U-23 AHL Standouts: Stars' Stankoven, Sabres' Rosen and Canadiens' Roy Lead the Next Wave

Over the last decade, the AHL became a more skilled, fast-paced league that's allowed prospects to flourish and develop into NHL stars. 

The skill level of the young talent is at an all-time high, and the under-23 AHL players have been putting on a show in the process. 

The top five U-23 scorers all rank within the top 15 in AHL scoring, with Texas Stars duo Logan Stankoven and Mavrik Bourque tied for third in league scoring at 21 points each. Brandt Clarke leads all AHL defenders in scoring at just 20 years old. 

The next wave is tearing up the AHL, and it’s been plenty of fun to watch. Let’s take a look at the young standouts from around the AHL, including the Texas duo and Clarke. 

Logan Stankoven, LW, and Mavrik Bourque, C, Texas Stars (Dallas)

The duo down in Texas has been on fire. 

As mentioned, they are tied for third in AHL scoring, bringing a high level of skill and neck-breaking pace to the game. The pair has helped the Texas Stars to the top of the AHL’s Central Division. Stankoven and Bourque have been excellent together in the AHL and seem poised to earn an NHL call-up as soon as the opportunity arises. 

Bourque is building off of his excellent rookie season in the AHL last year. His 47 points in 2022-23 were an excellent first step into pro hockey, and this year, he’s clicking at more than a point per game. Bourque’s slick passing and offensive creation make him dangerous at 5-on-5 and on the power play. His agility and puckhandling help him create space.

Stankoven is taking his first steps into pro hockey with a great deal of success. His high-octane game is the perfect complement to Bourque as he brings the requisite skill to play with high-end talent and the high-end finishing ability to make him a lethal threat in his own right. Stankoven has always been the engine that drove his line, and his first foray into pro hockey hasn’t changed anything. 

As every day goes by, Stankoven falling to the second round is looking more and more puzzling – but Dallas is certainly happy he did. 

Isak Rosen, W, and Jiri Kulich, C, Rochester Americans (Buffalo)

Speaking of a pair of players who deserve an NHL look, Rosen and Kulich recently made their way from the AHL to the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres. Rosen dressed for two games, and Kulich was in the lineup for one. Their debuts were overshadowed by a beatdown from the New Jersey Devils, but Rosen looked solid in his second game. 

It seems like Rosen will get a bit of a longer run with the Sabres despite Kulich outscoring the young Swede going back to last season. Rosen is a bit more of a well-rounded, complete player. His ability to play with more speed and bring a more diverse dual-threat attack as a playmaker while maintaining the threat of being a shooter might fit in with what the Sabres need right now. 

Kulich is a goal-scorer’s goal-scorer. The kid has an unbelievable shot and has been more than happy to use it in the AHL over the last year and a bit. His 11 goals in 16 AHL games had him on pace for 50 if he stayed in the AHL for the full season. Kulich is a power-play weapon from multiple spots, as his one-timer and quick release can score from just about anywhere. He doesn’t get credit for his playmaking because of how good he is as a goal-scorer, but he can find a teammate offensively as well. 

Joshua Roy, RW, Laval Rockets (Montreal)

Although he’s slowed down considerably, Roy started the season off on fire. The Habs prospect looked like a threat to score every time he was on the ice. With 12 points in his first six games, he looked like an unstoppable force at the AHL level. Then came a stretch of going scoreless in eight of 12 games, collecting just six points in the span. 

The streaky play is to be expected of most first-year pros, but even more so with Roy. When you’re a line driver who can create for yourself, you can will yourself out of a cold patch by just playing to your strengths and finding the scoresheet by going through the process. When you’re a high-end complementary player – as Roy is – you need a little help, and you need your teammates to make some plays. 

Roy is a play connector. He is the perfect third man on a middle-six line because what he lacks in pace and upper-echelon skill, he makes up for in intelligent passing and timely finishing. He understands where to be to bang in a puck or how to support in transition. He does many of the little things for a skill line and complements high-end talent extremely well. If he can find some level of consistency, he should be quite an effective pro. 

Jesper Wallstedt, G, Iowa Wild (Minnesota)

Among goalies who have played in at least 10 games, Wallstedt leads the AHL with a .928 save percentage. His 2.14 goals-against is second in the league, and he just turned 21 years old earlier this month. The young Swede is a technically sound netminder who reads the play at an elite level. He has two shutouts on the year already and might be the early favorite to dethrone Calgary’s Dustin Wolf as goaltender of the year. 

Wallstedt has proven to be an elite netminder everywhere he has played, from international events to multiple levels in Sweden. Now, in his second AHL season, he is ascending to that status once again. The methodical nature in which he tends the goal has been a sight to behold. Wallstedt is the real deal, and Wild fans have seen that as he keeps them in just about every game at the AHL level. 

Wallstedt may ultimately be the answer to the Minnesota Wild’s woes in net as they have struggled to find consistency in the crease, but it would likely come if they decided to move Marc-Andre Fleury or the newly extended Filip Gustavsson. Both are rocking sub .890 save percentages, and the team could use the additional cap space from moving either to help bring in some talent while having an in-house replacement in net. 

Joel Blomqvist, G, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (Pittsburgh)

It’s been a slow burn for Blomqvist, who was drafted 52nd overall in 2020. He played in one AHL game in each of the last two seasons, largely spending the seasons putting up very good numbers at the Liiga level. Two years ago, he had a .940 save percentage across 20 games at the Finnish pro level and followed it up with a bit of a disappointing .907 save percentage in 21 games last year. 

Much like Wallstedt, Blomqvist plays a cool, calm and collected game. When he is at his best, he doesn’t waste a ton of movement and stays square to the shooter. His first full AHL season has been going as well as he could have hopped, sitting just behind Wallstedt with a .926 save percentage across 11 games, and his 2.04 GAA leads AHL netminders with at least 10 games. 

The Penguins have searched for a long-term answer in net since Fleury was sent to Vegas in the expansion draft, and Blomqvist might be the answer as soon as next season.  

Brandt Clarke, D, Ontario Reign (Los Angeles)

The AHL leader in defensemen points, Clarke is doing everything in his power to earn an extended look with the NHL club. 

Although he played in a handful of games last year in the AHL, his first full season has been everything the Kings could have asked for and more. He currently has 18 points across 18 games with five goals already. The creative puck-mover has always had a knack for putting up offense, but sitting at over a point per game at just 20 years old exceeds all expectations. 

Oftentimes, Clarke’s “Go big or go home” mindset can frustrate coaches and GMs, but he’s playing in an organization that wants to see him at his best, playing the game his way while staying honest in his own zone. The Kings have long been a franchise that wants their players to play to their strengths, and they’ve allowed Clarke to do so. 

Unless an injury arises or the Kings begin to struggle to produce offense or move the puck from the back end, Clarke may have to wait until next season for a real shot with the club. They are a Stanley Cup favorite at the moment, and a large part of it is due to their play on the back end. 

Clarke could be the piece that puts them over the top, but he must work on steadying the boat in his own end. Until that opportunity comes along, Clarke will have to settle for beating up on AHL competition. 

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