NHL Prospects Rumors & News

NHL.com "John Beecher immediately recognized he had passion for hockey. Well, almost immediately. He had to get over that whole ice part of the game first. "It was too slippery out there for me," said Beecher, a 17-year-old forward for USA Hockey's National Team..." October 18

Pro Hockey Talk "As much as you need an elite center and a star defenseman, goalie remains the make-or-break single position in hockey. Unfortunately, it’s easier to herd cats than predict goaltending performances. With that in mind, it’s not that shocking that the Marc-Andre Fleury/Rick..." September 22

Yardbarker "The 2019 NHL Draft Lottery is already shaping up to be a franchise-changing event, given the consensus building over Jack Hughes as the best overall player available. Bob McKenzie of TSN released his preseason draft rankings, and he noted that 10 out of 10 scouts he polled have Hughes in..." September 18

NHL.com "Here are seven prospects eligible for the 2019 NHL Draft whose stock rose at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, the annual under-18 tournament that ended Saturday night with Canada's 6-2 victory against Sweden in the gold medal game (prospects in alphabetical order).   Philip..." August 12

Sportsnet "The Hlinka Gretzky Cup was supposed to be about the 2019 NHL Draft in Vancouver, an under-18 tournament stacked with the best draft-eligible 17-year-olds in the hockey world. Then Sweden played Canada in by far the most intriguing, Edmonton-based tilt of the week, and the game was all..." August 09

Sportsnet "Suspend your sense of reality, just for a few moments, as the Hughes brothers dominate here at the World Junior Showcase. Now, let’s go back to 1999, when then Canucks general manager Brian Burke made the impossible happen in Vancouver. It was one of the all-time great..." August 04

NHL.com "Kaapo Kakko doesn't believe there's any pressure as the projected top European prospect for the 2019 NHL Draft. Kakko (6-foot-1, 187 pounds), 17, certainly hasn't looked out of place at right wing on the top line with center Rasmus Kupari (Los Angeles Kings) and Aarne..." August 01

The Score "Jack Hughes has opted for familiar surroundings. The projected top pick in the 2019 NHL Draft will remain with the U.S. National Team Development Program next season, turning down opportunities with the University of Michigan as well as the OHL's Mississauga Steelheads, who held..." July 31

Sportsnet "Forbes released its annual ranking of the 50 most valuable sports teams Wednesday, but not a single NHL franchise managed to crack the list. NFL teams dominated with the Dallas Cowboys sitting at No. 1 with a valuation of $4.8 billion, a 14 per cent increase from their..." July 18

Hockey Fights "Don Waddell, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has signed forward Andrei Svechnikov to a three-year, entry-level contract. The deal will pay Svechnikov $832,500 on the NHL level or $70,000 on the American Hockey..." June 30

NBC Sports "The last time the Washington Capitals had a first-round draft pick, they selected a WHL defenseman. They did not go off script on Friday. With the last pick of the first round, selecting for the first time as defending Stanley Cup champions, the Capitals selected Alexander..." June 23

Sportsnet "The Buffalo Sabres have selected Swedish defenceman Rasmus Dahlin with the first-overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. The 18-year-old becomes the second Swede ever chosen with the No. 1 pick — the first since the Quebec Nordiques drafted Mats Sundin in 1989 — and the first..." June 22

The Hockey Writers "With the 2nd Pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, the Carolina Hurricanes Have Selected Andrei Svechnikov From Barrie Colts in the OHL. About Andrei Svechnikov Despite missing some time to start the season, Andre Svechnikov quickly proved that he is indeed one of the very best..." June 22

Montreal Gazette "The Canadiens selected Finnish centre Jesperi Kotkaniemi with the No. 3 overall pick at the NHL Draft Friday night in Dallas. Kotkaniemi, a 6-foot-2, 181-pounder, was only ranked No. 6 among European skaters by NHL Central Scouting. In 57 games last season with Assat in the Finnish..." June 22

Ottawa Sun "The Ottawa Senators welcomed Brady Tkachuk to the organization Friday night. The Senators used the No. 4 selection in the National Hockey League draft to select the gritty forward from Boston University. He’s the son of former NHLer Keith Tkachuk and the brother of Calgary..." June 22

