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Blues In Rare Position To Promote Multiple Prospects

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The St. Louis Blues are in a bit of a funk. They’ve missed each of the last two postseasons – only the fourth time in the team’s 57-year history that they’ve missed consecutive playoffs – but are still being elevated by the next-level talent of players like Pavel Buchnevich, Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, and Jordan Binnington. That’s kept the team from falling completely into the NHL’s basement, but their core is still aging rapidly. It seems the clock is ticking in St. Louis – as the Blues find themselves in urgent need of a surge in young talent to keep the lineup from falling into a rebuild.

Unfortunately, promoting young players hasn’t been much of a hallmark of recent Blues hockey. Only two teenagers – Thomas and Robby Fabbri – have played meaningful minutes in St. Louis since 2010, and still, both players faced third-line roles and plenty of scrutiny over their ice time. But they each found ways to produce, scoring 33 and 37 points in their rookie seasons respectively, and both eventually working onto St. Louis’ top line. That was short-lived for Fabbri, but the duo’s success nonetheless showed the payoff of giving top prospects NHL minutes.

The Blues have more recently seen those same patterns with 21-year-old Jake Neighbours, who worked up to an impressive 27 goals and 38 points in 77 games this season. It was Neighbours’ first full year in the NHL – though he entered with 52 games of prior experience – and he walked out the tail end of it with a firm grasp on a second-line role. Joel Hofer, 24, made a similar climb to prominence this year, appearing in 30 games and matching the .913 of starter Binnington – having graduated from two proud seasons as the AHL starter.

It’s continued evidence of young players finding success in NHL minutes – spelling tons of excitement for a Blues team preparing to host Dalibor Dvorsky, Zachary Bolduc, and Zach Dean at training camp. The latter two each received their NHL debuts last Spring, with Bolduc even formalizing his rookie season with 25 games played. But Bolduc managed just nine points, while Dean went scoreless in nine games. Their quiet scoring prevailed in the minors leagues as well, but both Bolduc and Dean took big strides in improving their ability to match pro pace. Meanwhile, Dvorsky was tearing up the OHL, recording 45 goals and 88 points in just 52 games. He looked like a pro among amateurs, likely thanks to the 38 games he played in Sweden’s HockeyAllsvenskan in 2022-23.

All three forwards are capable of a jump to the top flight, with the sturdy frames of Bolduc and Dvorsky looking especially mature. That’s great news, as St. Louis sits with, perhaps, their most uncertain bottom-six since the early-2000s. It’s a hodge-podge group, where Alexey Toropchenko stands as the only confident inclusion. Joining him will be a mix of quiet Blues veterans – like Oskar Sundqvist, Nathan Walker, and Kasperi Kapanen – and new acquisitions – like Radek Faksa, Mathieu Joseph, and Alexandre Texier. That’s plenty of manpower to round out a bottom-six, but none of those options would stand as particularly daunting against a young prospect who impresses out of camp.

Making things more exciting is St. Louis’ win of the sweepstakes for Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg. They shelled out $6.87MM in offer sheets to bring in the duo, but now add two more exciting young players into their mix of potential breakout names. Holloway is the more experienced of the two, having played in 89 games across the last two seasons. He’s only scored 18 points, split evenly, in those appearances, but looked to have a bit more momentum when he put up nine points in 25 games during the most recent postseason. Holloway has shown he’s capable of being productive with a pro role, scoring 26 points in 30 career AHL games, and should get a chance to quickly earn a prominent role on St. Louis’ lineup. Broberg’s story is largely the same – low-scoring through roughly a season’s worth of NHL appearances (13 points in 81 games) but encouraging minor-league production (65 points in 87 games) and a chance to quickly earn a major role.

