Now that we're at the quarter mark of the NHL season, or at least most teams are, there will be a lot of retrospectives on how things have gone so far at the NHL level. But how are things going beneath the surface with each team's prospects?
We'll be checking in with each team's entire system soon, but I wanted to take a look at each club's highest performing prospect to this point in the season. This isn't to say these players have jumped to the top of the prospect charts for their respective organizations, but it's always interesting to see which players have impressed so far.
So let's take a look at the top performances this season for all 31 orgs:
Anaheim Ducks: Troy Terry, LW, University of Denver (NCHC)
Age: 20 | Drafted: No. 148, 2015
Last year's World Junior Championship hero has only continued to build on his talent in his three campaigns at DU. He currently leads the NCAA with 23 points in just 12 games this season. The skilled junior is likely among the college players who will make the U.S. Men's Olympic Team.
Arizona Coyotes: Tyler Steenbergen, LW, Swift Current Broncos (AHL)
Age: 19 | Drafted: No. 129, 2017
While Dylan Strome has been performing marvelously at the AHL level after being sent down earlier this season, Steenbergen's exploits beg for the spotlight as he is putting up cartoonish numbers so far in the WHL. Playing alongside Aleksi Heponiemi -- who is also on this list -- Steenbergen has a staggering 31 goals in 21 games for the Broncos. The 2017 fifth-rounder has great speed and finds the soft areas of the ice well. He also has a spectacular linemate in Heponiemi. Averaging nearly a goal and a half per game has put Steenbergen on Hockey Canada's radar for the World Junior Championship, but despite the great numbers he is not a lock. Regardless, this is a player who warrants extra eyeballs throughout the season.
Boston Bruins: Ryan Donato, C, Harvard University (ECAC)
Age: 21 | Drafted: No. 56, 2014
A number of Bruins prospects have graduated to the NHL roster this season, which leaves fewer options for this spot. However, Ryan Donato is picking up right where he left off in his sophomore campaign. The Ivy League schools start their seasons after everyone else, so he's only played in seven games so far, but Donato has nine points in those seven games and should also be pushing for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.
Buffalo Sabres: C.J. Smith, LW, Rochester Americans (AHL)
Age: 22 | Drafted: Undrafted
The Sabres have several prospects performing at a pretty high level, including most recent first-rounder Casey Mittelstadt at the University of Minnesota and second-rounder Marcus Davidsson in the Swedish Hockey League. However, college free agent signing C.J. Smith has been a strong performer in the AHL. In his first professional season, the 22-year-old has 15 points in 16 games. It's a strong follow-up to an outstanding junior season with UMass-Lowell in 2016-17, during which he had 51 points in 41 games. Adding Smith to the mix last spring has helped bolster Buffalo's prospect pool.
Calgary Flames: Andrew Mangiapane, Stockton Heat (AHL)
Age: 21 | Drafted: No. 166, 2015
In his second professional season, Mangiapane has been on a tear. Having been held off the scoresheet in only three games so far this season, the 21-year-old is tied for second in the AHL with 21 points. Production has never really been a problem for Mangiapane, who topped 100 points in each of his last two OHL seasons, but he's taken a noticeable step forward in his second season with Stockton. Should he continue this progression, one could see the 2015 sixth-round pick adding some scoring depth for the Flames soon.
Carolina Hurricanes: Jeremy Helvig, G, Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)
Age: 20 | Drafted: No. 134, 2016
The Hurricanes have several players in the WHL performing at a high level, including 2016 first-rounder Jake Bean, but we're headed to the OHL for this one. Helvig, a fifth-round pick in 2016, is one of the top goalies in the league. Among goalies with at least 10 appearances, Hevig is third with a .919 save percentage, while facing 553 shots through 18 games. The Frontenacs are currently third in the OHL's Eastern Conference as Helvig looks poised for a big campaign in his final junior season.
Chicago Blackhawks: Henri Jokiharju, D, Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
Age: 18 | Drafted: No. 29, 2017
The Blackhawks have to be happy with the year-to-year progression of their 2017 first-round pick. Jokiharju is putting up big points again in the WHL, and is already halfway to his 2016-17 point total just 19 games into the season. He is tied for third among WHL defensemen with 24 points so far. Look for Jokiharju to play a fairly sizable role on Finland's World Junior team as well.
