The anticipated Future Watch issue is when The Hockey News looks at the future of the game, including the top 100 prospects in hockey.
This year's edition, which is available to purchase online as a single issue or with a subscription, features a top 100 list with plenty of intriguing prospects who rose, fell or dropped from the 2024 rankings.
The Hockey News reached out to a scout, director of player personnel or GM from each NHL team to list which prospects look to be the best five to 10 years down the line.
Every year, there are plenty of changes to the top 100 prospects list because many players graduate to the NHL, and a new draft class takes many of those spots.
Last year’s list, for example, had Matvei Michkov, Cutter Gauthier, Will Smith, Simon Edvinsson, Brandt Clarke and Jiri Kulich in the top six. They’re all in the NHL now, as well as Logan Stankoven (22nd), Dustin Wolf (36th) and Lane Huston (49th).
The Montreal Canadiens' fifth-overall pick in 2024, Ivan Demidov, is already hockey’s top prospect, while Beckett Sennecke, Zeev Buium, Artyom Levshunov, Zayne Parekh, Sam Dickinson and Tij Iginla are other 2024 draft picks making the top 10.
Biggest Risers
As for the biggest risers from the top 100 prospects in 2024 to the 2025 list, New York Islanders center Calum Ritchie (53rd to 13th) claims the throne.
Ritchie’s 40-spot jump correlates with his emergence as one of the best players in the OHL last season and a stint in the NHL to start this campaign. He earned seven games with the Colorado Avalanche after recording three points in four pre-season games.
Recovering from the shoulder injury that plagued him throughout his draft year and showcasing the full potential of his game was what saw him fly up the list. The Islanders acquired him as part of the package that sent Brock Nelson to the Avalanche.
Quentin Musty (plus-32), Tanner Molendyk (plus-31), Fedor Svechkov (plus-30) and Lian Bichsel (plus-30) rounded out the top five biggest risers. Musty’s strong year in Sudbury saw him go from 73rd to 41st, and it likely would have been higher had he not delayed the start of his OHL season due to a trade request. He has 59 points in 33 games.
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Biggest Fallers
On the flip side, Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Rutger McGroarty (minus-41) was among a trio of players who fell 40 or more spots, along with Joakim Kemell (minus-40) and Colby Barlow (minus-40). Gavin Brindley (minus-38) and Noah Ostlund (minus-35) round out the top five fallers.
McGroarty was expected to be in the NHL to start the season with Pittsburgh. While he made the team initially, he looked to be in over his head and behind the pace of play, not recording a point in three games. Falling from 35 to 76 was a drastic fall, but a relatively underwhelming AHL year contributed to the steep decline. He has 14 goals and 38 points in 56 games for AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Barlow (17th in 2024) and Ostlund (25th in 2024) both fell out of the top 50. Barlow has 57 points in 59 OHL games despite having 58 in 50 last season, and Ostlund has 24 points in 37 AHL games in his first full season in North America.
Brindley (55th to 93rd) is one of the more interesting players to fall. The Columbus Blue Jackets prospect had a slow season from a production standpoint, but he started the year late because of an injury, and it’s his first pro season. He could be a prime candidate for a bounce-back campaign next season, and we could see him shoot right back up this list.
Some prosepcts fell from the list altogether. Hunter Brzustewicz ranked 52nd in 2024 but now ranks sixth in the Calgary Flames’ prospect pool after the team drafted Parekh, Matvei Gridin and Andrew Basha in 2024. Other notable dropped players include Theo Lindstein (65th in 2024), Matthew Wood (87th in 2024) and William Dufour (90th in 2024).
For a full look at the Future Watch issue, including all of the players mentioned here and more, subscribe to The Hockey News today. You’ll also gain access to the entire history of The Hockey News magazine’s digital archive going back over 75 years.
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