6 Standouts from the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game & Canucks Untouchable Prospects
The 2024 Kubota NHL/CHL Top Prospects Game was surprisingly competitive and boosted a few players' draft rankings, but they weren't the only prospects that have looked promising lately.
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In today’s edition, we have a look at six standouts from the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, the Vancouver Canucks and Montreal Canadiens’ best prospects at the midway point, a plan for a Young Stars Game at the All-Star Game, and much more!
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Now on to the good stuff…
6 Standouts From the 2024 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game
January 25, 2024 by Peter Baracchini
The CHL Top Prospects Game recently took place in Moncton, New Brunswick, where the top players from the Western, Ontario and Quebec Major Junior leagues displayed their skillsets for the NHL scouts in attendance.
Even though there wasn’t a generational talent like Connor Bedard or 2024 projected first overall pick Macklin Celebrini (collegiate player), this game still wasn’t short on talent up front and on the backend. It was a great opportunity to get a read on all the prospects taking part. The pace was quick as both teams a had number of great opportunities, but in the end, Team Red came out on top over Team White with a 3-1 victory.
There were plenty of names that stood out during this showcase so let’s take a look at who impressed during the top prospects game.
Canucks’ Untouchable Prospects for 2024 Trade Deadline
January 23, 2024 by Matthew Zator
The Vancouver Canucks are likely going to be buyers at this year’s trade deadline and that means assets out the door for immediate help. With an abundance of unrestricted free agents in the offseason, president Jim Rutherford and general manager Patrick Allvin might feel the need to go “all in” and try for a championship this season rather than down the line. Well, that would be a mistake, especially if it requires giving up one or more blue-chip prospects to acquire someone like Jake Guentzel, Elias Lindholm or Joel Eriksson Ek. With that said, here are two that should not be on the table at the deadline.
Canadiens 2023-24 Midseason Prospect Report: Top 5 Prospects
January 22, 2024 by Blain Potvin
The Montreal Canadiens have an enviable prospect pool filled with talented young players, and that pool doesn’t include all the 23 years of age and under players already graduated to the NHL lineup. Players such as Kaiden Guhle headline that list, there is even rookie Jayden Struble who is making decisions for management very difficult.
General manager (GM) Kent Hughes and his scouting staff are poised to add significantly to the team’s prospects with the 2024 NHL Entry Draft as the Canadiens are loaded with 11 picks, four of which are in the top 90 and one may even be in the top 10 in a draft that could provide them with a quality offensive player.
The NHL Needs to Implement a Future Stars Game
January 25, 2024 by Michael Ostrower
The All-Star Game in each of the four major North American sports leagues always has its fair share of complaints. Typically, the complaints are that the players do not care enough so the product on TV is poor. Fans also always take issue with the selections and formatting, claiming their favourite players were snubbed and that many of the selections did not deserve to get the nod.
When ESPN and the NHL announced a seven-year deal starting in the 2021-22 NHL season, fans were optimistic that the game’s market was going to grow. After a disappointing 2022 All-Star Weekend, 2023 brought an increase in viewership, averaging 1.5 million viewers during the All-Star Game and peaking at 1.9 million. However, this is still lower than where the league wants to be, with last year’s game being the second lowest (2021) viewed since 2015. With the NHL hoping to improve its numbers going forward, they need to take note of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) All-Star Futures Game.
4 Flyers Prospects Who Could Be Late-Round Gems
January 25, 2024 by Andrew McGuinness
Even though they’re having a surprisingly strong season, the Philadelphia Flyers are still very much focused on the future. Rebuilding the prospect pool has been the primary goal of the Danny Brière-Keith Jones regime. Naturally, that premise is centred on the team’s top picks.
The team’s 2023 first-rounders, Matvei Michkov and Oliver Bonk, are lighting up their leagues, which is good news, and plenty of attention will fall on the shoulders of the players selected with their two first-round picks this summer (the Flyers also have the Florida Panthers’ first from the Claude Giroux trade). Yet, what often separates a successful rebuild from a failed one is what happens after the blue-chip prospects are drafted. Only the best management groups unearth enough diamonds in the rough to build a roster that can both compete for the Stanley Cup and fit under the salary cap.
Blue Jackets Need Clear Development Plan for David Jiricek
January 25, 2024 by Mark Scheig
The Columbus Blue Jackets will clearly not make the playoffs this season. But what’s less clear is what they’re doing with one of their top prospects.
Defenseman David Jiricek finds himself in a rather tough spot these days. Assuming things go according to Wednesday’s practice in Calgary, he will find himself a healthy scratch once again.
In a season where the Blue Jackets have to maximize any and all development opportunities for players, the way Jiricek has been handled is certainly curious. It shows the lack of a clear plan. But how did we get here?
More Draft & Prospects stuff from THW:
Draft History: 16 Princeton Tigers who Played in the NHL
Prospect Rankings - The NHL’s Top 100 Prospects - Midseason Rankings
Draft Coverage - Baracchini’s Top 64 January Rankings
2024 NHL Mock Draft - Horn’s Early Top-16 Mock Draft