The summer can be rough for hockey fans.

If all you care about is the NHL, then there isn’t much to look forward to throughout the middle of July until training camps begin in September. The news cycle is quiet. There are no games being played. And most players are lying low and staying out of the spotlight.

But if you’re a prospect aficionado, the hockey season never ends. There are numerous post-draft tournaments and showcases worldwide, providing teams with opportunities to assess the capabilities of the future crop of stars.

It’s also a perfect time for us to roll out our 32-team NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown Series, looking at the strengths, weaknesses, and top prospects for every single team.

To be classified as a prospect, players generally need to meet the following criteria: they must have played in 50 or fewer NHL games or spent more time outside of the NHL than in it during the previous season. Players over the age of 23 are excluded from this classification, along with certain prospects who have played fewer than 50 games but held a full-time role for a significant portion of the season — this determination is more subjective.

For goaltenders, the criteria are somewhat different: they must be 25 years old or younger and have played fewer than 15 games in the previous season, or they should not have spent a substantial amount of time in the NHL over the past three years.

So with that, let’s rank all 32 NHL teams. The ranking is based on several factors, including depth and overall star power. There are some areas where the difference between spots is quite close, so if you feel like your team deserves to be two spots higher, the gap is probably too small as it is:

1. San Jose Sharks (2024: 1st)

Key Prospects: Michael Misa, Sam Dickinson, Yaroslav Askarov

Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith became full-time NHLers last year – and the Sharks are still not done churning out high-quality prospects. They’ve got a bit of everything. High-end scorers? Check. An elite defensive prospect? You bet. Not one, but two outstanding goalies? Yes sir! The Sharks have one of the most exciting futures in all of hockey, and we haven’t even seen what the pool is capable of. They’ll be in the hunt to land Gavin McKenna or Keaton Verhoeff at the 2026 NHL Draft, but then they’ll hopefully start to figure things out.

2. Montreal Canadiens (2024: 2nd)

Key Prospects: Ivan Demidov, Jacob Fowler, David Reinbacher

The Canadiens are in a good spot to contend for a playoff spot for years to come – especially after watching Lane Hutson earn his NHL promotion last year. They might not have the deepest pipeline, but they have at least four players who reside among the top 50 in the league. The high end does the heavy lifting, but that’s OK. Montreal is one of the only teams in the league with a legit top forward, defense and goaltending prospect in the system. The top three listed above are all expected to be true difference-makers, with Ivan Demidov leading the way as soon as this fall. Seriously, the Canadiens have so much going for them in their pipeline. It’s ridiculous.

3. Chicago Blackhawks (2024: 7th)

Key Prospects: Sam Rinzel, Artyom Levshuov, Anton Frondell

The Hawks have a young prospect pool, with many of their young talents still early in their development. I’ve loved their past two NHL Drafts, with a handful of their picks just missing out on this list. I wouldn’t be surprised if around 14-15 prospects currently in the system became NHLers at some point (but not all with Chicago, obviously). The Blackhawks still have their work cut out for them if they’re going to start trending in the right direction. But hopefully, it won’t be too long until Connor Bedard doesn’t feel lonely.

4. Anaheim Ducks (2024: 3rd)

Key Prospects: Beckett Sennecke, Roger McQueen, Stian Solberg

The Ducks might finally be on the come-up after years of drafting high. After watching Leo Carlsson, Pavel Mintyukov, Jackson LaCombe, Lukas Dostal, Cutter Gauthier and Olen Zellweger become full-time NHLers over the past two years, they’ve got more on the way. The team has size up front, some options on the back end and a couple of potential backup goaltenders, as well. They might lack play-drivers, but they’ve got options just about everywhere else.

