The Metropolitan has continually been one of the NHL's most competitive divisions. Home to the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion and the past three Presidents' Trophy winners, most of the Metro teams are geared up for now as opposed to the future. That makes for some lighter prospect pools.
Despite that, there are still some exciting prospects within. Continuing our series of early progress reports for each team's prospect pipeline, here's a look at what the Metropolitan has to offer, including our way-too-early 2018-19 watch for players who can make an impact a year from now.
If you missed our run through the Atlantic, click here.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes have so many young players on their NHL roster, you'd think they'd be running out of prospects. While there are only a few higher-end futures in the pipeline presently, with Jake Bean and Martin Necas possessing the highest upside, there is still some solid depth to provide Carolina some flexibility down the line.
Bean is the blue-chipper of the group as he'll play for Canada at the World Juniors and is having another great season in the WHL, but there are a few other players taking big steps in that league this season. Stelio Mattheos, a third-rounder in 2017, is averaging nearly 1.5 points per game for the Brandon Wheat Kings, a big step forward from his previous WHL season. Hudson Elynuik, another third-rounder, is also having a big season for Spokane. Over in Europe, Necas has been performing well since being sent back to Brno in the Czech league. He should be a prominent forward for the Czech World Junior team as well. Over in the OHL, Jeremy Helvig has been a bit of a surprise, as he's one of the top goaltenders, with a .920 save percentage.
Meanwhile, the Hurricanes have done a nice job of building an AHL pipeline that continues to help players reach the NHL. The Charlotte Checkers are a top-10 team in the AHL right now, while keeping their roster young. First-year pro Warren Foegele has been excellent with 12 goals, tied for most among AHL rookies, in 17 games. Additionally, Janne Kuokkonen is one of only seven players under 20 in the AHL this season, and is tied for the lead among players in that age bracket with 12 points in 14 games. He'll get a break from the pros to join a strong Finland roster for the World Juniors. There is still a lot of NHL-caliber upside in the minors with Nicolas Roy, Lucas Wallmark, Alex Nedeljkovic and Aleksi Saarela among the most promising.
2018-19 watch: