Sebastian Cossa (Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/f2fe71aa-e8f9-4e5b-9678-5f28e5306923.webp] Sebastian Cossa (Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images) By Brian Costello, editor Eight young goalies made this year’s Future Watch list of the NHL's top 100 prospects. You’ll probably see a couple of them in the NHL next season. The others will need several more years to develop. Here's a projection of how soon these goalies could make The Show. Catch the full top 100 list in The Hockey News' Future Watch 2024 issue [https://archive.thehockeynews.com/issue/683994/935208?t=2025%20TOP%20100%20PROSPECTS]. 37. JESPER WALLSTEDT, 22, MINNESOTA WILD Drafted 20th overall in 2021 Marc-Andre Fleury’s pending retirement opens the door for Wallstedt [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/minnesota-wild/it-was-like-i-hadnt-played-hockey-before-jesper-wallstedt-opens-up-after-recent-struggles]. He’ll likely be broken in slowly next season, somewhere around 20 to 25 NHL games. He’s four years younger than Filip Gustavsson, so it will be several years before the Wild have two big-ticket stoppers. Who are favorite players in The Hockey News' Future Watch top 100 prospects list? 46. TREY AUGUSTINE, 20, DETROIT RED WINGS Drafted 41st overall in 2023 Augustine [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings/players/augustine-adds-confidence-to-calm-as-usa-seeks-repeat-gold] and Sebastian Cossa represent Detroit’s future in net. The thinking might be for Augustine to turn pro this spring after a second superb NCAA season, then apprentice a year or two in the AHL. Then he could battle Cossa for NHL playing time in 2027-28. 63. JACOB FOWLER, 20, MONTREAL CANADIENS Drafted 69th overall in 2023 Fowler has done everything he can at the NCAA level [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-fowlers-fantastic-sophomore-season] and is ready for a bigger test. It’s never wrong to stay in school, but a season or two in the AHL is the prudent path. The Habs also have Jakub Dobes in the pipeline, so it will come down to who performs better. 69. SEBASTIAN COSSA, 22, DETROIT RED WINGS Drafted 15th overall in 2021 Ville Husso and Alex Lyon are on expiring contracts, while 37-year-old Cam Talbot has one year remaining. It makes sense to hand the backup job to Cossa [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/latest-news/sebastian-cossa-becomes-second-echl-player-to-make-nhl-debut-this-season] in 2025-26 and give him lots of runway. If he’s worthy, Cossa is the likely starter in 2026-27. If not, Augustine is close. 87. ILYA NABAKOV, 21, COLORADO AVALANCHE Drafted 38th overall in 2024 What’s less predictable than nailing down a goalie’s NHL arrival date? How about a Russian goalie’s timeline. ‘Nabby’ [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/colorado-avalanche/what-the-avalanches-2024-highest-draft-selection-brings-to-the-prospect-pool] was taken as a 21-year-old after slipping through three drafts. The Avs have ‘Wood Squared’ signed through next season, so 2026-27 is the earliest arrival date. 90. EGOR ZAVRAGIN, 19, PHILADELPHIA FLYERS Drafted 87th overall in 2023 Even though Zavragin is playing well in the KHL [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers/latest-news/exciting-flyers-goalie-prospect-rewarded-for-outstanding-month] right now, he’s still just 19, and there is no rush to have him fast-tracked to North America. The wild card is how Samuel Ersson, Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov come along. The earliest date for Zavragin is 2027-28. 96. MIKHAIL YEGOROV, 18, NEW JERSEY DEVILS Drafted 49th overall in 2024 Slow and steady is the right approach. Yegorov moved from the USHL to the NCAA [https://thehockeynews.com/ushl/former-omaha-lancer-comes-up-big-in-beanpot-tournament] mid-season and is sure to spend two more years at Boston University. If the Devils retain Jacob Markstrom beyond 2026, they can transition to Yegorov by 2028-29. 98. MARCUS GIDLOF, 19, NEW YORK ISLANDERS Drafted 147th in 2024 He’s looking like a gem of a fifth-round pick [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/new-york-islanders-prospect-goalie-marcus-gidlof-steal-2024-nhl-draft-sweden]. Gidlof already has the body type of an NHL goalie, he just needs time to grow into his frame. The Isles were very patient with Ilya Sorokin, letting him apprentice for six seasons post-draft. So it might be 2029 or 2030 for Gidlof. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This article [https://archive.thehockeynews.com/issue/683994/935120?t=BURNING%20FLAME] appeared in our 2025 Future Watch issue. Our cover story focuses on Ducks prospect Beckett Sennecke, who is tearing it up with the OHL's Oshawa Generals this season. We also include features on other exceptional NHL prospects, including: Zayne Parekh, Porter Martone, Gavin McKenna and more. In addition, we look at the top 10 prospects in the pipeline for each of the 32 NHL clubs. You can get it in print for free when you subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/Free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription?variant=41284791828614] today. All subscriptions include complete access to more than 76 years of articles at The Hockey News Archive.