5. Minnesota Wild (2024: 6th)

Key Prospects: Zeev Buium, David Jiricek, Danila Yurov

There’s a good chance five players in the link above could become full-time NHLers out of training camp. That’s incredible, especially when you account that there’s some serious depth at every position. Zeev Buium and David Jiricek are two of the best defensive prospects around, and Danila Yurov and Liam Öhgren are set to give the Wild some scoring depth in the bottom six. I’m not ready to give up on Jesper Wallstedt, either, given he was one of the best goalie prospects in the world just a year ago.

6. New York Islanders (2024: 25th)

Key Prospects: Matthew Schaefer, Calum Ritchie, Cole Eiserman

The Islanders went from having one of the worst pipelines in the NHL to one of pure envy in the span of a few months. Everything changed the moment the Islanders traded veteran Brock Nelson to the Colorado Avalanche in a deal that sent Calum Ritchie the other way. Suddenly, they had a top-30 prospect, giving them a legit top-two center for the long term. Biggest of all, they won the NHL Draft lottery, allowing them to take coveted defenseman Matthew Schaefer first overall. But a few hours before the big selection, the Islanders shipped out Noah Dobson to Montreal in a deal involving two first-rounders. They used them on Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson, giving them three prospects from Daily Faceoff’s top 120 list.

7. Seattle Kraken (2024: 9th)

Key Prospects: Berkly Catton, Jake O’Brien, Jagger Firkus

I don’t think it’s outlandish to believe every player in this top 10 will end up playing significant time in the NHL at one point or another. Berkly Catton is one of the best prospects in hockey, and I’d love to see him in Seattle this season. Wth so many quality prospects headed to Coachella Valley in 2025-26, their minor league team will be must-watch entertainment. The pipeline is deeper than many others around the league, too. It took a bit for the Kraken to get their pool this high, but I like their future – even if the present looks bleak.

8. Washington Capitals (2024: 19th)

Key Prospects: Ryan Leonard, Cole Hutson, Andrew Cristall

Usually, teams near the top of the NHL standings have dismal prospect pools, but the Capitals truly have one of the best in the entire NHL. It’s hard to beat Washington’s depth on the wings. Ryan Leonard and Andrew Cristall give the Capitals one high-end talent on both sides – with Leonard ready to make an impact as early as October. They also have one of the most exciting defensive prospects in Cole Hutson. At one point, it looked like the post-Alex Ovechkin era was going to be bleak – but not anymore.

9. Philadelphia Flyers (2024: 16th)

Key Prospects: Porter Martone, Jett Luchanko, Oliver Bonk

I loved what the Flyers did at the draft. Porter Martone is one of my favorite prospects in hockey. Jack Nesbitt? I get the fit, even if I felt he was taken too early. Jack Murtagh, Shane Vansaghi and Carter Amico in the second could all prove to be good value. Philadelphia is set for another ugly season in 2025-26, but a handful of young prospects should see some NHL time. Don’t be surprised if Jett Luchanko, Oliver Bonk, Alex Bump and Nikita Grebenkin all start the year battling for NHL roster spots, with potentially all of them heading back down to either junior or Lehigh Valley before too long.

10. Calgary Flames (2024: 15th)

Key Prospects: Zayne Parekh, Cole Reschny, Hunter Brzustewicz

The Flames might not have much going for them in the NHL, but there are some nice pieces coming along throughout the deep pipeline. There’s a high likelihood that defenseman Zayne Parekh will be in the NHL to start the season, with many believing he’ll stick around for the majority of the year. The Flames have a ton of depth at center now, using their two recent first-rounders to bet on middlemen with skill to burn. Cole Reschny is one of the best playmakers outside of the NHL today, while Cullen Potter didn’t let a smaller frame slow him down in college. It’s a good pool, even after promoting Dustin Wolf and Matt Coronato to the show.

