Whether going from unranked to the middle of the pack or jumping into the top 10, these prospects made huge leaps from 2021 to this year’s THN top-100 list.
Whether going from unranked to the middle of the pack or jumping into the top 10, these prospects made huge leaps from 2021 to this year’s THN top-100 prospects list from the recent Future Watch issue, available here.
Marco Rossi, MIN
2021: 19 // 2022: 9
Rossi went from missing an entire season to top-tier prospect. His adjustment to the professional game has been seamless, as evidenced by his scoring at a near point-per-game clip as an AHL freshman.
Topi Niemela
2021: N/A // 2022: 35
From third-rounder in 2020 to top of the prospect chart in Toronto. He’s producing at a prolific rate from the blueline as a teenager in Finland’s top league. He’s not that big, but Niemela is smart, fast and skilled.
Kaiden Guhle
2021: 34 // 2022: 16
His Canadian captaincy at the WJC was cut short, but the big blueliner’s mix of offensive acumen and defensive deftness has the Canadiens looking as though they’ve found themselves a future blueline pillar.
Ridly Greig
2021: 94 // 2022: 43
The Senators’ late first-rounder in 2020 has added an additional offensive element to his game, while his physical nature and willingness to stir the pot will win fans over.
Scott Perunovich
2021: 68 // 2022: 25
The 2020 Hobey Baker Award winner’s minor-league excellence earned him an NHL opportunity, and he didn’t disappoint. Perunovich has the makings of a power-play quarterback and top-four defender.
Daniil Tarasov
2021: NR // 2022: 59
Tarasov is best equated to a fresh cut of prime beef: raw and in need of some seasoning. Given his brief NHL spell, though, Columbus’ goaltending situation could be ironed out for the foreseeable future.