Ranking every NHL team’s 2026-27 prospect pool, from 1-32
One of Daily Faceoff‘s most extensive series is finally completed.
Over the past two months, we’ve broken down every team’s top prospect pool. We looked at the top 10 players in each system, their strengths, weaknesses and much, much more. Some teams fell over the past year, with the most common reason being NHL graduations. Montreal and Minnesota, for example, slipped quite a bit after watching some key prospects become full-time impact threats.
Here are the criteria for being labeled a prospect: players generally have to have played in 50 or fewer NHL games. Players over 23 years old are not included. Goaltenders are a bit more subjective, but they must be 25 or under and have played fewer than 20 games in the past season or fewer than 30 games over their careers.
So with that, let’s rank all 32 NHL teams. The ranking is based on several factors, including depth and overall star power. There are some areas where the difference between spots is quite close, so if you feel like your team deserves to be two spots higher, the gap is probably miniscule:
1. Chicago Blackhawks (2025: 3rd)
Most Notable: Anton Frondell, Roman Kantserov, Nick Lardis
At some point, the Blackhawks will finally get out of the basement and turn things around. The club promoted three prospects to full-time NHL duty last year: Sam Rinzel, Artyom Levshunov and Oliver Moore. Were there growing pains? Absolutely. Anything to be concerned about? Not really. Despite those three no longer being prospects, the pipeline is still quite impressive, led by 2025 first-rounder Anton Frondell. Few teams have depth at every position. The Hawks might have just one defender on this list (and some scouts might rank Xavier Villeneuve lower than fifth), but the fact that they’ve churned out some useful options over the past few years is a good sign. We didn’t include Kevin Korchinski in this exercise because of his NHL experience, but we can’t ignore him in Chicago’s system either.
2. San Jose Sharks (2025: 2nd)
Notable Prospects: Ivar Stenberg, Keaton Verhoeff, Ryan Lin
The Sharks have had one of the best pipelines in hockey for a few seasons now, and that’s not changing this year. We’ve seen some core members graduate to full-time NHL action in recent years, featuring the likes of Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Michael Misa, Sam Dickinson and Yaroslav Askarov. And with all their promotions, the Sharks have kept their pipeline intact. They had an outstanding first round at the 2026 NHL Draft with Ivar Stenberg, Keaton Verhoeff, and Ryan Lin giving the team some much-needed skill. A few others further down the list also played some games but for the most part made the San Jose Barracuda one of the most exciting teams to watch in the AHL. The Sharks are still a few years away from being true tough contenders, but their pipeline has been one of envy for a few years now, and I can’t wait to see it truly blossom.
3. Calgary Flames (2025: 10th)
Notable Prospects: Carson Carels, Zayne Parekh, Cole Reschny
A pair of star defenders? Check. A potential top-six center? Yup! One of the better goaltending prospects in the game? You betcha. Calgary has done a good job of drafting prospects in the first round and finding some hidden gems. Ethan Wyttenbach, in particular, was one of the most exciting prospects in the game this past season, but didn’t make the team’s top three on the list above. No matter what level of hockey you watched, if there was a Flames prospect involved, they were typically one of the best players in the league. It’s still going to be a few years until the Flames are true contenders in the Western Conference, but this is a group that truly has a ton of intriguing pieces for the future, and there are already some good young core pieces in place, like Dustin Wolf and Simon Nemec.
4. Nashville Predators (2025: 12th)
Notable Prospects: Wyatt Cullen, Brady Martin, Ryker Lee
Under former GM Barry Trotz, the Predators had a seemingly endless number of selections over the past five years. The team took their big swing on the NHL talent a few years ago but has managed to build one of the strongest prospect pools in hockey over the past couple of seasons. There have been some hits and misses, but for the most part, it feels like very few teams have the pure level of depth Nashville has. You might even see a few of the players reach the NHL on a full-time basis this season, with Brady Martin, Ryan Ufko, and Tanner Molendyk all looking to make their marks sooner rather than later. It’s still going to be difficult for Nashville to become competitive in the short run, but they built an identity on trying to get players who are tough to play against, and I love that for them.
5. Utah Mammoth (2025: 15th)
Notable Prospects: Tij Iginla, Caleb Desnoyers, Sebastian Cossa
Utah might be the newest market in the NHL, but I’m starting to think it won’t be long until they’re finally contenders. They’ve got two of the best forwards out of the CHL from last year in Tij Iginla and Caleb Desnoyers. Sebastian Cossa and Michael Hrabal are two of the best goalie prospects in the world, and the Mammoth has both of them now. And that doesn’t even scratch the surface on the number of towering defenders the team has; it really helps play into the ‘Mammoth’ nomenclature. I’m really excited about this team’s long-term future.
