Lord Stanley
Revoluccion Leader
Our last update was done in the summer after the draft and while most of the players are the same the order as changed quite a bit. It’s been and up and down season so far for the Vegas organizations prospects.
1: Barrett Hayton (2)
He started the year in Arizona, mainly because of injury during training camp. Once he was considered healthy he was sent back to the Soo, with expectations that he’d take off offensively and part of team Canada at the WJC. So far in the OHL he’s put up 18 goals and 45 points in 28 games, he’s 7th in the OHL for pts/game. While with Team Canada he played a 3rd line role putting up 4 assists in 5 games. If he’s not in the NHL next year he should be a leader and offensive force for the junior squad.
2: Maxime Comtois (7)
He surprisingly made the Ducks out of camp, in part due to injury. In a 10 games stint he put up 7 points before suffering an injury of his own. He was eventually sent down to the AHL and back to junior so he could participate in the WJC. It was a disappointing end to the WJC for the team Canada captain but he played the tournament with a separated shoulder and managed to put up 6 points in 5 games. He has put up 14 points in 7 games in the QMJHL and it’s safe to say he doesn't have much left to prove in junior.
3: Joel Farabee (4)
He moves up one spot in the rankings, not necessarily because of his performance. He’s been playing at the University of Boston where he’s been the teams top forward putting up 20 points in 23 games as a freshman, which isn’t disappointing. The team has really struggled this year under new coach and many new faces on the roster. While at the WJC Farabee put up 5 points in 7 games. Hopefully he and the rest of his team at BU can have a strong finish to the season and build towards next year.
4: Owen Tippett (3)
Drops one spot, no really reason other then maybe I expected him to be a little more dominate returning to junior. So far this season in the OHL he has scored 22 goals and 43 points in 33 games. He was suspended for a ridiculous incident where he flipped a foam puck over the glass for a fan. The OHL/CHL really needs to rethink this rule. While with team Canada at the WJC he played on the top line and showed off his pro level shot he put up 2 goals and 2 assists in 5 games.
5: Jakub Forsbacka-Karlsson (New)
JFK is a new entry to the list after being acquired in a trade that seen Alex Tuch moved to St.Louis. Expectations for JFK heading into the season were that he had a shot at making the Bruins but would likely start in the AHL and see some time with Boston throughout the year. So far things have gone relatively as expected. The feeling is that maybe he should be producing a little more offensively but I wouldn't call his season a disappointment.
6: Kailer Yamamoto (1)
It’s a drop 5 spots for Kailer in our team rankings. The kid has skills but to this point has been mismanaged badly by what might be the worst organization in the NHL. He’s been up and down between the NHL and AHL most recently suffering injury and being sent back down to the AHL by the new Oilers management. Hopefully the Oilers will leave him in the AHL for the rest of this season where he can hopefully regain some confidence and maybe get some calder cup playoff experience.
7: Serron Noel (10)
The big guy hasn’t disappointed at all this year. We were hoping to see a big jump in production and so far Noel has done that posting 25 goals and 59 points in just 48 games. Last year he had 53 points in 62 games. He’s a guy we had ranked very highly heading into this past summers draft and were really surprised he wasn’t picked in the first round of the NHL draft. He should only continue to climb our rankings until he graduates.
8: Andreas Johnsson (9)
This will be the last time we see Johnsson on this list. A former 7th round draft pick he’s really exceeded any expectations anybody could have had for him when he was drafted. He had a big season last year and came into this year with expectations that he’d be an import cog for the Leafs. While he got off to a slow start things have picked up for the young Swede who now has 22 points in 43 games this year playing all over the Leafs lineup.
9: Jacob Larsson (5)
So far the edge in the draft day trade has to go to the Flamettes. It’s been a somewhat disappointing season for Larsson in Anaheim. He has managed only 2 points and a -11 in 38 games with the Ducks. Even more disappointing is that with a struggling team Larsson hasn’t been able to earn more ice time and instead has been sent to the AHL. Hopefully he can straighten out his game in San Diego.
10: Shane Bowers (6)
As mentioned earlier things haven’t gone very well for Boston University, and as a result Bowers season hasn’t gone as planned. After impressing as a freshmen Bowers production has slipped backwards in a tough year for the Terriers. While with team Canada at the WJC Bowers didn’t really do anything to stand out while playing a bottom 6 role in his 5 games. We are looking for Bowers and BU to finish the season strong in hopes of a big rebound next year.