That gives St. Louis the rare mix of multiple U23 prospects vying for NHL ice time, and the lineup spots to truly accommodate multiple rookies. It’s been six seasons since the Blues iced carried multiple U23 players on their everyday roster (2017-18, Robert Thomas and Vince Dunn) – but the stars are aligning, making now a better time than ever for St. Louis to fully embrace their burgeoning top prospects. If and how the quintet of Dvorsky, Bolduc, Dean, Holloway, and Broberg are able to earn out NHL roles will stand as the most prophetic question as the Blues look to finally return to the postseason.

Insight Into Pavel Buchnevich’s Extension Negotiations

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St. Louis Blues forward Pavel Buchnevich recently took part in a long-ranging interview with Daria Tuboltseva of RG.org where the two discussed topics such as his recent contract extension negotiations to the near future of the Blues organization. Buchnevich recently signed a six-year, $48MM extension with St. Louis on the second day of free agency this summer after seeing his name mired in trade rumors for much of the regular season.

The trade speculation was brought up in the interview and it doesn’t seem that anything was particularly close. Buchnevich referenced a conversation with general manager Doug Armstrong shortly after the trade deadline where he quoted Armstrong as saying, “I didn’t plan to trade you. The price for you was very high. But I couldn’t tell you that we definitely wouldn’t trade you, because if someone had agreed to that price, I couldn’t help but take advantage of it“.

Armstrong moved quickly on extending Buchnevich after other teams failed to meet a lofty asking price with the two sides agreeing on a salary near the draft according to Buchnevich. The two sides agreed relatively quickly allowing the Blues to have their core forwards including Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou locked up until the 2030-31 NHL season. The Russian forward’s only main concern was the franchise’s direction moving forward; especially after the team fired head coach Craig Berube during the regular season.

His concerns were assuaged during the negotiations as Armstrong highlighted that the organization was not interested in rebuilding. Armstrong’s credibility in the negotiations was solidified this summer as the Blues got aggressive on the trade market and with offer sheets to round out their depth. Not only did they look outside the organization for help but Buchnevich himself brought up the young talent coming up when he said, “They told me there would be no long rebuild; they want to make a strong team here and now. No one is interested in a long rebuild. They said that they would try to strengthen the team in the market. They also outlined the situation with young players: many good hockey players are coming“.

St. Louis finished six points back of a wild-card spot in the 2023-24 NHL season and life will not get any easier in a tough Central Division this year. The Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars still serve as some of the better teams in the Western Conference while the Nashville Predators got much better this offseason. The Blues will have to start better out of the gates this year as they look to return to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2022.

Teams Moving On From Prospects Earlier Than Ever

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One of the sub-themes from the 2024 offseason and part of a larger theme in general from the 2024-25 NHL season — organizations are moving on from top prospects much earlier than in previous years. Nick Faris of The Score recently broke down this narrative and explained how it symbolizes a few shifting narratives.

Faris writes that ten players drafted in the top 15 between 2019-2023 have changed teams since the start of the calendar year 2024. This is partly due to NCAA prospects using their inevitable free agency as a negotiating tactic to move on from their draft organization and teams reassessing their needs much quicker than in previous years.

Anaheim Ducks’ Cutter Gauthier and Pittsburgh Penguins’ Rutger McGroarty are the most recent examples of NCAA stars choosing to forego their entry-level contract with their drafting teams in the hopes of being traded to a different organization. Both were granted their wishes as the Philadelphia Flyers traded Gauthier to the Ducks for Jamie Drysdale, and the Penguins traded their top prospect Brayden Yager to the Jets for McGroarty.

The remaining top 15 talents from the previous four NHL Drafts were moved out of rapidly shifting team needs. The Colorado Avalanche had a larger need for a second-line center rather than a long-term top-four option on the blue line culminating in the trade for Casey Mittelstadt from the Buffalo Sabres for Bowen Byram. The Utah Hockey Club and Sabres moved on from Conor Geekie and Matthew Savoie, respectively, for more immediate needs on their roster with only one game played combined for their drafting franchise. The Penguins moved on from Yager for more immediate help in McGroarty, and the Nashville Predators traded top goaltending prospect Yaroslav Askarov as they will not need another starting goaltender until the 2030s.

