On September 16^th, eight NHL teams will send their selected prospect rosters to the 18^th Annual NHL Prospect Tournament in Traverse City, Michigan. The tournament consists of two, four-team divisions named for NHL Hall of Famers Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay. Each team will play a round-robin schedule within their division, with the division winners playing for the Matthew Wuest Memorial Cup in the Championship.

Traverse City By the Numbers

Total players on a Traverse City roster who were NHL draft picks: 112

Number of players drafted in 2016 playing in Traverse City: 25

Team with the most drafted players on their Traverse City roster: Carolina, 18

Highest drafted player playing in the tournament: Pierre-Luc Dubois – CBJ, 3^rd Overall – 2016

Team Breakdowns:

Carolina Hurricanes

Overview:

The Canes enter the 2016 NHL Prospect Tournament with a stacked lineup consisting of 18 drafted players, 14 of which were drafted in the top-100 of their respective draft. A good mix of talented prospects and tournament veterans join first-round selections Haydn Fleury, Jake Bean and Julien Gauthier on the roster. Alex Nedeljkovic will likely carry the load in net, while players such as Valentin Zykov, Sergey Tolchinsky and Lucas Wallmark will look to impress prior to NHL training camp. This group could be even deeper were Aleksi Saarela not a late scratch due to injury. The Canes could be the tournament favorite given their depth.

Highest Drafted Player: Haydn Fleury, 7^th Overall, 2014

Player To Watch: Tons of names here, but if I had to narrow it down to one, my choice would be Julien Gauthier. He showed glimpses of dominance in prospect camp this summer and will look to parlay a solid NHL Prospect Tournament into a stellar season in 2016-17.

Under the Radar: Lucas Wallmark. The 2014 fourth-rounder has been a bit overlooked, but could have a Victor Rask-like rise with a good showing.

Chicago Blackhawks

Overview:

Chicago’s entry into the NHL Prospect Tournament consists of a majority of mid-to-late round draft selections and undrafted prospects. Two dominant college hockey players making the jump to pro hockey this season in Nick Schmaltz and Tyler Motte highlight the Blackhawks group. Linköping teammates Carl Dahlström and Gustav Forsling are a pair to watch on the blueline.

Highest Drafted Player: Nick Schmaltz, 20^th Overall, 2014

Player To Watch: Alex DeBrincat. It will be interesting to see the super-talented, diminutive forward compete against players of this caliber. He has the talent to shine.  

Under the Radar: John Dahlström. The 2015 seventh-round selection was close to a point-per-game performer for the Frölunda U20’s last season. He will play in the WHL for Medicine Hat in the fall.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Overview:

The Blue Jackets enter the 2016 NHL Prospect Tournaments as back-to-back champions. Their roster includes high-end talent in Pierre-Luc Dubois, Sonny Milano and Zach Werenski, all former first round picks drafted in the top-20. Undrafted OHL veterans Lucas Peressini and Jeremy Brodeur set the tone between the pipes. If Columbus is going to repeat for the third time in a row in Traverse City, it will need a strong performance from its stars.

Highest Drafted Player: Pierre-Luc Dubois, 3^rd Overall, 2016

Player To Watch: Vitaly Abramov. His fall down draft boards to the third round in 2016 was due to his size, not his ability. Abramov has game-breaking offensive talent and should fit in well in Columbus’s prospect group.

Under the Radar: Keegan Kolesar. The Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) power-forward had a breakout season in 2015-16 with 30 goals, 61 points and 107 penalty minutes. He is a fun player to watch, with a motor that never stops running.

Dallas Stars

Overview:

Dallas has done a good job in recent years of integrating their prospect group onto their NHL roster and surrounding them with veteran talent. The Stars have a good amount of free agent invites on their Traverse City roster due to many of their prospects being college players. Devin Shore has a chance to impress and show Stars management that he is ready to make the jump to the NHL in 2016-17.

