NHL Pipeline Power Rankings: Teams With the Best Prospects
Some Teams Have A Bright Future If They Do It Right
The Vegas Golden Knights are atop the NHL Power Rankings as the Stanley Cup Champions. But how long will they stay there? Staying elite in the NHL will depend on what’s cooking behind the scenes. Some teams took away from its pool of prospects to win immediately, while others continued to build. The 2023-24 NHL Pipeline Power Rankings will indicate which teams are best set up for the future.
Ranking NHL Teams By Prospect Pools
These 2023-24 NHL Pipeline Power Rankings are all built on opinion. But when you take the common names from the top hockey media, you can reach a consensus on who the experts believe is the best. And, like how teams have an uneven distribution of star players, some have more prospects than others:
How Many Top-50 Prospects Each Team Has
- New Jersey Devils: 5
- Minnesota Wild: 4
- Arizona Coyotes: 3
- Anaheim Ducks: 3
- Buffalo Sabres: 3
- Detroit Red Wings: 3
- Philadelphia Flyers: 3
- Seattle Kraken: 3
- Winnipeg Jets: 3
- Chicago Blackhawks: 2
- Dallas Stars: 2
- Montreal Canadiens: 2
- Toronto Maple Leafs: 2
- Vegas Golden Knights: 2
- Carolina Hurricanes: 1
- Columbus Blue Jackets: 1
- Florida Panthers: 1
- Los Angeles Kings: 1
- Nashville Predators: 1
- New York Islanders: 1
- New York Rangers: 1
- Ottawa Senators: 1
- San Jose Sharks: 1
- Washington Capitals: 1
The Devils, already a top team on the NHL standings, are best set up for the future with a whopping five prospects in the Top 50 list. Minnesota, a playoff contender, is in second with four. Eight other teams have no prospect that made it in the Top 50, including the Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Boston Bruins.
The Top Prospects: The NHL’s Future Stars
Who are these so-called “top prospects” as ranked by the best hockey analysts?
- Logan Cooley, F, Arizona Coyotes
- Luke Hughes, D, New Jersey Devils
- Shane Wright, F, Seattle Kraken
- Simon Nemec D, New Jersey Devils
- Simon Edvinsson, D, Detroit Red Wings
- David Jiricek, D, Columbus Blue Jackets
- Brandt Clarke D, Los Angeles Kings
- Alexander Nikishin D, Carolina Hurricanes
- Lane Hutson D, Montreal Canadiens
- Cutter Gauthier F, Philadelphia Flyers
The Devils with two players ranked in the top four are most notable from this list. Seven of these players are also defensemen, signaling that prolific players from the blue line will dominate the NHL. Most teams are looking for star d-men like Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes.
Noticeably absent is Chicago’s Connor Bedard. The first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft is not considered a “prospect” anymore as it is heavily expected for him to dominate and light up the NHL scores.
Going Beyond This Season
Another thing to note in this 2023-24 NHL Pipeline Power Rankings is that an NHL team has already drafted every player listed. There is a separate list for other prospects, those who have yet to be drafted. Keep an eye out during the 2024 and 2025 NHL Entry Drafts.
For NHL betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
Get the feel of sports & betting with these other articles:
- 2023 NHL Free Agency Winners & Losers: Carolina Rises, Boston Falls
- Farewell, Captain? A Retrospective on Jonathan Toews Stats
- NHL Players Available: Dumba, Kane, Tarasenko On Free-Agent Market
- 2023 NHL Free Agency Signing Update: Best Remaining Players and Trade Bait
- Matthew Tkachuk is Coming into His Prime at 25