Colorado Avalanche: Ty Lewis, LW, Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
Age: 19 | Drafted: Undrafted
Lewis is a top-10 scorer in the high-scoring WHL. In his prior seasons with Brandon, Lewis averaged 0.48 and 0.97 points per game. He is now is averaging 1.71 points per game and recently participated for Team WHL in the Canada-Russia series, notching one assist. He can really move, and didn't look out of place playing among the top prospects in his league in that series.
Columbus Blue Jackets: Vitali Abramov, W, Victoriaville Tigers (QMJHL)
Age: 19 | Drafted: No. 65, 2016
Prior to being traded to Victoriaville last week, Abramov had been lighting it up with the Gatineau Olympiques. He had 25 points in 16 games, including 12 goals. So how would he handle his new surroundings? A two-assist effort in his Victoriaville debut was a nice introduction. Abramov also had a goal for Russia during the Canada-Russia series and one would assume he is a lock to join Russia for the World Juniors this year. He is no doubt an exciting talent thanks to his high-end offensive skills.
Dallas Stars: Miro Heiskanen, D, HIFK (Liiga)
Age: 18 | Drafted: No. 3, 2017
Playing in Finland's Liiga is a big challenge for any teenager, but especially defensemen. It has not been too much trouble for Heiskanen, however. The 18-year-old defenseman has seven goals and 11 points so far in 13 games for HIFK. He earned an invite to the Karjala Cup with Finland's Olympic hopefuls and registered two goals as the Finns finished first. The third overall pick of the 2017 draft may be even better than advertised, which is saying something.
Detroit Red Wings: Dennis Cholowski, D, Prince George Cougars (WHL)
Age: 19 | Drafted: No. 20, 2016
Cholowski made the transition from college to junior hockey for this season and he's performed well. He was one of Team WHL's better defensemen at the Canada-Russia series, which was my first up-close look at Cholowski in a while. There's more confidence in his game now and it's showing with Prince George as well. The 2016 first-round pick has 17 points in 20 games for Prince George as he has become a more confident puck-mover and reliable defender.
Edmonton Oilers: Tyler Benson, LW, Vancouver Giants (WHL)
Age: 19 | Drafted: No. 32, 2016
Injuries have dogged Benson during the past two years and he got a late start to this season following surgery over the summer. Since returning on Oct. 27, Benson has been on a tear. The Giants' captain has 15 points through his first 10 games back and has already registered four three-point games so far. When he is healthy, he's a dominant force in the WHL.
Florida Panthers: Aleksi Heponiemi, C, Swift Current Broncos (WHL)
Age: 18 | Drafted: No. 40, 2017
The Panthers have a boatload of high-performing prospects, including University of Denver forward Henrik Borgstrom, who I think is the best player in college hockey right now. That said, when I was in Swift Current for the Canada-Russia series, people couldn't stop talking about Heponiemi. How could you blame them? The Finnish forward leads the WHL with 54 points in 21 games. That's an average of 2.57 points per game. Absurd. Playing alongside a natural scorer like Tyler Steenbergen helps, but many believe it's Heponiemi who is the driving force of the Broncos' top line. What a find for Florida in the second round last year.
Los Angeles Kings: Kale Clague, D, Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
Age: 19 | Drafted: No. 51, 2016
The parade of WHL players continues here with Clague who is among the more dynamic defensemen in junior hockey. With 33 points in 19 games, he leads all defensemen in the league. His career-high in points is 43, which he could surpass within the month. Meanwhile, it appears as though he'll play a fairly prominent role on Canada's World Junior team as a returnee. He had six assists in seven games at last year's tournament as the Canadians took silver.
Minnesota Wild: Kirill Kaprizov, C, CSKA Moscow (KHL)
Age: 20 | Drafted: No. 135, 2015
Kaprizov could help the Wild right now, based on what we've seen from him during the past two years. Unfortunately, it might be a while before we see him in the NHL. At 20 years old, he is averaging better than a point-per-game pace in the KHL. It is pretty rare for someone his age to do that. With 29 points in 27 games, Kaprizov continues progressing. If the Wild can ever get him over here, he could be an impact player.
