NHL Prospects Rumors & News

NHL.com "Nolan Foote always has to be on his toes. At the rink or at home, there's always a lesson to be learned by the 2019 NHL Draft eligible 18-year-old forward. It's the standard when you're the son of former NHL defenseman Adam Foote, who pulls double-duty as both..." April 18

NBC Sports Chicago "The worst place to be in the NHL is hovering around the middle of the pack, and that's exactly where the Blackhawks found themselves at the end of the 2018-19 season: Just outside the playoff picture, but not low enough in the standings to put themselves in a favorable position to..." April 11

The Hockey News "The spotlight has been on Jack Hughes for years now. But instead of shying away from the pressure, he has embraced it. Hughes is poised to become the first player to jump directly from the U.S. national team development program to the NHL. This season, Hughes had 23 goals and 86..." April 10

NHL.com "NHL Central Scouting, meeting to determine its final rankings of the top North American skaters and goaltenders for the 2019 draft at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on June 21-22, offered some insight on the top five North American skaters and No. 1 goalie in its midterm ranking and the No. 1 skater..." April 10

Sportsnet "Things are getting interesting at the top of the NHL Draft. Jack Hughes has long been the top prospect for the NHL’s 2019 draft and he hasn’t really played his way off that pedestal. Injuries caused him to miss part of the WJC and the entirety of the Five Nations Cup, two..." April 10

Forever Blueshirts "The draft lottery gave the team the best possible outcome with the second overall pick. There won’t be any debate on who will be the best player available. It will be either Jack Hughes or Kaapo Kakko, depending on who the New Jersey Devils select first overall. The consensus second..." April 10

The Hockey Writers "Vasili Podkolzin is without a doubt one of the most polarizing prospects of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. The 17-year-old’s raw skill is clear as day — that’s not up for debate. He can stickhandle in a phone booth, complete difficult plays at high speed and he has a dangerous..." April 10

Last Word On Hockey "After being the 19th overall pick in the 2016 WHL Draft, Dylan Cozens came into the league and made an immediate impact for the Lethbridge Hurricanes. In 2017-18 he put up 22 goals and 53 points in 57 games played. It was enough to take home the league’s rookie of the..." April 10

Sportsnet "As a boy Cozens dreamed of one day playing in the NHL, growing his love for the game and sharpening his skills on a backyard rink. Day after day, he played on that rink until it was pitch black out and his father arrived to force him off. There have been many great hockey players with..." April 10

CBC "Centre could go as high as top five; no Blades player has been a top-five selection since 1988. There is a lot of anticipation in Kirby Dach's world these days. There's the anticipation of taking part in his first Western Hockey League playoffs with his..." April 10

Last Word On Hockey "Selected second overall in the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft, Kirby Dach emerged as a dominant player this season. He put up 25 goals and 73 points in 62 games for the Saskatoon Blades. Dach’s strong play has led the Blades to second place in the WHL East Division, finally moving..." April 10

Last Word On Hockey "This year’s version of the US National Team Development Program Under-18 squad is loaded. This is especially true at the centre position. Trevor Zegras becomes the third NTDP centre in our draft rankings. Zegras finished last season as the top centre on the Under-17 team..." April 10

NHL.com "It can be challenging to be on a team with Jack Hughes, especially if, like the projected No. 1 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, you play center. But Trevor Zegras of USA Hockey's National Team Development Program under-18 team doesn't view being labeled No. 2 behind Hughes as a..." April 10

Last Word On Hockey "The 2018 NHL Draft was filled with high-end defensemen, with five blueliners going in the first 12 picks.  This year’s draft is looking to be the opposite of that, with few high-end defenders available. However, one player who would be considered one of the best defensemen..." April 10

NHL.com "Bowen Byram has a good chance at becoming the first defenseman selected in the 2019 NHL Draft at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on June 21. The 6-foot, 193-pound left-hand shot has spent the past three seasons manning the blue line for Vancouver of the Western Hockey League, so he has a..." April 10

The Hockey Writers "Thomas Harley has steadily been on the rise this season in rankings, ranging from the beginning of the second round to being a pick in the top-10. There’s no question that he has some improvements to make in his game, mainly in the defensive end, but that’s the same for..." April 10

The Hockey Writers "Playing on a line with a player like the highly-touted Jack Hughes is sure to raise any young prospects stock, but what sets Boldy apart is that when taken off Hughes’ line, he still produces. Last season, while Hughes was playing an age up, Boldy still recorded 29 goals and 76 points..." April 10

