NHL Prospect Pool Overview ‘26-27: Vegas Golden Knights

Let’s be honest and upfront about things. The Vegas Golden Knights care about their prospect pool about as much as a 5-year-old cares about their retirement plan. The focus from the time they entered the league has been contending for a Stanley Cup.

They’ve been to three Cup Finals in their nine-year history, winning in 2023 over the Florida Panthers. To clarify, that means that they’ve reached the final 33% of the time that they’ve existed.

They’ve done that by trading prospects and draft picks for immediate help and they’ve laughed their way to long playoff runs because of it. They have prospects, but not many.

With the NHL off-season is in full swing, we have the perfect opportunity to look at each team’s prospect pool, going in alphabetical order, which means it’s Vegas’ turn.

In our annual Prospect Pool Deep Dive series, Tony Ferrari will dig into each team’s top prospects, the strengths and weaknesses of the pipeline, a quick overview of their latest draft class, where each team's positional depth chart stands, and who could be next in line for an NHL chance.

It’s no secret that the Golden Knights are trigger-happy when it comes to trading their top prospects.

Prior to drafting in the first round this year, they have just one first-round pick from their history still in their system, Trevor Connelly. That includes the multiple picks that they received as parts of their expansion draft.

Connelly is the lone man standing and he could be the first that plays a role for the squad as a long-term piece. His skill is undeniable, dazzling with the puck on his stick. Connelly is a fantastic offensive presence, showcasing some of the slickest playmaking ability in the AHL last year.

He put up 49 points as a 19-year-old in 46 games with the Henderson Silver Knights last season and the hope is that with Pavel Dorofeyev being traded, Connelly can help fill the offensive void.

Playing a much more mundane game, Matyas Sapovaliv is one of the Golden Knights' better prospects in the AHL. His point totals will never wow you, but the big forward is versatile and defensively minded.

He uses his length to clog play up defensively and he has shown that his shot is becoming more of a weapon. Sapovaliv isn’t quite as fun as a player like Connelly, but he has a chance to be a really effective NHLer one day.

Over in Sweden, Jakob Ihs-Wozniak has been playing well at the second tier of professional hockey. He’s an offensive-minded winger who can torch opposing teams on the power play as both a shooter and a passer.

When he has that extra space, he can be a weapon. He’s still working on rounding out his game but there’s been notable improvement in his off-puck game and five-on-five play. At just 19, there is plenty of time to get better.

Although his first professional season didn’t go exactly as planned with 13 points in 59 AHL games, Mathieu Cataford is still an intriguing prospect. He’s a very well-rounded player who has continued to get stronger over the last couple of years.

His offensive game isn’t overly dynamic but he finds ways to get the puck to the middle of the ice consistently. Defensively, he needs to stay more engaged but he shows signs of being a plus player in his own end.

Blueliner Lukas Cormier had a breakout season last year in the AHL, producing at nearly a point-per-game pace as a 23-year-old. He’s at the age where it’s time to put up or shut up as a prospect, and the Golden Knights will likely want to see what he can do at the NHL level at some point this year.

Cormier should be able to carve out a role, but he will have to beat out a player like Parker Wotherspoon in camp.

Trevor Connelly (LW)

Round 1, 29th overall - Juho Piiparinen, D, Tappara Tampere (Finland)

Round 3, 92nd overall - Ben Wilmott, LW/C, Barrie Colts (OHL)

Round 3, 95th overall - Sean Burick, D, Penticton Vees (WHL)

Round 4, 113th overall - Jonah Sivertson, RW, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)

Round 5, 159th overall - Will McLaughlin, D, Portland Winterhawks (WHL)

Round 6, 191st overall - Matthew Minchak, G, Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)

Round 7, 207th overall - Noel Pakarinen, LW, Kiekko-Espoo (Finland Jr.)

Vegas traded Pavel Dorofeyev to help clean up their salary cap situation and that netted them a first-round pick in this year’s draft after previously trading their own. They made a couple of other moves, and ultimately ended up picking 29th overall, drafting Finnish defender Juho Piiparinen.

Piiparinen is a smart and effective two-way player who is good at simply making the right play at the right time. He’s not the kind of defender a coach has to worry about most of the time, playing to his strengths and taking care of the puck.

