Snapshots: Benak, Cruikshank, Heartlanders
Minnesota Wild prospect Adam Benak announced on social media today that he has committed to play college hockey at Western Michigan University. Benak, a 2025 fourth-round pick of the Wild, has elected to join the reigning NCAA champions, presumably for the 2026-27 season. Benak is currently playing for the Brantford Bulldogs of the OHL, where he has been one of the league’s most productive 18-year-old players. Of players his age, Benak’s 68 points in just 42 games ranks third in total points and second in scoring rate.
The move to college hockey will be the next test for a player who has found a way to be a productive force at the USHL level, OHL level, and on the international stage. Entering the season, Benak was ranked as the No. 15 prospect in the Wild’s system by the team at Elite Prospects, with scout Sebastian High writing that while he has middle-six upside, his “path to an NHL role is long and winding,” in large part due to his status as an undersized forward. Today’s announcement settles that the next step for Benak on his road to pro hockey will be the NCAA, and scouts will likely be curious to see if he’ll be able to translate his quality production from junior hockey to the college ranks.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- The AHL’s Hershey Bears announced that veteran forward Grant Cruikshank has signed a one-year AHL contract extension to remain with the organization for the 2026-27 season. The 27-year-old has had a solid 2025-26 campaign, setting a career-high for games played (52), goals (nine), and points (14) in a single AHL season. After a five-year college career, Cruikshank began his time as a professional in the ECHL, but after scoring 43 points in 35 games as a rookie, he quickly elevated himself to the AHL side of the AHL/ECHL bubble. Last season, he got into 31 games for the Bears, and this year, he’s been able to carve out a regular role in head coach Derek King’s lineup. He’s become a far more regular fixture on the Bears’ penalty kill, a unit that ranks No. 15 in the AHL, and it’s his development into a reliable defensive forward that has likely earned him this early extension. While he may not have a clear path to the NHL, he could look forward to a long AHL career as a penalty-killing defensive forward, perhaps in the mold of longtime Bridgeport forward Jeff Kubiak.
- The ECHL’s Iowa Heartlanders announced today that the league’s Board of Governors approved the team’s decision to voluntarily suspend operations for the 2026-27 season. In their announcement, Heartlanders owner Michael Devlin called the move “an incredibly difficult decision” but one that “is the most responsible course” as the team reviews options for the franchise’s long-term sustainability. The Heartlanders are the ECHL affiliate of the Minnesota Wild, and have players who are signed to, or have previously signed, NHL contracts on their roster, including Elliot Desnoyers, Cameron Butler, and Stevie Leskovar. Iowa went 36-25-11 last season but has fallen to 19-30-5 this year, No. 28 of 30 teams in league standings. According to HockeyDB, they rank last in the ECHL in average attendance per game.
Snapshots: Clara, Reschny, Olsen
Anaheim Ducks prospect Damian Clara had a performance for the ages today in Italy’s loss to Sweden in the group stage of the Winter Olympics. In front of a home crowd, Clara gave Italy a chance to upset the Swedes, making 46 saves. Per The Hockey News’ Derek Lee, Clara was forced out of Italy’s loss with what appeared to be a lower-body injury while making a save. There has not been any word on the extent of Clara’s injury, or if he will be fit to play in Italy’s next game, which is Friday against Slovakia.
If Clara is not fit to play, Italy will turn to Milan native Davide Fadani, who has a .922 save percentage in 22 games this season with Swiss National League side EHC Kloten. Clara, 21, was a 2023 second-round pick of the Ducks, and has spent this season playing in Sweden’s top pro league, the SHL. Through 30 games with Brynäs IF, Clara has an .888 save percentage.
Other notes from around the hockey world:
- Calgary Flames 2025 first-round pick Cole Reschny is questionable for the University of North Dakota’s games this weekend against the University of Miami (Ohio), according to Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald. Reschny left UND’s game last weekend with a lower-body injury. The former WHL Victoria Royals star has had a strong start to his NCAA career, scoring 25 points in 24 games. He could be a large part of the Flames’ future, as he was ranked as the league’s No. 76 skater prospect by the team at Elite Prospects.
