Search for your favorite player or team
© The Hockey News. All rights reserved. Any and all material on this website cannot be used, reproduced, or distributed without prior written permission from Roustan Media Ltd. For more information, please see our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
Future Watch 2025
The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.
GRADES AND PERSPECTIVE
TEAMS IN THE MIDST of their Stanley Cup windows don’t typically have high grades in our annual Future Watch issue. That’s because to remain among the top Cup contenders every year, they often have to forsake high picks and prospects. They don’t complain about it. In fact, they strive toward it. The chart on the right is an attempt to level the playing surface when it comes to analyzing how NHL teams perform at the draft. Teams with high Future Watch report-card grades (below) have both quality and quantity in their prospect systems. But they should. They’re at the low end of the NHL standings and have had multiple early picks in recent drafts. The ‘ADR’ number ranks NHL teams on how early they’ve made their first pick in the past…
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
C+ | RANK: 25TH SPENDING A DECADE WINNING in the NHL means making trades to remain at a high level. During the Lightning’s decade-plus run of success, the team’s pool of prospects helped propel them to the top. But the farm system isn’t what it used to be. “Obviously, if we don’t have a lot of first-round picks, we don’t have a lot of second-round picks, it’s harder to infuse the pipeline with high-end skill,” said GM Julien BriseBois. So Tampa Bay has tried to build in other ways, with shrewd mid-round picks, project picks and undrafted free agents. But that doesn’t mean the pipeline is devoid of skill. 1 ISAAC HOWARD LW, 20, 5-11, 190 Michigan State (Big Ten) 30–22–21–43–10 2022 draft, 31st overall OVERALL 73 As an NCAA junior, Howard has more than doubled his previous-best…
EAGLE EYE-O-METER
The best scouting staffs are able to convert mid- and late-round picks into NHL talent. These teams have made the most of picks from the third round or later since 2004, ranked by average games played per selection
UTAH HOCKEY CLUB
A- | RANK: 5TH THE NHL IS IN Utah for the long haul, and while the Hockey Club may not have a permanent name just yet, what they do possess is a deep well of prospects who could thrill their newfound fans for years to come. During his playing days, GM Bill Armstrong was an intimidating blueliner who checked in at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, and he sure likes players cut from that same cloth. Utah’s prospect ranks are stocked with big players who play a physically imposing game. That, along with a balance of high-energy, high-skill forwards, gives the Utah faithful a lot to look forward to in the coming years. 1 TIJ IGINLA C, 18, 6-0, 195 Kelowna (WHL) 21–14–18–32–13 2024 draft, 6th overall OVERALL 10 Iginla, the first draft pick in team history, was on…
Made possible with the support of