Montreal Canadiens: Jake Evans, C, University of Notre Dame (Big Ten)
Age: 21 | Drafted: No. 207, 2014
An unheralded seventh-round pick, Evans has continually put in the work to get better every year. Now as a senior captain for Notre Dame, he is among college hockey's most productive players, with 22 points in 14 games. His point total has gone up every season, as his role has become more prominent. However, staying in school all four years puts Evans in a position to not sign with the Habs and instead become a free agent. Montreal should be looking to sign him before that happens.
Nashville Predators: Eeli Tolvanen, RW, Jokerit Helsinki (KHL)
Age: 18 | Drafted: No. 30, 2017
Remember when Tolvanen tumbled all the way to 30th in the 2017 draft? He does, too. After two years in the USHL where he became a highly-regarded prospect only to slip on draft day, Tolvanen returned home to Finland to play for Jokerit in the KHL. He is setting the league on fire. With 16 goals and 29 points in 29 games, Tolvanen is on track to have the best season ever for an under-19 player in the KHL. He is just two goals and four points away from surpassing Evgeny Kuznetsov's under-19 record for points in a season. It took 44 games for Kuznetsov to build that record and Tolvanen could have it blotted out before he leaves for the World Juniors. That is, if he leaves for World Juniors. We'll have to see if Finland wants him in that tournament or if they'd rather he rest up for the Olympics, because he'll almost certainly be on that roster.
New Jersey Devils: Mikhail Maltsev, LW, SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)
Age: 19 | Drafted: No. 102, 2016
Maltsev's numbers don't necessarily jump out at you, and he's been bounced around the various levels in Russia so far this season, but he's gotten some good looks with the top pro club in the top league. The 19-year-old has five assists in 16 games with SKA, but has been a high performer in the second-division VHL and scored a pair of goals in the under-20 MHL. He also represented Russia during the Canada-Russia series, and was one of Russia's two best forwards in the two games I saw. Maltsev is highly skilled with a wicked release and a lot of energy. He'll be very interesting to watch at the World Juniors this year.
New York Islanders: Sebastian Aho, D, Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL)
Age: 21 | Drafted: No. 139, 2017
Unfortunately often known as "the other" Sebastian Aho, the Swedish Islanders prospect is starting to make a name for himself at the AHL level. The 21-year-old has six goals and 10 points through the first 15 games of his AHL career. It's a great start amid the often difficult transition between Europe and North America. Aho excelled in the Swedish league last season, and is giving the Islanders every reason to believe now that there will be two Sebastian Ahos in the NHL in the near future, joining the skilled Hurricanes forward from Finland.
New York Rangers: Igor Shestyorkin, G, SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)
Age: 21 | Drafted: No. 118, 2014
Playing for the best team in the KHL helps, but there's no doubt SKA would not have the record it does without the superior goaltending of Shestyorkin. Though he essentially has to share the net with veteran Mikko Koskinen, the 21-year-old netminder is certainly the No. 1. He is 15-1 on the season, with a .941 save percentage and 1.55 goals-against average, which each rank fourth in the league.
Ottawa Senators: Logan Brown, Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
Age: 19 | Drafted: No. 11, 2016
While the Sens have the QMJHL's leading scorer in Drake Batherson among the prospects in their pool, I'm going to give the nod to the first-rounder Brown. A big reason for it is how he has responded to being sent back to junior. He got a little taste of the NHL, registering one assist in four games with the Sens, then got sent back to Windsor and has responded with 10 goals and 17 points through 11 games. This is going to be good for his long-term development, as he hadn't quite mastered the OHL level before making the opening-night roster for the Sens. Now he has a chance to do just that, and will play a big role for Team USA at the World Juniors.
Philadelphia Flyers: Cooper Marody, C, University of Michigan (Big Ten)
Age: 20 | Drafted: No. 158, 2015
The Flyers have some strong performances out of their prospects this season, including goaltender Carter Hart, who has been great in the WHL, and AHL scoring standouts Danick Martel and Mike Vecchione. However, Marody has been extremely impressive this season. Having just had the chance to see him when the Wolverines were taking on Wisconsin, I noticed that he has developed more high-skill elements in his game and is brimming with confidence. He has been making things happen for a Michigan squad that is still finding its way a bit. Marody has 20 points in 12 games, and should crush his previous career high of 24 this season.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Daniel Sprong, RW, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Age: 20 | Drafted: No. 46, 2015
It's no secret that the Pens don't have a very wide variety of prospects to choose from, but it's been good to see Sprong performing so well at the AHL level. He has 14 points in 14 games for the Baby Pens, building off of his dominant season in the QMJHL in 2016-17. Though his path has been a winding one, considering he was in the NHL for 18 games two years ago, it hasn't derailed his progression.