11. Detroit Red Wings (2024: 5th)

Key Prospects: Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Trey Augustine, Sebastian Cossa

While the Yzerplan hasn’t panned out into any tangible NHL success, you can’t argue with the talent waiting in the wings. The most exciting element is the arrival of top prospect Axel Sandin-Pellikka in North America. He looked good in his two-game AHL stint after putting up excellent numbers in the SHL and with Sweden at the World Juniors. The Red Wings have always shown a willingness to play the patient game with their star blueliners, and it has worked out quite well for Edvinsson and Moritz Seider so far. I’m excited to see what’s next with ASP. They also have two of the best goaltending prospects in the NHL in Trey Augustine and Sebastian Cossa, and I feel highly about Carter Bear and Michael Brandsegg-Nygård. It’s a good pool, even if it’s not as deep as it was maybe a year ago.

12. Nashville Predators (2024: 13th)

Key Prospects: Brady Martin, Tanner Molednyk, David Edstrom

The Predators have quickly built one of the most dangerous pipelines in all of hockey. It’s not hard to see why. They had three first-rounders in 2025 and five picks in the top 58. Over the past three years, they’ve drafted 26 prospects, with their most recent crop being among the best of any team. The past NHL season might have been ugly for the Preds, but the future looks bright – and if they want to retool instead of breaking everything up, they could swap out a couple assets to make it happen.

13. Columbus Blue Jackets (2024: 11th)

Key Prospects: Cayden Lindstrom, Jackson Smith, Pyotr Andreyanov

The Blue Jackets continue to boast an impressive pipeline. There’s a lot to be excited about in the long-term future, and that doesn’t include some of the young talent already occupying key roles with the big club. Injuries to two of Columbus’ most important prospects – Cayden Lindstrom and Jordan Dumais – stunted their development a bit. But on the flipside, a handful of prospects deeper down – such as Luca Marrelli and Evan Gardner – helped establish themselves as legit long-term threats. I loved their draft, as well.

14. Carolina Hurricanes (2024: 11th)

Key Prospects: Alexander Nikishin, Bradly Nadeau, Nikita Artamonov

The Hurricanes have built themselves up to be a perennial contender – but one that just hasn’t made the right steps forward to reach the summit. The pipeline has started to slow down in recent years, but there’s still plenty of value picks who could turn into NHLers or trade bait. Alexander Nikishin is ready to take the next step, while a few others should see some NHL games, too. The Hurricanes are still in win-now mode, but having a solid pipeline with more help on the way is never a bad spot to be in.

15. Utah Mammoth (2024: 10th)

Key Prospects: Caleb Desnoyers, Tij Iginla, Dmitri Simashev

Utah doesn’t have one of the deeper pipelines in the NHL, but its higher-end prospects should be true difference-makers. There are teams with pipelines I like a lot more, but I feel confident that the top eight listed below should become impactful NHLers – that’s a high batting rate, no matter which team you are. It might still be a few years until the Mammoth are serious Stanley Cup contenders. But they’ve got help coming up at a decent rate – and those players should be ready to contribute once the team gets closer to taking the next step.

16. Buffalo Sabres (2024: 8th)

Key Prospects: Konsta Helenius, Radim Mrtka, Noah Östlund

There’s a lot to like about Buffalo’s pipeline. They’ve got great center depth, starting with Konsta Helenius. They’ve got plenty of defenders with NHL potential, too. I even like their goaltenders, with Devon Levi, Ryerson Leenders and Scott Ratzlaff leading the way. It’s a solid pipeline – but they’ve got to take a bigger step forward this year to make all that drafting work worth it. I still like this group, and the fanbase deserves a winning big-league team sooner rather than later.

17. St. Louis Blues (2024: 16th)

Key Prospects: Jimmy Snuggerud, Dalibor Dvorský, Justin Carbonneau

The Blues’ pipeline isn’t deep. But I could see most of this top 10 play at least some NHL games, with a few becoming key components of the future. Jimmy Snuggerud and Dalibor Dvorský and Justin Carbonneau all have futures as top-six forwards, with Snuggerud, in particular, ready to take up the mantle out of training camp. Logan Mailloux, Theo Lindstein, Adam Jiricek and Colin Ralph give the team some serious defensive depth, and I’m still a big Otto Stenberg fan.

