What Team Has the Top Future D Corp

[GunnarStahl]

Homer vote for Anaheim.

Guys already in the NHL:
LaCombe (24)
Mintukov (21)
Zellweger (21)
Helleson (24)

Luneau is having one of the best 20 year old AHL defensemen season ever.

Not to mention Anaheim's knack to develop top 4 defensemen like it's going out of style.

There are a lot of teams though honesty.
Minnesota if Jiricek actually lives up to the hype/expectations. He was my favorite NHL prospect, so I'm not talking shit. It's my expectations too.
NJ's top 3 is insane if they all pan out.

I don't see the appeal with Chicago over those 3. NJ and Minny have a better top 3, Anaheim has way better depth and their top 3 is at worst on par with Chicago.

Anyways, lots of good defensemen coming up in the league.

Solberg
Moore
Hinds
Tarin Smith
Warren
Dionicio

All outside the NHL as well. 1 or 2 of them likely make it to the NHL and work out nicely.

It would be comical if the Ducks draft a player like Mrtka. Then you wouldnt be able to deny that it would be Ducks by a mile.

 

[Garbageyuk]

Last year, I believe I picked NJ, then BUF, then MTL/CHI tied.

Things change fast with these young D, and development is hard to predict.

Hutson has emerged, CHI added Levshunov, and things in Jersey don’t look quite as good. Also, how tf is BUF not better than they are with Dahlin, Power, and Byram?

Now, I think I’d go:

1. BUF: this team should be better - these 3 guys I mentioned are doing well. So I can understand some impatience, but I think all 3 of these guys have some development runway left, even Dahlin. Not sure how you could pick anyone else at this stage; Dahlin is already a top D in the league and both Power and Byram have #1D calibre potential.

2. CHI: the emergence of Vlasic and the addition of Levshunov, combined with the question marks with some of MTL’s and NJ’s guys is enough to elevate CHI to the #2 spot for now. Also, just the sheer volume of young D prospects with size and upside is a factor as well - Murphy, Allan, Kaiser, Del Mastro, Rinzel, Korchinski, Crevier, and a few more.

3. NJ: they had the top spot for me last year, but things are looking like they might be starting to go awry. Not saying they will, but concerns are mounting, especially on the Nemec front. I was never the biggest fan, but this just ain’t it so far. Dude might be Ryan Murray 2.0. Luke Hughes is chugging along just fine, but looks to have plateaued somewhat for now, and I’m starting to wonder if his upside is quite as high as I thought. Then they have Silayev in the system who has great upside but didn’t really build on last year - another guy who seems to have plateaued. Casey is meh. Still a strong group and I wouldn’t be surprised if they all uptick as a group next year, but I’m not sure I’d bet on it.

4. MTL: Hutson has emerged this year in spectacular fashion and that counts for a lot, but it’s one guy. The emergence of Hutson counts for a lot, but there’s too many question marks with other guys to rise on the list. Big time injury concerns with Guhle, but he’s already a proven NHL D, so that counts for a lot. The same type of thing (worse, actually) going on with Reinbacher, except he’s proven nothing yet because he simply hasn’t had the chance to. Struble looks like solid and steady D on his way to becoming a decent #4 type of guy. Xhekaj has progressed some, but not enough to raise his outlook as much more than a bottom-pairing guy, imo. Last season, the question was if he’d even be that long term. Then there’s a bunch of lottery tickets - Mailloux, Engstrom, Konyushkov. Would be great to get something out of these guys, but it’s too uncertain to factor them into the future much at this point.

HM: Utah, Columbus, Anaheim.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

Luke Hughes is chugging along just fine, but looks to have plateaued somewhat for now, and I’m starting to wonder if his upside is quite as high as I thought.

He’s super young. Still see him as a 1D in a few years.

 

[Garbageyuk]

He’s super young. Still see him as a 1D in a few years.

Sure, but like I said, I’m wondering if his upside is as high as I thought it was. #1D is a wide range in this league.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

Sure, but like I said, I’m wondering if his upside is as high as I thought it was. #1D is a wide range in this league.

Why

 

[Chainshot]

Quack. Quack. Quack.

 

[CallMeShaft]

Now I'm not saying the Hawks have the best D of the future, but I will say they look really solid back there.

Levshunov (RHD)
Rinzel (RHD)
Vlasic (LHD)
Korchinski (LHD)
Del Mastro (LHD)
Kaiser (LHD)
Allan (LHD)
Crevier (RHD)
Soderstrom (RHD)

A really good mix of LHDs and RHDs. And most have good size; only Kaiser and Soderstrom are under 6ft2 (both are 6ft).

 

[Garbageyuk]

Why

Didn’t take as big of a step forward as I was expecting this season, and seems to have plateaued. Doesn’t mean anything definitive, but it’s enough to factor into changes in lists like this, along with other factors.

 

[majormajor]

Some of the best emergent talent this year in Lacombe and Harley is coming on clubs that already figure to be loaded.

In Anaheim - Lacombe, Mintyukov, Luneau, Zellweger, with more guys who could pop after that.

In Dallas - Heiskanen (still only 25), Harley, and Bichsel. Bichsel is someone we don't talk about enough - but he's the ideal giant eraser to complement the elite puckmovers.

I'm less impressed by Chicago - not that they don't have an impressive quantity of guys who will be good D - but you're not going to have the best future D-corps without an elite #1 guy or two, and I don't know if they'll end up with any. New Jersey is a further along version of that - maybe L Hughes is their #1 or maybe no one is.

My answer last summer was Dallas and it looks even more like the best bet is Dallas. Though Buffalo, Columbus, Anaheim, Vancouver, a number of clubs have a good shot at it.

 

[Cap'n Flavour]

Chadwick-Danford
Johansson-Villeneuve
Webber-Niemela
Kokkonen

Not many teams can make a list with 7 names like this.

 

[Nipsey]

Anahiem/Vancouver/Dallas/Buffalo/Montreal

Anahiem:

Lacombe/Mintyukov/Luneau/Zellweager/Solberg/Helleson

Vancouver:

Hughes/Hronek/Willander/Pettersson/Mancini/Mynio

Dallas:

Heiskanen/Harley/Bischel

Buffalo:

Dahlin/Power/Byram/Strbak

Montreal:

Hutson/Reinbacher/Guhle/Engstrom/Struble

Chicago:

Vlasic/Levshunov/Rinzel/Korchinski/Del Mastro

H.M

NJ/Detroit/Minnesota

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

Didn’t take as big of a step forward as I was expecting this season, and seems to have plateaued. Doesn’t mean anything definitive, but it’s enough to factor into changes in lists like this, along with other factors.

I understand. Why do you say he plateaued, besides points? Like what about his play makes you say that. Just curious

 

[Hockey Duckie]

Homer vote for Anaheim.

Guys already in the NHL:
LaCombe (24)
Mintukov (21)
Zellweger (21)
Helleson (24)

Luneau is having one of the best 20 year old AHL defensemen season ever.

Not to mention Anaheim's knack to develop top 4 defensemen like it's going out of style.

There are a lot of teams though honesty.
Minnesota if Jiricek actually lives up to the hype/expectations. He was my favorite NHL prospect, so I'm not talking shit. It's my expectations too.
NJ's top 3 is insane if they all pan out.

I don't see the appeal with Chicago over those 3. NJ and Minny have a better top 3, Anaheim has way better depth and their top 3 is at worst on par with Chicago.

Anyways, lots of good defensemen coming up in the league.

I'd like to elaborate more about Anaheim's d-corps besides listing names so other fans can see the pedigree the Ducks have in their system.

• LD LaCombe: Already playing #1D for the Ducks at a high level.
• LD Mintyukov: OHL Def Player of the Year (DPoY) and an NHL regular
• LD/RD Zellweger: WHL DPoY x2, CHL DPoY and an NHL regular
• RD Helleson: Already an NHL regular
• RD Luneau: QMJHL DPoY

Anaheim boasts three DPoY award recipients and winning it in the same season in the CHL! The two NCAA guys, LaCombe and Helleson, have forced their way to become a mainstay in the NHL lineup with LaCombe "shining bright like a diamond". What is crazy about those five defensemen is that only one of them was drafted in the 1st round in Mintyukov.

What many posters don't know is that Anaheim's AHL team, the San Diego Gulls, have lost several of its top forward scorers to injury or call-up, including this season's AHL All-star, rookie RW Sam Colangelo. A lot of the Gulls scoring of late has been powered by its youth defense in RD Luneau, LD Solberg (recently recalled from the SHL) and RD Moore (just signed an ATO after NCAA season). Both Solberg and Moore have scored 1g + 2a in five games each since joining the AHL club. Solberg is the Norwegian Nightmare b/c he loves to hit anything that moves. Moore is the dark horse with speed and poise, who has been developing in the NCAA for the past four years and two years as captain at Harvard.

