AHL PIPELINE

TOP 10 NHL PROSPECTS IN MANCHESTER

1. Nick
   Shore, a two-way center graduated from the minors after 106 AHL games.
   He looks bona fide and should have an NHL future, especially considering
   NHL centers Mike Richards and Jarret Stoll may be heading out of LA.
2. Jordan
   Weal, a skill center who seems to improve ever season. Undersized but
   he has wheels, has enjoyed seasons of 70 and 69 points. He’ll be waiver
   eligible in the fall and has done everything he can in the minors.
3. Derek
   Forbert, 23-year old defender with size (6.04, 218) has two AHL seasons
   under his belt now and should be able to make the move to LAK. He
   skates well and should be able to play a shutdown defensive game in the
   NHL once he matures.
4. Colin Miller, 22-year old blue who took
   one giant leap forward this season. Righty defender saw his point total
   spike from 17 to 52 year over year and he’ll get every chance to make
   the grade this fall.
5. Brian O’Neill,
   skill RW from Yale. 26 years old, enjoyed a breakout season (80 points)
   and performed well in all areas. Probably needs an expansion draft but
   you never know.
6. Patrik Bartosak is an
   unusual and effective goalie WHL fans will remember. He posted at .919
   SP with Manchester this season in a backup role. 
7. Michael
   Mersch, a big (6.01, 225) winger who scored 45 points in his first full
   AHL season and then posted 13 goals in the playoffs. It’s absolutely
   possible he’ll be patrolling the RW for LAK and hammering opponents in
   the next two seasons.
8. Nic Dowd is a
   center, 25 years old and 6.02, 195. He’s a skill player who flourished
   in the playoffs (13 points in 19 games). I’m not sure where he played on
   the depth chart but it had to be below Weal and Shore so his
   opportunities early in the year may not have been strong.
9. J-F Berube, whose .913SP the last two seasons suggests he’s found the consistency that eluded him earlier in his career.
10. Justin
    Auger is a 6.07 229 pound winger who has raw skills and performed
    better than expected this season (29 points in 70 games). He’s some time
    away but is an actual giant on skates.

TOP 10 NHL PROSPECTS IN OKC

1. Anton
   Lander took most of four years to make the step to the NHL but his
   final 38 games were quality. Oilers will want to see it again but he
   looks like the real thing.
2. Martin Marincin’s NHL audition
   continued in 2014-15 and we’ll see WHERE he ends up but there’s enough
   talent with this player to suggest he’s worthy of consideration. 
3. Iiro
   Pakarinen is a 23-year old Finn with a nice range of skills. He’s good
   enough for a scoring line in the AHL and rugged enough for an
   checking/energy role in the NHL. Has a reasonable chance to grab a job
   in the NHL.
4. Andrew Miller, like O’Neill above enjoyed a breakout
   season but not to the same level (60 points instead of 80). Led the team
   in points, grabbed another pro contract and could have an NHL future.
5. Brandon
   Davidson is a capable two-way defender in the AHL and has been knocking
   on the NHL door for most of the last year. His ceiling may not be high,
   but an NHL audition during 2014-15 suggests he may make it as a role
   player. 
6. Brad Hunt is a 26-year old offensive defender who is an
   impact AHL player. Significant issues as an NHL defender but there’s a
   chance Todd McLellan grabs lightning in a bottle.
7. Laurent
   Brossoit is the best goalie prospect in the Oilers system since Devan
   Dubnyk, .918SP in lock step with Bartosak over more games.
8. Jordan
   Oesterle is a puck-moving college defender is a little older (22) than
   some of these other kids and has some chaos in his game. He did get a
   recall to the NHL as a rookie pro.
9. David Musil’s skills imply
   third pairing and he’s matriculating toward that goal in the AHL. A
   quick cup of coffee late in the season showed he has the chops, and that
   he needs a little more time.
10. Bogdan Yakimov is a 20-year
    old center with size (6.05, 232) and enough skill as an AHL rookie (28
    points in 57 games) to suggest he could be an NHL player above the
    4line.

SUMMARY

• The Kings have
  more players who will push for immediate employment in 2015-16
• Edmonton
  has more kids on the farm who aren’t playing key roles but could emerge
  in the next few seasons. 
• Edmonton has high draft picks like Mitchell Moroz they didn’t trust with any real role in their first season. That’s a tell about organizational decision-making and it’s not a good tell. Put another way, play the damn kids!
• Edmonton had five men 29 or over playing
  significant roles during portions of the year, Manchester three. There’s
  a lesson there, too.