Another 50 Young Guns are set to be unleashed upon the world. For my money, it appears to be a pretty weak crop. There’s not a single player that is currently a great bet to turn into a star, though it is entirely possible a few players on the checklist emerge. See below for my ranking of the desirability of the new Young Guns.
click here to shop 2021-22 Young Guns on eBay
- Alexander Holtz • RW • New Jersey Devils
Playing as a 19 and 20 year-old this season, Holtz put up 26 goals and 25 assists in 52 AHL games (plus made a nine-game NHL debut). The Hockey Writers rate him as the seventh best prospect in the game right now. Scott Wheeler says Holtz has “a coveted blend of skill, power, and shooting.” Holtz could eventually find himself on the Devils’ top line with Jack Hughes setting him up. - Seth Jarvis • RW • Carolina Hurricanes
Jarvis, the youngest young gun on this checklist, forced himself into a prominent role with the ‘Canes this season, which was ahead of schedule. Including the playoffs, he got in to 82 games and scored 20 goals to go along with 28 assists. Assuming he can fully recover from the terrible concussion he suffered in the playoffs, the future is bright for the kid. ‘Canes fans expect him to develop into a 50-60 point producer in his sophomore season. Alec Sawyer penned a good recap of Jarvis’s rookie campaign in which he opines that Jarvis’s “enthusiasm the entire season was an absolute delight.” - Alex Turcotte • C • Los Angeles Kings
Turcotte rates highly for The Hockey Writers as the number nine prospect in the game, but only garners an honorable mention in Scott Wheeler’s most recent top 50 prospects list. Over the last two AHL seasons, Turcotte has 39 points in 59 games and he went scoreless in his eight-game NHL debut. The Hockey Writers praise his “two-way game, playmaking skills, and wicked shot.” - Ryan Merkley • D • San Jose Sharks
Merkley displayed tremendous offensive abilities in juniors where he was better than a point-per-game defenseman. The Athletic‘s Mitch Brown gushed in 2019, “I’ve never seen a player that can pass like Ryan Merkley.” But so far the point production hasn’t come at the pro level and there have always been concerns about Merkley’s game when he doesn’t have the puck. He played 39 games for the Sharks this season and, according to Corey Masisak at The Athletic, Merkley will “need to be better next season to earn a regular spot. There were flashes of an exciting offensive defenseman, but also evidence of some things he needs to work on over the next offseason or two if he’s going to have a long NHL career.” - Justin Barron • D • Colorado Avalanche
Barron was swapped from the Avalanche to the Canadiens at the deadline and is said by The Hockey Writers to be “great at leading the rush up the ice and has an excellent shot from the point.” - Daniil Tarasov • G • Columbus Blue Jackets
The 6’5″ Tarasov got his feet wet in his first four NHL games this season and looked good. Dobber Prospects says the Russian “has the tools to eventually excel in North American pro ranks.” - Hugo Alnefelt • G • Tampa Bay Lightning
Tony Wolak at The Hockey Writers rates Alnefelt as the fifth best goalie prospect right now and calls him, “Sweden’s next great netminder.” - Aliaksei Protas • C • Washington Capitals
Byron Bader’s model at Hockey Prospecting says there is almost no chance of Protas becoming a star but does like his chances at sticking around in the league. - John-Jason Peterka • LW • Buffalo Sabres
The Hockey Writers praise Peterka for “constantly engaging and being a force battling for the puck.” - Adam Beckman • LW • Minnesota Wild
Beckman receives high marks for his hockey IQ and quick release. - Justus Annunen • G • Colorado Avalanche
- Alex Turcotte/Alexander Holtz Checklist
- Jack Drury • C • Carolina Hurricanes
- Sean Durzi • D • Los Angeles Kings
- Nico Daws • G • New Jersey Devils
- Lassi Thomson • D • Ottawa Senators
- Egor Sokolov • RW • Ottawa Senators
- Janis Moser • D • Arizona Coyotes
- Cole Schwindt • RW • Florida Panthers
- Isaak Phillips • D • Chicago Blackhawks
- Arvid Soderblom • RW • Chicago Blackhawks
- Ben McCartney • LW • Arizona Coyotes
- Mattias Norlinder • D • Montreal Canadiens
- Akira Schmid • G • New Jersey Devils
- Brett Leason • RW • Washington Capitals
- Artemi Kniazev • D • San Jose Sharks
- Riley Damiani • C • Dallas Stars
- Rafael Harvey-Pinard • LW • Montreal Canadiens
- Scott Perunovich • D • St. Louis Blues
- Fabian Zetterlund • C • New Jersey Devils
- Cam Dineen • D • Arizona Coyotes
- Mason Shaw • C • Minnesota Wild
- Sean Day • D • Tampa Bay Lightning
- Felix Sandstrom • G • Philadelphia Flyers
- Connor Dewar • C • Minnesota Wild
- Robin Salo • D • New York Islanders
- Alex Steeves • LW • Toronto Maple Leafs
- Paul Cotter • C • Vegas Golden Knights
- Gabriel Fortier • LW • Tampa Bay Lightning
- Axel Jonsson-Fjallby • LW • Washington Capitals
- Zachary Sawchenko • G • San Jose Sharks
- Justin Danforth • RW • Columbus Blue Jackets
- Michael Pezzetta • C • Montreal Canadiens
- Riley Tufte • LW • Dallas Stars
- Alexey Toropchenko • RW • St. Louis Blues
- Bryce Kindopp • RW • Anaheim Ducks
- Kasper Bjorkqvist • RW • Pittsburgh Penguins
- Josiah Slavin • LW • Chicago Blackhawks
- Markus Niemelainen • D • Edmonton Oilers
- Daniil Miromanov • D/RW • Vegas Golden Knights
These rankings are based primarily on my interpretation of data and articles from Hockey Prospecting, The Hockey Writers, The Athletic, and various other media sites, as well as performance to date, player age (the younger the better), and draft position.
Leave a Reply