7 NHL Prospects Looking to Win Jobs During 2024 Training Camp
7 NHL Prospects Looking to Win Jobs During 2024 Training Camp0 of 7
Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images
Certain NHL prospects can be safely penciled into opening night lineups. No. 1 overall pick Macklin Celebrini will have zero competition in San Jose. Matvei Michkov excelled against men in the KHL and will waltz into a Flyers lineup desperate for talent.
Most prospects will not enter the season with a presumed lineup spot. If you’re not clearly ready for a prominent role entering training camp, you’re likely fighting for a place down the depth chart. Teams tend to have veterans on hand for those positions, and the onus falls on the youngsters to seize their spot on the roster.
Some prospects have clear paths to opening night but will need to clinch the job. Others are on the bubble and will have to fend off direct competition. A few might be written for the minor leagues in pencil, but they will have the chance to force their teams to keep them in the NHL.
Here are seven notable NHL prospects who will attempt to earn a full-time job in the NHL this preseason.
Fabian Lysell, Boston Bruins1 of 7
Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images
The Bruins would love it if winger Fabian Lysell made the jump. The Bruins moved on from Jake DeBrusk and James van Riemsdyk over the summer and didn’t add anyone of note, instead investing heavily at center and defense.
Lysell, 21, can be electrifying in his best moments. The 2021 first-round pick is about as good of a straight-line skater as you’ll see, and he is capable of highlight-reel moments when carrying the puck down the wings. That tool alone forces teams to actively position against the threat of his speed and he does a nice job of setting teams up off the rush. Lysell collected 50 points in 56 games last season and ranked fifth among all U23 players by assists.
There are questions as to whether the 5’10” winger is willing to physically engage at the level necessary to play in the NHL or if he will remain purely a perimeter player who capitalizes off the rush. Furthermore, Lysell often drew the ire of his coaches with bad decision-making and overzealousness with risky decisions.
In literary terms, the training camp competition here is man versus self. Boston has a gaping hole at right wing and Lysell is more than talented enough to play a middle-six role as soon as this season. His objective these next few weeks will be to prove to head coach Jim Montgomery that he can play a mature game worthy of 15-16 minutes on a nightly basis.
Easton Cowan, Toronto Maple Leafs2 of 7
Chris Tanouye/Getty Images
The Maple Leafs took Easton Cowan in the first round and received a lot of flak for doing so. Their scouting staff is vindicated thus far. The winger scored 34 goals and added 62 assists in 54 OHL games and then dominated the playoffs with 34 points in 18 games.
The Leafs’ situation at wing is unclear at best. Management has provided new head coach Craig Berube with many options, though none offer any certainty. Max Domi is their best option for second-line left wing, but they may need him at center. Max Pacioretty may be too injured to return to his previous form. Calle Järnkrok and Bobby McCann can be patchwork solutions at best. Nick Robertson wants out.
Can Cowan fill the need? The talent is certainly there. His production speaks for itself, but there is more to his game than scoring. He plays with energy every shift, hounds pucks and puts in a full defensive effort.
Cowan has proven everything he needs to in juniors, but he’s too young to be eligible for the AHL. That gives the Leafs some extra incentive to see if there’s a place for Cowan in the NHL at the start of the season. At 19 years old and 5’11”, Cowan may not be prepared for the rigors of playing against grown men in the best league in the world. But he is exactly the type of player to take that kind of skepticism and use it as fuel to annihilate the doubters.
Jackson Blake, Carolina Hurricanes3 of 7
Jason Mowry/Getty Images
No team had a more difficult offseason than the Hurricanes, who were victims of their own successes. They had several very good players in need of new contracts and only so much room with which to fit them. Focusing on the forwards, the ‘Canes will move on without Jake Guentzel, Teuvo Teravainen, and Stefan Noesen. Adding injury to insult, Jesper Fast will miss all of next season.
The good news? Carolina’s scouting staff has the team prepared for this moment. It’s been a slow boil, but the Hurricanes’ ability to find talent without premium draft picks is about to pay off. There will be some fresh faces battling for the final few roster spots. Among them are Bradly Nadeau, Felix Unger Sorum, and Gleb Trikozov.
The focus here will be on Jackson Blake. The son of former NHLer Jason plays with the type of engine that will endear him to the Hurricanes’ coaching staff. He plays bigger than his 5’11” frame and has no issues fighting through traffic, battling along the walls, and playing through contact. He’s not going to be a high-end offensive player, but Blake, who totaled 60 points in 40 games at North Dakota last season, has enough scoring touch and offensive acumen to add secondary offense.
He should have the inside track to an NHL job, as he’s 21 and has the makeup of a bottom-six winger, but there will be heavy competition in Carolina. Top prospects Bradly Nadeau and Felix Unger Sorum are younger but highly talented and very close to NHL-ready.
