The Vegas Golden Knights are today’s focus in the NHL prospect pool overview series.

Tony Ferrari digs into Golden Knights’ strengths and weaknesses, the latest draft class, positional depth chart, next player in line for an NHL opportunity and more. A player who no longer holds rookie eligibility in the NHL is considered graduated and no longer a prospect for these exercises, with few exceptions.

Initial Thoughts

Throughout their nearly decade-long existence, the Golden Knights have shown they are comfortable leveraging their prospect pool and draft capital to improve their current roster. No team in the NHL has done that with more commitment and consistency. They’ve traded every first-round pick they’ve had or made aside from their 2024 first-rounder, Trevor Connelly. 

Connelly is a highly skilled player who can dazzle with his puckhandling and offensive creation. He’s quick, agile and shifty on his feet, which allows him to carve through the opposing team in the neutral zone. Even in his six-game AHL stint at the end of last season, Connelly’s speed and puck skill held up.

Connelly is the Golden Knights' only top-tier prospect, and he could be an effective top-six forward this season with the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights as a 19-year-old before jumping to the NHL next year. If he can’t stick in the AHL, he could head to the WHL, where the Penticton Vees own his rights.

Another player who will play his first full AHL season is Jordan Gustafson, who has had injury issues over the last few years. The two-way center plays an anticipatory game. While he lacks the elite skill set you’d like to see from a player looking to make an offensive impact, he plays an efficient game with the puck, and his defensive value helps supplement that. He must get back on track and stay healthy this season in Henderson, but there is some nice upside as a potential third-line center. 

Jakub Brabenec is entering his third AHL season, and although there’s been some progress, he’s still struggling to adjust to a scoring role and finding himself playing more of a depth role. Brabenec is a tactical player at heart, but he needs to develop a bit more skill and speed to keep up at the pro level in North America.

The injection of youth in Henderson continues as Mathieu Cataford is jumping into the AHL after a solid QMJHL career. He takes excellent routes on the forecheck, understands where to position himself as the second man into a battle and has so many of those little nuanced traits. Cataford’s final QMJHL season wasn’t what he wanted, taking a big step back in his production, but he showed many of the same traits. A fresh start in the AHL might be perfect for him. 

On the back end, the prospects are somewhat limited, but 20-year-old Arttu Karki is an interesting offensive blueliner who is playing well in his native Finland. Karki is a very skilled passer and puckhandler. He moves well in transition and joins the rush when there is an opportunity. He could be a candidate to jump to the AHL after this season with HIFK in the Liiga. 

U-23 Players Likely To Be On NHL Roster This Season

N/A

2025 NHL Draft Class

Round 2, 55th overall - Jakob Ihs-Wozniak, RW, Lulea Jr. (Swe.)

Round 3, 85th overall - Mateo Nobert, C, Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL)

Round 6, 186th overall - Alexander Weiermair, C, Portland (WHL)

Round 6, 187th overall - Gustav Sjoqvist, D, AIK (Swe.)

The Golden Knights didn’t have much in the way of draft capital, but they still managed to grab a few decent prospects at the 2025 NHL draft.

Jakob Ihs-Wozniak is a big-time shooter who can score from all over the ice. Whether he’s in tight or around dots, Ihs-Wozniak is a threat. His pace is an issue at times, which is his biggest drawback, but he has the size NHL teams love. Ihs-Wozniak was one of the best players in the Swedish junior league this year, so nabbing him in Round 2 was a big win for Vegas. 

In the third round, the Knights took a high-end passer in Mateo Nobert. His game needs to round out with his skating being a particular area of growth, but the facilitation ability is impressive. Nobert is constantly scanning the ice and looking to make short, quick passes to teammates and then jumping up into pockets of space for a return. He has some work to do, but he could be an interesting pro.

Alex Weiermair was a bit of an off-the-board pick as the 20-year-old had been struggling to find his footing at the NCAA level, which resulted in him jumping to the CHL in the middle of his sophomore season. He’s an overager who scored at roughly a point-per-game pace at the junior level. Weiermair has some nice transition passing ability, and he seems to complement his linemates well, but there just wasn’t much that teams were in love with from an NHL projection, so this is an interesting one.

