your team's top 10 prospects

[samsagat]

Habs:

Demidov
Reinbacher
Hage
Fowler
Beck
Roy
Mailloux
Kapanen
Dobes
Engstrom

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

For me I might also have Goyette just outside the top 10, but I feel compelled to say that that is largely because the Kraken pool is super deep. He's super skilled and he's 20. He might pop later, perhaps after Coachella Valley thins out, and still have a fine NHL career.

100%. He is still very young and does have the tools to make it but for now, he needs to start adjusting to the pros.

 

[Maraz]

Senators:

1) Yakemchuk, RD, WHL (#2-3 mobile 2-way D)
2) Ostapchuk, C/LW, NHL (3rd line defensive F)
3) Halliday, C/LW, AHL (middle 6 playmaker)
4) Merilainen, G, AHL (starter)
5) Donovan, LD, AHL (#5-6 defensive D)
6) Sogaard, G, AHL (1B goalie)
7) Montgomery, LW, OHL (two-way speedster)
8) Stanley, RD, NCAA (#5-6 mobile 2-way D)
9) Andonovski, LD, OHL (#5-6 physical D)
10) Ellinas, C/LW, OHL (bottom 6 defensive F)

*projected peak potential

 

[Hollel]

Senators:

1) Yakemchuk, RD, WHL (#2-3 mobile 2-way D)
2) Ostapchuk, C/LW, NHL (3rd line defensive F)
3) Halliday, C/LW, AHL (middle 6 playmaker)
4) Merilainen, G, AHL (starter)
5) Donovan, LD, AHL (#5-6 defensive D)
6) Sogaard, G, AHL (1B goalie)
7) Montgomery, LW, OHL (two-way speedster)
8) Stanley, RD, NCAA (#5-6 mobile 2-way D)
9) Andonovski, LD, OHL (#5-6 physical D)
10) Ellinas, C/LW, OHL (bottom 6 defensive F)

*projected peak potential

Brutal

 

[Maraz]

Brutal

Brutal, and they must forfeit one of '25/'26 first rounders because of Dadonov fiasco.
That means between 2021-26 they have only 3 first round picks, 2 already used (Boucher, Yakemchuk), one to be forfeited and two traded for DeBrincat and Chychrun (both gone). Dorion is genius.

 

[viceroy]

Habs:

Demidov
Reinbacher
Hage
Fowler
Beck
Roy
Mailloux
Kapanen
Dobes
Engstrom

i also have medium hopes for Florian Xhekaj, Jared Davidson, Luke Tuch and Aatos Koivu for bottom 6 roles over the years.

 

[Lou Sassole]

Pre-WJC I'd go:

#1 Ryan Leonard* - W - BC Eagles

#2 Ivan Miroshnichenko - W - Hershey Bears/Washington Capitals
#3 Andrew Cristall - W - Kelowna Rockets (and Team Canada snub)
#4 Terik Parascak - W - PG Cougars

#5 Vincent Iorio - D - Hershey Bears
#6 Cole Hutson* - D - BU Terriers
#7 Ilya Protas - W/C - Windsor Spitfires
#8 Leon Muggli* - D - EV Zug

#9 Ryan Chesley - D - Minnesota Gophers
#10 Henrik Rybynski - W/C- Hershey Bears

HM: Eriks Mateiko* - W/C - Saint John Sea Dogs, Cam Allen - D - London Knights, Bogdan Trineyev - W - Hershey Bears

Starred players will be at the WJC. Definition of prospect is kind of "I know it when I see it" but in general I think for skaters you have to be 23 or younger and have less than 82 games of NHL experience. Hendrix Lapierre is left off my list for that reason but if he was on here I'd slot him in at #4 ahead of Parascak.

Some guys that might be on other Caps fans' lists but I don't really see an NHL future for: Alexander Suzdalev - W - SC Stingrays, Zac Funk - W - Hershey Bears, Pierrick Dube - W - Hershey Bears, Clay Stevenson - G - Hershey Bears.

Biggest risers this year:
Cristall, Protas, Parascak

Biggest fallers:
Suzdalev, Stevenson, Chesley, Lapierre

A surprisingly deep pool, Caps have done a great job in the second and third rounds recently and while none of their first rounders have been home-run successes there really aren't any misses there since Lucas Johansen in 2015. The Caps scouts really love the WHL, hate Finland, and I think more than any other team in the league don't care at all about skating as it's something they think is fixable. The group has a nice mix of potential scorers and grinders up front, and the lack of center depth is softened by having Strome, PLD, McMichael, and Lapierre all in the NHL aged 27 and younger. The big missing link is the lack of a defenseman projected to be a true 1st pair, PP1 type guy although if Hutson takes off in the way his brother did there may be a chance for that. There's also a lack of a "goalie of the future" but I think that's more a change in organizational philosophy than anything else and somewhat overrated by most prospect pool rankers.

Great list. With WJC winding down, Hutson, Mateiko, and Sikora all exceeded expectations, and Leonard looked great the last couple games especially. Really ramped it up after the preliminary rounds.

 

[qc14]

Great list. With WJC winding down, Hutson, Mateiko, and Sikora all exceeded expectations, and Leonard looked great the last couple games especially. Really ramped it up after the preliminary rounds.

Yep. Muggli the only disappointment -- everyone else has looked not just good but great.