Jiřà Kulich, Buffalo Sabres4 of 7
Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Something has to change in Buffalo. They’re well past the point of introducing youngsters to the NHL to skate some laps and learn the league. The Sabres need to make the playoffs next season. Any rookies who make the team need to be able to provide an instant impact.
Jiřà Kulich could be exactly what the Sabres need. He is 20 years old, but the 2022 first-round pick is already playing a man’s game. The Czech forward held his own two years ago in the Czech league. Last season Kulich scored 27 goals in 57 AHL games and dominated at the world junior championship.
Kulich can play all three forward positions and could provide heaviness to the Sabres’ roster in several ways. His shot is heavy. His engine is always running. He’s very balanced on his skates and won’t be pushed around at the NHL level. The Sabres’ offseason moves showed a clear priority for speed, which Kulich doesn’t necessarily match. He could bring a spark that the Sabres need and he’s going to make some veterans in Buffalo’s bottom-six very nervous about their job security.
Brennan Othmann, New York Rangers5 of 7
Joshua Sarner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Of all the players on this list, Brennan Othmann may be the closest to a true bubble player.
The Rangers can get by without him. They won the Presidents’ Trophy with bare-bones wing depth and have since added Reilly Smith. The Rangers, who have high-end talent in so many other spots in the lineup, will be fine if Will Cuylle or Jimmy Vesey slots in at third-line left wing.
It would sure make head coach Pete Laviolette’s life easier if Brennan Othmann etched his name in that spot. The Rangers drafted Othmann 16th overall in 2021, and his development has been positive though unsteady. Coming off his first pro season, Othmann’s influence came too intermittently. His 49 points in 67 games are fine but did not meet the peak of expectations.
Othmann did nearly make the team out of training camp and didn’t look out of place in his first three NHL games. At his best, Othmann is a lethal goal scorer who can bury chances around the net or snipe from the circles. He destroys players with big hits and plays with the type of tempo and aggression that will endear him to coaches and fans alike.
Under GM Chris Drury, the Rangers have reversed course from the previous regime’s ethos and take their time developing young players below the NHL. Othmann still has something worth proving in the AHL. If he can bypass that step and earn a role on the Rangers’ third line, the team would very much welcome it.
Samuel Poulin, Pittsburgh Penguins6 of 7
Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
It feels like now or never for winger Samuel Poulin. The Penguins drafted him in the first round in 2019, and he crushed the QMJHL the following season. However, as a 19-year-old, Poulin’s game plateaued.
He then was only okay in the AHL before taking a leave from hockey for personal reasons. Poulin returned for the 2023-24 season and did enough to stay relevant, collecting 31 points in 41 games. Those are good enough numbers to ask the question if he has an NHL future, but they’re not quite good enough to ignite heavy confidence in that future.
Poulin plays a heavy game, and the 208 pounds sitting on his 6’1″ frame indicate as much. The issue is his skating and how that hinders his ability to connect to the flow of play.
The focus in Pittsburgh will be on Poulin for a few reasons. First, the sort-of-rebuilding Penguins need to infuse young talent who can outperform their contracts for the next few seasons. Poulin, now 23 and owning a $775K cap hit for the next two seasons, could be part of the solution.
The other issue? If Poulin does not make the cut, the Penguins will be forced to place him on waivers. Poulin has the heavy game and scoring touch to carve out a bottom-six role, but he has to make it happen in these next few weeks. This may be his last chance in Pittsburgh.
Dalibor Dvorsky, St. Louis Blues7 of 7
Chris Tanouye/Getty Images
The St. Louis Blues have been stale for a few seasons now. General manager Doug Armstrong appears to have finally conceded that the team needs a shakeup, and particularly one built to win in the future rather than immediately.
They may have the best dark-horse prospect in any team’s training camp. Dalibor Dvorský only turned 19 years old last June, and he’s coming off his first season in the OHL. Those aren’t the details that suggest an NHL role in October.
He could still beat the odds. Dvorský, whom the Blues drafted 10th overall in 2023, had an easy time in the OHL last season, scoring 45 goals and adding 43 assists in 52 games for the Sarnia Sting. Previously, Dvorský played quality minutes for AIK in Sweden’s second tier. At 6’1″ and 201 pounds, the Slovak forward has NHL size. He is exceptionally balanced on his skates—good luck trying to knock him off the puck—and his wrist shot is a big asset.
Dvorský’s skating leaves a lot to be desired, but he is a play driver who can keep up physically in the defensive zone even against fully mature pros. The Blues will be in no rush to insert Dvorský into the NHL lineup and he’s going to have to force his way onto the roster. But with roster spots open and a desire to inject youthful talent, he has the tools to make St. Louis at least think about it.
