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Prospects Unlimited 2019-20
Prospects Unlimited, along with Future Watch and Draft Preview, is the third leg in our trio of issues dedicated entirely to the best and brightest players of tomorrow. Prospects Unlimited features exhaustive In The System breakdowns (nearly 1,200 players in total) and a spotlight on a key prospect for each NHL team, as well as our exclusive Top 100 Players 21 and under, ranging from the pros to midget. Also in the issue: Has increased scouting led to better drafting?; Our way-too-early 2020 mock draft; Cale Makar vs. Quinn Hughes: who’s the better young D-man; and much more!
TOP 100 - HOCKEY’S BEST PLAYERS 21 AND UNDER #4-43
4. CALE MAKAR POS: D AGE: 21 LAST YEAR: 41TEAM: COLORADO (NHL) DRAFT: 4TH, 2017 (COL) The main reason Colorado could afford to trade Tyson Barrie over the summer: it had Makar, another silky-smooth, right-shot, puck-moving defenseman, ready to take over as its primary power-play quarterback. Forget that he was 20 at the time and had yet to play a regular-season NHL game. Makar is such a virtuoso with the puck that he got an Olympic invite from Team Canada in 2018, when he was a teenager, and he jumped directly from college to the Stanley Cup playoffs last spring, logging 17:22 a game. Makar possesses the skill and intelligence to become an offensive force and perennial Norris Trophy threat. 5. PATRIK LAINE POS: RW AGE: 21 LAST YEAR: 3TEAM: WINNIPEG (NHL) DRAFT: 2ND,…
Soapbox
Quinton Byfield. He’s a year younger than Lafreniere and is on pace to have better stats than him last year when he was 17. Byfield has Lindros-esque potential.– Mathieu Gosselin Cole Caufield…a kid that slid down to 15 because of his size. He’s gonna make a lot of people wish they didn’t sleep on him.– @Vith101 Olli Juolevi is the top drafted hockey prospect in the world right now. He’s an elite all-around big minute defenseman, who’s biding his time getting to the NHL. Juolevi will play into his 40s – like Chris Chelios.– @tspence81 Ty Smith…kid is going to be a beaut!– @Ben_in_BC Drafted: Despite going through struggles right now, it’s Vitali Kravtsov. People need to relax with the kid. He’ll be the player we all know he can be. He’s talented and…
Columbus Blue Jackets
ERIC HJORTH FOR A KID who missed most of his draft year with a knee injury, defenseman Eric Hjorth hasn’t taken the easy road back. The 18-year-old left Sweden in the summer to join OHL Sarnia, but first he suited up for Columbus’ entry at the annual Traverse City Prospect Tournament. While the pace of the game seemed to overwhelm Hjorth at times, that was precisely why his presence was so important. “After the game your head is spinning,” said Mike Eaves, the AHL Cleveland coach who was behind the Columbus bench in Traverse City. “You think to yourself, ‘I can’t play this level, it’s too fast.’ But then after a while you realize it slows down. For him to come over to a smaller space, the speed and quickness is…
New York Rangers
KARL HENRIKSSON AT SOME POINT, it just becomes obvious how valuable Karl Henriksson is, even if the Swedish center isn’t a household name yet. When he plays internationally, he often has top 2020 draft prospects Alex Holtz and Lucas Raymond as his wingers. When Henriksson suited up for the Rangers at the Traverse City Prospects Tournament this fall, he played between two of the organization’s elite young talents: Kaapo Kakko and Vitali Kravtsov. “He’s a 200-foot player, real cerebral with and without the puck,” said Rangers GM Jeff Gorton. “He does all the dirty work. For a guy who’s not big (5-foot-9, 175 pounds), he plays a bigger game. He hunts pucks, he wins battles, he makes plays. He does all the little things to help you win.” Henriksson, a second-round pick…
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