- Former Winnipeg Jets prospect Ryan Olsen was released by the ECHL’s Wichita Thunder today, ending his three-week stint in Kansas. The 2012 sixth-round pick helped the Colorado Eagles, now of the AHL, to a Kelly Cup championship in 2018, and has moved around since that point. He spent the following two seasons in the AHL, including a 17-goal, 34-point season with the San Antonio Rampage in 2018-19, before moving to Germany’s second division. Olsen spent the last two seasons in the DEL2 before beginning this season in Germany’s third division. His stint in Wichita, which ends with zero points in six games played, was Olsen’s first opportunity in North American pro hockey since October 2023.
NHL Seeking Agreement To Allow 19-Year-Olds Into AHL
It appears a rumor from the preseason could soon come true. The NHL is seeking an agreement with the CHL that would allow teams to assign one 19-year-old to the AHL each season, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on the latest Saturday Headlines. Friedman added that some general managers are seeking even more flexibility, and that negotiations will pull in voices from the NHLPA in addition to each league. A change to the format could be made as soon as next season.
This would represent yet another significant change in what Friedman dubbed “the Wild West of junior hockey in North America”. NHL draft picks make up the majority of top-end players throughout the CHL. They help drive attendance and sales, and losing even a few could be enough to bring noticeable change. At the same time, deciding where to assign CHL prospects who appear to have outgrown their junior league can often be an all-or-nothing choice.
The Calgary Flames are currently in a pickle with defense prospect Zayne Parekh, who sustained a week-to-week injury and could earn a brief AHL conditioning stint, but who could also benefit from prolonged AHL ice time after not yet finding his NHL footing. Parekh is currently ineligible for the AHL, facing the decision of whether to return to the OHL or continue fighting for NHL minutes, as the offensive defenseman recovers from injury.
The Nashville Predators faced a similar decision with reigning fifth-overall pick Brady Martin earlier in the year. Martin showed flashes of dominant play through the first three games of his NHL career. At his peak, he was playing alongside Ryan O’Reilly and Filip Forsberg, but the Predators opted to return him early after he scored only one assist. Martin has torn up the OHL since returning, netting 11 points in seven games with the Soo Greyhounds. It’s still early in the season, but Martin is on pace to rival the 100-point mark this season, after posting 72 points in 57 games last year.
In the cases of both Parekh and Martin, as well as numerous other NHL prospects, such as Seattle’s Jake O’Brien and St. Louis’ Justin Carbonneau, the AHL would seem to offer a smooth ramp into the systems and physicality of professional hockey. Instead of pursuing AHL eligibility, many teams have turned their attention to developing their prospects for the NCAA, where they face a significant jump in competition and play against players up to the age of 26. That bridge has led to the unprecedented decision to allow CHL players into the NCAA, which has built up pressure that offering a path to the AHL could relieve.
Finding a balance between player value in the CHL, NCAA, and AHL is the task the NHL and its general managers face. They will drive decision-making throughout the process, while also ensuring that each party is satisfied with their share. On the other side of those decisions lies a junior hockey landscape that is likely completely different from what the hockey world has come to know. With more precise, more incremental steps to the top flight laid out, the NHL’s relationship with its partner leagues could even become reminiscent of the MLB.
More information about the topic of 19-year-olds in the AHL is expected to be announced in March, following the next major meeting between the NHL, NHLPA, and general managers.
Poll: Which 2025 Draft Picks Will Make The NHL Out Of Camp?
Over the course of NHL training camps, there are few more exciting things than watching which rookies break into the league out of camp. That’s especially true for players coming straight from the NHL Draft, who are often making the massive leap from junior leagues directly to competition on the world’s biggest stage at 18-years-old. As the end of this year’s camps approaches, it appears the 2025 class could offer up multiple stars capable of making that jump, and even sticking around for the full year.
The strongest bids for an NHL role sit, aptly, with the top two picks. Matthew Schaefer has seemed destined for an NHL role since he was drafted. He exudes confidence in both personality and performance, and has looked sharp from his first preseason game despite not playing a game since December 2024. Schaefer’s top-to-bottom playmaking and slick stickhandling has stayed effective against pro competition. Even with the growing pains of going from OHL injury to NHL minutes, it seems the Islanders would be foolish to not see what their star prospect can show when the season kicks off.
