After a strange February that was marked by the Olympic break and All-Star break, the turn of the calendar means the NHL is back in full swing. With the trade deadline approaching, the most crucial part of the season lies ahead for teams with playoff aspirations. Other teams are already out of the race so I figured it would be a good idea to take a look at every team’s top prospect and see how well they are developing.  Remember that players are usually 18 years old when drafted and take some time to develop but we may start to see some of these young players in the NHL lineup as soon as next year. 

1. Colorado Avalanche

Rank Last Month: 1 

Top Prospect: Bowen Byram (18-5-6-11 NHL)

Draft Class: 2019

The Avalanche have far and away been the best team this season. After last year’s second-round exit in the playoffs, the Avs look hungrier than ever to prove themselves in the playoffs. With stars like Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar leading the way, there’s no reason the Avs wouldn’t be poised to make a deep run in the playoffs this year. They are currently 16 points ahead of the Blues for first place in their division.

2. Florida Panthers

Rank Last Month: 4

Top Prospect: Anton Lundell (52-14-24-38 NHL)

Draft Class: 2020

Lundell has fit in nicely in Florida. Other than Moritz Seider in Detroit, Lundell may be considered the best rookie of the season.  The Finnish scoring center is only part of the success that has happened in Florida this season. The Cats lead the league in goals and need that offense to carry into the playoffs. Lundell might just be what gets the Panthers over the hump so they can win their first playoff series since 1996.

3. Carolina Hurricanes

Rank Last Month: 2

Top Prospect: Seth Jarvis (45-8-12-20 NHL)

Draft Class: 2020

The Hurricanes are a stacked team from top to bottom.  From the net out they have one of the most well-balanced teams in the league.  With top-end talent like Sebastian Aho and exceptional goaltending from Freddy Anderson, they look like the most complete team in the Eastern Conference. This lineup includes 20-year-old Seth Jarvis who was a first-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. After his time in the AHL last season, Jarvis looks like a solid player for years to come on an already stacked team

4. Tampa Bay Lightning 

Rank Last Month: 7

Top Prospect: Jack Finley (21-8-8-16 WHL) 

Draft Class: 2020

The Lightning once again find themselves around the top of the power rankings. The Bolts cruise into fourth this month after going 8-2 in their last ten games, including the win in the stadium series game against Nashville. The Lightning are coming off of back-to-back Stanley Cups and they have what it takes to make it three. When the Bolts are healthy their lineup, which includes Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, and Brayden Point, is one of the most formidable lineups in the NHL.

5. Boston Bruins 

Rank Last Month: 14

Top Prospect: Fabian Lysell (37-18-27-45 WHL)

Draft Class: 2021

The Bruins had a very strong February where they hopped over the Capitals into the first wild card spot in the east.  After Brad Marchand’s suspension ended, the Bruins went on a productive road trip where they went 5-1 on the West Coast. The Bruins’ recent stretch of games has gained them 3 points on Toronto and they are sneaking their way back into the top 3 of the Atlantic Division.

6. New York Rangers

Rank Last Month: 5

Top Prospect: Brennan Othmann (51-37-38-75 OHL)

Draft Class: 2021

The Blueshirts once again find themselves in the top 5 of the power rankings and for good reason. The elite play of Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox, and Mika Zibanejad has led the Rangers to an excellent record this season. Given how young the team is I’m not sure they are poised for a deep playoff run just yet. Enter Brendan Othmann, a 19-year-old who has exceeded all expectations after being drafted in the first round of the 2021 NHL draft.  If Othmann makes the lineup next season, that is another young player to join the likes of Alexis Lafreniere and Kappo Kakko, the guys that will lead this team to a cup in the near future.

7. Toronto Maple Leafs

Rank Last Month: 6

Top Prospect: Nick Robertson (6-1-0-1 NHL)

Draft Class: 2019 

Canada’s most popular team, the Maple Leafs, remain in 6th place this month.  After a very solid month marked with highs and lows, the Leafs are just 2 points back of the Lightning for second in the Atlantic Division. In Auston Matthews’ 6th season, it’s less of a question of will the Leafs make the playoffs and more of a matter of how they do once they get there. Hopefully, Nick Robertson can find the gear he was in during the 2020 bubble as an 18-year-old. He may have only registered 1 goal, but he looked really good against Columbus in that series.