This is not to say that NHL organizations are non-committal towards their high-end draft selections as Faris notes 12 players drafted in the top 15 from 2019-2023 have already signed long-term contracts with their respective franchises. It has become clear that NHL teams are assessing young talent faster than ever. There has been no indication that the quality of assessment has improved as some of the players who have changed hands will inevitably have better careers with their new teams.

Filip Zadina Signs In Switzerland

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Former Detroit Red Wings first-round pick Filip Zadina has reportedly signed a deal with Swiss club HC Davos (as per HC Davos X account). The signing ends Zadina’s time in the NHL for now, as inconsistency and inflated expectations have plagued the former sixth-overall pick. It was reported last week that Zadina would sign a PTO with an NHL team, however, his agent poured cold water over those rumors.

Zadina was never able to live up to the expectations of being drafted so high and eventually asked for a fresh start to try and get his career on the rails. Detroit mutually terminated his contract in July 2023 which allowed the 24-year-old to sign with the San Jose Sharks last summer and start with a clean slate. With the Sharks, Zadina posted a career-high 13 goals to go with 10 assists in 72 games, but his overall game wasn’t strong enough to warrant a NHL contract this summer.

Zadina likely could have received an NHL offer through a professional tryout, particularly with some of the teams lacking forward depth, however, he has opted for more certainty and a guarantee in Switzerland. His signing effectively pauses his time in the NHL and could allow him to regain the offensive touch the made him a high draft pick. Davos has historically been a powerhouse in the National League with 31 titles but has struggled as of late finishing sixth last year in the regular season and getting knocked out in the first round of the playoffs.

Former Oilers Goaltender Mikko Koskinen Officially Retires

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Former Edmonton Oilers goaltender Mikko Koskinen officially retired from his playing career last week (as per Finnish media outlet Ilta-Sanomat). There were whispers earlier in the year that he would hang up his skates, but it has been made official. The 36-year-old began his career as a second-round pick of the New York Islanders in 2009 and played just four NHL games with the organization, playing mostly overseas before eventually signing as a free agent with the Oilers in May of 2018.

He was okay in his first full NHL season, dressing in 55 games and posting a 25-21-6 record with a .906 save percentage. This prompted then Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli to sign the Finnish netminder to a three-year $13.5MM contract extension.

The first year of the deal went well for both sides as Koskinen posted a .917 save percentage in 38 games and looked like a legitimate NHL netminder. However, after the success of the 2019-20 season, the wheels came off of Koskinen’s game and he became a lightning rod for criticism over the following two seasons.

In his final months in the NHL, Koskinen didn’t see much action with Edmonton as Mike Smith took over the net, largely out of necessity as Koskinen couldn’t find his game. Koskinen saw three games of playoff action in 2022, going 0-2 with a .897 save percentage and a 4.02 goals-against average. This was the last NHL action he would see.

In June 2022, Koskinen signed in Switzerland with HC Lugano where he would finish out the final two years of his professional playing career before deciding to begin a new career as a player agent. He officially registered as a player agent in Finland in July and will be reportedly based in Helsinki.

All things considered, Koskinen had a very successful playing career. His NHL numbers were certainly average, however, he posted elite numbers internationally, representing his native Finland on multiple occasions and his KHL numbers were terrific during his five professional seasons in Russia.

Five Key Stories: 8/26/24 – 9/1/24

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The calendar has turned to September and training camps are now just a couple of weeks away.  However, the enthusiasm for the season fast approaching was put on hold following a tragedy in the hockey world which is among the key stories of the week.

