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.

Gordie Howe Division		Ted Lindsay Division
Columbus Blue Jackets		Carolina Hurricanes
Chicago Blackhawks		Minnesota Wild
St. Louis Blues		Dallas Stars
Detroit Red Wings		New York Rangers

 

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

Forwards	Drafted		Defense	Drafted		Goaltenders	Drafted
Clark Bishop	2014, 7th Overall		Jake Bean	2016, 13th Overall		Callum Booth	2015, 93rd Overall
Hudson Elynuik	2016, 74th Overall		Noah Carroll	2016, 164th Overall		Jeremy Helvig	2016, 134th Overall
Mike Ferrantino	Undrafted		Haydn Fleury	2014, 7th Overall		Alex Nedeljkovic	2014, 37th Overall
Warren Foegele	2014, 67th Overall		Ben Gleason	Undrafted
Julien Gauthier	2016, 21st Overall		Roland McKeown	2014, 50th Overall
Janne Kuokkanen	2016, 43rd Overall		Alex Peters	Undrafted
Steven Lorentz	2015, 186th Overall		Josh Wesley	2014, 96th Overall
Andrew Poturalski	Undrafted
Nicolas Roy	2015, 96th Overall
Spencer Smallman	2015, 138th Overall
Sergey Tolchinsky	Undrafted
Lucas Wallmark	2014, 97th Overall
Valentin Zykov	2013, 37th Overall

 

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

Forwards	Drafted		Defense	Drafted		Goaltenders	Drafted
Radovan Bondra	2015, 151st Overall		Carl Dahlstrom	2013, 51st Overall		Jake Hildebrand	Undrafted
Bryn Chyzyk	Undrafted		Gustav Forsling	2014, 126th Overall		Brent Moran	2014, 115th Overall
John Dahlstrom	2015, 211th Overall		Jeff King	Undrafted
Alex DeBrincat	2016, 39th Overall		Justin Lemcke	Undrafted
Alexandre Fortin	Undrafted		Robin Norell	2013, 111th Overall
Luke Johnson	2013, 134th Overall		Dmitry Osipov	Undrafted
Graham Knott	2015, 54th Overall		Travis Walsh	Undrafted
Trevor Mingoia	Undrafted
Tyler Motte	2013, 121st Overall
Ivan Nikolishin	Undrafted
Nathan Noel	2016, 113th Overall
Roy Radke	2015, 164th Overall
Nick Schmaltz	2014, 20th Overall
Hayden Verbeek	Undrafted

 

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

Forwards	Drafted		Defense	Drafted		Goaltenders	Drafted
Vitaly Abramov	2016, 65th Overall		Stephen Gibson	Undrafted		Jeremy Brodeur	Undrafted
Francis Beauvillier	2012, 174th Overall		Jacob Graves	Undrafted		Lucas Peressini	Undrafted
Paul Bittner	2015, 38th Overall		Dillon Heatherington	2013, 50th Overall
Pierre-Luc Dubois	2016, 3rd Overall		Frank Hora	Undrafted
Keegan Kolesar	2015, 69th Overall		Markus Nutivaara	2015, 189th Overall
Darby Llewellyn	Undrafted		Sam Ruopp	2015, 129th Overall
Jordan Maletta	Undrafted		Blake Siebenaler	2014, 77th Overall
Sonny Milano	2014, 16th Overall		Zach Werenski	2015, 8th Overall
Nick Moutrey	2013, 105th Overall
Dante Salituro	Undrafted
Justin Scott	Undrafted
Kole Sherwood	Undrafted
Calvin Thurkauf	2016, 185th Overall

 

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

Forwards	Drafted		Defense	Drafted		Goaltenders	Drafted
Nick Caamano	2016, 146th Overall		Brandon Anselmini	Undrafted		Landon Bow	Undrafted
Connor Chatham	2014, 71st Overall		Gordie Ballhorn	Undrafted		Philippe Desrosiers	2013, 54th Overall
Remi Elie	2013, 40th Overall		Ludwig Bystrom	2012, 43rd Overall		Henri Kivaiho	2012, 144th Overall
Austin Glover	Undrafted		Niklas Hansson	2013, 68th Overall
Denis Guryanov	2015, 12th Overall		Miro Karjalainen	2014, 135th Overall
Cordell James	Undrafted		Chris Martenet	2015, 103rd Overall
Samuel Laberge	Undrafted		Ondrej Vala
Mike McMurtry	Undrafted
Grayson Pawlenchuk	Undrafted
Devin Shore	2012, 61st Overall
Ethan Szypula	Undrafted
Jordan Topping	Undrafted
Cole Ully	2013, 131st Overall

 

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

Forwards	Drafted		Defense	Drafted		Goaltenders	Drafted
Tyler Bertuzzi	2013, 58th Overall		Matthew Caito	Undrafted		Jake Paterson	2012, 80th Overall
Mike Borkowski	Undrafted		Dylan Coghlan	Undrafted		Stephen Dhillon	Undrafted
Justin Brazeau	Undrafted		Joe Hicketts	Undrafted		Connor Hicks	Undrafted
Luke Coleman	Undrafted		Filip Hronek	2016, 53rd Overall
Kyle Criscuolo	Undrafted		Dan Renouf	Undrafted
Jeff De Wit	Undrafted		Robbie Russo	2011, 95th Overall
Luke Kirwin	Undrafted		Jordan Sambrook	2016, 137th Overall
Adam Marsh	2015, 200th Overall
Zach Nastasiuk	2013, 48th Overall
Dylan Sadowy	2014, 81st Overall
Mathew Santos	Undrafted
Givani Smith	2016, 46th Overall
Evgeny Svechnikov	2015, 19th Overall
Dominic Turgeon	2014, 63rd Overall

 

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

Forwards	Drafted		Defense	Drafted		Goaltenders	Drafted
Sam Anas	Undrafted		Gustav Bouramman	2015, 201st Overall		Stephen Michalek	2011, 161st Overall
Christoph Bertschy	2012, 158th Overall		Braydyn Chizen	2016, 204th Overall		Adam Vay	Undrafted
Parker Bowles	Undrafted		Blake Heinrich	2013, 144th Overall
Cody Bradley	Undrafted		Gustav Olofsson	2013, 46th Overall
Joel Eriksson Ek	2015, 20th Overall		Nick Seeler	2011, 131st Overall
Adam Gilmour	2012, 98th Overall		Hunter Warner	Undrafted
Keegan Iverson	2014, 85th Overall		Nolan Zajac	Undrafted
Tanner Jeannot	Undrafted
Pavel Jenys	2014, 199th Overall
Chase Lang	2014, 167th Overall
Mario Lucia	2011, 60th Overall
Alex Petan	Undrafted
Nick Saracino	Undrafted
Dmitry Sokolov	2016, 196th Overall
Alex Tuch	2014, 18th Overall

 

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

Forwards	Drafted		Defense	Drafted		Goaltenders	Drafted
Nick Betz	Undrafted		Calle Andersson	2012, 119th Overall		Brandon Halverson	2014, 59th Overall
Pavel Buchnevich	2013, 75th Overall		Colton Bobyk	Undrafted		Joseph Raaymakers	Undrafted
Adam Chapie	Undrafted		Sean Day	2016, 81st Overall
Reid Duke	2014, 169th Overall		Dylan Di Perna	Undrafted
Steven Fogarty	2011, 72nd Overall		John Gilmour	2013, 198th Overall
Tim Gettinger	2016, 141st Overall		Zachary Malatesta	Undrafted
Ryan Gropp	2015, 41st Overall		Turner Ottenbreit	Undrafted
Michael Joly	Undrafted		Sergey Zborovskiy	2015, 79th Overall
Robin Kovacs	2015, 62nd Overall
Brad Morrison	2015, 113th Overall
Cristoval Nieves	2012, 59th Overall
Ty Ronning	2016, 201st Overall
Malte Stromwall	Undrafted
Jimmy Vesey	2012, 66th Overall
Zachary Zborosky	Undrafted

 

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

Forwards	Drafted		Defense	Drafted		Goaltenders	Drafted
Ivan Barbashev	2014, 33rd Overall		Sean Allen	Undrafted		Evan Fitzpatrick	2016, 59th Overall
Samuel Blais	2014, 176th Overall		Santino Centorame	Undrafted		Ville Husso	2014, 94th Overall
Conner Bleackley	2016, 144th Overall		Vince Dunn	2015, 56th Overall
Liam Dunda	2015, 176th Overall		Aiden Jamieson	Undrafted
Everett Clark	Undrafted		Jordan Schmaltz	2012, 25th Overall
Glenn Gawdin	2015, 116th Overall		Dmitrii Sergeev	Undrafted
Filip Helt	2016, 211th Overall		Kevin Tansey	Undrafted
Jake Henderson	Undrafted		Thomas Vannelli	2013, 47th Overall
Tanner Kaspick	2016, 119th Overall
Jordan Kyrou	2016, 35th Overall
Igor Leonenko	Undrafted
Owen McDonald	Undrafted
Mackenzie MacEachern	2012, 67th Overall
Adam Musil	2015, 94th Overall
Justin Selman	Undrafted

 

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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