This prospect list was originally published in the The Hockey News' annual yearbook
With rookie camp in the books and the big boys set to take the ice for training camp on Thursday, here is a look at the Vegas Golden Knights' top prospects.
TOP 10 PROSPECTS
1. Trevor Connelly
Pos LW Age 19
2024-25 Providence (HE)
Makes quick reads, distributes well and dashes around the ice. Will benefit from reps at AHL level.
Expected NHL Arrival ’27-28
2. Matyas Sapovaliv
Pos C Age 21
2024-25 Henderson (AHL)
Meager point total masks great work done defensively. He’s adept at matchup game.
Expected NHL Arrival ’27-28
3. Raphael Lavoie
Pos C Age 25
2024-25 Henderson (AHL)
No doubting his offense, but he needs to develop reliability away from puck to reach next level.
Expected NHL Arrival ’26-27
4. Jakob Ihs Wozniak
Pos C Age 18
2024-25 Lulea Jr. (Swe.)
Broke scoring record for 17-year-old in Swedish junior. Consistency key to him reaching potential.
Expected NHL Arrival ’29-30
5. Lukas Cormier
Pos D Age 23
2024-25 Henderson (AHL)
Skilled puck-mover and potential power-play quarterback missed majority of 2024-25 with injury.
Expected NHL Arrival ’26-27
6. Pavel Moysevich
Pos G Age 21
2024-25 St. Petersburg (KHL)
Fought for starts with SKA last season. Regular playing time will help big, athletic keeper develop.
Expected NHL Arrival ’28-29
7. Arttu Karki
Pos D Age 20
2024-25 Assat (Fin.)
Returned to Finland to play pro. Does everything well but nothing spectacularly. A project prospect.
Expected NHL Arrival ’28-29
8. Mathieu Cataford
Pos C Age 20
2024-25 Rimouski (QMJHL)
CHL’s scholastic player of the year showcases on-ice smarts with his knack for reading play.
Expected NHL Arrival ’27-28
9. Akira Schmid
Pos G Age 25
2024-25 Henderson (AHL)
Consistency in the AHL was a challenge, but his performance behind an NHL defense was great.
Expected NHL Arrival ’25-26
10. Mateo Nobert
Pos C Age 18
2024-25 Blainville-Bois. (QMJHL)
Pass-first playmaker with good vision drives play. He will have to adjust to pace at next level.
Expected NHL Arrival ’30-31
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As NHL training camps open across the NHL, there are unfinished contract business, lineup projections, rookies looking to earn a spot and pending signings and trades.
In other words, there’s some front-page drama and other burning questions this week.
Here are five key storylines to watch as teams prepare for the 2025–26 season.
The Toronto Maple Leafs face one of the most intriguing positional questions early in camp: who will take over Marner’s right-wing spot alongside Auston Matthews?
One of the game’s top stars was moved this off-season in a sign-and-trade with the Vegas Golden Knights. That leaves a hole in the Leafs' roster that they’ve arguably not filled. Toronto added several depth pieces, but there are questions as to how effective they’ll be.
Trade acquisitions Matias Maccelli and Dakota Joshua could try to earn that spot. Other options include moving William Nylander away from John Tavares to play with Matthews and Matthew Knies, or they could promote Max Domi, Nick Robertson and Bobby McMann.
NHL Rumor Roundup: Kaprizov's Contract Talks Spark Trade Rumors While Zacha Chatter ContinuesLast week's report of Kirill Kaprizov
rejecting an eight-year, $128-million contract offer from the
Minnesota Wild garnered plenty of headlines.
Few assumed that just weeks before the season, two of the NHL’s biggest stars haven’t signed contract extensions.
The Edmonton Oilers and Minnesota Wild likely figured getting extensions done for their top superstars wouldn’t be overly complicated. Things have taken an odd turn in both negotiations.
Connor McDavid is taking his time in Edmonton, which is making Oilers fans nervous. He said he wants to win in Edmonton, but he’s talking with those close to him and keeping all options open, including the term and teams.
While the original expectation was that this wouldn’t drag into camp or the start of the season, it’s looking more and more like that’s exactly what will happen.
