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Future Watch 2020
The Hockey News' Future Watch 2020 has all the staples of our popular annual prospect-blowout: our Top 100 list, Top 10s and team grades for every franchise, and Sneak Peeks at the next three NHL drafts. Also in the issue, we have features on the how Seattle is building a team from scratch, and prospects Bowen Byram, Kirill Kaprizov, Moritz Sieder and Trevor Zegras.
Edmonton Oilers
FINALLY HIT PAYDIRT For a long time, the Oilers’ blueline pipeline ran dry. But thanks to a recent focus, it’s now overflowing RANK: C + / 22 AFTER YEARS OF GETTING little contribution from the drafting and developmental arms of the organization – other than the obvious No. 1 overall picks and top-10 selections – the Oilers are finally reaping the benefits of a proper feeder system. Top-six forward Kailer Yamamoto (22nd overall in 2017) and top-four defenseman Ethan Bear (124th overall in 2015) have both made a difference in Edmonton, while defenseman Caleb Jones (117th overall in 2015) looks ready to stick. The Oilers invested heavily in defense prospects and believe Evan Bouchard, Philip Broberg and Dmitri Samorukov are all on track to become NHLers in the coming years. 1. EVAN BOUCHARD D, 20,…
Tampa Bay Lightning
RIPENING ON THE VINE A strong and deep roster at NHL level gives Lightning the luxury of letting young talent fine-tune game in AHL RANK: C / 26 DESPITE TRADING FIRST-ROUND picks and promising prospects the past few seasons in pursuit of a second Stanley Cup, the Lightning continue to produce NHL-caliber players capable of stepping in. Tampa Bay has dealt first-round prospects such as Nolan Foote (to New Jersey in the Blake Coleman deal) and Brett Howden (to the Rangers in 2018) to boost playoff runs, but the Bolts have still been able to graduate Anthony Cirelli, Mitchell Stephens and Carter Verhaeghe to the NHL. And there are more of those prospects in the system, including Cal Foote, one of only two remaining first-round picks out of the nine the team has…
Detroit Red Wings
COMING FULL CIRCLE The first time Yzerman arrived in Detroit, the Wings were in a dark place. What comes around, goes around RANK: B – / 15 WHEN STEVE YZERMAN arrived last spring to take over as GM, what he discovered was that years of substandard drafting had left a cupboard that was bereft of high-end NHL prospects. So ‘Stevie Y’ revamped his scouting staff. His former Wings teammate Kris Draper is the new director of amateur scouting. Detroit is last overall in the NHL standings, destined for a fourth straight season out of the playoffs. That’s the worst stretch endured by the franchise since the early ’80s, just prior to Yzerman’s arrival as a player in 1983. The silver lining? The Wings have the best odds of the 15 non-playoff teams of…
New Jersey Devils
GOOD VERSUS EVIL The Devils have finesse, now they’re looking to balance roster by adding grit via their depth prospects RANK: A– / 5 THE NEW JERSEY DEVILS are set to build their future around their pillars – Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Mackenzie Blackwood. The evolution of the NHL game demands skill now more than ever, and their pipeline focuses on bringing in players to complement their playmakers. However, the Devils also recognize the physicality required to win at the NHL level and they’re trying to strike a balance. “The personnel we’ve added is so we’re not kind of a one-trick pony down the road,” said assistant GM Dan MacKinnon. “We want a well-rounded, blended roster that can push deep into the playoffs.” 1. NOLAN FOOTE LW, 19, 6-4, 201 Kelowna (WHL) 27–15–18–33–49 Trade (TB), Feb. 16,…
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