8. Calgary Flames 

Rank Last Month: 16

Top Prospect: Jakob Pelletier (44-16-25-41 AHL) 

Draft Class: 2019

The Flames have a solid lead in the Pacific Division which has been the weakest division so far this year. After a disappointing year last year, nobody expected the Flames to succeed this year. But, on the backs of Johnny Gaudreau and Elias Lindholm, the Flames have found their form from 2019. It would be surprising to not see the Flames win their division.

9. Washington Capitals 

Rank Last Month: 8

Top Prospect: Connor McMichael (53-7-8-15 NHL)

Draft Class: 2019

Washington drops a spot in the power rankings this month which is a little bit generous. If this ranking was started any sooner the Capitals would’ve found themselves much further down on the list, but lucky for them they got an opportunistic 3 game win streak. The Caps are going to make the playoffs and it will be 21-year-old Connor McMichael’s first taste of playoff hockey. He is the one difference in the Caps’ lineup this year. The hope is that his youthful presence will invigorate the Capitals to another cup run

10. Los Angeles Kings

Rank Last Month: 15 

Top Prospect: Quinton Byfield (18-2-1-3 NHL)

Draft Class: 2020 

The Kings are turning a lot of heads this year as they climb into the top 10 of the power rankings. After a successful retool, the Kings sit in second in the Pacific Division with only 30 games left to play.  Young players are leading the way for the Kings including the second overall pick from 2020, Quinton Byfield. His impact has been minimal this year, but just wait until the playoffs. The Kings are hoping he’ll be similar to Cole Caufield last year and break out once he reaches the playoffs.

11. Nashville Predators 

Rank Last Month: 9

Top Prospect: Luke Evangelista (51-48-48-96 OHL)

Draft Class: 2020

Right now the Predators are in the top wild-card spot in the Western Conference.  The Predators have a nice mix of players in their lineup including former first-round picks such as Phillip Tomasino. Evangelista was a second-round pick in 2020 who is playing like a first-rounder. He might prove to be a complete steal because he’s scoring 1.8 points per game and will be too old to play in the OHL again next season. Does that mean the 20-year-old makes the Preds roster?

12. Pittsburgh Penguins 

Rank Last Month: 3

Top Prospect: ???

Pittsburgh’s season has been overall really good, yet they’ve fluctuated a lot in the power rankings. After reaching a high of 3rd last month, the Penguins drop to 11th this month after a 5-4-1 last 10 games. The Penguins have lost ground in the Metropolitan Division and are now in 3rd. It seems like this might be Sidney Crosby’s last run at a cup because the team isn’t getting younger and they don’t have any blue-chip prospects to replace the older guys

13. Dallas Stars

Rank Last Month: 22

Top Prospect: Maverick Bourque (19-12-27-39 QMJHL)

Draft Class: 2020

The Stars are an incredibly interesting case. Unlike in Eastern Conference, the Western Conference is less top-heavy, besides Colorado. With the deadline fast approaching, the Stars are in a unique position where they can either be buyers or sellers. If they stay the course they will likely meet the Avalanche in the first round of the playoffs and lose. If they decide to retool/rebuild and sell at the deadline, they could move money and rebuild around a center like Mavrik Bourque. In a small sample size this season, he is scoring above 2 points per game in the QMJHL. Next season he will be too old to play in the junior league and likely makes the Stars lineup. If the Stars sell, Bourque will get a prominent role next season.

14. St. Louis Blues

Rank Last Month: 10

Top Prospect: Scott Perunovich (17-3-19-22 AHL)

Draft Class: 2018

St. Louis’ month has been mediocre at best. They still remain far outside of first place in their division trailing the Avalanche by 14 points. They are in a pretty perfect spot, seemingly a lock for the playoffs, and are likely going to meet Minnesota in the first round.

15. Minnesota Wild

Rank Last Month: 12

Top Prospect: Marco Rossi (43-16-27-42 AHL)

The Wild are coming off a decisive 5-2 win against the Rangers and they are hoping that is a turning point. The team has been streaky this year and they can only hope to heat up before the playoffs. Marco Rossi is scoring a point per game in the AHL in his D+2 season which is very impressive. Rossi is a skilled guy who is going to be a top player in the NHL very soon.