Arizona Central "The Coyotes selected center Barrett Hayton with the No. 5 overall pick in the NHL draft on Friday. Hayton, regarded as a true two-way center, totaled 60 points (21 goals, 39 assists) with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) this season. " June 22

Detroit Free Press "The Detroit Red Wings selected Filip Zadina of the Czech Republicwith the No. 6 overall pick in Friday's 2018 NHL draft. He's a great goalscorer. Can score with shot, can score in hard areas by going to net. Solid on his skates and has playmaking ability as..." June 22

Sportsnet "The Vancouver Canucks have selected defenceman Quinn Hughes with the No. 7 overall pick at the 2018 NHL Draft. Hughes is the second blue liner selected at this year’s draft behind Rasmus Dahlin in a class filled with talented rearguards. The offensive defenceman is known for..." June 22

Chicago Sun-Times "Adam Boqvist very well might end up being the second-best defenseman taken in the 2018 NHL Draft. But it could be a few years before anybody knows for sure. With higher-ranked Noah Dobson and Evan Bouchard still on the board, and sniper Oliver Wahlstrom also available, the Hawks took..." June 22

CBS Sports "Kravtsov was drafted ninth overall by the Rangers at the 2018 NHL Entry Draft on Friday. Kravtsov is a real diamond in the rough. Playing this past season in the KHL at just 18, he put up solid numbers. But in the postseason, Kravtsov exploded with 11 points in 16 games -- that was..." June 22

Edmonton Journal "After all the crazy rumours, rampant speculation and idle chitchat about what Peter Chiarelli might do with the Edmonton Oilers’ first round draft pick, in the end the GM decided to hang on to it, selecting offensive defenceman Evan Bouchard from London Knights. After several..." June 22

North Jersey "The Islanders made the rare double dip on Friday in the NHL Draft. The team went back-to-back in the first round, taking Oliver Wahlstrom at No. 11 before then taking Noah Dobson at No. 12. Thus is the first draft pick under a new front office headed by legendary Devils..." June 22

CBS Sports "Dellandrea was drafted 13th overall by the Stars at the 2018 NHL Entry Draft on Friday. Dellandrea could be a steal. He had a seriously underwhelming 2017-18 with the OHL Flint Firebirds, but exploded for Team Canada at the World Under-18s where he was one of the best Canadians on the..." June 22

Philly Voice "With the 14th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, the Philadelphia selected forward Joel Farabee, an 18-year-old winger from New York who will play for Boston University next season. "It's awesome. I really dont even have any words right now — I am soaking it in,"..." June 22

The Score "The Florida Panthers chose forward Grigori Denisenko 15th overall Friday night. Grigori Denisenko Position: LW Height: 5-foot-11 Weight: 176 lbs Age: 17 Club: Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Jr. (MHL) Nationality:..." June 22

CBS New York "Kaut was drafted 16th overall by the Avalanches at the 2018 NHL Entry Draft on Friday. Kaut's best asset is his brain -- he thinks the game at an incredibly high level. He sees plays several steps ahead, which translates into almost zero errors with the puck. Kaut's defensive..." June 22

North Jersey "The Devils drafted defenseman Ty Smith with the 17th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft on Friday night in Dallas. The 5-11, 165-pound out had 14 goals and 59 assists for the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League last season.  His 73 points were the most by a WHL defenseman in..." June 22

CBS Sports "Foudy was drafted 18th overall by the Blue Jackets at the 2018 NHL Entry Draft on Friday. Foudy's draft stock shot up like a rocket over the course of the season. In September, most scouts had him tagged as a middle-round option. But he exploded in London when given a bigger role..." June 22

Sports Talk Philly "The Flyers were back on the clock with the 19th overall pick and again addressed the forward position. With the 19th pick, the Flyers selected center Jay O'Brien. O'Brien played for Thayer Academy last season, scoring 43 goals and posting 80 points in 30 games this..." June 22

The Score "The Los Angeles Kings drafted Rasmus Kupari with the 20th overall pick in the NHL draft on Friday night. Position: Center Height: 6-foot-1 Weight: 183 lbs Age: 18 Club: Karpat (SM-liiga) Nationality:..." June 22