6. Detroit Red Wings (2025: 11th)
Notable Prospects: Trey Augustine, Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, Carter Bear
The Red Wings are still trying to figure out where the franchise is going. This club is still trying to make the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade. And the Atlantic looks extremely dangerous heading into this season. It’s going to be an uphill battle to get back to the glory days, but Detroit has one of the best prospect pools in hockey to help make that work. Detroit’s pipeline almost has a bit of everything. From top-rated goaltenders to quality wingers and shutdown defenders, Detroit is in a good spot moving forward. It’s up to the new GM to fill in the gaps to get this fanbase back in the rink for an extended spring play session.
7. Washington Capitals (2025: 8th)
Notable Prospects: Ilya Protas, Cole Hutson, Andrew Cristall
The Capitals had a top-10 prospect pool last year, with Ryan Leonard ending up having an impact role with the team out of training camp. This year? They’re one of the top teams yet again, with Cole Hutson and Ilya Protas set to be contributors out of the gate. Andrew Cristall was an absolute machine in the AHL, and a pair of WHLers – Lynden Lakovic and Terik Parascak – both had shining moments last year. Washington’s pipeline might not be the deepest in the world, but they’ve built an exciting group with a number of high-end talents who’ll be leaned upon heavily for more than a decade.
8. Montreal Canadiens (2025: 2nd)
Notable Prospects: Michael Hage, Jacob Fowler, Alexander Zharovsky
The Habs were always expected to make the playoffs this past season. But they probably didn’t find themselves leading the third round of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the eventual champions, the Carolina Hurricanes. By all accounts, it was a highly successful campaign for a team coming off one of the best rebuilds in recent NHL memory. We even saw three rookies take on key roles with the club this year, with Ivan Demidov, Oliver Kapanen, and Jakub Dobeš all becoming impact players. Demidov, was a finalist for the Calder Trophy, while Dobeš was one of the team’s top playoff performers. Even with those promotions, the Canadiens have a strong pipeline – they’re the best of any 2025-26 playoff team, that is.
9. St. Louis Blues (2025: 17th)
Notable Prospects: Tynan Lawrence, Justin Carbonneau, Adam Jiříček
Through some high-profile trades and acquiring a boatload of draft picks, the Blues have built quite an impressive pipeline. I think the selection of Tynan Lawrence is really going to pay off, even if his draft season didn’t completely go to plan. Justin Carbonneau was a really nice pick in 2025, and Adam Jiříček has become one of the more interesting defensive prospects in the NHL. They have some decent wingers, shutdown defenders, offensive defenders and even a couple goaltenders with promise. So while this group doesn’t have a ton of star power, you can still see that the scouting department has done its due diligence trying to tackle every area possible.
10. Vancouver Canucks (2025: 28th)
Notable Prospects: Caleb Malhotra, Braeden Cootes, Adam Novotný
It was hard to not feel bad for them when the possibility of landing Gavin McKenna first overall was ripped away on a fateful night in May. But after one heck of a draft, the Canucks’ pipeline honestly looks impressive – and easily one of the most improved in the league. Four players taken in the top two rounds this year appear on this list, and another three below have NHL experience already. The pipeline is starting to come together, and while there’s still a ton of work to make this team truly competitive again, they’re off to a good start. The future, eventually, will be better, Canucks fans. But for now, all aboard the Landon DuPont train.
11. New York Islanders (2025: 6th)
Notable Prospects: Victor Eklund, Malte Gustafsson, Kashawn Aitcheson
Even after graduating Matthew Schaefer to the big leagues, the Islanders’ pipeline is fascinating. They picked three players in the first round last year that I had projected as top-10 prospects. Two of them make up the top three here in Eklund and Aitcheson, with Schaefer being the obvious star. They also added Gustafsson, one of the better defensemen in the 2026 NHL draft. The blueline used to be a major weak point in the Islanders’ system, and now it’s one of the more impressive U-20 groups you’re going to find. The Islanders could still use a bit more center depth, but this is a group that is definitely significantly deeper than it was two years ago, and it will continue to improve as the Islanders try and figure out the long-term future.