Tragedy Strikes: The hockey world is in mourning after Blue Jackets winger Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau were killed after being struck by an accused drunk driver while biking near their New Jersey home.  They were 31 and 29 years old respectively.  Johnny was a key cog of Calgary’s offense for eight years, capped by a career-best 115-point performance in 2021-22 before inking a seven-year, $68.25MM contract with Columbus that summer.  He led the Blue Jackets in scoring in both seasons with them.  Matthew, meanwhile, turned pro in 2017 and spent several years in the Islanders system before entering the coaching ranks in the 2021-22 campaign.  Everyone at PHR sends our deepest condolences to the Gaudreau family.

Surgery For Brossoit: One of Chicago’s important free agent signings might not be ready to start the season as the team announced that he will be out five to seven weeks after undergoing meniscus surgery.  The 31-year-old inked a two-year, $6.6MM contract with the Blackhawks early in free agency, giving them a second veteran netminder to partner with Petr Mrazek.  Brossoit returned to Winnipeg last season in free agency and fared quite well, posting a 2.00 GAA and a .927 SV% in 23 games.  If he isn’t available to start the season, last year’s backup Arvid Soderblom will likely break camp with Chicago, an outcome that might not be the case for blueliner Kevin Korchinski despite spending all of last season with the big club.

Eight For Jarvis: It took a while but the Hurricanes and Seth Jarvis were able to work out a max-term eight-year, $63.2MM contract.  Generally, the cap charge for this deal would be the total value divided by eight but that isn’t the case for this one.  Per PuckPedia (Twitter link), $15.67MM of signing bonus money has been deferred to July 1, 2032, the day after the contract expires, making the present value of the deal just over $7.42MM; that amount represents the cap charge for Carolina.  Jarvis is coming off a career year that saw him put up 33 goals and 34 assists and the Hurricanes will be banking on the 22-year-old taking another step forward offensively.  The deal certainly tightens their salary cap situation but with Jesper Fast undergoing season-ending neck surgery, they’ll have some flexibility if they need to dip into LTIR.

Cousins To Ottawa: We’re at the point of the offseason where guaranteed contracts for veteran players are going to be hard to come by.  One of the exceptions is winger Nick Cousins who signed a one-year, $800K contract with the Senators.  The 31-year-old spent the last two seasons with Florida and is coming off a 15-point effort in 2023-24 where he picked up a career-high 130 hits and won his first Stanley Cup.  This will be the 11th season of his career and already his seventh different team.

Hakanpaa Expected To Remain Free Agent: While the Maple Leafs agreed to terms on a two-year, $3MM deal with Jani Hakanpaa on the opening day of free agency, the contract was never registered due to concerns over his lingering knee injury.  Now, it appears they don’t intend to make the contract official, keeping the 32-year-old on the open market.  Toronto will now likely redeploy that money up front with RFA winger Nick Robertson still in need of a new deal.  However, with the youngster still preferring to be traded, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Maple Leafs look at other options to add some depth on the left wing.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Colorado Avalanche

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office.  Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those that don’t often see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2024-25 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia.  We begin with a look at the Central Division; next up is Colorado.

Colorado Avalanche

Current Cap Hit: $85,993,750 (under the $88MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Nikolai Kovalenko (one year, $896K)

Potential Bonuses
Kovalenko: $57.5K

Kovalenko spent most of the first season of his contract in Russia before coming to North America for a brief stint in the minors plus a couple of playoff appearances with the Avs.  Projected as a middle-six winger, his waiver exemption could work against him if Colorado is looking to bank early-season space but he should still be able to hit a good chunk of his games-played bonus.  Between that and his limited experience thus far, he’s a safe bet for a short-term second contract.  If he produces to expectations, that deal could approach the $2MM mark.

