THW NHL Prospects & Draft Substack - Nov. 21, 2023
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Welcome to the THW NHL Prospects & Draft Substack newsletter, with all the latest from our great team of writers.
In today’s edition, we have a look at Dylan Guenther’s AHL stint, some Sharks prospects who deserve a chance in the NHL, the Blues prospects who are impressing the most in the AHL, and much more!
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Now on to the good stuff…
Sharks’ Goalie Prospects Deserve NHL Time This Season
November 19, 2023 by Alex Hutton
Now that the San Jose Sharks have halted their season-opening skid by winning three of their last six games, they can return to thinking about the big picture. Gone is the need to simply register a win and remove that burden. But with no expectations of contention either, the team can make moves that aren’t necessarily designed to win this season.
One crucial such move is to look into the possibility of giving their goalie prospects playing time in the NHL. It almost undoubtedly has to happen at some point this season, and now is a good time to at least start entertaining the option.
Coyotes Should Let Dylan Guenther Continue to Thrive in the AHL
November 18, 2023 by Cooper Krigbaum
Seeing top prospect Dylan Guenther sent down to the Tucson Roadrunners of the American Hockey League (AHL) was a shocker to some. However, to others, it was something that could be expected, especially after watching his preseason play. In the preseason, he played with Arizona Coyotes 2022 third-overall draft pick Logan Cooley and newcomer Jason Zucker. While it seemed like a great line from a statistical perspective, it didn’t necessarily pan out.
The pace of the NHL seemed to be moving too fast for Guenther. The last thing you need is for him to lose all his confidence because of his poor play, then getting back on track and developing can be incredibly hard. So that’s when general manager Bill Armstrong sent Guenther down to the Roadrunners. A month into the season, Armstrong made the correct decision, and it’s already paying dividends in the short glimpse the team has gotten.
Blues November Prospect Report: AHL
November 17, 2023 by Mike Meyer
The St. Louis Blues prospect report is back reviewing the club’s prospects playing in the American Hockey League (AHL) for the Springfield Thunderbirds and their progress made throughout the season. As a reminder, this will be published monthly covering prospects in the minor leagues.
For the focus of this prospects article, players over the age of 25 will not be included in the discussion. At this time, there are a number of players performing very well for the Thunderbirds like Adam Gaudette (11 goals, 18 points) and Nathan Walker (nine goals, 17 points), both of whom are currently leading the AHL in total points.
Last Edition’s Poll Results
Last time I asked you how many wins you expect the San Jose Sharks to finish the 2023-24 season with. 42% of you think the Sharks are going to win just 10-15 games which would make them one of the absolute worst teams in NHL history while 58% of you expect they’ll get 20-25 wins which is horrible but definitely a whole lot more respectable than 10-15.
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