Vegas capped off its draft with a big, heavy defender in Gustav Sjoqvist, a 19-year-old who spent most of the season in the Allsvenskan. He seemed to hold his own against men physically, which was nice to see as he relies so much on his ability to lean on attackers and close out along the boards to defend. He’s a bet on a safe, steady defensive player with limited upside.

Strengths

Calling any singular area in the Vegas prospect pool a strength is generous at best. The right wing is the closest thing to a strength they have with the addition of Ihs-Wozniak, along with the continued development of Cataford and Tuomas Uronen. Braeden Bowman was the Henderson Silver Knights’ second-leading scorer last year as well. They don’t have a surefire NHLer, but they have a few guys who could be solid depth scorers.

Weaknesses

The weakness could be the entire prospect pool, but the right side of the blueline is particularly weak. They have a few lower-end prospects, so it’s not completely bar,e but the likelihood of any of them actually reaching the NHL is quite low. Vegas hasn’t put much of an emphasis on the drafting and development of talent, which is the reason for their lack of talent in the pipeline. 

Hidden Gem: Matyas Sapovaliv, C

The Knights don’t have much going for them in the prospect pool, but one player that has consistently developed well and shown to be better than expected is Matyas Sapovaliv. He’s a big, defensive-minded center who can make noise around the net with his nifty hands and soft touch. He’s not really a creative player or a guy who is going to dazzle as a playmaker, but he plays sound defense, facilitates up ice and crashes the crease. He had a decent rookie season in the AHL, but the Knights will want to see more before he jumps up into the NHL lineup.

Next Man Up: Lukas Cormier, D

After missing so much of last season and not getting into action until March, Cormier will look to make noise in training camp and earn a role with the Golden Knights. The Knights have a solid lineup, and they’ll likely be tough to crack, but if there is anywhere on the team that they could use an infusion of puck-moving and mobility, it might just be the blueline.

Prospect Depth Chart Notables

LW: Trevor Connelly, Trent Swick 

C: Matyas Sapovaliv, Jordan Gustafson, Jakub Brabenec, Mateo Nobert

RW: Jakob Ihs-Wozniak, Mathieu Cataford, Tuomas Uronen, Braeden Bowman

LD: Lukas Cormier, Arttu Karki, Christoffer Sedoff, Abram Wiebe, Gustav Sjoqvist

RD: Viliam Kmec, Noah Ellis, Joe Fleming

G: Carl Lindbom, Pavel Moysevich, Cameron Whitehead, Jesper Vikman

For a deeper dive into the prospect pool with player rankings, check out the Yearbook and Future Watch editions of The Hockey News in print.

The Carolina Hurricanes failed to face their demons in the 2025 NHL Playoffs as they lost to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final. 

Carolina finished the 2024-25 campaign with 99 points, which placed them second in the Metropolitan Division. 

While the Hurricanes had a successful regular season, the expectations were to win the Stanley Cup, and a team that has faced multiple playoff heartbreaks over the past couple of seasons suffered yet another brutal defeat. 

Andrei Svechnikov believes their loss to the Panthers this past season was the team’s toughest to date, but there’s still hope and confidence within the organization moving forward.

“I don’t know if I can put it into words but obviously it’s your biggest dream,” Svechnikov said. “You’re getting drafted and playing the junior hockey you go through all that time, and playing seven years in the NHL, and all the time you want to get the Cup. 

“I think the last playoff was the hardest one to lose, kind of, because you have a good team and you try to reach for your goal and it just doesn’t happen. But we’ve got a new year and we’ve got a new opportunity.”

Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky addressed some of the team’s needs by signing Nikolaj Ehlers and acquiring K’Andre Miller. 

Rod Brind'Amour Feels Hurricanes' Offseason Moves Give Them A Chance To Win Stanley Cup The Carolina Hurricanes made two substantial moves this offseason to bolster their roster in pursuit of a Stanley Cup. 

These new additions intrigue and excite Svechnikov, as he’s looking forward to sharing the ice with them in September for training camp and beyond. 

“I’m very excited,” Svechnikov said. “I think we got a lot better this offseason. Obviously we’ve got to get together and build the chemistry and all that stuff, and the new guys got to learn the system. But they’re some of the best players in this league and excited to have them and see how it’s going to work for us.”

