Best Young Player Pools in the RHL (10 - 6)

Welcome to part 2 of the rankings of the best young player pools in the RHL, based on Corey Pronman’s rankings of the top 139 players 22 or younger for the Athletic. See part 1 for a little more on Corey’s criteria and how I ranked the teams. I’ve added original draft positions and teams here, going back to the 2021 draft, as I couldn’t find the full results of the 2020 draft.

Without further ado, here are teams 10 - 6

10 – Montreal Canadiens – 69.14

11 – Dylan Guenther – Tier 2 – 2021 4th overall – MTL

57 – Michael Brandsegg-Nygard – Tier 5 – 2024 17th overall – MTL

81 – Simon Nemec – Tier 6 – 2022 4th overall – MTL

The Canadiens’ pool is led by a pair of players they drafted 4th overall, most notably Dylan Guenther. Guenther is currently in the middle of his first full campaign in the NHL with Utah, currently just about on pace for a 30 goal, 70 point season. He projects to be a prime rerate candidate, as his next point will match his NHL total from last year.

9 – Vancouver Canucks – 71.68

52 – Oliver Bonk – Tier 5 – 2023 31st overall – WPG

75 – Cayden Lindstrom – Tier 5 – 2024 9th overall – VAN

86 – Danny Nelson – Tier 6 – 2023 52nd overall – VAN

90 – Filip Bystedt – Tier 6 – 2022 42nd overall – EDM

102 – Cole Eiserman – Tier 6 – 2024 6th overall – VAN

111 – Fraser Minten – Tier 6 – 2022 66th overall – BUF

117 – Jake Neighbours – Tier 6 – 2020 draft

118 – Matt Coronato – Tier 6 – 2021 23rd overall – BUF

134 – Sebastian Cossa – Tier 6 – 2021 15th overall – VAN

Vancouver is the only one of the top ten teams to not have a player in at least tier 3 of Corey’s rankings, and their spot here is due to them having the 5th most ranked players in the league. The Canucks have enjoyed trading with the Sabres to grab their place on this list, acquiring Coronato and the pick used to select Lindstrom in a package for Nick Suzuki, while they acquired Minten and another 2024 1st round pick in a deal centered around Miro Heiskanen.

8 – Minnesota Wild – 87.84

15 – Sam Dickinson – Tier 3 – 2024 11th overall – MIN

42 – Yaroslav Askarov – Tier 5 – 2020 draft

87 – Noah Ostlund – Tier 6 – 2022 28th overall – MIN

103 – Michael Hage – Tier 6 – 2024 20th overall – BUF

107 – Logan Mailloux – Tier 6 – 2021 64th overall – MIN

108 – Eduard Sale – Tier 6 – 2023 23rd overall – MIN

The Wild have done well with their depth here on picks in the 20s, though the jewel here is Sam Dickinson, their 2024 pick. Dickinson is putting together a strong D+1 campaign with the London Knights, currently at 49 points in 28 games.

7 – Florida Panthers – 95.37

2 – Tim Stutzle – Tier 1 – 2020 draft

21 – Beckett Sennecke – Tier 3 – 2024 10th overall – FLA

126 – Gabe Perreault – Tier 6 – 2023 10th overall – FLA

The Panthers are here due to having the only tier 1 player on the list that does not play for the RHL’s Washington Capitals. Stutzle also is likely one of the older players on this list, having turned 23 yesterday, just two weeks past Corey’s cutoff. He appears to have taken the step into being a perennial NHL All-Star, currently on pace for his third straight season of at least 70 points with the Senators.

6 – Anaheim Ducks – 98.58

23 – Brock Faber – Tier 3 – 2020 draft

25 – Seth Jarvis – Tier 3 – 2020 draft

40 – Simon Edvinsson – Tier 5 – 2021 9th overall – ANA

101 – Anton Wahlberg – Tier 6 – 2023 38th overall – ANA

110 – Jett Luchanko – Tier 6 – 2024 21st overall – ANA

The Ducks are led here by a pair of picks from the 2020 draft. Faber burst onto the scene last year with the Wild, coming in second in Calder voting, while Jarvis is in his fourth full season with the Hurricanes. Both will age off of this list next year, but are poised to be big parts of the Ducks’ core for years to come.

This leaves us with five teams left which make up the top 5: Buffalo, Calgary, St Louis, Tampa, and Washington. It is interesting to note there is a huge difference in the score between the fifth and sixth place teams, with the fifth place team earning a score of 178.14 points.