It's really an exciting time for NHL prospects at every level. The past few years have seen multiple exceptional seasons in terms of production, and high-end skill is so much more spread out among players. The game is getting better because of it.
Let's take a quick look around the globe at prospects who are off to hot starts to the 2019-20 season in various leagues.
1. Jack Dugan, RW, Vegas Golden Knights
Current team: Providence College (Hockey East)
Dugan is the top scorer in college hockey by quite a bit, with 33 points in his first 17 games. He entered last weekend with as many assists (27) as anyone else in the country has points. For reference, Calgary's Johnny Gaudreau had 31 points through his first 17 games of his 80-point Hobey Baker season with Boston College in 2013-14. Thus, Dugan is the clear Hobey front-runner at this stage of the season, as the catalyst for a Providence team that appears to be among the best in the country.
Dugan was the ninth player the Golden Knights took in their first draft (2017), selected in the fifth round at 142nd overall out of Northwood School in Lake Placid, New York. In the years since, he has looked more and more like a late-round steal, having starred in the USHL before making great gains in college. His vision and ability to read plays are excellent, he has good speed, and there's a good dose of skill in his 6-foot-2 frame. As good as he has been the past two years, and as much as I've liked him as a player, what he is doing this season is well beyond any reasonable expectation for him.
2. Connor McMichael, C, Washington Capitals
Current team: London Knights (OHL)
McMichael is one of three players averaging more than two points per game in the OHL, with an explosive output that dwarfs his previous seasons' rate of production. He is closing in on his season point total from 2018-19, with 59 points in 27 games so far this season (72 in 67 games in 2018-19). McMichael had all of the skills last season, but he's even better now, with experience and an improved London Knights roster. He has exceeded any expectations I had for him and is showing next to no signs of tapering off.
The speed has been a standout trait, but McMichael is also showing better feel for the offensive zone this season and creating with his brain as much as his physical toolkit. His reads are high-end, and he's finishing plays at a much higher rate than he did last season. He could be a big-time player for Canada at the World Juniors.
3. Nils Lundkvist, D, New York Rangers
Current team: Lulea (SHL)
Lundkvist is breaking out in a major way for Lulea, playing as a top-pairing defenseman and producing at a rate especially impressive for a U20 player in the SHL. He is third among all defensemen in the SHL, with 17 points in 24 games, already well surpassing his 10 points from the previous season. In fact, he is currently on pace for the highest-scoring season by a U20 defenseman in SHL history. The current high-water mark is held by one-time Rangers prospect Tim Erixon, at 24 points, but Lundkvist is producing at a clip of 0.21 points per game greater than Erixon's 19-year-old season. One of their three first-round picks in 2018, the Rangers have another good piece to the rebuild puzzle in Lundkvist.
4. Dylan Cozens, C, Buffalo Sabres
Current team: Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)
There was at least a realistic expectation that Cozens had a chance to make the Sabres' roster this season. A thumb injury in rookie camp might have hurt his chances, but Cozens is making the most of his extra time in the WHL. He owns the WHL scoring lead with 46 points in 30 games and is ahead of his scoring pace from last season. He is leading the WHL in shots on goal by a substantial margin, averaging nearly five per game. The maturity is showing in the puck decisions he's making, and he's being more assertive offensively, too. I will be shocked if he is anywhere other than Buffalo next season.
5. Arthur Kaliyev, RW, Los Angeles Kings
Current team: Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL)
Just a few points behind McMichael in the OHL scoring race, Kaliyev has been the picture of consistency this season. Until last weekend, he hadn't gone more than two consecutive games without a goal, and he has 28 in just 30 games so far this season. Kaliyev's reads and ability to think the game offensively are at an especially high level, and he has such great sense of how to get pucks to the net. His shot is his best weapon, and he leads the OHL there by a substantial margin, with 157 shots on goal.
What stands out to me is Kaliyev's ability as a shot-pass threat, and that skill in distributing is overshadowed by his goal-scoring prowess. His vision and ability to find chemistry with whomever he's playing with makes him twice as deadly offensively. There is a reasonable expectation that Kaliyev can hit the 60-goal mark this season, even if he misses some time with Team USA at the World Juniors.
6. Aleksei Protas, W, Washington Capitals
Current team: Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
I didn't quite know what to make of Protas last season, but he is making the Caps look awfully smart for taking him 91st overall in 2019. Playing on one of junior hockey's top teams in Prince Albert last season, he had a reasonable 40 points in 61 games. But he's already past that total in 27 contests, with 42 points for the Raiders (tied for the WHL's lead in points per game at 1.56). A native of Belarus, his modest production last season could have been a product of his adjusting to North American hockey after playing only at home previously in the Belarus national team program. He's forcing eyes open with what he has done this season.