In the past 29 games, Luneau has a torrid scoring rate of 1.31 ppg and a +11 rating. In the past five games, Luneau has scored 1g + 5a and a +5 rating. Luneau might be one of the biggest gems not in the NHL. The chart below shows Luneau's evolution throughout the AHL season.

Anaheim is practically Defensemen University. The youth d-men mentioned above are varied in style (OFD, DFD, 2WD), handedness, size, and speed. I have yet to mention long term projects in LD/RD Hinds, RD Warren, LD "hot rod" Dionicio (whose nickname represents what is good and bad about him), LD Tarin Smith, and LD Darels Uljanskis (who finished 2nd in defensemen scoring in the Sweden J20 league as an 18-year old and a 7th round pick for the Ducks ).

 

[Hockey Duckie]

Some of the best emergent talent this year in Lacombe and Harley is coming on clubs that already figure to be loaded.

In Anaheim - Lacombe, Mintyukov, Luneau, Zellweger, with more guys who could pop after that.

In Dallas - Heiskanen (still only 25), Harley, and Bichsel. Bichsel is someone we don't talk about enough - but he's the ideal giant eraser to complement the elite puckmovers.

I'm less impressed by Chicago - not that they don't have an impressive quantity of guys who will be good D - but you're not going to have the best future D-corps without an elite #1 guy or two, and I don't know if they'll end up with any. New Jersey is a further along version of that - maybe L Hughes is their #1 or maybe no one is.

My answer last summer was Dallas and it looks even more like the best bet is Dallas. Though Buffalo, Columbus, Anaheim, Vancouver, a number of clubs have a good shot at it.

I think Chicago might have something in RD Levshunov. Lev's time at MSU showed his pedigree in talent as a rookie in the NCAA. He's looked okay after adapting from only one year in the NCAA and then jumped to the AHL as well as the NHL at the end of the year in just his D+1 season. At the NHL level, Lev's ATOI is 20:59. A couple more seasons of maturation and who knows how much further Lev has developed. Harley blossomed at the NHL level in his D+5 season and LaCombe in his D+6 season. If you didn't follow LaCombe closely, then you'd also be saying he came out of nowhere. LaCombe had the talent, but needed a season to adapt to the NHL game play and speed.

 

[majormajor]

I think Chicago might have something in RD Levshunov. Lev's time at MSU showed his pedigree in talent as a rookie in the NCAA. He's looked okay after adapting from only one year in the NCAA and then jumped to the AHL as well as the NHL at the end of the year in just his D+1 season. At the NHL level, Lev's ATOI is 20:59. A couple more seasons of maturation and who knows how much further Lev has developed. Harley blossomed at the NHL level in his D+5 season and LaCombe in his D+6 season. If you didn't follow LaCombe closely, then you'd also be saying he came out of nowhere. LaCombe had the talent, but needed a season to adapt to the NHL game play and speed.

I'm rarely surprised that a player like LaCombe pops. A 2nd round pick D-man taking huge strides in his early 20s and becoming a #1D is not that rare (see Slavin, Faber, etc...). #1D very often come from picks as late as pick 40 or so. I'm always watching these guys. Samberg is another sleeper in Winnipeg who, though perhaps not labeled a #1, is very valuable. A couple years ago in our annual prospect poll I was lobbying to include Samberg in the top 50 and I got laughed out of the room.

Chicago itself has Vlasic who is a gem and might take another step. And Sam Rinzel who has a lot of upside. Maybe Lev is their #1D of the future or maybe Vlasic or Rinzel, or maybe none of them are quite good enough for it. I think the chances are much more even than the draft position would suggest. I was not pleased with how Lev processed the game last year, and it made me think he's especially unlikely to become a #1D. There are countless elite skating D these days, and so many that just top out as 2nd pair guys. The difference between the best and the rest is usually processing speed. But that's more of a comment on scouting D in general, and less on Lev, who I haven't watched this year.

 

[Scintillating10]

Montreal with Hutson, Reinbacher, Mailloux and Guhle

 

[My3Sons]

Didn’t take as big of a step forward as I was expecting this season, and seems to have plateaued. Doesn’t mean anything definitive, but it’s enough to factor into changes in lists like this, along with other factors.

Your opinion is just that which is fair, but you’d be hard pressed to find a NJ fan who would agree with you. He showed up hurt so he got off to something of a slow start but post four nations he’s been fantastic for NJ. He’s scoring over a point per game and his defensive game has grown tremendously. He played almost 30 minutes last night when he can’t even practice because of a lingering injury. Outside of some stat watching without context I struggle to see anything other than significant improvement as an all around top pair all situations defender. Now Nemec is another story. You will find plenty of NJ fans agreeing with you on him. He makes too many mistakes and at times doesn’t seem to learn from them. On balance they have a bright future on defense but if you want to downgrade them a bit based on Nemec I can understand. Downgrading them at all based on Hughes is strongly disagree with.