16. Vancouver Canucks 

Rank Last Month: 17

Top Prospect: Vasili Podkolzin (54-10-6-16 NHL)

The Canucks continue the surge they had after firing GM Jim Benning and coach Travis Green. The team is 7-3 in their last ten games and have played well lately. After pushing for a playoff spot, the Canucks are in a good position to do damage in the last 30 games of the season. Podkolzin has had a decent D+2 year as a rookie in the NHL. The point totals might not be where Canucks fans were hoping for, but you can’t judge a kid only based on their rookie year.

17. Edmonton Oilers

Rank Last Month: 19

Top Prospect: Dylan Holloway (22-7-6-13 AHL)

Draft Class: 2020

The Oilers are up a few spots from last month but are still far away from where they were in December when they ranked 4th. Luckily the Oilers have rebounded and passed Vegas to claim third place in the Pacific Division. Most of the offense for this team rests on the backs of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. But soon, adding a big strong winger, like Holloway in the lineup can change that. The 6’1 203 pound winger finished his d=sophomore year at Wisconsin scoring 35 points in 23 games for the Badgers. A player with that size and skill will make a big impact at the NHL level next season.

18. Winnipeg Jets

Rank Last Month: 20

Top Prospect: Cole Perfetti (17-6-9-15 AHL)

Draft Class: 2020

The Jets are starting to find themselves in the mix in the Central Division. It’s still unlikely that they will end up making the playoffs due to the declining play of some of their top players like Blake Wheeler and an off-year from Mark Scheifele. Perfetti has split time this season between the NHL and AHL where the 20-year-old has scored 15 points in 17 games in the minor leagues. Perfetti is a complete player who plays a high-skill game similar to Scheifele, except flashier. Standing at only 5’10, Perfetti looks to make an impact at the NHL level soon.

19. Columbus Blue Jackets

Rank Last Month: 24

Top Prospect: Kent Johnson (28-7-27-34 NCAA)

Draft Class: 2021

The Jackets return to 18th for the first time since December. They are currently above .500 in the Metropolitan Division. The main concern for the jackets has been consistency. The split of their home and away records are startling (17-12-3 at home and 13-15 on the road). After missing the playoffs last year, they added two top 15 picks to their system, Kent Johnson and Cole Sillinger. Johnson barely beats out Sillinger after scoring more than a point per game as a Sophomore at Michigan

20. New York Islanders

Rank Last Month: 23

Top Prospect: Aatu Raty (37-12-22-34 LIIGA)

Draft Class: 2021

This Finish center is far from a finished product. Raty was the projected number 1 pick in 2021 for over a year until his draft stock crashed last season. He slid into the second round in 2021 and the Islanders got a steal with him. The 19-year-old is putting up nearly a point per game in LIIGA (the pro league in Finland) which is definitely worth noting. It’s probably not until 2023-2024 that Raty makes his NHL debut, but he is something worth getting excited about in the Islanders system

21. Anaheim Ducks

Rank Last Month: 13 

Top Prospect: Mason McTavish (15-13-13-26 OHL)

Draft Class: 2021

Anaheim drops 8 spots and falls far out of the playoff mix into 21st this month.  The team likely won’t make the playoffs but are still on track for a successful rebuild. Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale have played really well in their sophomore seasons in the NHL. Young players are found up and down the lineup in Anaheim and there is reason to believe that they will be even better next year.

22. Vegas Golden Knights

Rank Last Month: 11

Top Prospect: Brendan Brisson (34-18-17-35 NCAA)

Draft Class: 2020

Vegas falls hard into 22nd this month. If I were the Golden Knights fan I would be very concerned right now. The Knights need to turn around their season right now. They are currently 1 point in front in Dallas and have played 4 more games. The Golden Knights prospect pool is very bare because of their recent dominance. The only bright spot is Brendan Brisson, who has scored a point per game at Michigan as a sophomore.

23. New Jersey Devils

Rank Last Month: 27

Top Prospect: Luke Hughes (37-17-19-36 NCAA)

Draft Class: 2021

Luke Hughes has been a stud at Michigan this year. The defenseman was drafted 4th overall in 2021 and scored nearly a point per game as a freshman. Hughes was the third-highest scoring freshman in the NCAA this season and will likely make the NHL next season. He will be happy to join his older brother, Jack Hughes, in New Jersey and lead them to its desired success. 

