BRHL Future Watch: Part 1

This is a look at each franchise’s up and coming talent in the BRHL. There is somewhat of a criteria I made for this, players who have not played about more than 30 NHL games (couple exceptions), on a prospect list or not currently on the BRHL teams pro roster (on the farm team). We already know all about the Mathews, Marners, Rantanen’s  and Aho’s in the league. Tried to target players who are up and coming and not necessarily playing on the Pro Squad yet.  So if you have a rookie on your pro team not on this list chances are they basically played a full NHL season last year, are already contributing on the pro team and in the nature of this article NOT considered future talent. Finally if I missed someone you feel should be on your teams list please add in the comments below and remember you are all dealing with a Canadian grade 12 education here...

Avalanche

GM Bryce has done a lot with this revamped Avs squad since taking it over I wanna say 2 seasons ago (2 drafts). Since restocking the prospect pool he has already seen a good return on picks Aho and Benning who put in full NHL seasons last year and are already helping the pro roster this season.

Evgeny Dadonov-RW-1989

From the prospect list and fresh off the boat from Russia Dadonov has found some magic in Florida. He is currently playing top line with Huberdeau and Barkov averaging 18:59 min a night and 3:30 of that on the PP. He has put up 7 G and 14 A in 30 GP and is looking to get a solid rerate for the BRHL Avs next season.

Jordan Kyrou-C-1998

After a strong campaign last season (94 points in 66 GP) with the OHL Sarnia Sting, Kyle has returned and is already off to a hot start with 19 G, 39 A in 30 GP so far. Also with the NHL announcing they will not be in the next Olympics it actually has been rumoured Kyrou could be called to play for team Canada. Pretty good for the 19 year old 2^nd round pick.

Kalle Kossila-C-1993

Last year put up good numbers in the AHL (48 points in 65 GP) and got a cup of coffee with the Ducks to start this season. He played 10 games with 1G and 1A.

Victor Antipin-D

A 25 year old spending his rookie season with the Sabres, he has 4A in 24GP logging 15:10 a night with 1:21PP. He was out fighting an illness issue for a few games but recently has been a healthy scratch in the press box the last few games. Either way he is another late round pick of Bryces who is seeing NHL time

Blackhawks

With the Hawks being perennial contenders they have had to sacrifice the prospect pool a bit. The team is one of the deepest forward cores in the league but that has left the cupboard a little bare. Still they have a couple prospects in the system they hope can develop and help down the road.

 

Steven Fogarty-C-1993

Spent his first full season in AHL last season out of College with 20 points in 66 GP and this year has 5 goals, 7 Assists in 28 GP. He is currently listed 4^th on the Rangers center depth chart.

Alex Lintuniemi-D-1995

A former 2^nd round draft pick and a product of the OHL is spending his 2^nd year playing on the Kings AHL squad. He has 9 points in 28 GP.

Bluejackets

Jesse has done a very good job retooling this squad the last couple seasons and already has picks Brayden Point and Brandon Carlo contributing on the big club. Despite the slow start (in a very competitive division) this team is trending upwards and the Jackets prospect pool is starting to burst at the seams.

Tage Thompson-C/RW-1997

Had a very good start to the year in the AHL with 16 points in 24 GP and has since been called up and got 2 goals for the Blues in 10 GP and has worked himself on to the 2^nd line.

Brock Boeser-RW-1997

Has had a fantastic rookie season for the Canucks and has played his way into the Calder discussion with 21G, 17A in 36GP. Boeser will be a huge contribution for Jesse next season.

Jesper Bratt-LW/RW-1998

Another NHL rookie who has had an awesome season so far logging 10 G, 14 A in 37 GP for the Devils and is currently having a very good WJC for Sweden with 2 G and 2A.

Victor Mete-D-1998

Earned himself a roster spot for the Canadiens out of camp and was playing top pairing with Weber for the longest time. He is averaging 14:52 a game with 1:28 PP time. Very strong rookie season for this 19 year old Dman who is also on loan to Canada for the WJC with 2 A in 4 GP.

BLUES

The Blues have been a perennial playoff team for a few years now and after a bit of a retool late last season they are already going to start seeing some returns on some younger talent they acquired especially on the blue line.