Now, we just wait until everyone’s expectations and thoughts about this new-look Hurricanes team play out in real time.

After 14 seasons in the NHL the former Minnesota Wild goaltender Anton Khudobin has announced his retirement.

He was first drafted by the Wild in the 2007 NHL Draft with the 206th overall pick. He only ended up playing six games across two seasons with the Wild from 2009 to 2011.

Khudobin, 39, played 260 games in his NHL career with six teams. He went 4-1-0 with a .955 save percentage and a 1.39 goals-against average in his six games with Minnesota.

He spent four years with the Boston Bruins and four years with the Dallas Stars where he took the Stars to the Stanley Cup final in 2020.

The 5-foot-11 goaltender finished his career, 114-92-33 with a .916 save percentage and a 2.52 goals-against average. He posted 11 career shutouts and had one of those with the Wild during the 2010-11 season.

Recent Minnesota Wild Stories

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Five NHL players hit the 100-point mark this season: Leon Draisaitl for the Edmonton Oilers, Nathan MacKinnon for the Colorado Avalanche, David Pastrnak for the Boston Bruins, Nikita Kucherov for the Tampa Bay Lightning, and Mitch Marner for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

While highlighting the newest members of the 100-point club, NHL archives revealed which teams have had 100-point scorers in a season, and how often.

The 1970-71 Boston Bruins and the 1982-83, 1983-84, and 1985-86 Edmonton Oilers each had four players reach 100 points in a single season. The full list spans five pages with 50 rows per page, meaning 222 teams in NHL history have had at least one 100-point scorer, if not more.

Not on that list? The New Jersey Devils.

Despite three Stanley Cups and multiple winning seasons, the Devils have never had a 100-point scorer. They’re one of just six teams in NHL history without that achievement.

The others: the Utah Mammoth, Nashville Predators, Vegas Golden Knights, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Seattle Kraken. Three of those six are recent expansion teams, joining the league in the past seven years. The Predators and Blue Jackets were both founded in 1997. That leaves the Devils as the oldest franchise without a 100-point scorer, established in 1974 and relocated to New Jersey in 1982.

The Devils do appear in another record, though, one they’d probably rather forget. In 1983-84, they ranked 22nd for the fewest points in a single season, finishing with just 41. They share that spot with the Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings, and their pre-relocation team, the Kansas City Scouts. That year, the Devils played 80 games and posted a 17-56 record.

Earlier this summer, they also found themselves missing from another milestone list: 50-goal scorers.

The Devils Have Three Cups and Still Don’t Have a Single Season 50-Goal ScorerThe National Hockey League released its list of the most recent 50-goal scorers by franchise.

The Devils have proven they can win without a single dominant scorer, leaning on team depth and strong defense. Still, it would be exciting to see them finally crack these offensive leaderboards.

If Jack Hughes can stay healthy, they have a legitimate chance, both to contend for the Stanley Cup and to end their drought in scoring milestones.

Can Jack Hughes Stay Healthy?New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes has undergone two season-ending shoulder injuries since being drafted first overall in the 2019 NHL Draft.

They also have the potential to finish with the most points in the league, a feat they achieved in 2022-23 when they recorded 112 points.

The Devils have the talent and the pieces. Now, it’s just a matter of putting it all together.

Kevin Fiala’s Friends’ Charity Game in Zurich raised funds for St. Gallen Children’s Hospital and youth hockey, featuring NHL stars vs. ZSC Lions.

Los Angeles Kings Left Winger Kevin Fiala brought NHL star power to Switzerland this summer, hosting the first-ever Fiala’s Friends charity game on Friday at the Swiss Live Arena in Zurich. 

The event was a mix of elite-level hockey with a mission to give back, raising funds for the Children’s Hospital in St. Gallen as well as youth hockey programs for the ZSC Lions and EHC Uzwil. 

A special night in Zürich 👏🖤

Last night, Kevin brought together @NHL players from around the world to face off against the @zsclions in the first ever Fiala’s Friends Charity Game, benefiting the Children’s Hospital of St. Gallen and the youth programs of ZSC Lions and EHC… pic.twitter.com/LGJR2xlnjK

— LA Kings (@LAKings) August 9, 2025

The evening was an exhibition match featuring the ZSC Lions — one of Switzerland's premier professional clubs — and a team of NHL players handpicked by Fiala. 

