL (Ontario Hockey League) and has been praised for his maturity and work ethic. His well-rounded game makes him a strong candidate for a middle-six NHL role, potentially as a shutdown center who can chip in offensively.

### Oliver Kapanen
- Draft Position: Selected 64th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft by the Montreal Canadiens.
- Playing Style: Kapanen is more of an offensive-minded center with a knack for scoring. He has a good shot and creativity in the offensive zone, though his defensive game is still a work in progress.
- Strengths:
- Strong offensive instincts and scoring ability.
- Good hands and vision in the offensive zone.
- Decent size and skating ability.
- Development: Kapanen has been playing in Liiga (Finland’s top league), where he has shown flashes of offensive potential. However, his overall game is less polished compared to Beck, and he may need more time to develop his defensive responsibilities and consistency.

### Comparison and Likelihood of High-Impact Career
- Owen Beck: Beck’s well-rounded game and strong two-way skills make him a safer bet to carve out a meaningful NHL role, even if his offensive upside may not be as high as Kapanen’s. His ability to contribute in all situations (even strength, power play, penalty kill) increases his likelihood of becoming a high-impact player, particularly in a middle-six role.
- Oliver Kapanen: Kapanen has higher offensive upside, but his game is less complete. If he can improve his defensive play and consistency, he could become a top-six scoring center. However, his path to a high-impact career is less certain due to the need for further development.

### Conclusion
Owen Beck is more likely to have a high-impact NHL career due to his well-rounded skill set, strong defensive play, and maturity. While Oliver Kapanen has intriguing offensive potential, his path to becoming a high-impact player is less certain and depends on significant development in other areas of his game. Beck’s versatility and reliability make him the safer bet for a long, impactful NHL career.
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Damn, it's almost like they're plagiarizing from the same sources ;-)
 
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DAChampion said:
Damn, it's almost like they're plagiarizing from the same sources ;-)
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It looks like a good read with the conclusion. Beck has made more of an impression on me at the NHL level. It starts with his ability to assume a role he doesn't usually play. I thought Oliver struggled on the wing and it was the main reason he was returned to Europe. It's too bad we weren't able to have them both in Laval it would make it so much easier to compare their strengths and weaknesses head to head.
 
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Year end prospect rankings:

  1. Ivan Demidov
  2. David Reinbacher
  3. Jacob Fowler
  4. Michael Hage
  5. Oliver Kapanen
  6. Adam Engstrom
  7. Owen Beck
  8. Logan Mailloux
  9. Florian Xhekaj
  10. Yevgeni Volokhin
  11. Jakub Dobes
  12. Joshua Roy
  13. Sean Farrell
  14. Bogan Konyushkov
  15. Jared Davidson
  16. Vinzenz Rohrer
  17. Tyler Thorpe
  18. Filip Mesar
  19. Luke Tuch
  20. Filip Eriksson
  21. Sam Harris
  22. Logan Sawyer
  23. William Trudeau
  24. Owen Protz
  25. Rasmus Bergqvist
  26. Aatos Koivu
  27. Riley Kidney
  28. Quentin Miller
  29. Ben Merrill
  30. Makar Khanin
  31. Mikus Vecvanags
  32. Luke Mittelstadt
  33. Emmett Croteau
  34. Alexander Gordin
  35. Dmitri Kostenko
  36. Daniil Sobolev
  37. Jack Smith

Not ranked: Lucas Condotta (27 years old); Rafael Harvey-Pinard (waiver eligible), Emil Heineman (graduated); Lane Hutson (graduated); Cayden Primeau (waiver eligible);
 
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WeThreeKings said:
Year end prospect rankings:

  1. Ivan Demidov
  2. David Reinbacher
  3. Jacob Fowler
  4. Michael Hage
  5. Oliver Kapanen
  6. Adam Engstrom
  7. Owen Beck
  8. Logan Mailloux
  9. Florian Xhekaj
  10. Yevgeni Volokhin
  11. Jakub Dobes
  12. Joshua Roy
  13. Sean Farrell
  14. Bogan Konyushkov
  15. Jared Davidson
  16. Vinzenz Rohrer
  17. Tyler Thorpe
  18. Filip Mesar
  19. Luke Tuch
  20. Filip Eriksson
  21. Sam Harris
  22. Logan Sawyer
  23. William Trudeau
  24. Owen Protz
  25. Rasmus Bergqvist
  26. Aatos Koivu
  27. Riley Kidney
  28. Quentin Miller
  29. Ben Merrill
  30. Makar Khanin
  31. Mikus Vecvanags
  32. Luke Mittelstadt
  33. Emmett Croteau
  34. Alexander Gordin
  35. Dmitri Kostenko
  36. Daniil Sobolev
  37. Jack Smith

Not ranked: Lucas Condotta (27 years old); Rafael Harvey-Pinard (waiver eligible), Emil Heineman (graduated); Lane Hutson (graduated); Cayden Primeau (waiver eligible);
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Good list. It’s tough with that many legit hopefuls imo.