11: Stelio Mattheos (12)
A bright spot for our prospects has been Mattheos. All he has done since we drafted him in 2017 is produce. So far this year as captain of the Brandon Wheat Kings he’s scored 30 goals adding 33 assists in 42 games good enough for 9th in WHL scoring. If he keeps things up we are eventually going to have to show a little more respect for the 3rd round pick and move him into the top 10 where he probably already belongs.
12: Daniel Sprong (8)
At just 21 years old this is the last time we should see Sprong on a list like this. It feels like he’s been around forever and yet it’s still hard to determine, what is he? and what will he become? Things once again got off to a rocky start for Daniel in Pittsburgh this season and he was eventually moved to the struggling Ducks. So far with the Ducks Sprong has shown the scoring some of that scoring touch which made him a highly regarded prospect but the possession metrics aren’t good. All we can hope for at this point is that Sprong continues to show that ability to score so he continues to get PP time. If he stops scoring at a reasonable rate it’s fair to assume that he’ll run out of chances quickly.
13: Julien Gauthier (14)
This is a big second pro season for Gauthier after a somewhat disappointing first year. Perhaps Julien should be a little higher up the list given his history as a first round pick. This year he has stepped up his production 12 goals 11 assists in 46 games. He’s just 2 points off last years pace in 20 less games. He continues to have a high shooting percentage currently 12.6% this year. Still not convinced he’ll be a top 6 forward, probably more a 3rd liner that sees PP time and can play on the top 6 for short periods of time.
14: Jonathan Tychonick (11)
It’s hard to find information on this kid about his play this year at the University of North Dakota. I was fairly high on him when I picked him last summer. He seemed like he could be a smooth skating offensive d-man that could use some work on the defensive side of the game. So far at North Dakota he’s got 4 points in 16 games. The lacklustre numbers are perhaps a result of injury that Tychonick suffered this year.
15: Mackenzie Entwistle (NR)
Not previous ranked or talked about Entwistle jumps into the list. He has always been a good soldier for hockey Canada and as a result was invited to summer camp and selection camp. In the end Entwistle made the team and played the extra forward role eventually getting into the lineup on full time basis. He scored 3 goals while at the WJC and so far this year in the OHL has 19 goals and 20 assists in 39 games. Looks like the kind of guy that’s going to find a role one day in the show.
16: Tyler Steenbergen (NEW)
Acquired with JFK in the Alex Tuch deal. Steenbergen is in his first full season of pro hockey after lighting up the junior circuit the past two years. Things haven’t been so easy for Steenbergen so far in the AHL, he’s only managed 16 points in 36 games. His junior career didn’t get off to a fast start either, we like his goal scoring abilities and hope he just needs some time to figure out the professional ranks.
17: Riley Sutter (20)
He’s a guy that we picked similar to Mattheos in his draft year that we weren’t sure what we were going to get. A couple teams expressed trade interest at the draft but we held off. Now we hope he develops similar to how Mattheos has for us. He suffered an injury just before the new year and has yet to return but up till that point Sutter put up 41 points in 38 games.
18: Jack Campbell (NR)
Hard to still consider Campbell a prospect, but he’s never really played enough games. This will be the last time he’s seen on a list like this. He was my first ever draft pick in the HFNHL and as a result I’ve been rooting for him ever since then. It’s unlikely that he’ll ever live up to the expectations placed upon him when he was drafted, but it seems that he’s finally found his game at the pro level. He has put up impressive numbers this season and could finally get a chance to start somewhere next year.
19: Rudolfs Balcers (NR)
We signed him as a european free agent and it looks like that signing might bring us a return. In 38 games with Belleville in the AHL Balcers has put up 28 points and earned himself a call up to the show. In 8 games so far he has a goal and an assist.
20: Tyler Parsons (13)
After dominating juniors it’s been a real struggle for Parsons. He’s suffered from injuries, lack of playing time due to depth and mental health issues. We debated moving him off the list but the kid is uber talented and we can only hope he figures it all out even if that means not playing hockey again.
Honorable Mentions: Ty Emberson, Cam Hillis, Dennis Busby, Axel Holmstrom, Dmytro Timashov, Luke Martin, Patrick Harper, Marcus Westfalt, Tyler Inamoto and Kasper Bjorkqvist.
1: Barrett Hayton (2)
He started the year in Arizona, mainly because of injury during training camp. Once he was considered healthy he was sent back to the Soo, with expectations that he’d take off offensively and part of team Canada at the WJC. So far in the OHL he’s put up 18 goals and 45 points in 28 games, he’s 7th in the OHL for pts/game. While with Team Canada he played a 3rd line role putting up 4 assists in 5 games. If he’s not in the NHL next year he should be a leader and offensive force for the junior squad.
2: Maxime Comtois (7)
He surprisingly made the Ducks out of camp, in part due to injury. In a 10 games stint he put up 7 points before suffering an injury of his own. He was eventually sent down to the AHL and back to junior so he could participate in the WJC. It was a disappointing end to the WJC for the team Canada captain but he played the tournament with a separated shoulder and managed to put up 6 points in 5 games. He has put up 14 points in 7 games in the QMJHL and it’s safe to say he doesn't have much left to prove in junior.
3: Joel Farabee (4)
He moves up one spot in the rankings, not necessarily because of his performance. He’s been playing at the University of Boston where he’s been the teams top forward putting up 20 points in 23 games as a freshman, which isn’t disappointing. The team has really struggled this year under new coach and many new faces on the roster. While at the WJC Farabee put up 5 points in 7 games. Hopefully he and the rest of his team at BU can have a strong finish to the season and build towards next year.
4: Owen Tippett (3)
Drops one spot, no really reason other then maybe I expected him to be a little more dominate returning to junior. So far this season in the OHL he has scored 22 goals and 43 points in 33 games. He was suspended for a ridiculous incident where he flipped a foam puck over the glass for a fan. The OHL/CHL really needs to rethink this rule. While with team Canada at the WJC he played on the top line and showed off his pro level shot he put up 2 goals and 2 assists in 5 games.
5: Jakub Forsbacka-Karlsson (New)
JFK is a new entry to the list after being acquired in a trade that seen Alex Tuch moved to St.Louis. Expectations for JFK heading into the season were that he had a shot at making the Bruins but would likely start in the AHL and see some time with Boston throughout the year. So far things have gone relatively as expected. The feeling is that maybe he should be producing a little more offensively but I wouldn't call his season a disappointment.
6: Kailer Yamamoto (1)
It’s a drop 5 spots for Kailer in our team rankings. The kid has skills but to this point has been mismanaged badly by what might be the worst organization in the NHL. He’s been up and down between the NHL and AHL most recently suffering injury and being sent back down to the AHL by the new Oilers management. Hopefully the Oilers will leave him in the AHL for the rest of this season where he can hopefully regain some confidence and maybe get some calder cup playoff experience.
7: Serron Noel (10)
The big guy hasn’t disappointed at all this year. We were hoping to see a big jump in production and so far Noel has done that posting 25 goals and 59 points in just 48 games. Last year he had 53 points in 62 games. He’s a guy we had ranked very highly heading into this past summers draft and were really surprised he wasn’t picked in the first round of the NHL draft. He should only continue to climb our rankings until he graduates.
8: Andreas Johnsson (9)
This will be the last time we see Johnsson on this list. A former 7th round draft pick he’s really exceeded any expectations anybody could have had for him when he was drafted. He had a big season last year and came into this year with expectations that he’d be an import cog for the Leafs. While he got off to a slow start things have picked up for the young Swede who now has 22 points in 43 games this year playing all over the Leafs lineup.
9: Jacob Larsson (5)
So far the edge in the draft day trade has to go to the Flamettes. It’s been a somewhat disappointing season for Larsson in Anaheim. He has managed only 2 points and a -11 in 38 games with the Ducks. Even more disappointing is that with a struggling team Larsson hasn’t been able to earn more ice time and instead has been sent to the AHL. Hopefully he can straighten out his game in San Diego.
10: Shane Bowers (6)
As mentioned earlier things haven’t gone very well for Boston University, and as a result Bowers season hasn’t gone as planned. After impressing as a freshmen Bowers production has slipped backwards in a tough year for the Terriers. While with team Canada at the WJC Bowers didn’t really do anything to stand out while playing a bottom 6 role in his 5 games. We are looking for Bowers and BU to finish the season strong in hopes of a big rebound next year.
