<p>It’s still early in the season, but we’ve seen plenty of the AHL’s top players earn call-ups to the big leagues.</p>



<p><a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/players/news/nico-daws/29186">New Jersey’s </a>Nico Daws, <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/vegas-golden-knights-goalie-adin-hill-out-injured-carl-lindbom-recalled-nhl-update">Vegas’ </a>Carl Lindbom, <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/carolina-hurricanes/line-combinations">Carolina’s</a> Domenick Fensore and the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/new-york-islanders/line-combinations">New York Islanders’</a> Marshall Warren are among some of the recent players given chances to prove themselves in the NHL. Injuries obviously play a role in these moves – but, sometimes, their play a step down warrants a promotion.</p>



<p>Today, we’re taking a look at five notable NHL prospects starting off hot in the AHL. We’ll see some in The Show before too long, while others are just trying to prove they’re worth keeping an eye on:</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Isak Rosén, LW, Rochester Americans (<a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/buffalo-sabres/line-combinations">Buffalo Sabres</a>)</h2>



<p>Rosén is coming off a second straight 50-plus-point season with Rochester. This year? He’s on pace for more than double that output. The Swedish forward has 10 points in seven games, with at least one point in every game that Rochester has scored in this year. He isn’t shooting a ton of volume, but he’s making his opportunities count. He has always been dangerous as an offensive dual threat – passer and a shooter – and he’s playing the best hockey of his short career.</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="195"></div>



<p>Rosén is one of the best players in the American League. But at some point, Rosén will need to prove to the Buffalo brass that he’s capable of taking his game up a step. The pending RFA has just one assist in 15 games to his credit over his NHL career, although ice time has been hard to come by.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Nick Lardis, LW, Rockford IceHogs (<a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/chicago-blackhawks/line-combinations">Chicago Blackhawks</a>)</h2>



<p>Lardis is the ultimate boom-bust prospect. He’s coming off an incredible 72-goal season with the OHL’s Brantford Bulldogs –&nbsp;marking one of the most productive goal-scoring seasons ever by an OHLer. Many in the industry questioned whether he’d be able to carry that momentum into the pro ranks –&nbsp;was he going to become a power-play merchant, or were the numbers legit?</p>



<p>So far, so good. The 20-year-old has 11 points in eight games to put him near the top of the AHL scoring race. It’s incredible – and those numbers are in spite of a lackluster scoring start for the winger. He has just two goals, so imagine how lethal he’ll be once he starts getting pucks in the back of the net. Lardis’ game is still all about generating quality offense, and his consistency this year has been remarkable. Stop giving him space out there because he’ll exploit it.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="209"></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Isak Posch, G, Colorado Eagles (<a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/colorado-avalanche/line-combinations">Colorado Avalanche</a>)</h2>



<p>Talk about seizing the moment. A preseason injury to Mackenzie Blackwood meant Eagles starter Trent Miner was called up to start the year with the big club. That allowed Posch – a college free agent signing last year – to take center stage. The 23-year-old has a 4-1-0 record with two shutouts and a .922 save percentage in his first full season of pro hockey duty. </p>



<p>The Eagles are a strong team, but unlike other top contenders, they don’t have someone absolutely running away offensively. Daniil Guschin has been great with six goals and seven points through five games, but Posch has been easily one of the top goaltenders in the AHL this season. Not too shabby for a late bloomer. Is he a legit future NHLer? We’ll see how the rest of the season goes, but he has absolutely been a nice find for a team with little prospect depth.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="2" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="152"></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Stephen Halliday, C, Belleville Senators (<a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/ottawa-senators/line-combinations">Ottawa Senators</a>)</h2>



<p>Halliday had an excellent rookie season with Belleville last year, scoring 19 goals and 51 points in 71 games. He’s on pace to smash that already thanks to his eight points through seven games. He has been a big part of the team’s recent three-game win streak, which included taking a season-high six shots in a 5-4 win over the Toronto Marlies. Halliday rarely has an off shift – even when he’s not producing, he’s getting involved physically. </p>



<p>With a big 6-foot-4, 212-pound frame, Halliday takes up a ton of space and isn’t afraid to knock someone down. There’s some legit middle-six potential for Halliday, who has been productive at just about every level in his career so far. We’re still waiting for his NHL debut, but if the Sens ever need a call-up capable of getting the puck where it needs to be, Halliday is their guy.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="3" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="149"></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Sergei Murashov, G, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (<a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/pittsburgh-penguins/line-combinations">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>)</h2>



<p>Murashov was arguably Pittsburgh’s best goaltender during the preseason, but he was sent down to maximize his playing time with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. It was clearly the right choice, as the Russian keeper has a perfect 5-0-0 record with an incredible .949 save percentage. The 21-year-old has been dominant at every level so far in his career, including a great first impression with the Baby Penguins last season.</p>



<p>Drafted 118th overall in 2022, Murashov looks like a legit future starter for the Penguins. He’s quick, tracks pucks well and while he’s not huge, he takes up a lot of space up high. Veteran AHLer Filip Larsson is playing well too, but Murashov is playing at another level this year. He has the best stats in the league with just seven goals allowed in five starts. He’s going to lose eventually, but he’s having a special start to the season. Shoutout to Danton Heinen and Ville Koivunen, as well – the Penguins duo are 1-2 in league scoring.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="4" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="165"></div>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Recent posts from Steven Ellis</h2>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/2026-nhl-draft-rankings-preseason-top-40-mckenna-verhoeff-lin-bjorck">2026 NHL Draft Rankings: Preseason top 40</a></li>



<li><a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/predicting-chl-roster-2025-prospects-challenge-usa-hockey-belchetz-lin-roobreck">Predicting the CHL’s roster for 2025 Prospects Challenge against the USNTDP</a></li>



<li><a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/spencer-knight-chicago-blackhawks-vezina-nhl-florida-panthers">Blackhawks’ Spencer Knight was once a top NHL prospect – now, he’s living up to expectations</a></li>



<li><a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/five-nhlers-standing-out-injury-lyon-wedgewood-lundell-pinto-barron">Five NHLers rescuing their teams from injury trouble early this season</a></li>



<li><a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/2026-nhl-draft-notebook-10-chlers-off-to-huge-starts-reid-villeneuve-hurlbert-shilov">2026 NHL Draft Notebook: 10 CHLers off to huge starts</a></li>



<li><a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/new-york-islanders-matthew-schaefer-living-up-hype-best-18-year-old-defenseman-pace-ever">Islanders’ Matthew Schaefer is living up to star billing – and so much more</a></li>
</ul>