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

D Erik Brannstrom ($900K, RFA)
D Calvin de Haan ($800K, UFA)
F Jonathan Drouin ($2.5MM, UFA)
G Alexandar Georgiev ($3.4MM, UFA)
F Logan O’Connor ($1.05MM, UFA)
F Joel Kiviranta ($775K, UFA)
D Oliver Kylington ($1.05MM, UFA)
D Sam Malinski ($850K, RFA)
F Mikko Rantanen ($9.25MM, UFA)
F Chris Wagner ($775K, UFA)

Rantanen is clearly the headliner on this list.  The 27-year-old has become one of the top wingers in the NHL and is coming off his second straight season of more than 100 points.  League-wide, only five players have more points than him over the last three seasons; three of those are making at least $2MM more than he is.  New York’s Artemi Panarin is currently the winger with the highest AAV in NHL history; it stands to reason that Rantanen will be looking to at least pass that on his next agreement.  His linemate (we’ll get to him shortly) probably sits as the benchmark that Colorado won’t want to clear but a max-term agreement around the $12MM mark per season is a definite possibility.

The decision for Drouin to take a cheap one-year deal with the Avs last summer to help rebuild some value worked as he had a career-best 56 points.  However, his market was still fairly limited, which resulted in another one-year deal on the opening day of free agency.  Perhaps a second strong year will bolster his market next time out.  O’Connor was in the middle of a breakout performance last season and had a shot at 40 points.  If he produces at a similar rate this season, he could triple his current AAV.  Wagner and Kiviranta will battle for spots at the end of the roster and will get them or be beaten out by others at that price point.  At this point in their careers, both players will be going year-to-year, likely on two-way deals like they have now.

Kylington didn’t appear to have a strong market in free agency, resulting in a pay cut as he’ll look to do like Drouin and rebuild some value.  If he can establish himself as a full-timer after missing as much time as he has, he could at least double this next time out.  Brannstrom was non-tendered by Ottawa and had to settle for a low-cost deal as well.  He’ll be looking to do like Kylington but Colorado will have the ability to control him for another year, albeit with arbitration rights which could scare the Avs off from a qualifying offer.  Malinski has primarily played in the minors but did well in limited action last season and is now waiver-eligible which could help keep him on the NHL roster.  As for de Haan, he had a limited role with Tampa Bay last season and is likely going to remain close to the minimum salary moving forward.

Georgiev is one of the more intriguing pending UFA netminders.  He has led the league in wins the last two seasons and led the NHL in minutes played in 2023-24.  For someone making high-end backup money, that’s a strong return on their investment.  However, his numbers were particularly mediocre after a solid performance the year before.  That makes his next contract tough to project; if he’s closer to last season’s numbers, he might have a hard time commanding $5MM per season.  But if he goes back to his 2022-23 performance, a contract starting with a six could be doable.

Signed Through 2025-26

G Justus Annunen ($837.5K, RFA)
F Parker Kelly ($825K, UFA)
D/F Jacob MacDonald ($775K, UFA)
D Josh Manson ($4.5MM, UFA)

Despite a bounce-back season, the Senators opted to non-tender Kelly to avoid the arbitration risk, sending him to the open market early.  Even if he can’t put up 18 points again, if he can add grit to the fourth line and effectively kill penalties, he’ll have a much stronger market in 2026 in a more favorable cap environment.

Manson was able to stay healthy last season which is something that had been a challenge for him in previous years.  Even so, he was fifth among Colorado blueliners in ATOI; this price tag for a high-end third-pairing player is on the high side.  Unless he stays healthy the next two years and can move into a top-four role, he’ll be hard-pressed to make this on his next contract.  MacDonald returns for a second stint in the organization but with the extra blueliners they’ve brought in since then, his best shot to stick might be as a forward.

Annunen split last season between the NHL and AHL and will now get his first full NHL campaign.  He performed quite well in limited duty with the Avs last season and if he can push to take over as the starter by the time this deal is up, he will be in line for a significant raise with arbitration eligibility.

Signed Through 2026-27

F Ross Colton ($4MM, UFA)
D Samuel Girard ($5MM, UFA)
F Artturi Lehkonen ($4.5MM, UFA)
D Cale Makar ($9MM, UFA)
F Casey Mittelstadt ($5.75MM, UFA)

Mittelstadt came over at the trade deadline from Buffalo in one of the biggest swaps of the season, one that saw Bowen Byram go the other way.  However, it was a bit surprising that Colorado opted for this contract, one that only bought them one more year of club control although it kept the AAV at a more manageable rate.  He’ll need to take another step forward offensively and get closer to at least the 65-70-point mark to break into that next salary tier which would start around $7MM.

Lehkonen’s acquisition from Montreal has sparked another offensive level although he has battled injuries the last two seasons.  If he can keep producing at a 60-point pace while playing a strong defensive game, he should be able to add a couple million to his next contract.  At $4MM, Colton is a bit expensive for a third center but he is coming off a career season offensively so it’s a luxury they’ve decided they can still afford for now.  If he holds around the 40-point mark, he could land similar money next time out.

Makar set new personal bests in assists and points last season while being a Norris finalist for the fourth straight year.  It’s not very often that a player making $9MM could be viewed as a team-friendly bargain but that is the case here.   At this point, there’s little reason to think that he won’t be setting a record-breaking agreement for a defenseman, surpassing Erik Karlsson’s $11.5MM AAV on his next contract.  Girard missed time due to injury and a month in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program and in between, he found his minutes dropped to the lowest they’ve been since his rookie year.  That said, he’s still a legitimate top-four defender.  His smaller stature will hurt him but if he can get back to the level he played at in 2021-22 and 2022-23, he could land at least a small raise.

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West Notes: Henrique, Silovs, Holloway

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While Adam Henrique ultimately decided to stay in Edmonton, he turned down at least one pricier offer to do so.  Postmedia’s Kurt Leavins relays that the Jets offered the veteran a two-year, $7MM deal; he ultimately took two years and $6MM to stay with the Oilers.  With Edmonton still trying to add to their roster on the trade front, it’s fair to say that extra half-million in flexibility that Henrique left on the table will come in handy.  Winnipeg, meanwhile, didn’t fare well in trying to replace Sean Monahan and the fact they made a higher-money offer to Henrique suggests that they’re likely to be keeping an eye on the center market on the trade front in the coming weeks to see if someone becomes available.

Elsewhere out West:

  • With Thatcher Demko’s availability for the start of the season in some question, the news that backup Arturs Silovs wouldn’t play in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament due to injury drew some extra attention. However, in an interview with Delfi, Latvia’s goalie coach Arturs Irbe noted the injury was sustained from overtraining and while he took time off a couple of times to recover, it was decided that they’d opt to be cautious and hold him out.  At this point, it appears that Silovs will be ready to go for training camp for the Canucks.
  • In an appearance on the Hockey Sense Show (video link), Blues winger Dylan Holloway acknowledged that his camp knew about the offer sheet coming before any true negotiations with the Oilers were held. Even before it was signed, the 22-year-old hoped to use it as a pressure point to kickstart discussions with Edmonton but those talks never came about.  Holloway indicated that his asking price wasn’t particularly high but evidently, the Oilers weren’t interested in working on a deal at the time.  He signed a two-year deal with St. Louis that carries a cap hit just above $2.29MM with Edmonton receiving a compensatory third-round pick in return.

Top NHL Draft Prospects To Again Headline College Hockey

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For the third time in four years, college hockey produced three first-round picks in the 2024 NHL Draft. That’s incredibly impressive for a league that usually only boasts a handful of draft-year prospects. The trio continued what’s the growing trend of draft-year prospects opting for the hard-nosed college setting, picking things up from top 2023 prospects Adam Fantilli, Matthew Wood, and Charlie Stramel. And while Celebrini’s performance as the youngest Hobey Baker Award winner in history will be hard to follow up, there are still plenty of top names in the 2025 draft class ready to continue proving U18 players can thrive at the collegiate level. Five college athletes are entering their first year of draft eligibility this season. With puck drop just over one month away, let’s break down each of them.

James Hagens, C, Boston College (from USA, NTDP)

All of the focus entering the season will be on James Hagens, the early favorite to go #1 in the 2025 Draft after a dazzling season with last year’s U18 NTDP. Hagens was the confident and consistent star-power behind players like Cole Eiserman and Teddy Stiga – offering the stout two-way play, nifty puck skills, and hard play-driving needed to elevate both players into record-breaking scorers. Hagens recorded 102 points in 58 games for his efforts and proved his worth against peers at the World U18 Championship, where he managed an incomprehensible 22 points in just seven games. He broke Nikita Kucherov’s scoring record at that tournament, and is now headed to a picture-perfect role at Boston College. The Eagles just lost their premier top-line center Will Smith to the NHL, but maintained his long-time wingers Gabe Perreault and Ryan Leonard. Both wings are star NHL prospects in their own right, respectively offering the hard-nosed forechecking and heavy shooting needed to elevate a high-skill and fast-paced centerman. It’s hard to imagine a better setting for Hagens as he looks to compete with star Canadians like Porter Martone and Matthew Schaefer for first overall.

Logan Hensler, LD, University of Wisconsin (from USA, NTDP)

While Hagens offered the all-around stardom to lift up his more one-dimensional linemates on offense, Logan Hensler was providing the same value on defense – supporting both the all-out-offense of Cole Hutson and the reserved-defense of EJ Emery. He handled upwards of 20 minutes a night at points through the year, excelling thanks to a natual ability to dominate control of the neutral zone. He’s strong on the puck even at top speeds, and keeps his head up for passing options through transition. He keeps an active stick and drives opponents into the boards well off of the puck, helping Hensler put up 31 points and strong defensive outings through 61 games. Now, after two seasons of tough competition for ice time, Hensler is bound for a Wisconsin blue-line that’s wide open. He faced top-line competition through parts of the last two seasons – and could now be the unrivaled top Badgers defender, commanding a D-corps with plenty of new faces. Hensler’s well-rounded toolkit should be enough to take that assignment in stride, but will it be enough to earn the spot of top defender in the 2025 class?

Sascha Boumedienne, LD, Boston Univeristy (from Youngstown, USHL)

Rivaling Hensler for the spot of top defender will be Sascha Boumedienne, the son of Josef Boumedienne, a near-300-game veteran of the AHL and long-time (and recently departed) scouting director for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sascha carries Swedish nationality, and has represented the country internationally in each of the last three years, but this season will mark his first time playing a full season outside of Ohio. But he’s nevertheless grown to prominence, largely thanks to his 6-foot-2, 183-pound frame. Boumedienne knows how to use that size to full effect, showing little fear in engaging physically and a strong understanding for how to use his body to protect the puck. That’s great news, because Boumedienne is on the puck more often than not – boasting impressive puckhandling and explosivity for a defender his size. He’s a hard-passing, hard-shooting, and hard-hitting prospect, who should get a chance to hone each of those traits behind a retooled Boston University. The Terriers are adding a number of strong defenders this season, including Cole Hutson, but Boumedienne’s high-energy, in-your-face style could make him the favorite for top-pair minutes early on. He’s considered the favorite of the many top 2025 defenders playing in America next year – though that title will hinge on Boumedienne’s ability to earn ice time on a talented blue-line.

Cullen Potter, LW, Arizona State University (from USA, NTDP)

The list of NTDP players headed to college isn’t done yet – but Cullen Potter adds an interesting spin, having bought his way out of the NTDP a year early to pursue what should be a starring role at Arizona State University. Potter was the scoring leader on last year’s U17 NTDP squad, showing impeccable individual skill to the tune of 46 points in 54 games – continuing the all-out-offense he showed in youth hockey. But that was just two years ago, and while Potter has shown plenty of scoring upside, he’s also struggled to play through really physical games. Thankfully, Cullen is the son of true USA Hockey legend Jenny Potter – a former Olympic gold medalist (among many, many other accolades) who excelled at playing through contact and using a smaller frame to her advantage. Cullen carries many of the on-puck traits of his mother, and will now look to discover her ability to play against stronger competition. He’ll certainly face plenty of it as ASU prepares for their first year in the NCHC.

Dakoda Rheaume-Mullen, LD, University of Michigan (from USA, NTDP)

Continuing the list of hockey families is Dakoda Rheaume-Mullen, the son of Manon Rheaume – the only woman to suit up for an NHL team and a goalie consultant for the Los Angeles Kings. Dakoda didn’t follow in the goaltending path, but he has shown a clear respect for protecting his netminder and starting play from his own end. Rheaume-Mullen is aggressive and hard-nosed, seeking out the puck even if it means driving through opponents. He’s stronger than his frame suggests, and uses that to force his way into action every single shift. He did struggle to find space on the offensive side of the red line as the year went on, ultimately posting no goals and 18 points in 61 games, but his hard-nosed drive made Rheaume-Mullen hard to deny. Michigan is bringing in a cohort of new defenders this season, putting Rheaume-Mullen into competition with players like Tyler Duke, Will Felicio, Hunter Hady, and Tim Lovell. But if he can carve out a spot among that group, he’s almost assured to built NHL Draft stock, behind a Wolverines team with their sights on another run to the Frozen Four.

Shane Vansaghi, RW/C, Michigan State University (from USA NTDP)

The final NTDP alum headed to college is power-forward Shane Vansaghi, who didn’t achieve much scoring with the National Team but won the hearts of many USA Hockey staff with the energy and heft he brought to every single shift. Vansaghi is flat-out strong, and looked undermatched against USHL competition that struggled to take him down. But much of his ice time was typically spent filling roles, whether it be using his strong strides to be the first-man-in on the forecheck, or strong board-play to help rotate the puck around to flashier linemates. That lack of independence capped Vansaghi at 41 points in 113 games with the NTDP, though he started to show more individual effort near the tail end of the year. He’ll look to continue that momentum into his freshman season, where he’ll play under the diligent watch of former NTDP head coach Adam Nightingale, who’s built a track record of bringing the most out of his high-potential prospects. That fact alone makes Vansaghi one of this year’s top draft sleepers.

Slovakia, Denmark, And Latvia Qualify For 2026 Winter Olympics

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The 12-team tournament in men’s ice hockey for the 2026 Winter Olympics has been set as Team Slovakia, Team Denmark, and Team Latvia all came away with wins earlier today. Slovakia and Latvia will join the United States and Russia in Group C of the round-robin action while Denmark will slot into Group B with Finland, Germany, and Czechia. France could still qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics if the Olympic Committee decides to bar Russia from the tournament since they finished as the next highest seed in the standings. This would allow France to play in back-to-back Winter Olympics as they will be the host country in 2030.

The Slovakian team is headlined by notable NHL talents such as Simon Nemec, Tomas Tatar, and Martin Pospisil. They have a legitimate shot to make it to the playoff round if Russia is barred from the tournament. Team Slovakia will be looking for their second medal in team history after earning the bronze medal in the 2022 Winter Olympics after defeating Team Sweden.

The Danes brought one of the more experienced rosters to the qualifier tournament with Winnipeg Jets’ Nikolaj Ehlers and Carolina Hurricanes’ Frederik Andersen striking as the most noteworthy NHL talents. Denmark does not have a lengthy history in men’s ice hockey in the Olympics as the team debuted two years ago in Beijing. The team surprised many by knocking off Latvia in their opening game of the knockout round before losing to the ’Olympic Athletes from Russia’ in a tightly fought battle.

Latvia has skated in five Olympic tournaments since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 but has failed to make much headway against larger nations. The only notable NHL player on the roster is Uvis Balinskis for the Florida Panthers who recorded one goal and four points in three qualifying events. Latvia is not expected to finish much higher than in previous attempts even though they are in one of the tournament’s weaker divisions.

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