With only a smattering of tournaments, the AHL playoffs and Memorial Cup still going outside of the NHL, now is as good a time as any to take a look back at the season from a prospect standpoint, beginning with the Atlantic Division.
The Atlantic has some of the more intriguing teams in the midst or on the front end of rebuilding situations. There should be a plethora of top prospects within this division making their way to NHL rosters as early as next season.
Note: "A" prospects have a higher potential of being impact NHL players, while "B" prospects are more likely to be everyday players and contributors on NHL rosters, based on what I've seen to date.
Boston Bruins
A prospects: None
B prospects: Jack Studnicka, Urho Vaakanainen, Connor Clifton and Trent Frederic
The Bruins don't have a lot of very high-end prospects, although Studnicka and Vaakanainen in particular have good upside. Studnicka really popped this season with 83 points in the OHL and is trending up as speedy middle-six option for down the road.
The Bruins have a lot of AHL options who can be called up or fill holes quickly. Frederic is looking like he could be a low-lineup contributor as early as next season, while Clifton has already taken on a depth defenseman role in the postseason for Boston. The team also has a number of intriguing goaltending prospects, with Kyle Keyser and Jeremy Swayman looking to have the most potential.
Breakout prospect: Jack Studnicka
Buffalo Sabres
A prospect: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
B prospects: Victor Olofsson, Alexander Nylander, Oskari Laaksonen, Mattias Samuelsson, Jacob Bryson and Will Borgen
The Sabres' had high-profile graduates this season with Rasmus Dahlin, Casey Mittelstadt and Lawrence Pilut all playing enough NHL games to disqualify them here. The next wave of youngsters is a bit less distinguished, but this season marked the breakout of Luukkonen, who just became the first European to win the OHL's most outstanding player award. He also helped Finland win gold at the World Junior Championship and was one of the most dominant goaltenders in all of junior hockey this season. He's really special.
Throughout the rest of the lineup, the Sabres have a number of intriguing players who could help bolster their blue line in the near future. That group is led by Laaksonen, who had a great season in Finland and looked much more polished. Up front, Olofsson had no problem transitioning to the North American pros and should be part of the Sabres' immediate plans next season. The same is probably true for Nylander. He has yet to live up to his potential, but played at least well enough to make a case for himself contributing in 2019-20.
Breakout prospect: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Detroit Red Wings
A prospects: Filip Zadina and Joseph Veleno
B prospects: Jared McIsaac, Taro Hirose and Filip Larsson
The Red Wings had some high-profile graduates to the big club last season -- including Michael Rasmussen, Dennis Cholowski and Filip Hronek -- and should have a few more next season. Zadina struggled at times with the transition to the AHL, but he acquitted himself well when he earned a call to the Red Wings. Veleno went off during his most recent QMJHL campaign, displaying more offensive upside and his well-known commitment to two-way play. I also thought McIsaac also showed fringe "A" prospect potential with Halifax this season. His numbers were strong, he made Canada's junior team amid a loaded class of defensemen and he has been extremely reliable.
The Red Wings additionally have a lot of guys who are on the edge of "B" status right now. Hirose was added as an undrafted free agent and made an immediate NHL impact last season. Larsson is an exceptional young goalie with a long way to go, but a lot of potential. The top end of Detroit's prospect pool puts them in the upper third of the league.
Breakout prospect: Jared McIsaac
Florida Panthers
A prospects: Grigori Denisenko and Owen Tippett
B prospects: Serron Noel and Aleksi Heponiemi
What they lack in depth, the Panthers make up for in very high-end youth talent. I think Denisenko and Tippett have the potential to be offensive dynamos for a team that already has a few. Throw these guys in with recent prospect graduate Henrik Borgstrom, and there's a secondary core forming for the Panthers. Noel is a fringe A-B player for me right now, as he took big steps forward in his draft-plus-one season, but I think there's more to give. Heponiemi had a sensational season in Finland, but I think he needs to round out his game more to be effective at his size. His skating is fine, but he lacks an explosive element, which is going to make it tougher to create in the same way he did in junior and in Finland's top pro league.
Outside of the A-B prospects, Florida has a lot of wait-and-see kind of guys, like wingers Logan Hutsko and Jonathan Ang. In net, Samuel Montembeault showed glimpses of NHL potential. And with the 13th overall pick and nine total draft choices in 2019, there will be a chance to make some key additions to the pipeline.