Definitely don’t disagree with Koivu’s spot but he’s one I could see taking a big leap next year.
 
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Screenshot_20250426_184037_X.jpg
 
WeThreeKings said:
Year end prospect rankings:

  1. Ivan Demidov
  2. David Reinbacher
  3. Jacob Fowler
  4. Michael Hage
  5. Oliver Kapanen
  6. Adam Engstrom
  7. Owen Beck
  8. Logan Mailloux
  9. Florian Xhekaj
  10. Yevgeni Volokhin
  11. Jakub Dobes
  12. Joshua Roy
  13. Sean Farrell
  14. Bogan Konyushkov
  15. Jared Davidson
  16. Vinzenz Rohrer
  17. Tyler Thorpe
  18. Filip Mesar
  19. Luke Tuch
  20. Filip Eriksson
  21. Sam Harris
  22. Logan Sawyer
  23. William Trudeau
  24. Owen Protz
  25. Rasmus Bergqvist
  26. Aatos Koivu
  27. Riley Kidney
  28. Quentin Miller
  29. Ben Merrill
  30. Makar Khanin
  31. Mikus Vecvanags
  32. Luke Mittelstadt
  33. Emmett Croteau
  34. Alexander Gordin
  35. Dmitri Kostenko
  36. Daniil Sobolev
  37. Jack Smith

Not ranked: Lucas Condotta (27 years old); Rafael Harvey-Pinard (waiver eligible), Emil Heineman (graduated); Lane Hutson (graduated); Cayden Primeau (waiver eligible);
Click to expand...

Your list is very well-made. Thanks for sharing your input.

Here is my own personal top-25 prospects in the Habs' current pipeline (things get thin after that so I didn't want to continue on), following the same rules and exceptions as you;

1. Demidov10. Dobes19. Trudeau
2. Reinbacher11. Sawyer20. Harris
3. Fowler12. Volokhin21. Farrell
4. Hage13. Konyushkov22. Mittelstadt
5. Beck14. Tuch23. Rohrer
6. Kapanen15. Davidson24. Koivu
7. Engstrom16. Thorpe25. Bergqvist
8. Mailloux17. Mesar
9. Xhekaj18. Protz

I'd say that's a very good prospect pool overall with tons of depth and some high-end pieces.

But after the top 10 + Tuch and Davidson, I don't think there are any "sure-things" to play games in the NHL there.

Logan Sawyer is especially underrated here in my opinion. He is a bit of a project, still raw, and will necessitate years of work yet before he starts being NHL-ready, but I like a lot of his tools in the NCAA irrespective of what his stats might say.

With proper development from here on, I actually think Sawyer has an outside shot of being a top-6 forward in the NHL one day. But he is far from a sure-thing of course.

And I'd have Dobes before Volokhin despite being higher on the latter simply because Dobes is more of a "sure-thing" to be a good pro than Volokhin is.

The reason I have Harris and Mittelstadt comparatively higher than most on here is because those two guys both have good skating ability to go alongside solid frames and some "+" skills of their own (shooting and transition play respectively) that might help them translate better than expected in the pros.

And the reason I have Farrell and Mesar so low is because both have yet to show me any sign that they may eventually be able to handle NHL-level checking.

Mesar has the escapability for it at least, which is why I've got him higher. But both him and Farrell have yet to show the decisive kind of Hockey IQ or play selection that would make me comfortable in ranking them higher.

That's about it I guess. Cheers, and let's hope that our team has a great draft come June.
 
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JadedRandom said:
Your list is very well-made. Thanks for sharing your input.

Here is my own personal top-25 prospects in the Habs' current pipeline (things get thin after that so I didn't want to continue on), following the same rules and exceptions as you;

1. Demidov10. Dobes19. Trudeau
2. Reinbacher11. Sawyer20. Harris
3. Fowler12. Volokhin21. Farrell
4. Hage13. Konyushkov22. Mittelstadt
5. Beck14. Tuch23. Rohrer
6. Kapanen15. Davidson24. Koivu
7. Engstrom16. Thorpe25. Bergqvist
8. Mailloux17. Mesar
9. Xhekaj18. Protz

I'd say that's a very good prospect pool overall with tons of depth and some high-end pieces.

But after the top 10 + Tuch and Davidson, I don't think there are any "sure-things" to play games in the NHL there.

Logan Sawyer is especially underrated here in my opinion. He is a bit of a project, still raw, and will necessitate years of work yet before he starts being NHL-ready, but I like a lot of his tools in the NCAA irrespective of what his stats might say.

With proper development from here on, I actually think Sawyer has an outside shot of being a top-6 forward in the NHL one day. But he is far from a sure-thing of course.

And I'd have Dobes before Volokhin despite being higher on the latter simply because Dobes is more of a "sure-thing" to be a good pro than Volokhin is.

The reason I have Harris and Mittelstadt comparatively higher than most on here is because those two guys both have good skating ability to go alongside solid frames and some "+" skills of their own (shooting and transition play respectively) that might help them translate better than expected in the pros.

And the reason I have Farrell and Mesar so low is because both have yet to show me any sign that they may eventually be able to handle NHL-level checking.

Mesar has the escapability for it at least, which is why I've got him higher. But both him and Farrell have yet to show the decisive kind of Hockey IQ or play selection that would make me comfortable in ranking them higher.

That's about it I guess. Cheers, and let's hope that our team has a great draft come June.
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I disagree with the bolded part, Volokhin just had a very impressive season as a 19 yrs old kid in the 2nd best league in the world, facing a ton of shots and high end scoring chances on a pretty weak team. Some games he was the only reason why Sochi still was alive... He is pretty consistent in the net, rarely giving up weak goals. Im no goaltenders expert, but technically he looks great, compact and his compete level top notch.

I do believe that we have 3 bluechip goaltending prospects, now who ends up as the best one? Impossible to say at that point, but I would say all 3 have incredible potential and could end up as impactful NHL starters.

One of the 3 will be traded down the road, but thats just incredible value picks in the mid rounds. We have guys who know what they are doing...
 
Goldenhands said:
I disagree with the bolded part, Volokhin just had a very impressive season as a 19 yrs old kid in the 2nd best league in the world, facing a ton of shots and high end scoring chances on a pretty weak team. Some games he was the only reason why Sochi still was alive... He is pretty consistent in the net, rarely giving up weak goals. Im no goaltenders expert, but technically he looks great, compact and his compete level top notch.

I do believe that we have 3 bluechip goaltending prospects, now who ends up as the best one? Impossible to say at that point, but I would say all 3 have incredible potential and could end up as impactful NHL starters.

One of the 3 will be traded down the road, but thats just incredible value picks in the mid rounds. We have guys who know what they are doing...
Click to expand...

Dobes.
Primeau.
Fowler.
Volokhin.
Miller.

Future is bright.

And that's not even including Montembeault (!!!) who was playing splendidly against Washington.
 
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  1. Ivan Demidov
  2. Jacob Fowler
  3. Michael Hage
  4. David Reinbacher
  5. Owen Beck
  6. Jakub Dobes
  7. Joshua Roy
  8. Logan Mailloux
  9. Oliver Kapanen
  10. Adam Engstrom
  11. Florian Xhekaj
  12. Yevgeni Volokhin
  13. Sean Farrell
  14. Jared Davidson
  15. Bogan Konyushkov
 
zzoo said:
  1. Ivan Demidov
  2. Jacob Fowler
  3. Michael Hage
  4. David Reinbacher
  5. Owen Beck
  6. Jakub Dobes
  7. Joshua Roy
  8. Logan Mailloux
  9. Oliver Kapanen
  10. Adam Engstrom
  11. Florian Xhekaj
  12. Yevgeni Volokhin
  13. Sean Farrell
  14. Jared Davidson
  15. Bogan Konyushkov
Click to expand...
You know there is a deep prospect pool when Davidson is 14t or 15th. He should be much higher but there aren't a lot of players, other than Mailloux, that he should be ahead of.
 
What do you guys see in Kapanen? To me he has the talent of a 4th liner while being far from physical, this guys should be in AHL and not in my top 15
 
Maitz said:
What do you guys see in Kapanen? To me he has the talent of a 4th liner while being far from physical, this guys should be in AHL and not in my top 15
Click to expand...

He just had a 0.99 ppg as a first line center in the SHL. That's a pretty impressive feat.

He scores a lot around the net so he adds a dimension lacking on our PP and in general sense on the roster.

He's also a smart player who can take defensive role with the offensive tools to provide secondary scoring.

I'm thinking you are being too harsh based on his production in the NHL this year. It's a big jump.
 
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JadedRandom said:
Your list is very well-made. Thanks for sharing your input.

Here is my own personal top-25 prospects in the Habs' current pipeline (things get thin after that so I didn't want to continue on), following the same rules and exceptions as you;

1. Demidov10. Dobes19. Trudeau
2. Reinbacher11. Sawyer20. Harris
3. Fowler12. Volokhin21. Farrell
4. Hage13. Konyushkov22. Mittelstadt
5. Beck14. Tuch23. Rohrer
6. Kapanen15. Davidson24. Koivu
7. Engstrom16. Thorpe25. Bergqvist
8. Mailloux17. Mesar
9. Xhekaj18. Protz

I'd say that's a very good prospect pool overall with tons of depth and some high-end pieces.

But after the top 10 + Tuch and Davidson, I don't think there are any "sure-things" to play games in the NHL there.

Logan Sawyer is especially underrated here in my opinion. He is a bit of a project, still raw, and will necessitate years of work yet before he starts being NHL-ready, but I like a lot of his tools in the NCAA irrespective of what his stats might say.

With proper development from here on, I actually think Sawyer has an outside shot of being a top-6 forward in the NHL one day. But he is far from a sure-thing of course.

And I'd have Dobes before Volokhin despite being higher on the latter simply because Dobes is more of a "sure-thing" to be a good pro than Volokhin is.

The reason I have Harris and Mittelstadt comparatively higher than most on here is because those two guys both have good skating ability to go alongside solid frames and some "+" skills of their own (shooting and transition play respectively) that might help them translate better than expected in the pros.

And the reason I have Farrell and Mesar so low is because both have yet to show me any sign that they may eventually be able to handle NHL-level checking.

Mesar has the escapability for it at least, which is why I've got him higher. But both him and Farrell have yet to show the decisive kind of Hockey IQ or play selection that would make me comfortable in ranking them higher.

That's about it I guess. Cheers, and let's hope that our team has a great draft come June.
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Sawyer didn't have a great year. No way I would him ahead of Tuch or Davidson
 
Quatre Vingt Treize said:
Sawyer didn't have a great year. No way I would him ahead of Tuch or Davidson
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Agree to disagree then, Sawyer I thought was impressive for a very underpowered Providence College team.

He had speed, skill, and vision from the games that I saw.

But Logan Sawyer is also quite the beanpole as things currently stand (last I heard Sawyer weighed something like 170-175 pounds for a 6'1 frame, could stand to gain 15-25 pounds of muscle mass over 5-7 years), and must improve his ability to fight through checks (I think Sawyer's puck-protection technique needs some work too), and his strength along the boards/in front of the net a TON if he wants to sniff the NHL.

Which is why I think Sawyer will require multiple years post-draft to really get up to speed on his muscle mass and to mold his game to the pro style.

But I think that when Sawyer starts getting up-to-speed on strength/muscle mass, that it will become a lot easier for him to battle for position on the inside of the ice, which should naturally make him less of a pure perimeter player.

Despite his flaws, I think Sawyer has much more high-end skill, better vision, and better skating to Tuch and Davidson, who are safer "grinder" type of players.

To each their own, but I currently prefer Sawyer's latent potential and definite bust factor vs. Tuch and Davidson's higher floor but lesser upside.
 
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JadedRandom said:
Agree to disagree then, Sawyer I thought was impressive for a very underpowered Providence College team.

He had speed, skill, and vision from the games that I saw.

But Logan Sawyer is also quite the beanpole as things currently stand (last I heard Sawyer weighed something like 170-175 pounds for a 6'1 frame, could stand to gain 15-25 pounds of muscle mass over 5-7 years), and must improve his ability to fight through checks (I think Sawyer's puck-protection technique needs some work too), and his strength along the boards/in front of the net a TON if he wants to sniff the NHL.

Which is why I think Sawyer will require multiple years post-draft to really get up to speed on his muscle mass and to mold his game to the pro style.

But I think that when Sawyer starts getting up-to-speed on strength/muscle mass, that it will become a lot easier for him to battle for position on the inside of the ice, which should naturally make him less of a pure perimeter player.

Despite his flaws, I think Sawyer has much more high-end skill, better vision, and better skating to Tuch and Davidson, who are safer "grinder" type of players.

To each their own, but I currently prefer Sawyer's latent potential and definite bust factor vs. Tuch and Davidson's higher floor but lesser upside.
Click to expand...
Tuch, Davidson, Florian going to be the Gallagher, Anderson, Armia in couple of years
 
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