 

[Captain Clutch]

It's hard not to like what Montreal has done. Reinbacher, Guhle, Hutson, Mailloux, Engstrom, Struble. That's a very nice core with two really good righthanders. We will have to see whether Reinbacher is as good as he seems to be at the NHL level and Mailloux needs to take another big step to be a top 4 defender but on the surface, this is a very impressive group.

Someone mentiioned why Buffalo isn't better with their core of Dahlin, Power and Byram and I agree but I think the answer is as of now that Power hasn't been as good as expected, especially defensively and Byram isn't a great defender either. It's still early but you would hope for better results defensively in the future.

 

[Eegs]

The homer in me wants to vote Habs, but I think i'd put the Ducks ahead. I am VERY high on Luneau though and he hasn't even cracked the NHL full time.

 

[Nocashstyle]

Your opinion is just that which is fair, but you’d be hard pressed to find a NJ fan who would agree with you. He showed up hurt so he got off to something of a slow start but post four nations he’s been fantastic for NJ. He’s scoring over a point per game and his defensive game has grown tremendously. He played almost 30 minutes last night when he can’t even practice because of a lingering injury. Outside of some stat watching without context I struggle to see anything other than significant improvement as an all around top pair all situations defender. Now Nemec is another story. You will find plenty of NJ fans agreeing with you on him. He makes too many mistakes and at times doesn’t seem to learn from them. On balance they have a bright future on defense but if you want to downgrade them a bit based on Nemec I can understand. Downgrading them at all based on Hughes is strongly disagree with.

We all know that opinion is not based on actual regular viewings.

 

[dj Mahoney]

Blackhawks have added Behemoth Taige Harding to the future D corp. 6" 7" 238lb from Providence College

Taige Harding Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com

Statistics of Taige Harding, a hockey player from Glasgow, England born Jan 3 2002 who was active from 2019 to 2025.

www.hockeydb.com

Levshunov Rinzel Vlasic Korchinski Del Mastro Allan Kaiser Crevier Harding Henry Kuzmin

 

[zenator]

I'd say the teams with the GMs that make the best moves in the next few years will have the best future D corps.

Yes, it's nice to have prospects and young stars, but not all prospects turn out to be stars, or even good players.

Florida, Tampa, Vegas, and Washington have proven that it's not having the best prospects that makes a team great in the future. It's having the best GMs with the best pro scouts that make the best transactions is the #1 factor in determining future success.

Amateur scouting and prospects are just part of the puzzle. And I'm saying this as the fan of a team who's top 4 and top 6 of 8 core skaters were all drafted and developed by the team. This includes our top 2 defensemen; #3 was an international free agent signing.

Everyone puts top marks for drafting and developing prospects, but singing FA Artem Zub, and trading for Dylan Cozens were just as important as drafting Chabot and Batherson.

 

[zegrassyknoll]

Some other teams might have individual players with a little more high-end talent but hard to find many other teams that have as many potential good defensemen as we (Ducks) do.

Feel like we have 10 cooking at any time. There's enough potential talent right now to realistically fill out an entire D line-up of homegrown players.

 

[Gliff]

The homer in me wants to vote Habs, but I think i'd put the Ducks ahead. I am VERY high on Luneau though and he hasn't even cracked the NHL full time.

Coming into this year I would have said he was #2 behind Minty so what I expect in the future. Since then he has just blown away the AHL and been really impressive. Ducks brass love him and for some reason he is the one guy they are actually letting cook in the AHL and not rushing them like the 3 guys on the left.

Apparently he is the reason they felt comfortable trading away Drysdale, because they knew they had a potential top pairing RHD coming in Luneau.

 

[Eegs]

Coming into this year I would have said he was #2 behind Minty so what I expect in the future. Since then he has just blown away the AHL and been really impressive. Ducks brass love him and for some reason he is the one guy they are actually letting cook in the AHL and not rushing them like the 3 guys on the left.

Apparently he is the reason they felt comfortable trading away Drysdale, because they knew they had a potential top pairing RHD coming in Luneau.

I think the way they are cooking Luneau is perfect. He always needed to sharpen up on the D side, so the AHL is a perfect spot to do so. Thanks for your feedback.