24. Montreal Canadiens 

Rank Last Month: 32

Top Prospect: Cole Caufield (44-9-16-25 NHL)

Draft Class: 2019

The Canadiens are not last!! In fact, they are far from it after a really great run with Martin St. Louis behind the bench. Montreal is 7-2-1 in their last ten and has actually played some very quality hockey since the coaching change. Caufield has come alive after being sent to the minors early in the season. Under St. Louis, the Habs have projected themselves into respectability and a hopeful end to this season.  

25. Arizona Coyotes

Rank Last Month: 30 

Top Prospect: Dylan Guenther (49-38-38-76 WHL)

Draft Class: 2021 

Alert! The Coyotes are not in the bottom 3! Recently, the Yotes have been 7-3 in their last ten and have scored a ton of goals. Averaging 4.2 goals per game in their last ten, the Coyotes are proving to be a tough out. This season really means nothing record-wise but they would like to see development from their young players, including Dylan Guenther.  Guenther, who was the number 10 pick in 2021, has scored about 1.5 points per game in the WHL season.

26. Chicago Blackhawks

Rank Last Month: 26

Top Prospect: Lukas Reichel (40-18-22-40 AHL)

Draft Class: 2020

The Blackhawks are in an interesting position because they consistently are finding themselves at the bottom of the power rankings. The team moved Brandon Hagel at the deadline for an incredible return. But, the organization is in turmoil.  Kane and Toews are not happy with the direction of the team. They’ve bought into the rebuild idea but selling off Hagel damaged their relationship with the organization. 

27. Detroit Red Wings

Rank Last Month: 21

Top Prospect: Simon Edvinsson (42-1-17-18 SHL) 

Draft Class: 2021

Swedish-born defenseman Simon Edvinsson is the prize of the Red Wings prospects. The Red Wing system is a bit depleted because their top prospects have already joined the team. Edvinsson is the one guy left to get excited about.  The 18-year-old is playing with Frolunda in the SHL and is displaying his dynamic offensive talents. He might be the player that gets added to Detroit’s roster that pushes them over the edge and drags them into the playoffs

28. San Jose Sharks

Rank Last Month: 16

Top Prospect: William Eklund (9-0-4-4 NHL)

Draft Class: 2021

Falling 12 spots we have the San Jose Sharks. Amidst their struggles, top prospect William Eklund splits his time between the NHL and the AHL. Eklund’s a dynamic forward with an amazing ability to create space between him and the opposition. His offensive vision is exceptional and he is described as the “glue” guy who keeps his line playing well in all three zones.  He’ll be an electric player when he establishes a main role in the NHL

29.  Buffalo Sabres 

Rank Last Month: 28

Top Prospect: Owen Power (29-3-24-27 NCAA)

Draft Class: 2021

The Sabres selected Owen Power with the first overall pick in 2021. The 6’6 defenseman isn’t just a big body. He provides a physical presence in the lineup with that size but he also provides significant offensive value. The Sabres have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to prospects and Owen Power just topped the list.

30. Philadelphia Flyers

Rank Last Month: 29

Top Prospect: Bobby Brink (37-14-41-55 NCAA) 

Draft Class: 2019

Bobby Brink has been brilliant playing his Junior year at the University of Denver in the NCAA. Brink is known as a sniper but has tallied 41 assists this year, an NCAA career-high. He also played at the 2021 World Juniors for the gold medal-winning American team, where he scored 6 points in 7 games. An infusion of youth is desperately needed into the Flyers lineup. Brink may make his NHL debut later this season

31. Ottawa Senators

Rank Last Month: 25

Top Prospect: Jake Sanderson (23-8-18-26 NCAA)

Draft Class: 2020

The suffering continues for Ottawa. The Sens are 3-7 in their last 10 games. Sanderson’s sophomore season at North Dakota has been a massive success. The former 5th overall pick scored over a point per game for North Dakota as a defenseman. A strong, skilled player, he looks to join the Sens next year as they push for the playoffs

32. Seattle Kraken

Rank Last Month: 31

Top Prospect: Matty Beniers (33-19-21-40 NCAA)

Draft Class: 2021

Matty Beniers may end up being the best player from the 2021 draft class. The second overall pick was the first pick in Seattle franchise history. Beniers was the centerpiece of an elite Michigan team in the NCAA this season. The sophomore scored over a point per game including 19 goals. Beniers also represented the United States at the 2021 U20 World Juniors as an 18-year-old and was a steady contributor on that team.