NBC Bay Area "The Sharks selected defenseman Ryan Merkley with their fist-round pick, No. 21 overall, in the 2018 NHL Draft on Friday.  The 17-year-old Merkley scored 67 points (13 goals, 54 assists) in 63 games with the OHL's Guelph Storm. " June 22

Orange County Register "The Ducks, perhaps mindful of their need for top-six forwards in the coming years, did the expected Friday and drafted Swedish center Isac Lundestrom with the No. 23 overall pick of the NHL draft. Lundestrom, 18, is listed at 6-foot, 183 pounds, and also can play left wing. Last year,..." June 22

Twin Cities "After tons of trade speculation in the days leading up to the NHL draft, the Wild decided to stand pat Friday night at American Airlines Arena, selecting Swedish defenseman Filip Johansson with the No. 24 overall pick. Although it’ll likely be a couple of years before Johansson..." June 22

Sportsnet "The Ottawa Senators have selected defenceman Jacob Bernard-Docker with the 26th overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft. This is the Senators’ second pick of Friday’s first round. They took winger Brady Tkachuk fourth overall before trading back with their second, sending No...." June 22

CBS Sports "Beaudin was drafted 27th overall by the Blackhawks at the 2018 NHL Entry Draft on Friday. Beaudin was expected to be an early second-rounder, so going off the board late in the first wasn't a stretch. He's a bit undersized at 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds, but he's a super..." June 22

Pro Hockey Talk "The moment NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly flipped over the card to reveal the Buffalo Sabres logo, it was a done deal where Rasmus Dahlin would begin his professional hockey career. But maybe out of superstition or not wanting to get ahead of things, the 18-year-old Dahlin..." June 22

The Score "There are two certainties heading into the NHL draft Friday night in Dallas. The first is that Swedish defenceman Rasmus Dahlin will be selected first overall. The second is that a Canadian-born player likely won’t hear his name called until at least the fifth overall selection...." June 21

Arizona Central "Brady Tkachuk hears the noise. He hears the hype, and he hears the hate. But with a support system as big as the Tkachuk family, it’s only that – just noise. For Brady, the youngest of two hockey-playing sons fathered by former Coyotes forward Keith Tkachuk, the road..." June 20

Pro Hockey Rumors "Since trading Mike Hoffman earlier this week and reportedly re-entering talks on captain Erik Karlsson, speculation has swirled up again around the Ottawa Senators and the fourth-overall pick. The Senators of course owe either this year or next year’s first-round pick to..." June 20

NHL.com "Forwards Filip Zadina and Benoit-Olivier Groulx and defenseman Jared McIsaac, teammates for Halifax of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, hope to make history at the 2018 NHL Draft in Dallas. The Mooseheads have never had three players chosen in the first round of the NHL draft,..." June 19

Pro Hockey Rumors "A top prospect expected to go in the first round of the NHL draft has decided to change his plans for the future, as Bode Wilde will no longer attend the University of Michigan in the fall. That’s according to Bob McKenzie of TSN, who reports that Wilde will instead decide where to play..." June 18

Yardbarker "One of the most well-known players in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft will be Brady Tkachuk, brother of Matthew Tkachuk, both who are sons of Keith Tkachuk. And while many know his name on sight, the 18-year-old physical and fast-skating wing is one of the most debated players in the draft with..." June 17

Sportsnet "When the consensus No. 1 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft charged into the corner with his mini stick at four years old, Quinn Hughes leveled his younger brother from behind. Jack Hughes’ head smashed into the wall and split open. “The blood was coming down his eyes. I remember..." June 17

NHL.com "Liam Foudy always believed if he got the right amount of ice time that he would be able to show NHL scouts his talent level. The forward got his chance in the second half of the season with London of the Ontario Hockey League and made the most of it. Foudy, 18, had 40 points..." June 17

NHL.com "Gone are the days when undersized defensemen were considered lucky to be selected in the first round of the NHL Draft. NHL scouts and general managers no longer are hesitant to choose faster, more elusive players along the blue line over bigger, more physically imposing..." June 16

NHL.com "Jesperi Kotkaniemi is getting a lot of attention leading up to the 2018 NHL Draft, and has the potential to be a top-five pick. The center, who turns 18 on July 6, is No. 6 in NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of European skaters eligible for the draft at American Airlines..." June 16