Three Teams Lead NHL in Top Prospects

The San Jose Sharks, Montreal Canadiens, and Columbus Blue Jackets all have bright futures with some of the best prospect systems in the NHL.

David Jiricek of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks, and Lane Hutson of the Montreal Canadiens are some of the NHL's top prospects. / Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports, Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports, Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

The future of the NHL is bright, and a few teams have done an outstanding job of building their prospect pools in hopes of one day dominating the sport. Three teams, in particular, have done a better job than most. The San Jose Sharks, Montreal Canadiens, and Columbus Blue Jackets may have some of the most dominant pipelines in the NHL.

In Scott Wheeler’s prospect rankings in the Athletic, the Sharks, Canadiens, and Blue Jackets all had six players in the top 100 skaters. The Canadiens and Blue Jackets also saw a goalie reach the top 20 goalie rankings.

San Jose Sharks

The no-doubt top prospect on the list went to the most recent first-overall pick in Macklin Celebrini. With high expectations to reach the NHL without hesitation, the Sharks are hopeful the rest of their pool can promptly develop into stars.

Forward Will Smith (8) is also expected to join the NHL in 2024-25, adding to the young firepower beginning to take over in San Jose.

Defensemen Sam Dickinson (11) and Shakir Mukhamadullin (82) and forwards Quentin Musty (55) and Filip Bystedt (87) fill out the rest of the Sharks top prospects in the Athletic’s list.

Each of these names projects to make NHL impacts soon, and if they can mold together in the Sharks system, they can make for a scary core of skaters. The Sharks finished dead last in the NHL in 2023-24 and have regularly been one of the worst teams over the last half-decade.

Those losing seasons have helped set the table for what could be an extremely successful future.

Montreal Canadiens

Ivan Demodov was selected fifth overall by the Canadiens in the most recent draft and may have a chance of playing in the NHL in 2024-25 if the cards fall the right way. Regardless of where he next suits up, Demodov is Wheeler’s third-ranked prospect in the league with a ton of upside.

The Canadiens are already flush with young talent at the NHL level, but the next few seasons will only see more top names graduate from the pipeline.

Defensemen Lane Hutson (26), David Reinbacher (38), Logan Mailloux (79), and forwards Michael Hage (41) and Joshua Roy (68) fill out the rest of the top skaters in the Canadiens system.

The Canadiens also have a bright future between the pipes, with one of the top goalie prospects in the league. Netminder Jacob Fowler sits third on the Athletic’s top goalie prospect list.

These names, along with Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky, should help transform the most historic team in NHL history into a powerhouse.

Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets don’t have any top-10 prospects but have six skaters and a goalie who can arguably make a difference at the NHL level one day.

Defenseman David Jiricek (12) and forwards Kent Johnson (27) and Gavin Brindley (70) have all gotten at least a taste of the NHL since joining the Blue Jackets organization and should all be back in 2024-25.

Forwards Cayden Lindstrom (18), Jordan Dumais (71), and defenseman Denton Mataychuk (35) round out the top skaters in the Blue Jackets pool. Goalie Sergei Ivanov landed 18th in the top goalie rankings.

Each of the names mentioned will have their degree of success at the NHL level, but should all contribute to the rise of each of these teams. The Sharks, Canadiens, and Blue Jackets were three of the five worst teams in the NHL in 2023-24, but these young core players may be the reason for their turnarounds.

They may not find success right away, but they should be extremely entertaining teams to watch in the near future.

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