NHL Prospect Watch: Top 40 and Canadiens’ Rising Stars

As the NHL trade deadline approaches, evaluating team prospects becomes crucial. This analysis presents two lists: the top 40 NHL prospects who haven’t yet played 25 games in the league, and the top 10 Canadian prospects who haven’t played 15 games for the Montreal Canadiens (“La Sainte Flanelle”). These rankings, while subjective, offer insights for teams considering trades involving young talent.

Top 40 NHL Prospects

Comparing prospects across different leagues (junior, American Hockey League, European leagues) is inherently challenging. However, several players stand out.

• James Hagens (Boston Bruins): Currently considered the top prospect, the 19-year-old American forward broke Nikita Kucherov’s World Under-18 Championship record with 22 points in 7 games in 2024. He is playing with Boston College and is expected to join the Bruins in April.
• Konsta Helenius (Buffalo Sabres): A 19-year-old Finnish prospect, Helenius is in his second season with the Rochester Americans in the AHL.
• Alexander Zharovsky (Montreal Canadiens): The 18-year-old Russian forward is performing well in the KHL, exceeding the numbers of Ivan Demidov at the same age.
• Adam Jiricek (St. Louis Blues): A 19-year-old defenseman playing in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with Brantford.
• Sebastian Cossa (Detroit Red Wings): A 23-year-old goaltender playing in the AHL with the Grand Rapids Griffins.
• Michael Hage (Montreal Canadiens): A 19-year-old forward playing for the University of Michigan.
• Porter Martone (Philadelphia Flyers): A 19-year-old forward playing for Michigan State.
• Jake O’Brien (Seattle Kraken): An 18-year-old forward playing in the OHL with Brantford.
• Trey Augustine (Detroit Red Wings): A 21-year-old goaltender playing for Michigan State.
• Ilya Protas (Washington Capitals): A 19-year-old forward playing for the Hershey Bears in the AHL.
• Yegor Surin (Nashville Predators): A 19-year-old forward playing in the KHL with Yaroslavl.
• Bradly Nadeau (Carolina Hurricanes): A 20-year-old forward playing for the Chicago Wolves in the AHL.
• Felix Unger-Sorum (Carolina Hurricanes): A 20-year-old forward also playing for the Chicago Wolves.
• Jacob Fowler (Montreal Canadiens): A 21-year-old goaltender playing for the Laval Rocket in the AHL.
• Anton Frondell (Chicago Blackhawks): An 18-year-old forward playing in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) with Djugardens.
• Anton Silayev (New Jersey Devils): A 19-year-old defenseman playing in the KHL with Novgorod.
• Andrew Crystal (Washington Capitals): A 21-year-old forward playing for the Hershey Bears.
• Tij Iginla (Utah Hockey Club): A 19-year-old forward playing in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with Kelowna.
• Cole Hutson (Washington Capitals): A 19-year-old defenseman playing for Boston University.
• Caleb Desnoyers (Utah Hockey Club): An 18-year-old forward playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with Moncton.

The list also includes prospects from the Nashville Predators, Detroit Red Wings, and other teams. Previous top prospects identified through this exercise include Eeli Tolvanen (2019), Kirill Kaprizov (2020), Moritz Seider (2021), Owen Power (2022), Logan Cooley (2023), Yaroslav Askarov (2024), and Ivan Demidov (2025).

Top 10 Canadiens Prospects (Under 15 NHL Games)

Four prospects appear on both lists: Zharovsky, Michael Hage, Jacob Fowler, and David Reinbacher.

• Alexander Zharovsky: Showing promising offensive skills while playing against adults in the KHL, expected to join Montreal in the 2027-2028 season.
• Michael Hage: Had a strong performance at the World Junior Championship and is expected to potentially join the Canadiens later this season after completing his season with the University of Michigan.
• Jacob Fowler: Considered the future in net for the Canadiens, having played 10 games in the NHL this season and performing well.
• David Reinbacher: Has seen his ranking decline on this annual list.
• Adam Engstrom: A 22-year-old defenseman playing for the Laval Rocket.
• Florian Xhekaj: A 21-year-old forward also playing for the Laval Rocket.
• Bryce Pickford: A 19-year-old defenseman playing in the WHL with Medicine Hat.
• Logan Sawyer: A 19-year-old forward playing for Providence College.
• Bogdan Konyushkov: A 23-year-old defenseman playing in the KHL with Novgorod.
• Yevgeny Volokhin: A 20-year-old goaltender playing in the VHL with Voskresensk.

Over the past five years, Ryan Poehling (2019), Cole Caufield (2020 and 2021), Kaiden Guhle (2022), Lane Hutson (2023 and 2024), and Ivan Demidov (2025) have topped this list.