Baracchini's Top 64 January Rankings & Midseason Prospect Reports
The NHL's Central Scouting Service dropped their midseason rankings, which means it's officially draft season!
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In today’s edition, we have a look at Peter Baracchini’s latest draft rankings, the top prospects in St. Louis and across the NHL, and much more!
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2024 NHL Draft: Baracchini’s Top 64 January Rankings
January 15, 2024 by Peter Baracchini
It’s been a long time coming since my top-32 rankings that were posted at the beginning of the season and there has been a lot of movement. Both in seeing a lot of risers and fallers as the season continues. A big part of that has been the play at their respective level but also with the World Junior A and World Junior Championships coming to a conclusion.
To no one’s surprise, Boston University centre Macklin Celebrini has been stealing the spotlight with his production as a freshman. The consistency and elite level he has played to at this point has been very impressive. As he continues to run away with the top spot, there continues to be more competition to battle it out for the rest of the top-10. Is Sam Dickinson the most well-rounded defender in this draft? Can Cole Eiserman’s goal scoring abilities keep him in a great spot? Will Konsta Helenius’ consistency push him further up the draft board?
Those questions will be answered and more as I dive into my top-32 with scouting reports, followed by the second round after that.
The NHL’s Top 100 Prospects – Midseason Rankings
January 11, 2024 by Logan Horn
Now that the 2023-24 NHL season is well underway, it’s time to update our ranking of the top 100 drafted NHL prospects. In the last year we’ve seen top prospects like Connor Bedard and Leo Carlsson break into the NHL full-time, becoming important players for their respective teams. We’ve also seen prospects like Adam Fantilli, Kevin Korchinski and Pavel Mintyukov make their NHL debuts as well.
This year’s NHL rookie class is rightfully earning a lot of early attention, with a massive group of talented youngsters who each have a claim at the NHL’s Calder Memorial Trophy for the league’s best rookie. From Bedard and Fantilli to Logan Cooley and Luke Hughes, the NHL is experiencing a massive influx of young talent this season. Before we get into the top 100 prospect ranking update, here are a few notes on the criteria and content of this list.
St. Louis Blues 2024 Top-10 Mid-Season Prospects
January 12, 2024 by Mike Meyer
The 2023-24 season is officially in its second half and it is time to review the top 10 prospects in the St. Louis Blues‘ organization. Before going any further, it is important to note that this list does not officially and individually rank these players, but list them in a top-10 grouping.
The Blues’ top 10 prospects hold a wide range of NHL potential. Whether these players fit in a highly-regarded top-six role one day or a bottom-pairing penalty-killing, they hold true value for this franchise. It has been quite some time that the top of their prospect pool has shown such promise. At this point, it is clear they are still missing the high-end defender to add to their mix, but that is a problem for another day. The future looks bright with these individuals on the horizon.
Islanders Prospect William Dufour Must Round Out His Game
January 14, 2024 by Mike Fink
William Dufour scored a power-play goal on Jan. 13 in a 4-3 loss to the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. It was his ninth goal of the season and the third game in a row he found the back of the net. The Bridgeport Islanders are having a rough season, but he’s been one of the bright spots.
After struggling to begin the season, Dufour is hitting his stride, especially on the power play, with six of his goals coming on the man advantage. Additionally, he’s proving he can become a great scorer at the American Hockey League (AHL) level and possibly at the NHL level someday.
All eyes are on him to eventually make that leap, and he has the potential to do so as one of the New York Islanders‘ top prospects. That said, even with the strides he’s made in recent games, there are still plenty of things Dufour must improve to make the leap and play in the NHL.
Senators Prospect Report: WJC Recap, CHL Moves & More
January 11, 2024 by Dayton Reimer
Yes, things are bad for the Ottawa Senators. After coming into the 2023-24 season with playoff hopes, the team sunk to last in the Eastern Conference, leading to the firing of their general manager and coach, but it’s hardly improved since then. The young core is not performing as expected, the depth has once again come into question, and neither of their two starting goalies can bail them out of a tough spot. The lack of success has led to plenty of trade speculation, leading to Jakub Chychrun being on the trade block. It’s not a fun time to be a Senators fan.
However, thankfully, there is a silver lining – the Senators’ top prospects are doing just fine. December was a strong month for many of Ottawa’s young players, and while there may not be any superstars left in the mix, last month demonstrated that these players look destined to make an impact at the NHL level. Here’s a rundown of the best stories from December and early January.
NHL Awards - NHL 2023-24 Calder Trophy Predictions
Draft Coverage - 2024 NHL Draft: Horn’s Top 32 for October
2024 NHL Mock Draft - Horn’s Early Top-16 Mock Draft