NHL Team Prospect Pools Power Rankings

[cral12]

Flames fared pretty well overall, but there was some diversity in opinion - I'll blame the Eastern based lads not knowing our prospects as well!

Intro Excerpt:

"We’ve ranked the top 100 prospects (skaters) along with the top 30 goalie prospects. Now how do the teams stack up against each other when it comes to their respective prospect pools in terms of quality and depth. A team of prospect-focused writers here at THW have collaborated to rank NHL franchises on this basis.
Coast to Coast and Across the Pond

To get a broad perspective of hockey’s next ones, we combined the rankings of the following to come to a consensus:"

5 of our prospect writers aggregated our rankings to come to a final consensus - each writer's individual rankings also included to see the agreements and the discrepancies.


NHL Team Prospect Pools Power Rankings

Link to full article

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by cral12

I'll blame the Eastern based lads not knowing our prospects as well!

It's gonna be so annoying when guys like Jankowski and Kulak are NHLers and they're writing about how these guys "came out of nowhere".

[H2SO4(aq)]

This whole Winnipeg being the new darlings with such amazing prospect depth is already getting old.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

I would have never guessed the Canucks would be ahead of the Flames in a ranking like this.

[dammage79]

Ahhh, IMO the Jets deserve the accolades. They've drafted well in almost all rounds. How they pan out remains to be seen but they're drafting the right way. Much better than an annual Oilers splooge-fest from everyone.

[Southside]

The Swiss Euro guy puts us 20th, Canucks 10. Baertschi effect? Whacked.

[Walter Reed]

In my admittedly limited knowledge, Winnipeg would seem worthy of their 1st place ranking. The Jets drafting has been pretty outstanding IMO.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by Walter Reed

In my admittedly limited knowledge, Winnipeg would seem worthy of their 1st place ranking. The Jets drafting has been pretty outstanding IMO.

Without getting into goaltending, which is tricky because random goaltending prospects can become elite pros and vice-versa, I would say Winnipeg has a good, but not guaranteed elite player at each position (W - Ehlers, C - Connor, D -Morrissey).

... but I feel they neither they have a true top-end prospect:

Eichel
McDavid
Reinhart
Bennett
Marner
Larkin
Provorov
Hanifin

nor do I think their depth at any single position is the best.

I hate to give the Leafs credit, but along with Marner they've got two game-breakers that are on par with Ehlers/Connor (Nylander/Bracco), plus add Kapanen who should be a great pro, and while they don't have a defenseman as good as Morrissey but they've got a few - Dermott, Finn, Percy, Harrington - that would all be Winnipeg's #2 D prospect easily. Their prospect pool isn't as positionally balanced, but I would say it's a better prospect pool than Winnipeg's in terms of pure raw talent.

(And I'm a Flames fan, you KNOW I think WE have the best prospect pool.)

[Mike F]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

I would have never guessed the Canucks would be ahead of the Flames in a ranking like this.

Especially considering Calgary's 2014 1st round pick is ranked 26 spots above Vancouver's first 2014 1st round pick, Calgary's 2013 1st round pick is ranked 25 spots above Vancouver's 2013 1st round pick, and Calgary had 2 top 10 goalies to Vancouver's 1. However, the Canucks have the advantage of an additional 2014 1st round pick and a 2015 1st round pick.

It also didn't help Calgary that Klimchuk got no love from the polled scouts.

[Fire of the Phoenix]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

I would have never guessed the Canucks would be ahead of the Flames in a ranking like this.

Probably because of our lack of high picks at the last draft, you have to think with Barzal or Connor we would be a lot higher. I'd trade my top 3 picks EVERY year for a Dougie Hamilton though, and laugh when everyone ranks our prospects 30th.

[d_phaneuf]

Originally Posted by Fire of the Phoenix

Probably because of our lack of high picks at the last draft, you have to think with Barzal or Connor we would be a lot higher. I'd trade my top 3 picks EVERY year for a Dougie Hamilton though, and laugh when everyone ranks our prospects 30th.

which is kind of why I think prospect lists are pretty much just for fan service

would be interesting to look at team rankings from 4-5 years ago

I think a ranking based on players under 24 for example would be a lot more valuable and actually show the future of a team better

[MrMastodonFarm]

Winnipeg prospects, so hot right now.

[Redrum]

haha! Canucks ahead of the Flames? Please rename the thread "Crackheads prospect rankings!"

[The Swedish Flame]

So the Islanders have 5 top 100 prospects and 2 top 30 goalie prospects.
Oilers have 4 top 100 prospects.
Oilers rank above the 'Isles.

The McDavid-effect is strong.

[CaptainCrunch]

If you looked at depth and quality of prospects there's no chance that the Oilers and Canucks are ahead of the Flames.

Edmonton outside of Draisaitl, McDavid and Nurse really have nothing to be excited about.

I think that Shinkaruk in Vancouver is being vastly over rated, and based on what I've seen when I've watched Vitanen play he's being a bit over rated.

The Flames have 4 in the top 100, but they also have a potential franchise goalie prospect and a potential starting quality goaltending, but the Flames seem to have way more depth.

Frankly if you take McDavid and Bennett out of the Flames prospect pool I wouldn't trade for Edmontons.

Frankly in their present format I wouldn't trade the Flames pool for the Canucks pool.

I don't think this is a great list.

[Badgers Nose]

Experts did not see Chicago coming as fast as they did 7 years ago - outside a couple of stud forwards and a d man.

It's another parallel I see between that team and the current Flames team.

[Oil Stain]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

If you looked at depth and quality of prospects there's no chance that the Oilers and Canucks are ahead of the Flames.

Edmonton outside of Draisaitl, McDavid and Nurse really have nothing to be excited about.

Outside of Brodie, Giordano and Hamilton, Calgary's D-core is pretty average......

[bax]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

Outside of Brodie, Giordano and Hamilton, Calgary's D-core is pretty average......

I know the point you are trying to make and I somewhat agree with it, but you're taking half of a group of players out of the equation (6 man D core) and comparing it to removing 3 players from a 25 plus player system. Not exactly a fair comparison.

[Enoch Root]

Also, OilStain was grilled not that long ago on the exact same issue. He seems incapable of understanding the need for depth in a prospect pool.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

Outside of Brodie, Giordano and Hamilton, Calgary's D-core is pretty average......

...

Outside of Bourque, Blake, and Foote, 2000-01 Colorado's D-core was pretty average
Outside of Pronger, Neidermeyer, and Beauchemin, 2006-07 Anaheim D-core was pretty average.
Outside of Lidstrom, Rafalski, and Kronwall, 2007-08 Detroit's D-core was pretty average
Outside of Keith, Seabrook, and Campbell, 2009-10 Chicago's D-core was pretty average.
Outside of Keith, Seabrook, and Hjalmarsson, 2014-15 Chicago's D-core was pretty average.
Outside of Chara, Seidenberg, and Boychuck, 2010-11 Boston's D-core was pretty average

(Not that any of that has anything to do with prospects)

Prospects

Hickey
Kylington
Andersson

These three guys' upside is significantly higher than any Oilers prospect not named Nurse. In Kylington's case, a year ago he was considered a better prospect than Nurse was ever considered, and if he gets his future back on track will be better than Nurse. I would rather have all of these three than Nurse, by a long shot. The competition between them will make each of them better players and trade assets.

Nakladal*
Morrison
Kulak
Culkin
Kanzig
Wotherspoon
Rafikov

Each of these guys, as much as OIlers fans want to think otherwise, is a similar level prospect to Griffin Reinhart and better than LaLeggia. Maybe Nakladal's too old to be officially a prospect, but he like Russell and Smid is still on the good side of 30 and he's waiver exempt next season so we can acclimate him into our system slowly.

Gilmour
Ollas Mattson
Sieloff


These three guys are all close in level to Oilers B-prospects like Simpson, Musil, Bear, Marino, and Oesterle.