Michael Misa‘s camp hasn’t burst in the same way as Schaefer’s – but his bright moments have surely looked as dominant. He has continued to show an impressive level of speed, deception, and highlight-reel goal-scoring. That could be enough to earn a spot on an already young and inexperienced Sharks roster – though Misa still looks a few steps back from NHL tempo and physicality. There could be merit to letting him work through those challenges next to other young, top-picks Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, and William Eklund. All three have found ways to make their offense work in the NHL, despite facing the same barrier that Misa is faced with now.
Fifth-overall pick Brady Martin could have the strongest chance for an NHL role behind the draft’s stars. He has fit right into an offense of heavy, smooth-moving forwards with the Nashville Predators – and even skated alongside Ryan O’Reilly and Filip Forsberg late in camp. That’s a strong spot to be with final cuts approaching, helped along by Martin being one of only three 2025 draftees with multiple preseason points. He has two in three games.
The other multi-point scorers are former Seattle Thunderbirds teammates Radim Mrtka (1 G, 1 A, 4 GP) and Braeden Cootes (2 G, 3 GP). Mrtka has flashed as a versatile puck-mover for the Buffalo Sabres. He looks like he’ll fit right in with the Sabres’ downhill style, but has also looked a bit too shaky in his moments away from the puck. He seems headed for a return to Seattle – while Cootes is making the Vancouver Canucks’ decision tough. He’s proven capable of holding his own against pros, with the smarts and the strength to keep making plays in the dangerous areas of the ice. He could be the jolt of effective depth that Vancouver’s been searching for, though that could be a lot to ask the 18-year-old centerman.
Benjamin Kindel has also been a standout, showing he has the skill to play above his size with the Pittsburgh Penguins. It’s his ability to work around his experienced linemates that has helped Kindel shine. His snappy speed and smart paths around the offensive end have worked on a high-skilled Penguins offense, though Kindel has only one goal in five preseason appearances. Like many rookies, he faces an uphill battle in adjusting to NHL physicality, which could result in one more year in the WHL proving the best bet.
Each of the six draftees – all former CHL players – have done well to prove their case to stick in the NHL. At the least, it seems all five could be headed for a nine-game trial period before returning to their junior clubs. But with final cuts yet to come, it remains to be seen who will break camp with their new team.
Who do you think will make the NHL, and who needs another year of honing?
Which 2025 Draft Picks Will Make The NHL?
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Matthew Schaefer, NYI 49% (475)
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Michael Misa, SJS 19% (186)
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Benjamin Kindel, PIT 11% (112)
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Braeden Cootes, VAN 10% (95)
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Brady Martin, NSH 7% (72)
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Radim Mrtka, BUF 4% (37)
Total votes: 977
Mobile users click here to vote.
Afternoon Notes: Thompson, Reichel, Ovechkin
It has been an up-and-down year for Buffalo Sabres star Tage Thompson. He was excluded from Team USA’s roster at the Four Nations Face-Off in February, prompting a monster run through the rest of his games last season. He scored 33 goals in 57 games following the mid-year break, then added nine points in 10 games at the summer’s World Championship, including the decisive goal to earn the United States their first Gold Medal in recent history. As part of an extended interview, Thompson told Michael Russo of The Athletic that he’s hoping that goal can advance his spot on the watchlist as the USA prepares for the Olympics. He said:
I would hope scoring that goal would make a difference, but it’s also one play. It doesn’t define me as a player or mean that I had a great tournament or anything by that means… I want to be an Olympian, but getting the Sabres back into the playoffs is always at the forefront.