Breakout prospect: Serron Noel
Montreal Canadiens
A prospects: Nick Suzuki and Ryan Poehling
B prospects: Alexander Romanov, Josh Brook, Joel Teasdale, Cayden Primeau and Jesse Ylonen
There were few players I watched this season who popped as much as Suzuki. He has skill, vision and a terrific on-ice work ethic, particularly in puck pursuit. They gave up Max Pacioretty to land him, but the Habs have a real blue-chipper there. Poehling is a fantastic prospect who made great strides this season and even amid lower numbers showed why he should be an NHL center.
The second tier of Habs prospects is pretty solid, too. Both Brook and Romanov looked like players trending positively towards being NHL defensemen this season. Teasdale plays a versatile game and was especially productive this season, showing he likely can make an impact in a depth role in the NHL. Primeau has had two incredible seasons since being drafted, and while Carey Price isn't going anywhere for a bit, Primeau looks like he has a shot to be a starter someday. There's a lot of depth in this prospect pool, bolstered by a huge 2018 draft class with several players taking positive steps in the season since the draft.
Breakout prospect: Josh Brook
Ottawa Senators
A prospects: Erik Brannstrom, Alex Formenton and Drake Batherson
B prospects: Filip Chlapik, Logan Brown, Rudolfs Balcers, Vitali Abramov, Jacob Bernard-Docker and Josh Norris
The Sens' prospect pool is among the best in the NHL. Each of Brannstrom, Formenton and Batherson appear destined for the NHL roster, perhaps as soon as next season. Batherson was dominant in his first AHL season and earned some quality NHL time without losing prospect status. Brannstrom, acquired in the Mark Stone trade, is one of the top defensive prospects in the game right now. Meanwhile, Formenton is an absolute speed demon who has improved his skill as well.
The next tier has plenty of talent, with higher-upside guys with size like Brown and and high-end skill like Abramov. There is plenty left to prove for this young group, and the Sens will desperately miss their own first-round pick in the 2019 draft, but there is some level of foundation on which to continue rebuilding.
Breakout prospect: Drake Batherson
Tampa Bay Lightning
A prospects: None
B prospects: Cal Foote, Alex Barre-Boulet, Connor Ingram, Carter Verhaeghe, Taylor Raddysh, Boris Katchouk and Alexander Volkov
It's been repeated ad nauseam that the Lightning prospect pool lacks star power. However, you look at the success of Anthony Cirelli and Mathieu Joseph this season and you understand the value of young depth. The Lightning have that in abundance. The organization remains particularly high on Foote, and I think he did a really nice job this season in his first as a pro. There's more offense there than I thought, but I'll maintain he is a defender whose foot speed must improve. Then the Bolts appear to have discovered another gem in undrafted Barre-Boulet, who shared the AHL scoring title with Verhaeghe. Raddysh and Katchouk remain important pieces in this prospect pool, too, but both need more seasoning.
The Lightning may also have a higher-end goalie prospect in Ingram, but his season came with tension between him and the team. He could be a valuable trade chip if Tampa feels it should move on. This team continues to have options below the NHL level that will make the big club even better.
Breakout prospect: Alex Barre-Boulet
Toronto Maple Leafs
A prospect: Rasmus Sandin
B prospects: Timothy Liljegren, Ilya Mikheyev, Trevor Moore, Jeremy Bracco and Mac Hollowell
Toronto has plenty of youth on the big club right now, which has continually thinned out their farm system. Despite that, there have been some significant gains made by players at the minor league level, and Toronto has been as aggressive as any team in going after European free agents who could provide NHL assistance in the short-term.
But in terms of long-term potential, there is no better prospect in the system than Sandin. He was injured at the start of the season but ended up as a go-to defender on a team contending for the AHL's Calder Cup. Former second-round pick Bracco also had a spectacular season after being only lightly used in 2017-18. The speedy Moore was a standout last postseason for the Marlies, and after spending time with the NHL club, he is making his presence felt again.
While the Maple Leafs have a shallower pool of prospects, they're developing players very well within their AHL system. And outside of the AHL, the Leafs should be a little more excited about junior defenseman Hollowell, who had a breakout season with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Toronto also has some interesting youngsters in their goalie pipeline in Ian Scott and Joseph Woll. The cupboard is certainly not bare.
Breakout prospect: Jeremy Bracco