11: Stelio Mattheos (12)
A bright spot for our prospects has been Mattheos. All he has done since we drafted him in 2017 is produce. So far this year as captain of the Brandon Wheat Kings he’s scored 30 goals adding 33 assists in 42 games good enough for 9th in WHL scoring. If he keeps things up we are eventually going to have to show a little more respect for the 3rd round pick and move him into the top 10 where he probably already belongs.
12: Daniel Sprong (8)
At just 21 years old this is the last time we should see Sprong on a list like this. It feels like he’s been around forever and yet it’s still hard to determine, what is he? and what will he become? Things once again got off to a rocky start for Daniel in Pittsburgh this season and he was eventually moved to the struggling Ducks. So far with the Ducks Sprong has shown the scoring some of that scoring touch which made him a highly regarded prospect but the possession metrics aren’t good. All we can hope for at this point is that Sprong continues to show that ability to score so he continues to get PP time. If he stops scoring at a reasonable rate it’s fair to assume that he’ll run out of chances quickly.
13: Julien Gauthier (14)
This is a big second pro season for Gauthier after a somewhat disappointing first year. Perhaps Julien should be a little higher up the list given his history as a first round pick. This year he has stepped up his production 12 goals 11 assists in 46 games. He’s just 2 points off last years pace in 20 less games. He continues to have a high shooting percentage currently 12.6% this year. Still not convinced he’ll be a top 6 forward, probably more a 3rd liner that sees PP time and can play on the top 6 for short periods of time.
14: Jonathan Tychonick (11)
It’s hard to find information on this kid about his play this year at the University of North Dakota. I was fairly high on him when I picked him last summer. He seemed like he could be a smooth skating offensive d-man that could use some work on the defensive side of the game. So far at North Dakota he’s got 4 points in 16 games. The lacklustre numbers are perhaps a result of injury that Tychonick suffered this year.
15: Mackenzie Entwistle (NR)
Not previous ranked or talked about Entwistle jumps into the list. He has always been a good soldier for hockey Canada and as a result was invited to summer camp and selection camp. In the end Entwistle made the team and played the extra forward role eventually getting into the lineup on full time basis. He scored 3 goals while at the WJC and so far this year in the OHL has 19 goals and 20 assists in 39 games. Looks like the kind of guy that’s going to find a role one day in the show.
16: Tyler Steenbergen (NEW)
Acquired with JFK in the Alex Tuch deal. Steenbergen is in his first full season of pro hockey after lighting up the junior circuit the past two years. Things haven’t been so easy for Steenbergen so far in the AHL, he’s only managed 16 points in 36 games. His junior career didn’t get off to a fast start either, we like his goal scoring abilities and hope he just needs some time to figure out the professional ranks.
17: Riley Sutter (20)
He’s a guy that we picked similar to Mattheos in his draft year that we weren’t sure what we were going to get. A couple teams expressed trade interest at the draft but we held off. Now we hope he develops similar to how Mattheos has for us. He suffered an injury just before the new year and has yet to return but up till that point Sutter put up 41 points in 38 games.
18: Jack Campbell (NR)
Hard to still consider Campbell a prospect, but he’s never really played enough games. This will be the last time he’s seen on a list like this. He was my first ever draft pick in the HFNHL and as a result I’ve been rooting for him ever since then. It’s unlikely that he’ll ever live up to the expectations placed upon him when he was drafted, but it seems that he’s finally found his game at the pro level. He has put up impressive numbers this season and could finally get a chance to start somewhere next year.
19: Rudolfs Balcers (NR)
We signed him as a european free agent and it looks like that signing might bring us a return. In 38 games with Belleville in the AHL Balcers has put up 28 points and earned himself a call up to the show. In 8 games so far he has a goal and an assist.
20: Tyler Parsons (13)
After dominating juniors it’s been a real struggle for Parsons. He’s suffered from injuries, lack of playing time due to depth and mental health issues. We debated moving him off the list but the kid is uber talented and we can only hope he figures it all out even if that means not playing hockey again.
Honorable Mentions: Ty Emberson, Cam Hillis, Dennis Busby, Axel Holmstrom, Dmytro Timashov, Luke Martin, Patrick Harper, Marcus Westfalt, Tyler Inamoto and Kasper Bjorkqvist.