Thompson is undoubtedly one of America’s biggest scoring threats. His 120 goals in 225 games is the second-most from any American in the NHL since 2022, behind only Auston Matthews (142 goals in 222 games). Thompson has managed that feat despite playing for the only team to score more than 800 goals, and still get outscored, in the same timeframe. He’s the standing pillar of a struggling team, a point made literal by Thompson’s 6-foot-6, 220-pound frame. The United States tied Canada for the most goals (10) during their three games at the 4-Nations Face-Off. Adding a player of Thompson’s caliber to the lineup could be enough to will the Americans over their rival on the biggest stage next February.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- Chicago Blackhawks winger Lukas Reichel told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun Times that he hasn’t been able to dodge trade rumors – even hearing them on the streets of his native Germany. Despite that, Reichel emphasized that his focus is squarely on carving out a big role with the Blackhawks next season. He scored a career-high eight goals and 22 points in 70 games last season, but still seems well capable of achieving more. The Blackhawks will have plenty of new faces challenging Reichel for minutes next year, including newcomer Andre Burakovsky and rookies Oliver Moore and Landon Slaggert. That competition will push Reichel to a breaking point. If he can show his might in the NHL, he’ll earn a strong role in the middle-six. If not, he could soon find a path away from the Blackhawks organization.
- NHL legend Alex Ovechkin has departed from his native Russia to return to the United States for the 2025-26 season, shares Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. Ovechkin will kick off his 21st season in the NHL when he lands back in Washington D.C. That mark will make him one of just 42 NHL players to appear in at least 21 seasons. The future Hall-of-Famer broke the league’s record for all-time goals last season, en route to an incredibly 44 goals and 73 points in just 65 games. It will be hard to relieve those numbers as he inches as he prepares to play in his age-40 season. Even then, managing even half of that scoring pace would put Ovechkin on pace for the highest-scoring age-40 season since Teemu Selanne posted 80 points in 2010-11.
Examining Likely Candidates For The New CHL/AHL Exception
Yesterday, PuckPedia reported that certain aspects of this summer’s CBA extension will take effect for the upcoming 2025-26 campaign instead of the 2026-27 season as was initially expected. Among those items is a proposed exception to the current transfer agreement between the NHL and CHL, Canada’s top association of junior leagues, that would allow teams to loan one 19-year-old player drafted from that league to their AHL affiliate without permission from the player’s CHL club. Under current rules, teams must wait until a player’s age-20 season to send them to the AHL full-time – until then, it’s either the NHL or CHL.
It’s not yet clear whether that rule will actually be implemented this season. While the league will make an aggressive push for it to happen, PuckPedia added that the CHL hasn’t yet signed off on the change and that serious negotiations haven’t started yet.
If the league does manage to strike an agreement with the CHL to allow the exception to happen, though, it’s a good time to take a look at some potential candidates who could test the waters. This isn’t an exhaustive list of every player who’s eligible for the rule, rather, a deep dive into which names might actually make sense to receive the early start to their pro careers.
Anaheim Ducks: Beckett Sennecke
Sennecke might be as slam-dunk a pick as anyone on this list. While most opined he was a reach when the Ducks selected him third overall in the 2024 draft, the 6’4″ winger responded with a 36-goal, 86-point effort in 56 games for the OHL’s Oshawa Generals last season. That promising jump from his draft-year production (68 points in 63 GP) makes it easy to make the case for his development being better served by jumping to pro hockey for his DY+2 – that is, if he doesn’t make Anaheim’s NHL roster out of camp. He’s only 28 days short of the age cutoff for AHL eligibility under the current rules anyway.
Calgary Flames: Jacob Battaglia, Zayne Parekh
The Flames will almost certainly use the exception to stash Parekh with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers if he doesn’t make the NHL roster out of camp, but that stipulation is looking unlikely at this stage with Calgary’s right-side defense largely uninspiring and Rasmus Andersson‘s impending departure making the picture even less rosy.
That could pave the way for Calgary to send Battaglia, one of the dark horses on this list, to begin his professional career earlier than expected. The stocky winger was one of the last picks of the second round in 2024 but exploded in his post-draft season, leading the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs in scoring with 40 goals and 90 points in 68 games. While the Flames might end up deciding his development would be better served by a fourth and final junior season for the Frontenacs, his name is one to watch out for if they have the option.
