One Golden Knight Lands On The Athletic's Top 100 Drafted Prospects

Trevor Connelly was the lone Vegas Golden Knights prospect to land on Scott Wheeler of The Athletic's top 100 drafted prospects list.

Wheeler had Connelly ranked as the 43rd overall player, which was good enough for Tier 4 and as the sixth-ranked left-winger. 

Wheeler raved about Connelly's skill set and offensive capabilities. He mentioned the outstanding point totals he's produced over the years and how his current traits now will translate well to the NHL. 

Here's everything Wheeler said about the Golden Knights 2024 first-round pick.

"Connelly is a talented playmaking winger who has been highly productive and consistently flashed exciting individual skill over the last two seasons, with Tri-City in the USHL and for Team USA at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup (where he led the Americans in scoring with 10 points in five games on route to a bronze medal), the World Jr. A Challenge (where he again led the Americans with 11 points in six games on route to a bronze medal), and then at the under-18 worlds (where he made some pretty plays and scored a Michigan goal, but also had extended shifts of offensive zone time in a good pairing with LJ Mooney) before he was ejected from the gold medal game for an illegal check to the head. He's committed to Providence, where head coach Nate Leaman will have to help him with his decision-making and habits on the ice."

"Connelly’s a high-end talent who has room to develop physically and add strength, and whose slight build doesn’t hold back his shot (which uses a quick release to fool goalies, although his one-touch shots in the slot do often lack power) or his skating (which is really fast and pretty fluid even without the muscle/power that's coming). I like his work rate off of the puck. He possesses some of the best hands on this list, and his on-puck movement at speed, offensive-zone problem solving and touch as a passer all also get high grades as he regularly makes difficult skill plays in tight coverage and finds his way out of trouble or through traffic. He’s a dynamic one-on-one player who can turn defenders and goalies inside out with his hands and uses quick crossovers and a light skating stride to be agile on cuts, jumps and changes of direction. He's creative. He seems to have a really good understanding of how to deploy his skill and outsmart opposing structures. He's as comfortable playing off of his backhand as he is his forehand. He plays pucks under sticks and into space as well as anyone in his age group. And while he can try to do too much, force one-on-one plays into congested areas or be too cute, you live with it because of how often he makes something out of nothing. He’s not going to always be able to look for the pretty play as he progresses up levels but Connelly’s ability to beat players laterally and shake around and through coverage, combined with his playmaking sense, gives him top-six, PP1 NHL upside as a player."

Immensely talented, the Golden Knights will need to continue to make sure the character issues he's had in the past are completely in the past. As for his overall game, continuing to add muscle and develop his overall game is what he needs to do with Providence College next fall.

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