7. Matias Maccelli, C, Arizona Coyotes
Current team: Ilves (Liiga)
I had to grapple with evaluating Maccelli a bit last season, but his numbers were especially impressive in the USHL, traditionally a difficult league to score in. He had 72 points in 62 games for Dubuque last season. His return home to Finland resulted in his being the top U20 scorer in the league. With 23 points in 24 games played, he's far ahead of his age peers in the league and second for Ilves in scoring. He'll likely play a key role for Finland's World Junior team, despite not having previously played for it in a major IIHF tournament.
8. Drake Batherson, RW, Ottawa Senators
Current team: Belleville Senators (AHL)
After appearing in two games with the NHL Senators, Ottawa sent Batherson back to the AHL edition, in which he was an all-rookie selection last season. It was disappointing but probably warranted, as Batherson struggled with the NHL pace early on. His skating and ability to make plays at NHL speeds are things he's going to have to work on to gain a more substantial role, but he's making his presence known in the AHL in the meantime. Batherson leads the league with 31 points in just 23 games. Players who produce at a scoring rate like his 1.35 points per game at his age (21) don't often stay in the AHL.
9. Dustin Wolf, G, Calgary Flames
Current team: Everett Silvertips (WHL)
Wolf is putting up comical numbers for Everett through 22 appearances. With a .947 save percentage, Wolf has just one more loss (six) than he has shutouts (five). One of the last players selected in the 2019 draft at No. 214, Wolf has built on what was already an impressive junior career. With a career .936 save percentage in 103 WHL games, he has been tough to beat, starting as Carter Hart's backup before taking the No. 1 job last season. He'll likely be part of Team USA's World Junior entry.
10. Tyler Wall, G, New York Rangers
Current team: UMass-Lowell (Hockey East)
Following in the footsteps of Connor Hellebuyck, Wall is stopping an awful lot of pucks for UMass-Lowell this season. The senior netminder is second in the NCAA with a .945 save percentage while facing the second-most shots of any goaltender (512 saves on 542 shots against). He has had some big wins, having bested Minnesota Duluth and Providence College, while appearing in all but one of Lowell's games this season.
Other prospects playing well
Alexander Khovanov, LW, Minnesota Wild and Jakob Pelletier, C, Calgary Flames (Moncton Wildcats, QMJHL): The Moncton teammates have been dominant offensive performers in the QMJHL. Both are top-five in scoring, and Khovanov is averaging 2.04 points per game, which trails only that of 2020 super-prospect Alexis Lafreniere among QMJHL regulars. Pelletier has 49 points in just 26 games. And the Wildcats are among the best teams in junior hockey.
Justus Annunen, G, Colorado Avalanche (Karpat, Liiga): Currently in a platoon role at Karpat, Annunen leads Liiga with a .947 save percentage through 13 appearances. He should be Finland's No. 1 at the World Juniors.
Lucas Elvenes, LW, Vegas Golden Knights (Chicago Wolves, AHL): In his first season of pro hockey in North America, Elvenes has been excellent. Averaging a point per game (27 in 27), he leads all AHL rookies and has been an offensive driver for Chicago.
Jamieson Rees, C/W, Carolina Hurricanes (Sarnia Sting, OHL): After dealing with injuries and a suspension, Rees has been an explosive offensive performer for Sarnia, with 44 points in 23 games. He was a bit of a surprise omission from Canada's World Junior Team camp.
Tyce Thompson, RW, New Jersey Devils (Providence College, Hockey East): Overshadowed by Providence teammate Dugan, Thompson is the nation's leading goal scorer, with 13, and second only to Dugan in points, with 27.
Scott Perunovich, D, St. Louis Blues (Minnesota Duluth, NCHC): With 1.31 points per game in 16 appearances so far, Perunovich has the highest scoring rate of any NCAA defenseman. He is a driving force for Minnesota Duluth's offense, and at one point, he assisted on nine consecutive goals scored by the Bulldogs.
Spencer Knight, G, Florida Panthers (Boston College, Hockey East): After an uneven start, Knight has backstopped BC to nine straight victories. He owns a .940 save percentage in his first 15 collegiate games and already has four shutouts this season. He'll be Team USA's No. 1 at the World Juniors.
Jan Jenik, C, Arizona Coyotes (Hamilton Bulldogs, OHL): After playing only half a season in the OHL in 2018-19, Jenik has been one of the OHL's most productive players in 2019-20. With 56 points in 27 games, he has a 2.07 points per game average.