18. Pittsburgh Penguins (2024: 24th)

Key Prospects: Rutger McGroarty, Benjamin Kindel, Harrison Brunicke

I’ll give the Penguins’ scouting department some love – they transformed this pipeline very, very quickly. After adding Rutger McGroarty via a trade last summer, GM Kyle Dubas and Co. managed to make seven picks in the top 100 back in June, including three picks in the first round. That boosted Pittsburgh’s prospect pool to levels I have never seen since I started covering prospects. Pittsburgh’s post-Sidney Crosby rebuild is going to be a slow one, but they’re starting to actually make true progress.

19. New Jersey Devils (2024: 21st)

Key Prospects: Anton Silayev, Mikhail Yegorov, Seamus Casey

The Devils don’t have a single deep position. But the fact that they have potential impact players up front, on the blueline, and in the crease is a reason for excitement. Casey and Anton Silayev give the Devils some options on both sides of the back end, and I’m a huge Mikhail Yegorov fan. Up front, Lenni Hämeenaho could be a future 20-goal scorer in the NHL. The pool starts to trail off beyond that, but I actually like New Jersey’s 2025 draft, especially up front. They have a few players who could become role guys in the NHL, and you need finds like that.

20. New York Rangers (2024: 14th)

Key Prospects: Gabe Perreault, Scott Morrow, Malcolm Spence

I like a lot of the Rangers’ top 10 talent, especially Gabe Perreault. The Blueshirts have struggled to hit on a few of their young stars in recent years, but they’ve managed to keep a steady flow of available youngsters for a while now. They have decent forward options and a couple of solid defenders. It’s not deep, and there aren’t a ton of high-end assets. But it’s not terrible by any means.

21. Boston Bruins (2024: 31st)

Key Prospects: James Hagens, Fraser Minten, Fabian Lysell

Boston’s pipeline is far from deep, especially for a team that’s going to need to retool sooner rather than later. But drafting James Hagens seventh overall and trading for Fraser Minten and Will Zellers gave this team a huge jolt. The Bruins have a ton of depth down the middle, but adding Hagens to the fray makes them even more dynamic. They’ve got a bit of everything, from skill to speed to size.

22. Winnipeg Jets (2024: 17th)

Key Prospects: Brayden Yager, Elias Salomonsson, Brad Lambert

The Jets don’t have a deep farm to choose from, and the Manitoba Moose were at the bottom of the AHL standings last year. But I actually don’t mind what they have. Compared to other top NHL teams’, the Jets’ top prospects are above average. I feel like the good majority of the top 10 players listed below will become NHL players at some point. And that’s something many other pipelines can’t claim.

23. Edmonton Oilers (2024: 29th)

Key Prospects: Matt Savoie, Ike Howard, Samuel Jonsson

Shoutout to the Oilers. Over the past two summers, they’ve made a pair of moves to acquire Matthew Savoie and Ike Howard, making their pipeline a bit more formidable. That’s not a high bar – and they still lack depth significantly. They’re focused on winning now and the future has taken a hit as a result. That’s normal. But adding one of the most dominant CHLers in recent years, and now the reigning Hobey Baker Award winner, is a nice haul without having to give up too much to get it.

24. Toronto Maple Leafs (2024: 23rd)

Key Prospects: Easton Cowan, Ben Danford, Dennis Hildeby

It’s still not a strong pipeline, but Toronto’s depth appears to be better than it was a year ago. The team has options at every position, and while most aren’t going to be impact players, they need as much depth as they can get. Toronto’s focus is on winning right now, but having some legit help either down the road at Coca-Cola Coliseum or marinating in Europe could go a long way.