Meanwhile, things between the Minnesota Wild and Kirill Kaprizov took a turn last week when he reportedly turned down $128 million on an eight-year extension. Several insiders have weighed in. Among them, Frank Seravalli of Bleacher Report cautioned fans not to pump the brakes.
“I have zero indication at all that Kirill Kaprizov has even thought about playing anywhere other than the Minnesota Wild,” Seravalli said.
Camp is always a proving ground for young talent. Expect intense competition for roster spots, especially among rookies and players pushing for full-time roles.
Michael Misa, the No. 2 overall pick by the San Jose Sharks, is one to watch as he tries to add more talent to an already young and hungry roster. Instead of going the NCAA route, he signed an entry-level contract, which means he’ll either be in the NHL or OHL, where he had 134 points in 65 games last season.
The Boston Bruins acquired Fraser Minten last season, and he’s ready for a bigger and more consistent role in the NHL. He could contribute on the penalty kill, power play and bottom six while trying to increase his offense.
Montreal Canadiens right winger Ivan Demidov looks to be the NHL’s rising star this season. He will confuse opponents with his game-breaking ability.
In Edmonton, the Oilers need rookies Matt Savoie and Ike Howard to excel in the NHL right away this season. One of them should earn a role in the Oilers’ top six as well. If they can’t produce and grab an important role, Edmonton’s chances of getting back to the Stanley Cup final go down.
Two big-name NHL RFAs still haven’t signed with their respective teams: Mason McTavish and Luke Hughes.
The story in Anaheim is that McTavish and the Ducks can’t get on the same page about cap hit and term. There’s been trade speculation, although the Ducks don’t want to entertain that idea. If another team signs McTavish to an offer sheet, the Ducks have enough cap space to match it.
Meanwhile, Luke Hughes is reportedly trying to time his contract to end when Jack Hughes’ does, which would be a five-year deal. The Devils reportedly want either a longer term or a bridge deal.
Both players are expected to play major roles in their respective organizations once deals are finalized, but this can’t keep dragging on. The idea that either can or should miss time to begin the season feels like a non-starter.
NHL Confirms It Will Reinstate Players Acquitted In Hockey Canada Sexual Assault TrialThe five players from Hockey Canada's 2018 world junior team who were found not guilty of sexual assault this summer will eventually be allowed to return to the NHL.
The five players found not guilty of sexual assault in July – Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube and Cal Foote – have been cleared to return to the NHL in December. Each can sign contracts as early as Oct. 15. But the NHL said while the players were acquitted, the events that transpired were “deeply troubling and unacceptable.”
The question becomes: who gets the first look by NHL franchises?
There will be tough decisions coming from NHL clubs that must weigh the pros and cons of signing one of those players.
Hart, who was a starting goaltender with the Philadelphia Flyers before taking a leave of absence for the trial, has already told the team he won’t be returning. The Oilers don’t plan on signing him, either.
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It may be hard to believe, but the Detroit Red Wings are not only in the midst of the second longest Stanley Cup Playoff drought in the National Hockey League today, but in their team history.
The Red Wings are celebrating their centennial season in 2025-26, meaning they've now been around for a century and hadn't previously experienced a drought this long without playoff hockey.
Overseeing this process as general manager is beloved former Red Wings team captain Steve Yzerman, one of the three greatest players in team history who helped resurrect the franchise from the infamous "Dead Wings" era to redefine what excellence in the NHL constituted.
Because of his body of work in the same role with the Tampa Bay Lightning, there were more than a few fans who expected Detroit's rebuilding process to be further along by now.
As one of the most calculated executives in professional sports, Yzerman is keenly aware that there is a growing sense of frustration amongst large swaths of the playoff hockey-starved Red Wings fan base.
"Well, we're trying to improve every year. Ultimately, the goal here is to build a team that can compete for the Stanley Cup," Yzerman explained Wednesday in a virtual press conference on the eve of Training Camp. "You can't compete for the Stanley Cup, obviously, until you makethe playoffs, but our goal, again, is to be a team that can compete for the Stanley Cup. So again, these rebuilds take time. How much time? I can't really predict, everyone's is different."
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Yzerman referenced the Draft Lottery, a source of bitter frustration for the Red Wings organization as a whole, as no other team has dropped more spots in the Lottery than they have over the last several seasons.