New York Post "The NHL season is over, and for the Rangers, that means turning their eyes to the NHL Draft. Before getting to make their first pick on June 21 in Vancouver, the Rangers brass will hope for a lucky bounce of the ping-pong balls on Tuesday night, when the league conducts its annual..." April 09

TSN "Appearances can be deceiving. Take for instance, TSN’s Top 15 2019 NHL Draft Rankings, the Lottery Edition. American Jack Hughes is the unanimous No. 1 pick. Ten out of 10 scouts surveyed by TSN this week — on the eve of next week’s (Tuesday, April 9) NHL..." April 04

The Score "One of the top prospects in the upcoming NHL draft is looking to gain some more international experience against some of his future peers. Kaapo Kakko has joined the Finnish national team tryout and would skip the upcoming Under-18 tournament to instead play in the World Championship..." April 03

NHL.com "Jack Hughes and Cole Caufield, forwards projected to be selected in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft, each established a record on the same play when the USA Hockey National Team Development Program defeated Green Bay 12-4 at USA Hockey Arena on Friday. Caufield set the program..." March 16

The Score "Kaapo Kakko is carving out quite a legacy for himself in his homeland. One of the top draft-eligible prospects in 2019, Kakko scored his 22nd goal of the season on Thursday, setting a new Liiga record for goals in a season by a player age 18 or younger. Kakko passed some..." March 14

NHL.com "Jack Hughes, No. 1 in NHL Central Scouting's midterm ranking of North American skaters eligible for the 2019 NHL Draft, will try to set the career record for points with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program this weekend. The 5-foot-10, 168-pound center has 185 points..." March 14

Pro Hockey Talk "The 2018-19 NHL regular season will come to a close in less than a month, and over the next few weeks the playoff hopes of many teams will fizzle out and their eyes will turn to the draft lottery in hopes of winning the chance to select either Jack Hughes or Kaapo Kakko. For the last..." March 14

TSN "The Ontario Hockey Federation announced on Friday that forward Shane Wright of the Minor Midget AAA Don Mills Flyers has been granted 'exceptional player' status to enter the Ontario Hockey League Draft a year early.  Wright is the fifth player to be granted..." March 08

USA Today "There’s a picture in Jack Hughes’ bed room of Pavel Datsyuk, captioned, “To Jack, see you in NHL!” Datsyuk, the former Detroit Red Wings star, knew what he was writing. Jack Hughes has been the favorite to go first overall in the 2019 NHL entry..." March 03

Yardbarker "There has been some speculation over the last few days regarding the future of potential 2020 first-overall pick Alexis Lafreniere and where he would play next season. Some believed Lafreniere would seek an opportunity overseas the same way that Auston Matthews did when he played a year in the..." February 13

Sporting News "The NHL and NHLPA this year will celebrate Black History Month for the first time, marking February as part of the league and union's "Hockey Is For Everyone" initiative, they announced Friday. “The players are committed to inclusion in the sport and..." February 01

Sportsnet "The Jake Muzzin trade got the ball rolling in a couple of respects. First, it opened the trade market with a month to go until the deadline and, second, it gave us an idea of what a first-round pick might get you in the lead up to Feb. 25. Trying to pin down exactly what a..." January 31

NHL.com "NHL.com writers Adam Kimelman, Mike G. Morreale and Guillaume Lepage agree that center Jack Hughes from USA Hockey's National Team Development Program under-18 team will be the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. They are also unanimous in their opinion that forward Kaapo Kakko of..." January 27

Sportsnet "Ten, 15, 20, nearly 30 minutes after the coach’s long whistle had blown and the vast majority of the Toronto Maple Leafs had fulfilled their media obligations, doffed their sweaty gear, showered and left, they kept playing. A quintet of the young core dogged by the dog days of..." January 21

The Score "Finland defenseman Henri Jokiharju had high praise for his teammate Kaapo Kakko following a 6-1 semifinal dismantling of Switzerland on Friday, comparing the 17-year-old to one of the most lethal goal scorers in the NHL. "He seems a little bit like Auston Matthews,"..." January 05

Pro Hockey Rumors "A difficult year for young defenseman Adam Samuelsson takes another strange turn. Samuelsson, 18, has made the decision to cut his first collegiate season short and further complicate his hockey future. The USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers have announced that Samuelsson has joined..." December 30

Sporting News "What’s the best way to gauge the potential of a top prospect for the NHL Draft? Is it the volume of praise heaped upon them during broadcasts? How high they're listed in mock drafts and rankings? How about using a bunch of stats and player comparisons, or debating whose..." December 26