12. Buffalo Sabres (2025: 16th)
Notable Prospects: Konsta Helenius, Daxon Rudolph, Radim Mrtka
Buffalo sports fans have been through a lot. The Bandits have been quite successful in the lacrosse world. But anyone who has followed the hockey team closely knows how painful the past 20-plus years have been. There’s finally some optimism that this group has what it takes to continue pushing forward. And while there were some key departures this summer, the pipeline still remains quite solid for a team that appears to be in full contention mode now. They might lack a true game-changing star, but it probably won’t matter, as some of the higher-end prospects in the system should be able to contribute sooner rather than later.
13. Seattle Kraken (2025: 7th)
Notable Prospects: Chase Reid, Jake O’Brien, Oscar Fisker Mølgaard
The Kraken have been one of the NHL’s most mediocre teams for quite some time now. That’s not going to change this season, either. They’re not good enough to make a serious push forward, but they’re not bad enough to continue landing first overall picks. But while the Kraken still lack a true NHL star, they’ve got a solid pipeline to work with. Chase Reid was a huge get this summer, and Jake O’Brien is going to be a solid second-liner sooner rather than later. Beyond that, the Kraken have guys with clear NHL pathaways, even if not necessarily in major roles.
14. Anaheim Ducks (2025: 4th)
Notable Prospects: Nikita Klepov, Roger McQueen, Tristan Luneau
Anaheim’s long-term depth looks tremendous, with plenty of quality U-23 players already becoming impact players. The team’s pipeline features some prospects who could see some NHL time immediately this year, even if they lack true difference-makers. Klepov is my favorite in the system, although others would still rank McQueen over him. Look for Luneau, Stian Solberg and Tyson Hinds all to see some NHL action on the blueline, and perhaps even a few games out of McQueen up front. It wouldn’t surprise me if seven players out of their top 10 prospects have NHL action under their belt in the next three years.
15. Toronto Maple Leafs (2025: 24th)
Notable Prospects: Gavin McKenna, Artur Akhtyamov, Ben Danford
A year ago, the idea of Toronto landing the first overall pick – and the right to draft a talent like Gavin McKenna – was completely unthinkable. Yet, the ping-pong balls miraculously fell in their favor, potentially rewriting the future for the biggest market in hockey. I really liked Toronto’s 2026 draft. Obviously, McKenna did a lot of the heavy lifting, but it felt like they continuously found value no matter where they picked. This is a franchise that still clearly thinks they can compete, and rebuilding doesn’t seem like an option. Even beyond McKenna, this is the best the pipeline has looked since we started doing these breakdowns, and that has to feel good if you’re a Leafs fan.
16. New York Rangers (2025: 20th)
Notable Prospects: Alberts Šmits, Liam Greentree, Cole Beaudoin
The Rangers won the Presidents’ Trophy just two years ago, so it’s definitely a weird time to be a fan. They’ve managed to beef up the pipeline a bit through the trade market, with Liam Greentree and Cole Beaudoin giving them two top-three prospects. The Rangers are still far from being legitimate contenders, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see more than half of the team’s top 10 prospects end up making the NHL. They might lack high-end scoring talent, but they definitely have guys who should be able to play solid roles throughout the lineup, and that matters.
17. Boston Bruins (2025: 21st)
Notable Prospects: James Hagens, Dean Letourneau, Will Zellers
The Bruins have made five first-round picks over the past 10 years. In that span, two – James Hagens and Dean Letourneau – have developed quite nicely, with the rest leaving the organization. It’s tough to build a good pipeline that way, but I’ve liked what they’ve done in recent years, regardless. Letourneau had an absolutely mega season at Boston College, putting himself back on the map after an ugly freshman campaign. Will Zellers proved that his USHL scoring dominance could translate to the NCAA, and Cooper Simpson is seemingly following in the same development path after obliterating opponents last year. Not every prospect is going to be a star – you’ve got to find the value from all over the draft. So given the lack of high-end picks the Bruins have had, there’s actually a lot to like.
18. Philadelphia Flyers (2025: 9th)
Notable Prospects: Porter Martone, Yegor Zavragin, Oliver Bonk
Porter Martone made an excellent first impression with the Flyers out of college last year. Now, he’s set to have a huge role heading into the season and will look to be a major part of Philadelphia’s future going forward. Beyond that, the Flyers have a so-so prospect pool. There are definitely some guys who you could envision playing decent roles throughout the lineup, but there aren’t a ton of high-impact players waiting in the wings. I haven’t loved all of their early picks recently, that’s for sure.
19. Pittsburgh Penguins (2025: 18th)
Notable Prospects: Harrison Brunicke, Sergei Murashov, Rutger McGroarty
I’m not going to sit here and say that the Penguins have one of the better pipelines in hockey, but for a team that has been competitive for so long, they’re starting to build a pretty decent prospect pool. I don’t expect many players on this list to become full-time NHLers this season, but we should see at least four or five of these guys play with the big club at some point this year. I think Pittsburgh’s future is starting to look pretty solid with some decent players at every position, even if it lacks a true star prospect.
