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Prospects Unlimited 2021-22
Our annual Prospects Unlimited issue returns, with full listings of every NHL team’s system, grades, and a profile on an intriguing youngster. Also, we count down the top 100 21-and-under players in the world.
PROSPECTS: 39-44
39. ALEXANDER HOLTZ POS: RW | AGE: 19 Utica Comets (AHL) | Draft: 7th, 2020 (NJ) No doubt Holtz is close to the NHL lineup, but getting him some extra North American pro reps in the ‘A’ won’t hurt, either. A goal-scoring wunderkind who is still adjusting to the smaller ice over here, Holtz has tremendous potential as a top-line winger – and that’s exactly what his Devils need. 40. TY SMITH POS: D | AGE: 21 New Jersey Devils (NHL) | Draft: 17th, 2018 (NJ) An elite skater, Smith emerged as the Devils’ premier puck-mover on defense and finished seventh in the Calder Trophy vote last year. He has potential to become one of the league’s top offensive blueliners, but his underlying defensive metrics suggest he has lots to learn. A lower-body injury delayed the start…
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
DREW O’CONNOR GOT A taste of life in the NHL last season. Entering 2021-22 with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the 23-year-old left winger now wants a bit more. After signing a two-year entry-level contract as an undrafted free agent in March 2020, O’Connor debuted with an assist for the Penguins in a 3-2 overtime loss to Boston on Jan. 26 last season. He played nine more games with the Pens and went without a point in that time. The experience, however, was invaluable for a prospect looking to earn a more permanent role in Pittsburgh. “Last year was a good learning experience,” O’Connor said. “I got to know the level, what it takes at this level. It’s a big jump from college, but I feel like I learned how I can make an…
25. LOGAN COOLEY
25. LOGAN COOLEY POS: C | AGE: 17 U.S. NTDP (USHL) | Draft: 2022 THIS MIGHT MAKE YOU feel ancient, but 2022 draft prospect and Pittsburgh native Logan Cooley has never known a world in which the Penguins didn’t have Sidney Crosby in the lineup. The legendary Pittsburgh captain, of course, joined the franchise in 2005, when Cooley was still a toddler. Since then, Crosby has won multiple Stanley Cups and become one of the best centers in NHL history, providing a pretty good template for an aspiring young pivot. “It’s the little tricks he did with faceoffs and how he’s such a good two-way player,” Cooley said. “For sure that had a big influence on me.” And while it would be easy to assume Cooley bled Penguins colors as a kid, the truth…
PROSPECTS: 17-24
17. LUCAS RAYMOND POS: LW | AGE: 19 Detroit Red Wings (NHL) | Draft: 4th, 2020 (DET) A hyper-intelligent, disciplined, two-way Swedish forward with no clear weaknesses? If that doesn’t embody Red Wings hockey for the past 30 years, nothing does. Raymond made the team out of camp and, because of Jakub Vrana’s major shoulder injury, will get every opportunity to permanently seize a first-line spot in Hockeytown. 18. MATTY BENIERS POS: C | AGE: 19 Michigan Wolverines (BigTen) | Draft: 2nd, 2021 (SEA) Seattle’s first-ever draft pick has an incredible motor, and his two-way game made him an integral part of Team USA’s gold-medal WJC squad last year. He’ll take on an even bigger role with NCAA Michigan as a sophomore, but based on his offense and responsible nature, he’ll be ready for the Kraken by…
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