Dubbed "Fiala's Friends," the team included several Switzerland-born NHL players, along with other elite professionals, giving fans in the area a rare chance to witness their global heroes skate together on local ice in a relaxed, though competitive, environment.

Along with the on-ice activity, the event featured fan interactive experiences like autograph sessions, photo sessions, and merchandise auctions, all of which contributed to the fundraising effort. 

The organizers would like to make the Fiala's Friends Charity Game a yearly tradition, creating a long-term relationship between the NHL and Swiss hockey and making a tangible impact in the community.

To Fiala, the night was more than hockey. It was a night of charity, friendship, and the sport that brought them all together — demonstrating that even off the ice in the off-season, the NHL's best can still make big plays both on and off the ice.

The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, but the organization’s developmental model has not yielded enough results. 

Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club's top 40 prospects. All are 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals, and have played less than 40 NHL games. 

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#31 - Sean Keohane - Defense (Harvard - NCAA)

Keohane was selected in the sixth round of the 2023 NHL Draft and is a long-range prospect with impressive physical tools. A native of the Boston area, the blueliner played at Dexter Southfield Prep in Massachusetts and was slated to play a full season in the USHL with Tri-City before heading to Harvard, but after 16 games, he shifted to West Kelowna in the BCHL, where he posted 14 points (6 goals, 8 assists) in 25 games.

The 6’4”, 205 lb. defenseman had two assists in 11 games for Harvard as a freshman and his role is expected to increase with the Crimson this fall. The 20-year-old has excellent skating ability, but there are holes in his game at both ends of the ice that could be honed playing for Harvard, which has traditionally done a good job at developing prospects.

Elite Prospects indicates that Keohane “flashes nuanced defensive skating, allowing him to push an absurd amount of aggression defending the rush. He's physical, jumping off the net front to punish attackers on the end boards and tries to clog lanes with anticipation-based reads, pushing nastiness after the whistle.”

Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo

NHL Network has revealed its list of the top 20 wings in the League, as determined by the network’s producers and analysts.

Filip Forsberg of the Nashville Predators comes in at No. 18, dropping four places from his No. 14 ranking from last year.

The 30-year-old left winger led the Predators with 31 goals and 45 assists for 76 points in 2024-25, playing in all 82 of the team’s games.

Forsberg’s 30-plus goal season marked the fifth time in his 13-year NHL career he has scored at least 30 goals in a season. No other Preds player has more than two 30-goal campaigns.

His 318 career goals is tops all-time on the Predators, and he has played all 82 regular-season games for the second straight year.

Forsberg comes in just behind Alex Ovechkin, who is No. 17 on the list. He’s ahead of the Los Angeles Kings’ Adrian Kempe (20th) and Matt Boldy of the Minnesota Wild (19th).

The native of Ostervala, Sweden has totaled 681 points (318-363-681) over 780 NHL games. He has 85 power-play goals, passing Shea Weber for most all-time among Predators skaters by notching his 81st on Jan. 18.

The Hockey News projects Forsberg to be paired with Jonathan Marchessault on the first line along with Ryan O’Reilly at center. While Forsberg may have fallen several spots on this year’s list, his drop in production from 2023-24 (48-46-94) was due in large part to the Predators’ line shuffling and offensive inconsistency across the board.

If anyone is primed for a turnaround season, it would be Forsberg.

Here is the complete list.

20. Adrian Kempe, Los Angeles Kings

19. Matt Boldy, Minnesota Wild

18. Filip Forsberg, Nashville Predators

17. Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

16. Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars

15. Clayton Keller, Utah Mammoth

14. Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators

13. Brandon Hagel, Tampa Bay Lightning

12. Jesper Bratt, New Jersey Devils

11. Jake Guentzel, Tampa Bay Lightning

10. Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers

9. Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets

8. Sam Reinhart, Florida Panthers

7. Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers

6. William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs

5. Mitch Marner, Vegas Golden Knights

4. Mikko Rantanen, Dallas Stars

3. Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild

2. David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins

1. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning