Top Prospects

Player Notes

Random Quote From The Archive

Nico HischierCape Breton vs Halifax (QMJHL)3/17/2017Took a slash on the hands and did not like it, waited half a shift then picked his spot and threw a hard, clean hit on the neutral-zone boards. Hischier is playing with some snarl.

Number of Players

Number of Notes

Number of Games Noted
1,536 9,930 359
Brian Fogarty

Top Prospects: The NHL System Rankings

#31: Florida Panthers 

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Number of Ranked Prospects: 27

Number of Forwards in the Top 50: 0

Number of Defensemen in the Top 50: 0

Average Rank of Top 10 Prospects in Pool: 154th

Top Forward Prospect in The System: Simon Zether (104th)

Top Defenseman Prospect in The System: Matvei Shuravin (71st)

System Score: 1

 

Lifting the Stanley Cup is much easier when it is not full of prospects, and the Panthers skating around the rink a few months ago were well appreciative of the absence of several junior and college players clinging to the rim. Much like those in Boston, the cupboards in Sunshine, Florida are remarkably empty with only two prospects ranked within the top 100 on either the forwards or the defensemen lists. One key difference between the Bruins and the Panthers is named Anton Lundell, the Finnish center that Florida selected 12th overall in 2020 and has since became a mainstay in the starting lineup with 216 NHL games thus far (in which he has scored 112 points). Despite having four first-round picks since the 2018 draft, the Panthers have not had a first-rounder since they took Mackie Samoskevich in 2021. In fact, the highest pick they have used in the past three drafts 58th overall in 2024 which they used to select Linus Eriksson.

 

Brian Fogarty

Top Prospects: The NHL System Rankings

#32: Boston Bruins 

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Number of Ranked Prospects: 30

Number of Forwards in the Top 50: 0

Number of Defensemen in the Top 50: 0

Average Rank of Top 10 Prospects in Pool: 177th

Top Forward Prospect in The System: Dean Letourneau (55th)

Top Defenseman Prospect in The System: Elliott Groenewold (150th)

System Score: 1

 

A running theme for the lowest-ranking systems will be the sacrifice of the prospect pool for Stanley Cup success. The Bruins prospect system can be held up as the defining example of the deprivations that prospect pools suffer through in order to keep the NHL team stocked with top-caliber players vying for championships. Since the 2018 draft (note: players taken before the 2018 draft are likely beyond the 24-year-old cutoff for Hockey Prophets prospect consideration), the Bruins have had just three first-round picks, and the highest of the three was 21st overall in 2021 (Fabian Lysell). The Bruins have seen a few of their recent picks finding their way to the NHL (John Beecher, 30th overall in 2019; Mason Lohrei, 58th overall in 2020; Matthew Poitras, 54th overall in 2022) but they have generally seen little help from their past several drafts. 

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