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Prospects Unlimited 2023
In this year's edition of our annual Prospects Unlimited issue, we count down the top 100 21-and-under players in the world and focus in on each NHL team's youth with profiles, grades and a full listing of every player in the organization.
TOP 100 21 AND UNDER: 19-24
>19. COLE PERFETTI POS: C | AGE: 21 WINNIPEG JETS (NHL) | DRAFT: 10TH, 2020 (WPG) Perfetti has suffered through consecutive campaigns marred by season-ending ailments, giving rise to concern about his injury susceptibility. His vision and playmaking sparkle – when he’s healthy. The Jets’ roster makeover puts Perfetti in the catbird seat for top-six and PP minutes, but it will also bring added pressure. >20. CUTTER GAUTHIER POS: LW | AGE: 19 BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES (HE) | DRAFT: 5TH, 2022 (PHI) Coming off a scintillating freshman season with the Eagles, Gauthier has all the makings of a No. 1 NHL center: he has size, skill and mobility. His shot is good enough to beat goalies clean, and he’s dangerous in all situations. This will all but assuredly be his final year at the NCAA level. >21. WILL…
TOP 100 21 AND UNDER: 93-100
>93. ZACH BENSON POS: LW | AGE: 18 BUFFALO SABRES (NHL) | DRAFT: 13TH, 2023 (BUF) They always count out the little guy – until he blows the doors off its hinges. Benson forced himself onto Buffalo’s opening-night roster thanks to a wicked pre-season, and no matter how long he stays up, it was an accomplishment. You’d be foolish to bet against someone with Benson’s skill set and drive. >94. CONOR GEEKIE POS: C | AGE: 19 WENATCHEE WILD (WHL) | DRAFT: 11TH, 2022 (ARI) The 6-foot-3, 193-pound Geekie is another in the Coyotes’ recent wave of drafting players who resemble redwood trees. He plays a two-way game and can be effective up and down the lineup. With Matt Savoie and Zach Benson still in Buffalo, Geekie took the reins in Wenatchee, racking up eight points in…
SAN JOSE SHARKS
IN TERMS of a “welcome to North America” moment, Kasper Halttunen has a good one: playing for Finland at the World Junior Summer Showcase in Michigan, he saw just how physical things can get over here in his first game against Team USA’s WJC hopefuls. “I like these kinds of games,” he said. “There’s always someone coming to hit you, so you have to be alert. I lost a tooth in the first period. That’s hockey.” And keep in mind, this was a game in late July – it wasn’t even the actual world juniors. Either way, it clearly didn’t scare off Halttunen, because later in the summer, he committed to the OHL’s London Knights. He’ll play the season over here instead of back home in Finland, where he had been…
THE COUNTDOWN
OK, SO THE YEAR of Connor Bedard draft talk is finally over – only to begin the year of Connor Bedard NHL talk. Not that any of us will be complaining, of course. But the 2024 draft is now in our sights, and this year’s crop promises to bring its own great storylines. To begin with, the top two prospects in the class just happen to be old friends. Mack Celebrini and Cole Eiserman were linemates at Shattuck-St. Mary’s prep school in Minnesota before Celebrini headed off to the USHL’s Chicago Steel and Eiserman decamped for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program. Celebrini made history as the first player to be honored as rookie of the year, forward of the year and player of the year in the USHL, while Eiserman…
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