Chicago Blackhawks: Marek Vanacker
Moving Vanacker to the pros before he finishes out his junior eligibility might be a bit of a rush job for a winger who was drafted as a bit of a project. It might be something Chicago at least considers for the 2024 No. 27 overall pick anyway. The 6’1″ winger’s April 2006 birthday makes him one of the younger players on this list, and he’s coming off an underwhelming post-draft season with OHL Brantford that saw him dip back below the point-per-game mark. For that reason, a return to the Bulldogs is far more likely, but his first-round pedigree will at least generate some speculation about a loan to AHL Rockford.
Detroit Red Wings: Carter Bear
Bear is the only player from the 2025 draft class on this list, and that has to do with the difference between how the NHL defines draft eligibility and how the CHL defines a player’s age for a given season. The NHL’s draft cutoff is September 15, while the CHL’s age cutoff is January 1. Since Bear has a November 2005 birthday, he was a couple of months too young to be eligible for the 2024 NHL draft, but he has already been credited with his age-18 season in the CHL’s eyes. The winger was the No. 13 overall selection by Detroit and likely could have gone a few spots higher if not for some concern about a partial Achilles laceration that ended his season in March. He managed 82 points in only 56 games for the WHL’s Everett Silvertips before that happened, though, and his 6’0″, 180-lb frame should help an early AHL transition along.
Los Angeles Kings: Liam Greentree
Even if this rule doesn’t get approved for 2025-26, Greentree might find himself in the AHL anyway. He’s a January 1 birthday – if he were born a few hours earlier, he’d be eligible for a full-time loan to AHL Ontario and wouldn’t need to return for a fourth OHL season with the Windsor Spitfires. The 6’3″ winger is coming off an incredible post-draft season after going to the Kings 26th overall in 2024, erupting for 119 points in 64 games and earning a spot on the league’s First All-Star Team.
There’s a recent precedent for such an exception. The OHL granted one to the Kraken and Shane Wright, who has a January 5 birthday but was granted eligibility for a full-time AHL assignment in 2023-24, which would have technically been his age-19 season in the junior league’s eyes.
Philadelphia Flyers: Jett Luchanko
Luchanko surprised out of the gate last year, working his way onto the Flyers’ opening night roster despite being one of the youngest players selected in the 2024 draft. The 5’11” center went pointless in four games before Philly sent him back to juniors to finish the season, where he had 21 goals and 56 points in 46 games with the OHL’s Guelph Storm. He had six assists in seven playoff games with AHL Lehigh Valley to end the year, showing a jump to that level full-time wouldn’t be so far-fetched if he can’t land an NHL job out of the gate again.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Harrison Brunicke
The Penguins have projected a ton of external confidence in Brunicke, their second-round selection in 2024. The South African-born defenseman is a smooth-skating right-shot with good size already at 6’3″ and 203 lbs. He’s played major minutes for an understaffed squad in the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers the past three years, and if possible, the Pens would like to get him out of that environment and into a more competitive one in AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He’ll even be given a crack at making the NHL roster out of camp as a result, but current roster math makes that hard to foresee. He had 30 points in 41 games for the Blazers last year.
San Jose Sharks: Sam Dickinson
There’s a strong case for Dickinson ending up on San Jose’s opening night roster, but the Sharks’ decision could be influenced by whether the exception actually goes into effect. The left-shot defender has nothing left to prove at the junior level, scoring 91 points with an incredible +64 rating in 55 games with the OHL’s London Knights last season. The 2024 No. 11 overall pick is now a two-time OHL champion, a Memorial Cup champion, and was this season’s CHL Defenseman of the Year. If they have the option to send him to AHL San Jose, they might take advantage of it while they ship out their overstock of depth veterans, but if not, it’s unlikely they’d have many qualms about waiving one or two of them to make room for Dickinson in the NHL.
Seattle Kraken: Berkly Catton
The math isn’t kind for Catton to compete for an NHL job this season. But after leading the WHL in playoff scoring with 31 assists and 42 points in 20 games for the Spokane Chiefs – and that coming on the heels of back-to-back 100-point regular seasons – it’s hard to see what another season in juniors does for his development. The 5’10” center is only two weeks shy of the standard age cutoff, so the Kraken could argue for an exception if the new rule doesn’t go into effect, but the WHL has been less willing to dole those out in the past than their other CHL counterparts.