20. Carolina Hurricanes (2025: 14th)
Notable Prospects: Bradly Nadeau, Felix Unger-Sörum, Charles-Alexis Legault
The defending Stanley Cup champions built a strong core through the draft, led by Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis and Jaccob Slavin. They haven’t had many high picks in recent years, but the Hurricanes have continued to bet high on upside at the NHL Draft. This past year, in particular, I really appreciated their selections of goaltenders Ryder Fetterolf and Zachary Jovanovski out of the OHL. Both might have their flaws but can be absolute game-stealers. The Hurricanes are also one of the best teams at finding talent out of Europe, for what it’s worth. Carolina should be a championship contender again this year. With a decent pipeline to boot, they should be able to sustain their success in the long run.
21. Los Angeles Kings (2025: 27th)
Notable Prospects: Henry Brzustewicz, Hampton Slukynsky, Carter George
I liked Los Angeles’ 2026 draft. Elton Hermansson was my 20th-rated prospect, but he went 19th overall. I know Liam Lefebvre was drafted with the team’s first pick on Day 2, but I liked a few of the guys they snagged later more. Still, the fact they took guys like Adam Goljer and Gio Pantelas much lower than I would have suggests (in my opinion) they got some excellent value this year. We’ll see how many of them pan out, but the latest draft class has really boosted the team’s pipeline in a big way. General manager Ken Holland still has a lot of work to do to make this group competitive again. I think the farm system is definitely stronger than it was a year ago, and they have one of the best goaltending pipelines in the league. But the NHL team isn’t close to being truly dangerous again. We’ll see what type of magic Holland can cook up.
22. New Jersey Devils (2025: 19th)
Notable Prospects: Mikhail Yegorov, Anton Silayev, Alexander Command
Eventually, the Devils are going to need to turn things around and become a serious force again. Maybe that’ll happen under new GM Sunny Mehta. For now, Devils fans, just stay optimistic about the future. Realistically, though, I’m not sure if the team’s pipeline is going to be a major help. Don’t get me wrong; I think they’ve got some valuable core pieces. I think Anton Silayev is a solid defenseman – maybe a top 15 defensive prospect in the game. Alexander Command will be a solid NHLer, but he fits more as a complementary asset than a play driver. Mikhail Yegorov is one of the best goalie prospects around, too. Beyond that, though? It’s not overly deep.
23. Columbus Blue Jackets (2025: 13th)
Notable Prospects: Jackson Smith, Pyotr Andreyanov, Oscar Hemming
Columbus’ prospect pipeline leaves a lot to be desired. There’s definitely some value and opportunities for guys to outperform early expectations. But it’s not an entirely deep pipeline full of surefire NHL prospects. And then there’s the big club that simply just can’t get it done when it matters and never seems to be a true playoff contender. I wish the Blue Jackets could have made a bigger splash at the 2026 NHL Draft. While Oscar Hemming is a solid prospect, it would have been more beneficial for them to have moved that pick + extra assets to get some immediate help. I don’t doubt GM Don Waddell tried; it’s just a shame that they couldn’t find what they needed.
24. Winnipeg Jets (2025: 22nd)
Notable Prospects: Viggo Björck, Elias Salomonsson, Brayden Yager
Compared to many other teams that finished around them in the standings this past year, the Jets lack prospect depth. But they’re not in a full rebuild, so it’s understandable. Landing Björck at No. 8 was a huge get for the club, and he should play an impact role right out of the gate. Beyond that, though, there aren’t a ton of prospects worth getting too excited about for Winnipeg. There’s a couple of decent defenders who might play third-line roles, and maybe a couple of energy forwards throughout. But that’s about it. I don’t love the pipeline, but there’s still time for a few guys to turn into hidden gems in important roles.
25. Ottawa Senators (2025: 25th)
Notable Prospects: Carter Yakemchuk, Logan Hensler, Kasper Halttunen
I didn’t love Ottawa’s draft in June, but I’m willing to give the team’s scouting department a bit of slack here because I do appreciate that they’ve gone for upside more than certainty. I do wonder, given the team’s competitive situation, if maybe they should have gone for talent who could help the team a bit sooner. If they can find some gems with some other lower-end prospects, Ottawa could come out looking like geniuses. I still think the Stephen Halliday pick was a solid decision that’s going to pay off in the long run, and I’m glad to see that he has already made an impact in the NHL.
