The California kid has all the talent in the world, and the Vegas Golden Knights will get their chance to mold that talent into potentially a top-tier offensive star who might have one of the highest ceilings in this year’s draft.
Trevor Connelly is a product of the USHL’s Tri-City Storm, scoring 31 goals and 47 assists for 78 points in 2023-24 and 125 total points through his two seasons with the Storm. Last season, he was such a dominant force with Tri-City, his 78 points were 29 clear of his closest teammate, Artemi Nizameyev.
One scout I spoke with who watched Connelly regularly in the USHL said he was one of the most confident junior players he’s seen in years.
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However, what caused teams to pass on the Tustin native were his off-ice issues. As a 16-year-old in 2022 while playing AAA hockey with the Long Island Gulls, Connelly posted on Snapchat a photo of a friend building a swastika with blocks in a library. He was kicked off the Gulls, and while he’s received diversity training and community service, teams wouldn’t touch him, as one NHL executive clearly told The Hockey News.
“I’m not touching that one,” the executive said.
Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis wrote this about Connelly before the Under-18 World Championship:
“From an on-ice perspective, Connelly has so much going for him,” he wrote. “(He’s) been lighting up the USHL all season long … Off the ice, though, is what teams are concerned about. It just depends on which teams you talk to, really.”
Connelly is committed to play college hockey at Providence College next fall, and will likely play with the U.S. World Junior team for the next two Christmases. Vegas may have done their off-ice research before they drafted him, but whether or not that pays off in the long run is yet to be seen.