Gustav Forsling-D-1996

Forsling is having a very good soft more year for the Blackhawks. He is averaging 19:32 a night with lots of special teams minutes, 1:25 PP and 2:28 PK while notching 3 G and 9A in 33 GP so far.

Madison Bowey-D-1995

Bowey is currently in his rookie year with the Capitals. He is averaging 13:41 a night and has 8 A in 32 GP so far.

Hudson Fasching-RW-1995

Started the season with the Sabres for 5 GP but eventually was sent down to the AHL and has 11 A in 25 GP.

Christian Djoos-D-1994

Another young Dman who is having his rookie season on the Caps blue line. He has 3 G 5 A in 31 GP so far and is averaging about 13:47 a night.

Bruins

No jokes, no slams, giving credit where credit is due. Bruins management has done a very good job not only putting a good pro team together on paper but also filling the pipeline with good future talent and the Bruins will start to see some of that talent next season step into the league.

Kyle Connor-LW

Connor is having a very good soft more year for the Jets and with the Scheifle injury it looks like Connor has stepped into that role on the top line. So far he has 13 G, 12 A in 34 GP with 17;32 a night and 3;06 PP time. Will be a very good rerate next season.

Charlie MacAvoy-D

Playing top pairing in Boston, MacAvoy is averaging 23:06, 2:11 PP a game with 5 G 15 A in 37 GP. A very strong start to this 20 year olds first full season in the NHL and will be a huge boost on what looks like the BRHL Bruins biggest area of need on the back end.

Mitchell Stephens-C-1997

Having his first pro career in the AHL with the Syracuse Crunch and has 8G, 5A in 32 GP.

Canadiens

Joel Eriksson Ek-C

Having his rookie season with the Wild. Has 1G, 4A in 32 GP with 12:54 a game and 1:01PK time. With 53 hits on the year and playing a 4^th line role he is adjusting to the NHL but seems to still be contributing in any way he can and is starting to see more and more PK time after logging over 2 minutes his last game played.

Carter Hart-G-1998

Having a really good season in the WHL with 1.32 GAA and 0.961 SV% in 17GP he earned the right to be Canadas starter again at the WJC where he is having a good tourney (outside the shootout) with 1.95 GAA and 0.929 SV% in 3 GP so far as they head into the semi finals.

Daniel Audette-C-1996

Spending his second season in the AHL he has 6 G and 7A in 35 GP with 47 PIM for the Laval Rockets in the Canadiens system.

Canucks

This season long time GM Botham took the team into its first year of a rebuild. Things seem to be going according to plan as he continues to sell and accumulate younger talent. The prospect pool is not really deep yet as the rebuild is still in early stages however there is defiantly some specs Canucks fans can get excited about.

Will Butcher-D

Another Calder candidate is lighting it up for the Devils in his rookie season. He has an astonishing 21 A and 2 G in 38 GP averaging 16:27 a night with 2:56 PP. He will be a very good rerate and is for sure the bright spot for the Canucks prospect pool.

Jake Bean-D-1998

Having a very good year for the Hitmen in the WHL with 5 G, 22A in 25GP which earned him a spot on the Canada roster for WJC where he has 2 A in 4 GP.

Logan Brown-C-1998

Started the year with a cup of coffee with the Senators getting 1 G in 4 GP before he ran into injury issues. He was sent back to the OHL where he exploded putting up 13 G and 11A in 15GP and made the WJC for team USA. Signs look good with this recent emergence of offense from the physically dominating center at 6’6” 220lbs.

Capitals

The Caps have been a team in transition, after years of rebuilding they finally took the next step towards competing last season and ultimately fell short in game 7 round 1 against the Sens who we all know went on to win the cup. They are still holding a wild card spot and looking to be even better next season as they move to the Pacific. But to take this step they have had to move a lot of young assets and picks and this is what they still have coming in through that system.

John Hayden- C-1995

Hayden is a product of the NCAA and was Captain for Yale last season and had a 12 game stint with the Blackhawks. This season he has played all 37 games for the Hawks and tallied 3 G and 8A. Pretty good production for a guy in a limited 4^th line role getting 10:41 a game with just under a minute PK time a game.

