I’ll make the case that they’re mistaken. But perhaps spending a month analyzing stats, tactics, and leagues will achieve that. The inclusion of three Blackhawks, outside of Connor Bedard, in the NHL Network’s list of the Top 50 Prospects in the league was a little surprise.
Knowing that the prospects are individuals 25 years of age and younger with fewer than 25 NHL games, let’s get started.
Bedard Sits At the Top
This is not shocking. He won’t be on the list for very long either because he has no more junior-level tasks to complete. It shouldn’t be a cause for concern because most people are now betting on how many points he’ll score in his debut season as well as his chances of winning the Calder. The top ten then breaks out as most people would anticipate. But the latter two drafts have a lot of it.
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The Blackhawks notice a slight separation between Bedard and their other two surviving players after that, though. Oliver Moore and Kevin Korchinski are ranked 33 and 35, respectively. Both Frank Nazar and Drew Commesso, who were chosen for the US team in the World Championships back in June, are not on the roster.
22 of the 32 NHL Teams Make the List
The clubs on the list are a unique mix, and rebuild teams clearly have the advantage due to their abundance of prospects. But certain things will surprise you. Buffalo, Columbus, and Nashville, three teams, tied for the most prospects on the list with four each. Adam Fantilli and David Jiricek, two prospects from Columbus, are among the top 10 prospects, while Buffalo is fairly evenly split at positions 19, 27, 28, and 30.
Two top-ten prospects for New Jersey, who made significant progress last season, will only increase their depth. The Arizona Coyotes, though, who have appeared to be in an endless rebuild, only have one. The fact that Nashville has four prospects and Anaheim has three in the top 25 was also unexpected.
Many will graduate, and other names will become more well-known. It is subjective, of course. The Blackhawks still have three impressive players, but it’s probable that Moore will be joined by more players like Nazar, Drew Commesso, Gavin Hayes, or Nick Lardis next season.
Even tanking doesn’t ensure such speedy reversal, as the list does show. We’ll look at the clubs with multiple picks, where they are in the rebuild, and how they put it together, in a post tomorrow. It’s a subjective assessment from the NHL Network, but it’s still a fascinating look at how things frequently function contrary to expectations.