Highest Drafted Player: Denis Guryanov, 12^th Overall, 2015

Player To Watch: Has to be Guryanov. Taken with the 12^th overall selection in the 2015 draft, the young Russian has had a turbulent start to his career. Two unsuccessful seasons for Lada Togliatti (KHL) have brought up questions about his development moving forward. The Stars have to be relieved they will have Guryanov on North American soil to more closely monitor him this fall.  

Under the Radar: Cole Ully. The former Kamloops Blazer showcased his offensive upside in the WHL averaging over a point-per-game in his final three seasons of junior. He split time between the AHL and ECHL last season.

Detroit Red Wings

Overview:

The Red Wings bring a talented group, with nine of their 11 drafted prospects selected in the top-100 of their respective draft.  Their forward group is deeply talented with players such as Evgeny Svechnikov, Dylan Sadowy, Zach Nastasiuk and Dominic Turgeon leading the way.

Highest Drafted Player: Evgeny Svechnikov, 19^th Overall, 2015

Player To Watch: Joe Hicketts. After earning an entry-level contract with his play at this tournament in 2014, Hicketts returns to Traverse City for the third time fresh off an all-star season for Victoria (WHL).

Under the Radar: Jake Paterson. He will be an integral part of the Red Wings team in net, and a strong showing should propel him towards starts for Grand Rapids after spending 2015-16 in the ECHL.

Minnesota Wild

Overview:

Alex Tuch and Joel Eriksson Ek headline the Wild’s roster in Traverse City. They are joined by a handful of prospects fresh off their final years in college hockey in Mario Lucia, Adam Gilmour, Nick Seeler and Sam Anas. Gustav Olofsson and Blake Heinrich will pitch in from the back-end.

Highest Drafted Player: Alex Tuch, 18^th Overall, 2014

Player To Watch: Joel Eriksson Ek. This tournament is a great way to get a glimpse at European players who are coming to play in North America. Eriksson Ek will have the opportunity to showcase the talent that got him selected as a top-20 pick in 2015.  

Under the Radar: Sam Anas. After completing a stellar career at Quinnipiac University, Anas was one of the most sought after undrafted college free agents this summer. He will be one to watch to see how his offense translates from the college game, where posted over a point-per-game all three seasons.

New York Rangers

Overview:

Despite not having a first round-pick on their Traverse City roster, the Rangers bring an impressive 15 drafted prospects to the tournament. Although Pavel Buchnevich and Jimmy Vesey are the headliners, New York has depth at forward, a talented group of defenseman and a strong goaltender in Brandon Halverson. That formula makes them one of the tournaments favorites.

Highest Drafted Player: Ryan Gropp, 41^th Overall, 2015

Player To Watch: Pavel Buchnevich. Although Vesey will likely grab the headlines, Buchnevich is the player I’m most interested to see. Both players will battle for a top-nine role with the Rangers this year.  

Under the Radar: Robin Kovacs. After a solid year in Sweden’s second division, Kovacs signed his entry-level deal with the Rangers. He has the potential to be a multi-category winger in the future.

St. Louis Blues

Overview:

St. Louis enters the tournament with high-level prospects in net and on the blueline. Ville Husso and Evan Fitzpatrick make up the tandem in goal with Vince Dunn, Jordan Schmaltz and Thomas Vannelli manning the blueline. With Ivan Barbashev, Jordan Kyrou, Conner Bleakley and Mackenzie MacEachern up front, the Blues should be fun to watch.

Highest Drafted Player: Jordan Schmaltz, 25^th Overall, 2012

Player To Watch: Ville Husso. Regarded as one of the best goalie prospects on the planet, the former fourth-round pick could steal the show in Traverse City. Husso is a star in the making.

Under the Radar: Glenn Gawdin. The Swift Current Broncos center has developed nicely since being selected in the fourth round in 2015. He is a two-way player who tends to defer to making plays in the offensive zone rather than creating offense for himself. 

For more information on the NHL Prospect Tournament, head over to their website at http://www.centreice.org/page/show/467296-nhl-prospect-tournament.

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