Filip Gustavsson-G-1998

Was a 2^nd round pick for the Pens in 2016 who have a good track record with drafting and developing goalie talent. In the Sweden SuperElit League he posted 1.71 GAA and 0.925SV% in 7 GP and is the starter for a very good team Sweden at WJC.

Coyotes

The Coyotes are in a bit of a limbo, they have too much talent on the current roster to be a tanker but don’t have the depth to make any kind of serious push this season and are stuck as a fringe playoff team in the West but they do have some respectable talent in the system that they hope can step up in the next few years and help build up that pro squad depth.

Dylan Strome-C-1997

For where he was drafted Strome has been a bit of a letdown so far. He played 11 games for the Coyotes with only 1 Goal and then was sent down to the AHL. Since being sent down he seems to have be rejuvenated and has put up a shocking 11 G, 19A in 19 GP. Showing he still has that offensive potential now hopefully he can develope his game at the AHL level and be able to better translate that to the NHL.

Ethan Bear-D-1997

Spending his first year in the pros with Bakersfield in the AHL. Has put up 2 G and 5 A in 14 GP. He is regarded by many as the Condors best Dman already despite some injury issues he has missed some time with this season.

Sean Kuraly-C/LW-1993

Has finally cracked an NHL roster and has played 37 games for the Bruins this season. He has 3G, 4A and is averaging 12:08 a night with just under a minute PK time.

Markus Nutivaara-D-1994

Played 3 games in the AHL then was called up and has solidified himself on the Bluejackets blue line.  This is his sophomore season and after posting 7 points in 66 games last season he already has 14 points in only 33 GP this year and is logging 15:24 a game.

Devils

Tim has been around a long time, it doesn’t seem like very long ago he won a cup, did a quick retool and turned around to where his team is a perennial playoff team again. Last year he was the Presidents Trophy winner despite an upset in the first round of playoffs and this season is right at the top of a very competitive Eastern Conference again. The organization has accumulated a good supply of young talent that will be relied on moving forward to keep the team competitive and next season we should start to see some of these players stepping in to help the cause.

Oliver Bjorkstrand-RW

He played 26 games for the Blue Jackets last season and has definitely taken a step this year. He has played all 40 games for the Big Club so far and has 6G and an impressive 18A so far logging 14:01 a night with 2:00PP. He is earning more and more ice time and is penciled in on the 2^nd line right now.

Jayce Hawrlyuk-C/RW-1996

Is currently spending his 2^nd season in the AHL and has posted 6G and 11A in 33GP.

Evgeny Svechnikov-RW-1996

The former 1^st round pick did not make the Red Wings roster out of camp and has put up 5G and 3A in 29GP in the AHL so far this season.

Ducks

It has been a long rebuild in Anaheim but with a unique situation in the Pacific Devon is taking advantage and making the most if it and currently finds himself in a Pacific playoff position. While the team is finally starting to play some competitive hockey this season they have a good prospect pool developing more talent to help make his roster stronger and competitive more and more in the upcoming years.

Rasmus Anderson-D-1996

Anderson is having a very good sophomore season in the Pros putting up 19 points in 26 GP in the AHL so far. He has recently been called up to the Flames and has played 1 game so far and is still hanging around, we will see how many more games he can get in with the NHL club this season.

Sam Steel-C-1998

After a monster season in the WHL last year for Regina Steel is back as the teams Captain and has 14G, 21A in 27GP so far and is playing a key role for team Canada at the WJC with 3G, 2A in 5GP so far.

Kevin Labanc-RW/LW-1995

After a quick stint in the AHL putting up 4 points in 2 GP Labanc was called up to the Sharks and since has been playing 14:17 a night 2:10PP and is marked down on the 2^nd line wing. He has had a very good follow up NHL season with 4G and 14A in 31GP.

Flames

Kevin built this team through the draft and from the ground up. After a lengthy but very productive rebuild he has what is by far the best team in the Pacific and despite some SIM issues should be a contender in the West this year and many moving forward. This is one of the best and deepest prospect systems in the league and he will be getting even more help next year to add even more depth to an already strong roster.

Mathew Barzal-C

Some people were a little disappointed with Barzals rookie season last year after getting only a couple games with the club while Beuvillier who was drafted later stuck around for the season and seemed to outshine Barzal. However Barzal is a prime example of being patient with young players and it looks like the Islanders made the right call sending him down for more development because this season he has not only stuck around he is another Calder candidate with 13G, 23A in 36GP playing 17:03 a night 3:20PP as the 2^nd line Center behind Tavares. Should be a solid 3^rd line C for Kevin next year...

Mikhail Sergachev-D-1998

Believe it or not probably another Calder candidate. He was just acquired in the controversial Drouin trade Sergachev and as a rookie defensemen has posted 8G, 17A in 38GP, 15:22 a night with 1:54PP and solidified himself on the 2^nd pair in Tampa.

Kevin Fiala-LW

This is one of those exceptions to the criteria. This is his sophomore season (54GP last year) after having a fantastic playoff appearance last year that ended in a gruesome injury he is currently on Kevins farm and not yet contributing to the pro squad. So what has he done since coming back from injury? He has played 2^nd line 14:47 a night, 2:31PP with 10G and 16A in 37GP for Nashville so far.

Ilya Samsanov-G-1997

Still the top goalie spec for Washington he is playing in the KHL as a starter and in 20GP has a 2.71GAA with a 0.916SV%. He is one of the goalies for team Russia at WJC also playing only 1 game so far.

Flyers

Anthony has fully committed to the rebuild and has already started to stockpile some good young specs that will hopefully be stepping up in the next few years to help him turn the franchise north again in a very competitive Metro Division.

Jesse Puljujarvi-RW

After what many people thought was a disappointing start to his pro career after being cut last year from the Oilers Puljujarvi  started the season with 5 points in 10 AHL games before being called up and has worked his way on to the top line playing with McDavid the exact gamble Anthony took when he selected him. Since coming up he has 8G, 3A in 22GP with 14:03 playing time a night.

Connor Hobbs-D-1997

After being one of the top scoring Dmen in the WHL last season Hobbs has transitioned to the AHL and so far has 2 points in 14GP.

Travis Sanheim-D

The young 21 year old is having a good rookie season in Philly. He is playing 15:31 a night with like 30 sec a night PP and PK and has 5 points in 34 games.

Hurricanes

After refusing to rebuild and selling any and all draft picks for years to come in order to try and keep the Canes a playoff team the prospect pool is pretty shallow but there are a couple young guys GM Rich is keeping an eye on and hopes will continue to develop into a usable asset.

Andrew Mangiapane-LW-1996

After a very good season in the AHL last year Mangiapane has not skipped a beat and already has 14G, 19A in 29GP for the Flames farm squad in Stockton. His offense is developing really nice and after the Flames Johnny Hockey proving smaller players can thrive in their system Mangiapane`s development looks like it is trending well.

Mike Amadio-C-1996

He played the full 8 games for the Kings to start the season before being cut and sent down to the farm. He is also having a very strong AHL campaign with 29 points in 24GP. He definitely looks like he will be pushing for a roster spot next season with LA.

Islanders

This was another team that was rebuilt from the ground up and former GM Rich left the system stacked with good young talent, the pro squad on paper is one of the best and youngest in the league and the farm is full of more talent ready to step in next season. GM Hicks certainly has lots to work with asset wise leading up to the deadline.

Josh Ho-Sang-RW

The 21 year old started the season off playing 22 games for the Islanders putting up 2G and 10A with 14:17 ice time a game and 2:15 on the PP. However he was eventually sent down to the farm and since has put up 4G, 7A in 12GP.

JT Compher-C

Last year he had a 21 game campaign for the Avs with 5 points, this year he has stuck and scored 7G, 6A in 31GP averaging 17:04 a night with 2:22PP AND 2:17PK. Something to watch though is it looks like he just suffered an upper body injury. It was actually against the Leafs early in the game, he toughened it out and ended up getting the game winner in OT. The next day swelling had taken over and it looks like he may be sidelined for a couple weeks.

Alex Tuch-RW

One of the castaways of expansion. He got a 6 game cup of coffee with the Wild last year after being exposed and picked up in expansion over the summer. For Vegas so far he has given the middle finger to Minnesota and posted 8G, 10A and 14:35 ice time with 2:29PP in 33 GP in his official rookie season as a 21 year old.