26. Minnesota Wild (2025: 5th)
Key Prospects: Charlie Stramel, David Spacek, Adam Benák
The whole point of building a competitive prospect pool is to convert them into competitive NHL players. And the Wild did that better than any team in the league last year. The team’s top five prospects from a year ago have all gone on to shed the prospect label, which is utterly incredible. But understandably, that means Minnesota’s pipeline is much closer to the bottom than the top. The high end, in particular, leaves a lot to be desired. But you can’t really blame the scouting department for that given the success they’ve had the past few seasons.
27. Florida Panthers (2025: 32nd)
Notable Prospects: Simas Ignatavičius, Ryder Cali, Jack Devine
It’s hard not to like a few of the top options in the team’s pipeline, for one reason or another. Sure, the team lacks a legitimate game-changing prospect. But GM Bill Zito has proven time and time again he’s willing to be aggressive to get the guys he wants, and nothing can stand in his way. They do have quite a few bottom-six options at their disposal. When you’re a contender, it’s important to save money on depth guys. Simas Ignatavičius and Ryder Cali will use their brute force to absolutely obliterate you but are also competent enough to play with quality offensive threats. Sandis Vilmanis looks ready to grind it out on the fourth line this coming season, and it comes right after showing some real prowess with the puck in recent months.
28. Edmonton Oilers (2025: 23rd)
Notable Prospects: Ike Howard, Samuel Jonsson, Connor Ungar
Edmonton has made seven first-round selections over the past 10 years. In that span, only Evan Bouchard still remains. Some players fizzled out, while others have been used as trade bait. Success on draft day has been hard to come by for the Oilers recently. And that’s not going to change any time soon, with the club boasting one of the worst pipelines in the game today and unlikely to yield high-impact players from their current harvest. I still like Howard, and I hope he can become a top-six threat this season. If not, this pipeline will look even uglier.
29. Tampa Bay Lightning (2025: 30th)
Notable Prospects: Sam O’Reilly, Benjamin Rautiainen, Ethan Gauthier
This team has been competitive for quite a while and, as a result, they haven’t been able to draft high in quite a long time. That’s why Tampa Bay has one of the worst prospect pools in all of hockey. Honestly, it was hard finding 10 prospects I liked enough to include in their breakdown earlier this summer. I appreciate that this is a team that’s willing to bet high on skill and isn’t worried about a player being too small. They’ve left some talent on the table to make those moves happen. But no team is better at developing late-round players into actual NHL prospects than the Tampa Bay Lightning.
30. Colorado Avalanche (2025: 29th)
Notable Prospects: Ilya Nabokov, Egor Shilov, Beckett Hamilton
Under returning GM Joe Sakic, the Avs made nine selections in 2026 – a huge boost from the three a year ago. In fact, this is a team that rarely keeps themselves involved during the draft weekend. They made just 11 selections between 2021 and 2023, meaning they moved 10 picks in that span. It’s hard to build a competitive pipeline when that happens, but they’re still in win-now mode, after all. If either Nabokov or Tobiáš Tvrzník become NHLers, they’ll be thrilled. I think Shilov and Hamilton could be decent depth guys, too. But that’s honestly still asking a lot right now.
31. Vegas Golden Knights (2025: 31st)
Notable Prospects: Trevor Connelly, Juho Piiparinen, Carl Lindbom
I’ll skip the usual “Vegas’ pipeline stinks” angle. You know that already. Aiming to win first, then prioritize future problems later has always been their motto, for better or for worse. The Golden Knights have made it to the Stanley Cup final three times already, so it’s clearly working to an extent. Watching them progress so far this year without needing to swap the 2026 first-round pick for a star player was quite impressive. So it’s not a situation of Vegas struggling to build a pipeline because all their prospects fizzle out. Instead, it’s that they’ve literally traded away basically anybody of note the team already had. Trevor Connelly, however, looks legit; that alone should give the team some long-term hope.
32. Dallas Stars (2025: 26th)
Notable Prospects: Emil Hemming, Cameron Schmidt, Jakub Vaněček
The Stars have typically done an excellent job of finding value on draft day. Wyatt Johnston and Logan Stankoven were outstanding picks at No. 23 and 47 in 2021, respectively. Two years before that, Thomas Harley began his journey to the Olympics after going 18th overall. But right now? The pipeline is one of the worst in hockey with so little depth. Dallas is in win-now mode, so this is absolutely to be expected. Maybe they’ll find some hidden gems (I actually like the top three they have here), but I wouldn’t hold my breath.
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