NHL Prospect Pool Overview ’25-26: Catch Up On Every Team’s Pipeline

The NHL prospect pool overview series is our annual summer series breaking down every team's prospect pipeline.

Tony Ferrari looks at the top prospects every team has in its pipeline, reviews every pick from the 2025 NHL draft, analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of every prospect pool and so much more.

We’ve assembled the entire series here with links to each NHL team’s prospect pool deep dive below.

Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks have a loaded prospect pool, and they keep adding top-end talent.

They are poised to take a step forward as Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier and Pavel Mintyukov improve while prospects like Beckett Sennecke and the newly drafted Roger McQueen are on their way. The Ducks are on the rise, and their top-tier prospect pool will only bolster their young, promising lineup moving forward.

Boston Bruins

The Bruins have been a contender for over a decade, but the years of trading their picks and prospects have caught up to them.

They have committed to restocking their pipeline, and 2025 first-round pick James Hagens will be the face of the next generation. The Bruins might not be down long.

Buffalo Sabres

It’s almost impossible for the Sabres not to begin taking steps forward at this point. They have a roster with plenty of young players, and they have more on the way.

They’ve drafted high and often over the last decade. Although some of those players have moved on, the Sabres have a boatload of young talent who can help usher in a more successful era.

Calgary Flames

The Flames have been one of the most intriguing teams at the draft over the last few years under this management team, which has helped them bolster their pipeline at just about every position.

Zayne Parekh is poised to make a mark this upcoming season, but he’s far from the only high-end prospect the Flames have on the way.

Carolina Hurricanes

There may not be a team in hockey that finds a way to get more bang for their buck at the NHL draft than the Carolina Hurricanes.

They don’t shy away from drafting Europeans, particularly Russians, looking just to select the best players available. They take high-upside swings late in the draft and pick players who play typical Hurricanes hockey early in the draft. They have found a way to build a strong prospect pool while competing for a Cup year in and year out.

Chicago Blackhawks

Not much went right for the Hawks last year, but the future is bright.

Connor Bedard will lead the way, but Frank Nazar and Kevin Korchinski will be effective pieces as soon as this season. Prospects like Sam Rinzel and Oliver Moore are potentially important pieces as Chicago fills out its roster. The depth and talent across the Hawks' prospect pool will make them a tough team to handle in a few years.

Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche are in win-now mode, which means they have been more than happy to ship out draft picks and prospects. They did so at the trade deadline last year, sending Calum Ritchie to the New York Islanders, which has left them without a prospect with any sort of guarantee of making the NHL. When they need another player, the Avalanche are unlikely to look to their pipeline.

Columbus Blue Jackets

There is buzz around a lot of prospect pools in the NHL, but the Blue Jackets have built up one of the most intriguing of the bunch, so they deserve more attention.

Adam Fantilli and Cayden Lindstrom could be one of the most difficult center duos to deal with in the NHL, and the addition of Jackson Smith helps fill a need on the blueline. The Jackets have a sneaky good pipeline.

Dallas Stars

Some teams just seem to know what they are doing on draft day, and the Stars have proven to be one of the best.

Even though the Stars did not have a full cabinet of picks, they grabbed a potential top-20 player in the draft in the third round, Cameron Schmidt. The Stars may not have the deepest pipeline, but they have some really intriguing prospects who should help them continue to compete in the NHL.

Trey Augustine (Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Detroit Red Wings

Although they may not have a truly elite prospect, the Red Wings have one of the deepest prospect pools of any team.

They have a plethora of prospects at every level who could be legitimate NHL players. They have two of arguably the top five goalie prospects in the world right now, Sebastian Cossa and Trey Augustine. The Wings have some intriguing defenders who could play a depth role, and the forward corps is diversely skilled as well.

Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers' top two prospects, Matthew Savoie and Isaac Howard, were acquired in trades over the past two summers. They could play in the NHL this upcoming season as the Oilers look to bolster their skill and depth up front.

Beyond those two, the Oilers must figure out how to inject more talent into the pipeline because it falls off pretty hard.

Florida Panthers

Despite winning back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, the Panthers have a few sneaky good prospects in their pipeline. The team certainly isn’t loaded when it comes to prospects, but it does have a few intriguing names in its system that could eventually help bolster the lineup.

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings are the going example of what happens when an absolutely loaded prospect pool doesn’t quite work out.

They have certainly had a few players make the NHL, and they’ve used a few as trade pieces, but the Kings’ once-promising prospect pipeline isn’t as impressive anymore. They have some great players still, but they’ll need to bolster the prospect pool over the next couple of years.

Minnesota Wild

It feels like the Wild are about to break through into contender status, and their high-end prospects – Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren and Jesper Wallstedt – will all be a big reason for it.

Minnesota has always looked to take the best players regardless of position and build its pipeline with high-end talent. That’s set them up for a window where they’ll be competitive and welcoming in young talent.

Ivan Demidov (David Kirouac-Imagn Images)

Montreal Canadiens

The rest of the NHL needs to be on the lookout because the Canadiens will be a problem moving forward.

Ivan Demidov is set to join Lane Hutson and Co. in Montreal this season, giving the squad some of the most dynamic young offensive talent in the league. The Habs have an incredibly bright future with the talent that is set to join the NHL club in the next few years.

Nashville Predators

The Predators had a rough season after loading up in the summer a year ago, but they have managed to build a solid prospect pool while all of that was going on.