He isn’t the most skilled player but he understands how to excel in a variety of situations. He should be a very good Golden Knight one day, playing the role he’s asked and excelling in it.

Soon-to-be 20-year-old Ben Wilmott was Vegas’ next pick at 92nd overall. He’s a battler who isn’t afraid to get physical. He isn’t much of an offensive driver, playing off his teammates and helping connect play rather than driving it.

Wilmott does his best work around the net, looking to clean up rebounds or find space to screen goalies. The former OHLer is heading to the NCAA with Ohio State next year.

6-foot-8 defenseman Sean Burick was the Golden Knights’ next draft choice, giving them an intriguing and raw blueliner that they can hopefully develop into an NHL stopper. He has a physical edge so when he closes on attackers, he engulfs them with his length and then crushes them along the wall.

Burick is a long-term development project who could be a really solid player at the professional level one day. He is going to play another year in the WHL before going to the University of Denver the following year.

Aside from underwhelming mobility, Jonah Sivertson has a lot of the tools you want from a bottom-six forward who can put the puck in the net. He’s an intelligent player who can play a physical game and tactically work around opposing defenders to create offensive chances.

Sivertson isn’t the flashiest player, but he continuously found ways to be effective in a depth role. As one of the youngest players in the draft class, he is poised to have a breakout this upcoming season in the WHL.

There isn’t much that defenseman Will McLaughlin can’t do, but the question is whether he does anything good enough to excel at the NHL level. He’s an agile skater who does a good job of taking care of the puck most of the time.

Swinging on goaltender Matthew Minchak late makes a ton of sense, as he just broke into the OHL at 19 and boasts excellent size. He moves well in his crease and takes up a ton of space. He’s a bit more of a blocker than a goalie who eats pucks but he is generally square to shooters. It’s a bet on his technical side developing in the NCAA after a full season in the OHL next season.

Noel Pakarinen was Vegas’ final pick, bringing a heavy shot and a diligent forechecking game. He needs to get a bit more agile and fluid on his feet and he could use his linemates a bit more effectively, but Pakarinen is a really solid pick late in the draft after a season in which he seemed to be rising every month.

After playing in Finland to this point, he’s heading to the WHL next year before going to the NCAA in 2027-28.

Vegas doesn’t really have a strength in their prospect pool, they just have areas that are less weak unfortunately.

The wing is probably their biggest area of strength as they have Connelly on the left, Ihs-Wozniak on the right, and Sapovaliv will likely end up on the wing as well. With a smaller prospect pool than most and an allergy to first-round picks, the Golden Knights haven’t had much of a chance to build up their pipeline.

Outside of Sapovaliv, the Golden Knights' center depth is abysmal.

Jordan Gustafson spent the year in the ECHL. Jakub Brabenec went back to Europe. Mateo Nobert is a player who has a lot of development to do before even being considered a legitimate prospect.

The Golden Knights are going to have to rely on filling the center position at the NHL level with free agents or trade acquisitions because there isn’t much on the way.

It’s been a couple of underwhelming years for the former QMJHL star. His final year of junior was good but not great and his first year of pro was about the same. Cataford has the tools to be a solid pro but at 21, he has to start bringing his A-game more consistently. This is going to be a big year for Cataford as he looks to cement himself as a legitimate prospect.

It’s time that the Golden Knights actually allow a first-round pick of their own to make an impact at the NHL level.

Connelly would inject a high-level of skill to the lineup and bring a bit of flair that the Golden Knights could use. His offensive game would undoubtedly play at the NHL level. It’s going to be about whether they can trust him away from the puck that decides whether he’s a full-time NHLer or not.

LW: Trevor Connelly, Trent Swick, Ben Wilmott, Noel Pakarinen

C: Matyas Sapovaliv, Jordan Gustafson, Jakub Brabenec, Mateo Nobert

RW: Jakob Ihs-Wozniak, Mathieu Cataford, Jonah Sivertson, Tuomas Uronen, Braeden Bowman

LD: Lukas Cormier, Arttu Karki, Will McLaughlin, Gustav Sjoqvist

RD: Juho Piiparinen, Sean Burick, Viliam Kmec

G: Carl Lindbom, Pavel Moysevich, Cameron Whitehead, Matthew Minchak

For a deeper dive into the prospect pool with player rankings, check out the Yearbook and Future Watch editions of the Hockey News print edition!

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