Once in a while, a prospect makes an impact at the NHL level from day one. Macklin Celebrini and Matthew Schaefer are rare cases, which explains the generational talent label. Most prospects need time to develop, from a few years in college or junior hockey to a season or two in the American Hockey League.

A season in the AHL doesn’t mean the prospect has a limited ceiling. Instead, it means they need time to develop before they are an elite player in the NHL. It’s the route that most teams should take with their top prospects, including a wave that’s expected to be in the AHL next season. The question is whether the teams will keep them there or run out of patience and rush them up to the NHL. 

Andrew Cristall and Ilya Protas became the dynamic duo as both rookies led the Hershey Bears in points, becoming the first duo to do so in a full season in Bears history. Protas is expected to make the Washington Capitals out of camp as a dynamic two-way center. Cristall, meanwhile, still has room to improve before carving out a role on the wing.

The Capitals might call up Cristall by the halfway point. However, considering the NHL team has multiple veterans taking up the ice time and major roles, it’s better for Cristall’s development to remain in Hershey as the unquestioned top-line player and play in all situations. 

The Calder Cup Playoff run put Ben Danford’s defense on display. Specifically, it showed that he can lean into a depth shutdown role, which he did to help the Toronto Marlies win the Cup. This season, he’ll move up on the depth chart, and he can take significant strides as the top-pair defenseman, especially if Willliam Villenueve is moving up and down between the Marlies and Toronto Maple Leafs. 

It will be tempting for the Nashville Predators to have Brady Martin on the team to inject some youth into an otherwise aging group. The problem is that the power forward isn’t ready for the NHL, not yet at least. 

It’s in the Predators' best interest to keep Martin on the Milwaukee Admirals for the whole season. Better yet, he can form a dynamic duo with Wyatt Cullen, who was selected with the 10th overall pick in the recent draft, as both forwards can play on the same line at the AHL level. 

The Vancouver Canucks are rebuilding, and it might take a year or two before they turn things around. If they want a successful rebuild, they should work around the timeline of their future star players, which means staying patient with Braeden Cootes and waiting for Caleb Malhotra to join the NHL team. 

Cootes showed flashes in the Western Hockey League in recent seasons and could be a future building block for the Canucks. While he’ll get plenty of ice time on a rebuilding team, it’s better for his development to stay in Abbotsford for next season. 

The Chicago Wolves' playoff run proved that Bradly Nadeau belongs in the NHL. It also showed the rise of Ivan Ryabkin, a middle-six center who can play well in all situations. This season can be the one he takes a significant step forward as a two-way center. 

If the Carolina Hurricanes take their time with Ryabkin, and they might, he can be the Jordan Staal successor. He’s not a flashy player but gets the job done. Maybe someday he’ll have his name on the Stanley Cup (behind Tom Dundon, Thomas Dundon, T. Dundon, Tommy Dundon, T.D., Mr. Dundon, and family). 

The AHL and NHL changed the rules around age eligibility for this season, so first-round picks can join their AHL teams even if they aren’t 19 years old. This rule would have benefited Jett Luchanko more than most prospects, as he was just a step behind the NHL and instead was sent back to juniors. 

Luchanko heads into this season hopeful he can find a spot on the NHL team. However, he’s still not ready to make that leap yet. Instead, a full season in the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms will allow him to develop into that top-six center the Philadelphia Flyers are hoping they have in their system. 

The New York Islanders will be tempted to call up Kashawn Aitcheson halfway through the season, and they might if the injuries pile up. Aitcheson has the talent but is still learning the position. So, a full season with the Hamilton Hammers will allow him to come into 2027-28 ready to take a top-pair role and at a convenient time for the Islanders, as they move on from some aging defensemen on difficult contracts. 

If the New York Rangers learned anything from recent seasons, it’s that they should rush their prospects or put them on the AHL-NHL rollercoaster. That should apply to the 5th overall pick, Alberts Smits, and it certainly applies to Liam Greentree, who they acquired in the Artemi Panarin trade. Greentree, like a handful of forwards in the Rangers system, has a high upside, and a revamped Hartford Wolf Pack team should allow him to find it. 

Between Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen, one of the two should be on the Pittsburgh Penguins from day one, while the other is a borderline NHL player. It opens the door for Mikhail Ilyin to become the next great winger on the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins roster. 

Ilyin showed flashes for the Penguins AHL team in the playoffs. However, he’s still adjusting both on and off the ice. So, this season should be the one Ilyin develops in Wilkes-Barre Scranton before he joins McGroarty and Koivunen in Pittsburgh. 

The Seattle Kraken need scoring and can use a difference-maker in the top six. It’s easy for them to talk themselves into Oscar Fisker Mølgaard, who looked like an elite talent towards the end of the season and during the playoffs. However, they might want to keep him with the Coachella Valley Firebirds for at least one more season.