Tampa Bay Lightning: Sam O’Reilly
O’Reilly is the Bolts’ new top prospect after they brought him in from the Oilers in exchange for the signing rights to Isaac Howard. While he projects as more of a third-line utility man at the NHL level, the 6’1″ center has displayed good offensive instincts in juniors and had 71 points in 62 OHL games for the London Knights last year. It’s worth noting that those numbers came in an extremely offense-friendly environment, though. It might be worth it for Tampa to avoid shiny-new-toy syndrome and give him his final year of junior eligibility undisturbed to allow him to focus on boosting his offensive ceiling.
Utah Mammoth: Cole Beaudoin, Tij Iginla
The Mammoth will have a tough decision to make here if they are able to send a 19-year-old bound by the current CHL transfer agreement to AHL Tucson. Iginla would be the higher-profile choice. The winger was the No. 6 overall pick in 2024, but he’s missed significant time to injuries over the past couple of years and had 32 points in just 21 contests last year. That lack of playing time may mean a full year of juniors without the added stress of adjusting to pro hockey, which may do him some good for his long-term projection.
That could open a path for the ever-steady Beaudoin to vie for the honor and jump to Tucson. The 6’2″, 209-lb center was the No. 24 overall pick in that same 2024 draft and, like O’Reilly, is more of a projectable third-line piece long-term. They could take that same path and look to leave him in juniors for another year to see what other offensive development they could squeeze out of him, but on the other hand, getting him a head start on adjusting to pro life may be beneficial. He had 51 points in 52 games for the OHL’s Barrie Colts last year.
Big Hype Prospects: DuPont, Verhoeff, Vanhatalo, Rogowski
The 2025-26 season will kickoff on Monday for hockey’s scouting world, as many of the top U18 prospects from around the world join in Brno, Czechia and Trenčín, Slovakia for the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. The tournament is one of the top non-IIHF sanctioned events of the hockey season, and features talents from eight different countries — this year from USA, Canada, Czechia, Slovakia, Sweden, Finland, Germany, and Switzerland. It’s often the first chance for top draft picks to show their strength among an increasingly competitive group of peers. That makes now the perfect time to again borrow from MLB Trade Rumors’ Big Hype Prospect series to break down some of the top names to watch when pucks drop this week.
Four Big Hype Prospects
Landon DuPont, RD, Team Canada (Everett Silvertips, WHL)
2024-25 Season: 64 GP, 17 G, 43 A, 60 TP, 26 PIM, +31
There is little question about who the top prospect at this year’s Hlinka tournament will be – and, ironically, it’s not a player eligible for the draft in 2026. Instead it’s 16-year-old Landon DuPont, a true star talent coming off the highest-scoring season from a U16 defender in CHL history — by more than 20 points. DuPont is cut from a different cloth in many ways. He’s fantastically smooth on the puck and uses clean, long, and quick strides to cut through all three zones and create layup scoring chances. His vision is sharp and he’s firm on every decision, creating a player truly capable of taking over games on his own. DuPont has a special drive to succeed that should be put on full display as he gets his first opportunity to represent his country overseas. It would be no surprise to see DuPont – the son of European hockey veteran Micki DuPont – race towards the top of the Hlinka leaderboards and soon the top of the 2027 NHL Draft class.
Keaton Verhoeff, RD, Team Canada (University of North Dakota, NCHC)
2024-25 Season (Victoria, WHL): 63 GP, 21 G, 24 A, 45 TP, 14 PIM, +23
It is a rare and lucky moment when a head coach gets to call Keaton Verhoeff their second defender. He brings every bit of the star-power that Canada has become known for at this tournament. Verhoeff is a towering, beefy defender standing at 6-foot-4 and 212-pounds — and yet, he’s another incredibly smooth puck-handler, with a special instinct for how and when to dip into the offensive zone. He plays a game that thrives on gut calls, but lives on fundamentals – and shows as much talent in defending the rush or blocking out the slot as he does in making flashy, high-speed cuts to the offensive net. Team Canada has already named Verhoeff their captain for this tournament – and among the top questions for the week ahead will be how they wield his physical upside next to DuPont’s snappy creativity. Verhoeff is entering the season as a top-two name in the 2026 draft class. He’ll get his first chance to fortify that standing at this tournament, before heading to the NCAA alongside Victoria teammate and Calgary Flames prospect Cole Reschny for the 2025-26 season.
Vilho Vanhatalo, RW, Team Finland (Tappara, Finland U20)
2024-25 Season (Tappara, Finland U18): 41 GP, 37 G, 21 A, 58 TP, 38 PIM
Prospect chatter surrounding Finland has quieted in recent years, but their 2008 birth year seems well equipped to pull the country back into the spotlight. They’re a heavy-hitting group that features players like Oscar Hemming, Eelis Uronen, adn Anttoni Uronen – all the younger brothers of NHL prospects (Emil Hemming, Dallas; Tomas Uronen, Vegas). But the group is headlined by beefy goal-scorer Vilho Vanhatalo, a ground-and-pound shooter with multiple ways to best his opponents. Vanhatalo is strong with a huge frame – 6-foot-4 and 200-pounds – and an athletic stance. He’s also quick to make decisions and jump to the next play – making him hard to contain in the offensive end. He squares up to passes quickly, and has a true heft behind his shot. That’s helped Vanhatalo reach fantastic goal-scoring heights already, including leading Finland’s top U18 in the stat last season. He also scored a team-leading three points in four games for Finland at the World U-17 Hockey Championship, and continued to lead the country’s U17 squad with 14 points in 17 games in other international tournaments. Where goals need scored, Vanhatalo finds his way – making him an interesting second-tier name for this tournament and the 2026 draft.
Brooks Rogowski, C/RW, Team USA (Oshawa Generals, OHL)
2024-25 Season: 66 GP, 11 G, 12 A, 23 TP, 9 PIM, -3
Brooks Rogowski may not be the true top name on Team USA’s lineup, but he’ll certainly be the hardest to miss. Literally. The 17-year-old stands at 6-foot-6 and 227-pounds, and seems well positioned to take on top-six minutes for an American squad looking for players to step up. Rogowski was relatively unrefined through much of his rookie OHL season last year, but has earned the close attention of scouts – and even a commitment to Michigan State University – since the season has come to a close. That’s largely thanks to a training regiment focused in on making him smoother and quicker driving down the ice, and consequentially strong performances at the USA U17-Selects tournament and Hlinka Gretzky Cup invite camp. Rogowski will play second-string to USA’s stars – like hard-nosed center and 2027 draft prospect Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll and flashy speedster and 2026 prospect Jack Hextall. But when it comes to playing a physically-imposing game geared towards driving the net, head coach Bob Motzko will find all he needs in Rogowski. This tournament will mark the giant’s first chance to rocket up his draft stock.
Kraken’s Ollie Josephson Commits To North Dakota
Seattle Kraken center prospect Ollie Josephson has committed to the University of North Dakota for the 2025-26 season. He will move to the United States after spending the last three seasons with the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels. Seattle drafted Josephson in the fourth-round of the 2024 draft.
Josephson lived up to his claim as a top juniors prosect by carving out a high-impact role in Red Deer. He was originally drafted fifth-overall in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft, and joined the Rebels full-time ahead of the 2022-23 season, at the age of 17. He scored a measly 19 points in 63 games that year, while filling out a depth role, but returned with momentum on his side for his age-18 season. Now a sophomore in the league, Josephson took on an assistant captain role with the Rebels and scored a much stouter 47 points in 68 games. He also added three assists in seven games with Team Canada at the World U18 Championship.
Josephson returned to take on Red Deer’s captaincy last season. He again appeared to take a full stride forward from his prior season, and looked comfortable and confident serving as the Rebels’ top-line center. He scored 35 points in 48 games – good for second on Red Deer in scoring behind Matthew Gard’s 36 points in 66 games. It was a strong, confident performance on a team that’d finish in the league’s bottom-five – and enough to earn Josephson a draft spot despite injuries taking out much of his January and ending his season in March.