"Where you finish, what happens in the lottery, who's available in the draft in a particular year, those things are somewhat out of our control," he said. "We'll try to run and we're going to continue to try and run a good program. We're going to continue to try and improve each season, with the goal of becoming a playoff team and a team that eventually competes for a Stanley Cup."
"So I understand the frustration, or maybe the lack of or I don't want to say patience, because I think everybody's been pretty patient, but the sense of urgency within the fan base and in our local media, I understand it, but ultimately, you know, you guys heard it when Kenny Holland was here."
"Like you want to go into a rebuild. It takes time."
There's no question that Yzerman inherited an extremely challenging situation from former GM Ken Holland when he returned to take over the GM duties in April 2019. Since then, Yzerman has built one of the more intriguing prospect pools in all of the NHL.
One of the most positive elements of Yzerman's drafting has been the selections of both Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond, both of whom are now considered foundational cornerstones to build around.
Other Yzerman selections like Simon Edvinsson and Marco Kasper have now become regulars in the lineup.
The Red Wings have also been on the cusp of the postseason in each of the last two seasons, but a lull in the month of March in both years ultimately spelled doom for their chances of playoff hockey.
Yzerman knows that frustration with each passing season of not advancing to the postseason is growing, but he's clearly sticking firm to his plan of drafting and developing talent, and is steering clear of hasty and spontaneous style moves of shedding future assets for a quick fix solution.
Red Wings’ Latest Top Prospect Turning Heads with Immediate ImpactDetroit's most recent second round pick in Eddie Genborg is making an immidate mark on the SHL just two games into the season.
"I'm trying to build a team that competes for a Stanley Cup and can win a Stanley Cup," he said. "So, you know, again, I'm going to do what I what I think is right in, you know, with each Draft, with each free agency period, with each trade deadline, with the goal of trying to improve our team."
He also made it clear that Red Wings ownership, led by Chris Ilitch - the son of the late Mike Ilitch, who drafted Yzerman in 1983 - has endorsed his patient approach of drafting and developing.
"Chris and I have spoken and going back to when he hired me, that is going to take a long time, and we're going to be patient and and we're going to be, you know, allow our young players to develop," he said. "We're going to rely heavily on the draft that, and hopefully, over time, these young players that we draft turn into NHL players. So how many years it's supposed to take? I don't know. Is it four? Is it five? Is it 10? Ultimately, it's ownership's decision when they feel that they're not happy with the direction of the club or the plan, that that's their decision."
"But Chris and I have spoken about it, and he's understood the process and where we're at."
The Red Wings are scheduled to begin Training Camp on Thursday, Sept. 18.
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Utah Mammoth goaltender Connor Ingram will reportedly not attend the team’s training camp this week.
Ingram and the Mammoth are working together to find a new home for the goaltender, KSL Sports' Cole Bagley reported on Wednesday. This is a mutual agreement.
Bagley further reported that Utah GM Bill Armstrong said the plan is to eventually place Ingram on waivers, allowing any team to claim the 28-year-old.
Karel Vejmelka and Vitek Vanacek will be Utah’s goaltending tandem for the 2025-26 campaign.
The last time Ingram went through waivers was during the 2022-23 season, when the Arizona Coyotes picked him up from the Nashville Predators. He became an NHL regular with the Coyotes, even earning starter duties in 2023-24 while recording a 2.91 goals-against average and .907 save percentage.
Ingram is coming off his fourth NHL season. Last year, he played 22 games for Utah, registering a 3.27 GAA, .882 SP and 9-8-4 record.
In March, Ingram entered the NHL and NHLPA’s Player Assistance Program for the second time in his career. The Saskatoon, Sask., native shared at the time that he had lost his mother to breast cancer, and that affected him as a person and a player.
In 2023-24, Ingram received the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for being the NHL player who best exemplified the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. He had also sought care from the Player Assistance Program in January 2021 while dealing with obsessive compulsive disorder and lingering depression.
Ingram’s last NHL appearance was on Feb. 22 in a 5-3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. He made 21 saves on 25 shots.
In August, the program cleared Ingram to get back to playing NHL hockey in time for the upcoming season. But he'll likely be playing the final season of his three-year contract with a $1.95-million cap hit elsewhere.
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