San Jose Sharks: Dylan Gambrell, RW, University of Denver (NCHC)
Age: 21 | Drafted: No. 60, 2016
For a guy who had 89 career points in 79 college games coming into the season, Gambrell flies well below the radar as a quality prospect. Part of that is due to his own teammates at Denver. However, Gambrell is off to a tremendous start for the top team in the country. He has 17 points in 12 games as a junior, and looks as good as I've seen him at the collegiate level.
St. Louis Blues: Jordan Kyrou, RW, Sarnia Sting (OHL)
Age: 19 | Drafted: No. 35, 2016
Kyrou is deservedly generating a ton of buzz around his game right now, even being mentioned as a possible candidate for Canada's Olympic team. He is currently leading the OHL in scoring by seven points, with 47 in just 21 games. Kyrou has taken another leap in his game two years after being drafted in the second round. You can see why the Blues almost kept him in the NHL this season. He is a special player.
Tampa Bay Lightning: Boris Katchouk, C, Sault-Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
Age: 19 | Drafted: No. 44, 2016
As good as the Lightning are right now, they have a ton of prospects playing great hockey, too. However, Katchouk's goal-scoring prowess makes him a cut above. With 32 points in 22 games, he is fifth in the OHL. His 16 goals put him third in the league. Meanwhile, others like Taylor Raddysh, Brett Howden, Callan Foote, Otto Somppi are displaying why the Lightning are among the elite drafting teams in the NHL right now.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Garret Sparks, G, Toronto Marlies (AHL)
Age: 24 | Drafted: No. 190, 2011
The Leafs have a number of high-performing players on their AHL roster in particular, but the most impressive has been Garret Sparks. Through 10 games this season, Sparks has a .947 save percentage and 1.51 goals-against average, both tops in the AHL. The Leafs have taken their time with Sparks and the 24-year-old netminder seems to be rewarding them for it.
Vancouver Canucks: Elias Pettersson, C, Vaxjo (SHL)
Age: 19 | Drafted: No. 5, 2017
Perhaps one of the most impressive performances among the prospects listed here comes via Pettersson. The 19-year-old is currently tied for the scoring lead in the Swedish Hockey League, with 23 points. The next closest under-20 player in the league is top 2018 draft prospect Rasmus Dahlin, who has nine points. According to eliteprospects.com, Pettersson's 1.28 points per game is the best by an under-20 player in that league since Kent Nilsson's 1.50 in 1975-76. The next player behind Pettersson on that list? Peter Forsberg.
Vegas Golden Knights: Nikita Gusev, SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)
Age: 25 | Drafted: No. 202, 2012
While his plans to come over to North America remain a big mystery, the Golden Knights still own Gusev's rights. The super-skilled 25-year-old is second in the KHL with 41 points in 34 games. There's a good case that Gusev is one of the best players -- if not the best player -- outside of the NHL right now. It would be a huge coup for the Golden Knights to attract him, but after what happened to Vadim Shipachyov, who knows if it will ever become a reality. Good news for the Knights, though, is that a lot of their prospects are performing exceptionally well, especially all three of the team's first-round picks from last year, Cody Glass, Nick Suzuki and Erik Brannstrom.
Washington Capitals: Ilya Samsonov, G, Metallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL)
Age: 20 | Drafted: No. 22, 2015
The Caps' prospect pool isn't all that deep, but Samsonov remains a highly regarded goaltending prospect. Despite that, he is No. 2 on the depth chart with Metallurg, playing behind 34-year-old veteran Vasili Koshechkin. In 16 games, Samsonov has a .912 save percentage and 2.78 goals-against average. It is believed that he'll be coming over to the Caps as early as next season.
Winnipeg Jets: Jack Roslovic, C/W, Manitoba Moose (AHL)
Age: 20 | Drafted: No. 25, 2015
The Jets have been drafting extremely well during the past few years and have a deep prospect pool to show for it. Amid many possibilities for this spot, Jack Roslovic's season has been particularly strong. The 20-year-old is tied for second in the AHL with 21 points, while his 10 goals tie him for third. It's a fantastic start in just his second pro season.