In landing Josephson this summer, both Seattle and North Dakota land a prominent, playmaking centerman capable of controlling movement through the middle lane. He’s been oft knocked by a lack of physicality and flashy setups, but finds a way to stay on top of play with smooth skating and a persistent drive. Time in what’s sure to be a gridlocked NCHC conference should help Josephson learn to better wield his drive into play in the corners and along the boards. He could be a candidate for a multi-year stay, as well, as Seattle looks to mold him into a pro-ready player.
The Fighting Hawks will fill out their final forward position with this recruitment. The team, led by first-year general manager Bryn Chyzyk, have found strong talent throughout the CHL. Josephson will join Calgary Flames prospect Cole Reschny, as well as top 2026 draft prospect Keaton Verhoeff, in making the leap from the WHL.
Evening Notes: AHL/CHL Agreement, NHL Draft, Signing Rights
Earlier today, Scott Wheeler of The Athletic indicated that the newly ratified Collective Bargaining Agreement may include language that would amend the current minimum age stipulation in any transfers from the CHL to the AHL. Although Wheeler wasn’t entirely correct, he wasn’t far off.
Frank Seravalli later clarified the initial report, stating that every NHL team can place at least one 19-year-old on their AHL affiliate, while maintaining the minimum age of 20, generally speaking. Seravalli added that 18-year-olds will remain ineligible for the second-highest league in North America.
Unfortunately, this new rule won’t change anything for a few years. Since the new CBA doesn’t begin until the 2026-27 campaign, this means that none of the players selected in the 2025 NHL Draft will be eligible for AHL competition, at least for this season.
Additional evening notes:
- According to Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the league isn’t expected to return to a centralized draft in 2026. Still, Friedman warns that votes are pending, but all signs point to agreement on holding a decentralized draft again next summer. Given that no public surveys have been performed, generic online canvassing indicated that the NHL has some changes to make for next year’s production in the fans’ view.
- In another update from the new CBA, PuckPedia reports that there’s a change regarding a player’s signing rights once drafted. The team will own a player’s signing rights for four years if the player is 18 years old, and for three years if they’re 19 years old. It’s important to note that the changes won’t begin until after the 2027 NHL Draft, the first draft after the new CBA comes into effect.
Bettman/Daly Notes: CBA, Olympics, AHL
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly held a joint press conference ahead of the first game of the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals. They touched on a variety of league topics, most notably sharing that the league continues to progress well towards a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the NHL Players’ Association. The pair shared that CBA negotiations are in “good shape” per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic adds that they weren’t yet ready to call the deal close to final.
The NHL is a year out from needing to finalize a new CBA. Early momentum could point towards minimal changes in the next agreement, though the league did comment on a few potential changes. Daly and Bettman said they weren’t concerned about tax differential influencing player’s signing decisions. Later, NHLPA Assistant Executive Ron Hainsey shared that the league could reform the long-term injured reserve to avoid late-season manipulation. Both topics have grown to a roar over recent years, in light of repeated success for the Vegas Golden Knights and the pair of Florida-based teams.
Other notes from Bettman and Daly’s presser:
- Daly confirmed that the league isn’t expecting Russia to participate in the 2026 Winter Olympics. The country was previously barred from participation at the 2024 Summer Olympics, though athletes were still able to participate under the category of “individual neutral athletes”. Russia’s Men’s Hockey team took home silver at the 2022 Winter Olympics, and gold in 2018, though the NHL did not send players to either competition. With this news, fans will have to wait even longer to see Russian stars take on Olympic competitors. The last time that superstars like Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin appeared at the Olympics was in 2014. Russia achieved a fifth-place finish that year.
- Daly also shared that the league is considering opening AHL eligibility to teenagers in the next CBA, per Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News. The Deputy Commissioner added that the NHL is discussing the change with the NHLPA, and has given advance notice to the CHL – though the dialogue is ongoing. Junior hockey is presently under a monumental shift after the NCAA expanded collegiate eligibility to CHL athletes. Early winds from the decision appear to be pushing major juniors to a younger demographic – momentum that would only seem to grow should the NHL and AHL give players even more options after their draft years.