25. Ottawa Senators (2024: 30th)

Key Prospects: Carter Yakemchuk, Leevi Meriläinen, Logan Hensler

There aren’t many high-profile prospects waiting to take the next step forward. Fortunately, it’s very likely we see the top two players on this list – Carter Yakemchuk and Leevi Meriläinen – at least start the year in the NHL, with Meriläinen projected to be the full-season backup. Beyond that, though, there aren’t many others in the system who look to be more than AAAA players – guys who’ll get the odd call-up, but might not have a long-term fit in any meaningful capacity.

26. Dallas Stars (2024: 18th)

Key Prospects: Lian Bichsel, Emil Hemming, Ayrton Martino

The Stars have some solid defensive depth, with Lian Bichsel easily leading the way. But beyond that, Dallas’ pipeline just lacks… everything. The Stars won’t be too pressed about that – they’re focused on another long playoff run. But don’t expect much value on the trade front if GM Jim Nill is forced to decimate the farm to bring in immediate help.

27. Los Angeles Kings (2024: 22nd)

Key Prospects: Liam Greentree, Henry Brzustewicz, Carter George

The Kings spent many years with an above-average prospect pool. That’s no longer the case, but they do have something that could prove fruitful: goaltending depth. The Kings have three goalies in the top five of this list, with Carter George, Erik Portillo and Hampton Slukynsky all being legit options. If they needed help immediately, they could ship one out to get some decent value back. Beyond that, though, the pipeline leaves a lot to be desired.

28. Vancouver Canucks (2024: 20th)

Key Prospects: Tom Willander, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Braeden Cootes

Most NHL teams with two playoff appearances in the past decade would have a solid prospect pipeline. The Canucks, though, are seriously lacking depth. The Canucks are hoping players like Tom Willander and Jonathan Lekkerimäki can live up to their potential and become stars playing key roles in the NHL. So while I think Vancouver’s pipeline definitely lacks depth, the high-end talent could be impact players sooner rather than later.

29. Colorado Avalanche (2024: 27th)

Key Prospects: Gavin Brindley, Mikhail Gulyayev, Ilya Nabokov

The Avalanche already had one of the worst pipelines in hockey. But trading Calum Ritchie – the only player on last year’s list with a clear pathway to the NHL – to bring in Brock Nelson at the NHL Trade Deadline didn’t help. But it is interesting that the Avalanche has seemingly found some value out of late-round picks. Will it matter? No. But as they continue to chase after Cups, they’re not too concerned about the long-term future.

30. Tampa Bay Lightning (2024: 32nd)

Key Prospects: Sam O’Reilly, Ethan Gauthier, Ethan Czata

The Bolts have one of the worst pipelines in the NHL. That’s what happens when your focus is all on winning in the present. While I’m not sure how many of them will become NHL players, I do like their depth at center. O’Reilly is the obvious draw there, even though he has a little less offensive upside than Ike Howard, whom they traded for him. There isn’t much going on there beyond that.

31. Vegas Golden Knights (2024: 28th)

Key Prospects: Trevor Connelly, Carl Lindbom, Mathieu Cataford

The Golden Knights, predictably, have struggled to keep a pipeline worth getting excited about. That happens when you trade away just about every first-round pick you’ve ever had in a pursuit of glory. Trevor Connelly is by far the top prospect in the system, but he’s coming off a difficult college season. Carl Lindbom can be a decent goalie, while Mathieu Cataford has middle-six potential. Beyond that, most others look like depth players at best.

32. Florida Panthers (2024: 26th)

Key Prospects: Jack Devine, Linus Eriksson, Gracyn Sawchyn

The Panthers have plenty of depth on the wings, mostly as potential fourth-liners. They have some players with skill, and others who like to brawl. I wouldn’t be surprised if Gracyn Sawchyn, in particular, moves to the wing because he seems to thrive when he doesn’t need to do everything on the ice. But the reality is, there’s a non-zero chance that not a single player in their top 10 prospect list becomes a full-time NHLer. Devine is arguably the best option, but he’s not rounded enough for many scouts. Beyond that? Maybe Eriksson, but that’s it.