A new season of Young Guns is upon us. It is a pretty strong crop with plenty of star potential coming especially from the first four names on the list. Players 5-10 have realistic but longer shots at stardom. And spots 1-24 all have realistic hopes for sticking around in the NHL for an extended period.
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- Matt Boldy • W • Minnesota Wild
As of this writing, Matt Boldy already has 58 NHL games, 21 goals, and 28 assists under his belt. His knack for creating offense has been mighty impressive from the get-go. Just check out the hands and poise on display on this goal. And his tool set is not just limited to offense. Craig Button told The Athletic, “He can play the game in so many different ways. When you’re not a one-trick pony, you can impose yourself with different skill assets. He can do it with playmaking, he can do it with skating, he can do it with physical play and he can do it with his skill. He can do it in an open game or a tight-checking game.” - Matty Beniers • C • Seattle Kraken
Matty Beniers is more than one and a half years younger than Boldy and has also already shown a knack for scoring at the NHL level with 18 points in his first 22 games. Normally I’d give the edge to the younger player, but in this case Boldy’s larger sample of production in the AHL and NHL makes Boldy the safer bet in my book. The margin between the two is thin though. Devin Little at The Hockey Writers says of Beniers, “His offensive abilities make him a top-tier prospect for the Kraken, but his two-way abilities and his willingness to set the example for his teammates make him one of the very best prospects in the game.” - Owen Power • D • Buffalo Sabres
The margin between Beniers and Owen Power is also slim. The Hockey Writers rate Power as the #1 prospect at the moment and Beniers #2. (Boldy has graduated from prospect status.) While players such as Cale Makar and Adam Fox have proven that d-men who put up points can garner significant interest among card collectors, I still give a slight edge to the two players ranked above Power here partly because forwards still have an easier path to hobby interest than d-men. Power, who stands an imposing 6’6″, garners this high praise from Peter Baracchini at The Hockey Writers: “He’s an effortless skater with great speed and a smooth stride, possesses great awareness in any scenario and has a booming shot from the point. Defensively, he provides excellent gap control and a strong net front presence. He’s responsible, smart and competitive every time he’s on the ice.” - Marco Rossi • C • Minnesota Wild
Unlike the first three names on this list, Marco Rossi’s early results in the NHL have not been promising. With a small sample size caveat, he is still looking for his first goal and has collected just one assist in his first 12 games. Rossi’s development path took a major hit when serious complications from COVID wiped out his entire 2020-21 season, so there is a little less to go on when evaluating Rossi. But what we do have to go on is impressive, particularly an eye-popping 120 points in 56 OHL games in 2019-20. He spent most of 2021-22 in the AHL and posted a respectable 53 points in 63 games. Corey Pronman at The Athletic writes, “He makes a lot happen with the puck on his stick, showing high levels of puck skills, vision and overall offensive IQ. Rossi lacks ideal size for the NHL, but he’s a worker who can play both ways and projects to stay down the middle as a pro. He isn’t that fast, but is elusive and has small-area quickness.” - Kent Johnson • C • Columbus Blue Jackets
Kent Johnson possesses some magic in his hands when he has the puck. That magic was on display at the 2022 World Juniors where he scored both a lacrosse-style goal and the OT winner in the gold-medal game. His high-end puck skills should land him on highlight reels for many years to come. Pronman writes, “He’s a player who exudes skill. He is such a creative puck handler and passer who can make chances happen out of nothing. He can run a power play and projects to be a big part of an NHL man advantage.” - Lukas Reichel • W • Chicago Blackhawks
Lukas Reichel has proven he can produce points at the AHL level, having posted 67 in his first 63 games in the A. Next up is proving himself in the NHL, where he has collected just one point in his first 11 games. Prospect watchers like his chances, calling him “an unrelenting forechecker and backchecker” and that he is “a well-rounded forward prospect who has NHL skill and can play at an NHL pace.“ - Jack Quinn • W • Buffalo Sabres
Jack Quinn was the 2021-22 AHL rookie of the year after posting 61 points in 45 games. Quinn’s puck skills draw high marks. Baracchini writes, “Quinn is a very deceptive player whenever he’s on the ice as he can fool you with his playmaking abilities or his quick release. You never know what he’s going to do and that’s what makes him dangerous.” - Pyotr Kochetkov • G • Carolina Hurricanes
Pyotr Kochetkov had a solid three game NHL stint in the 2021-22 regular season and a slightly less solid four games in the big league playoffs. His performance in the AHL has been mighty strong, including a sub-2.00 GAA, and he helped the Chicago Wolves to the Calder Cup last season. In six AHL playoff games he had a .950 save percentage and a 1.65 GAA. Sarah.A at Canes Country writes, “Kochetkov quickly became a fan favorite at both levels not just for his skill and athleticism in net, but also for his fearless, fiery playing style.” - Boldy/Rossi checklist
- Jordan Spence • D • Los Angeles Kings
Jordan Spence is yet another guy on this list with an impressive AHL résumé. Through his first 55 games in the A, he’s racked up 52 points, a robust total for a defenseman. Pronman writes, “Spence is a super smart puck mover, who can run a power play like a pro. He makes a lot of creative passes and shows great poise from the offensive blue line.” - Braden Schneider • D • New York Rangers
Braden Schneider, with 75 NHL games under his belt, has already proven that he belongs in the NHL. He’s not expected to be a big point producer though, which will limit interest hobby-wise. Pronman describes his game as “boring but effective.” - Jacob Perreault • W • Anaheim Ducks
- Thomas Bordeleau • C • San Jose Sharks
- Bobby Brink • W • Philadelphia Flyers
- Nicholas Abruzzese • C • Toronto Maple Leafs
- Matias Maccelli • W • Arizona Coyotes
- Lukas Dostal • G • Anaheim Ducks
- Samuel Fagemo • W • Los Angeles Kings
- Mads Sogaard • G • Ottawa Senators
- Kaedan Korczak • D • Vegas Golden Knights
- Jordan Harris • D • Montreal Canadiens
- Vladislav Kolyachonok • D • Arizona Coyotes
- Brayden Tracey • W • Anaheim Ducks
- Erik Kallgren • G • Toronto Maple Leafs
- Adam Raska • W • San Jose Sharks
- Jack LaFontaine • G • Carolina Hurricanes
- Alex Vlasic • D • Chicago Blackhawks
- Jack McBain • C • Arizona Coyotes
- Isaac Ratcliffe • W • Philadelphia Flyers
- Jakub Galvas • D • Philadelphia Flyers
- Dylan Samberg • D • Winnipeg Jets
- Jonathan Kovacevic • D • Winnipeg Jets
- Ben Meyers • F • Colorado Avalanche
- Valtteri Puustinen • W • Pittsburgh Penguins
- Nathan Smith • C • Arizona Coyotes
- Noah Cates • W • Philadelphia Flyers
- Nick Blankenburg • D • Columbus Blue Jackets
- Marc McLaughlin • F • Boston Bruins
- Trey Fix-Wolansky • W • Columbus Blue Jackets
- Mark Kastelic • C • Ottawa Senators
- Jake Christiansen • D • Columbus Blue Jackets
- Chase Pearson • C • Detroit Red Wings
- Carson Meyer • W • Columbus Blue Jackets
- Jacob Moverare • D • Los Angeles Kings
- Fredrik Karlstrom • C • Dallas Stars
- Hayden Hodgson • W • Philadelphia Flyers
- Brayden Pachal • D • Vegas Golden Knights
- Zack Hayes • D • Vegas Golden Knights
- Jeff Malott • F • Winnipeg Jets
- Linus Sandin • F • Philadelphia Flyers
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.
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