They had a big draft this year, and while Brady Martin may have been taken a bit earlier than some would have liked, he plays Smashville hockey. The Preds know what they want to be, and they are leaning in with their prospect pool.

New Jersey Devils

New Jersey's on the rise with a young NHL core featuring players in their mid-20s and a few intriguing youngsters making the jump. Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec will bolster the Devils' blueline over the next few years. The big question is whether the young talent in the pipeline is enough to bolster that young core to build toward a title.

New York Islanders

With three first-round picks in the 2025 NHL draft, the Islanders hit it out of the park.

Matthew Schaefer was a fantastic addition at first overall, but the selections of Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson in the middle of Round 1 built a foundation for the future of the Islanders. Add in Ritchie, who was acquired at the deadline last year, and this prospect pool vastly improved over the past year.

New York Rangers

The New York Rangers must figure out their direction. Are they rebuilding, retooling or competing? Was last year a blip?

One thing they do know is they have a few prospects who could impact the NHL lineup if they're given the opportunity. It’s just going to take the trust of the coach to allow them to do so.

Ottawa Senators

It’s wild that the Senators haven’t built up a better prospect pool over the past decade. They’ve consistently picked high, but whether they’ve traded picks or had a few flops on draft day, the Sens don't have much in the system. They took a big step and made the playoffs last year, but they’ll need some young players to help push them over the hump once again.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers' wave of talent is a ton of fun to watch. They have added skill and size with recent draft picks, and we could start to see some of the prospects push for NHL time.

Matvei Michkov will continue to be the focal point of the new era after a solid rookie year, but incoming players, such as Oliver Bonk or Jett Luchanko, should excite fans.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh is in a tough spot.

The Penguins still want to compete with one of the best players of all-time, Sidney Crosby, who’s still producing at an elite level, but they need to build toward the future and acquire prospects whenever they can.

The Pens have made massive strides in rebuilding their pipeline, but they aren’t a team that will likely be competing for the playoffs this year. The future is bright, but how will fans feel about watching a legend fade into obscurity at the end of his career?

San Jose Sharks

There aren’t many teams with a future as bright as the Sharks.

Celebrini is obviously a stud, having been the best rookie forward in the NHL last year, but the selection of Michael Misa in the draft could give the Sharks the best one-two punch down the middle in a few years.

With incredible talent all over the prospect pool, San Jose fans should be smiling ear to ear when thinking about their potential juggernaut a few years down the line.

Seattle Kraken

Seattle has only been in the NHL for a few years now, but the way it’s chosen to build down the middle has been impressive. The addition of Jake O’Brien to the center group, which already features NHLers Matty Beniers and Shane Wright and high-end prospect Berkly Catton, gives the Kraken some incredible depth down the middle. Converting that to success in the NHL is the next step.

St. Louis Blues

St. Louis is the team people look to when they talk about squads retooling on the fly. This now seems like the second or third time they’ve tried it and found success.

Players like Dalibor Dvorsky, Jimmy Snuggerud and Otto Stenberg haven’t made true NHL impacts yet, and this team was back in the playoffs last season. Once some of their prospects truly start to make their marks, this team could be scary to deal with.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning’s championship window isn’t as strong as it used to be, and the prospect pool certainly won’t help them in that regard. They will need to rely on strong development and a patient approach to finding some NHLers in their system, but there are no obvious standouts who could be high-impact players.

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Toronto Maple Leafs

There may not be many stars in the Maple Leafs' system, but they have targeted players with fairly safe floors in the draft recently.

Easton Cowan will get a shot to compete for an NHL spot in training camp, which could help make up for some of the skill they lost this off-season, but it won’t make up for all of it. They’ve drafted with a focus on size and tools recently, which gives them plenty of intriguing development projects over the next couple of years.

Utah Mammoth

Calling Utah’s team the Mammoth will look all the more accurate as their prospects make the NHL. They have been building a pipeline full of massive players at forward and defense, with Dmitri Simashev, Daniil But and Maveric Lamoureux leading the way. The Mammoth are building toward a window of contention, and people may be surprised when they open it up a bit this season.

Vancouver Canucks

For a team that has only made the playoffs twice in the past decade, the Canucks don’t have much of a prospect pool. They have a few notable players, such as Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Tom Willander, but the depth falls off pretty hard. Who the Canucks can rely on to make a big jump this season in their pipeline will be the question many of their fans ask this season.

Vegas Golden Knights

The Vegas Golden Knights have shown throughout their existence they do not care much for prospects or draft picks. They have Trevor Connelly, who is a super-skilled winger, and he could be their first drafted-and-developed first-rounder to make an impact on this team ever – unless they trade him, too.

Washington Capitals

The Capitals are seamlessly blending their past core and the greatness of Alexander Ovechkin with the future of the franchise for when he inevitably retires. With Ryan Leonard and Andrew Cristall coming, the Capitals have pieces to build around, which is what other contenders dream of but simply don’t have. It’s hard to be relevant while building your future, but Washington has done a good job of that.

Winnipeg Jets

The Jets have taken some swings on talent, such as Brad Lambert and Nikita Chibrikov, and those bets could be paying off soon.

The Jets also made something out of a bad situation when former first-round pick Rutger McGroarty didn’t want to sign with them, trading him for Brayden Yager.

Winnipeg’s pipeline isn’t barren, but it’s certainly not deep. They’ll need their top prospect to hit if they want to keep building and maintain an open contending window.

For a deeper dive into the prospect pool with player rankings, check out the Yearbook and Future Watch editions of The Hockey News in print.

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