AHL PIPELINE

• Last year

TOP 10 NHL PROSPECTS IN LAKE ERIE

1. Sonny Milano. Former first-round selection (No. 16 in 2014) performed well in his first pro season (54, 14-17-31 .574) and spent three games in the NHL. He is regarded highly, very fast and skilled.
2. Kerby Rychel. A big power winger with real ability and one of the most interesting prospects in the AHL. His season (37gp, 6-21-27 .730) included 32 NHL games with Columbus. Very likely his final season in the minors, he turned pro in 2014-15.
   
3. Oliver Bjorkstrand: An undersized skill winger, he spent some time in the NHL this season (12 games). His AHL offense (51gp, 17-12-29 .568) was solid but not eye popping, but his playoff numbers (17, 10-6-16) were outstanding. A legit NHL prospect.
4. Michael Paliotta. A giant (6.04, 212) defender with two-way
   skills. Another player who came over from Chicago with Brandon Saad, he
   had a fine year (68, 8-15-23 .338) in his first AHL campaign. He is 23, RHD,
   played in Vermont (NCAA) and this was his first pro season.
5. Josh Anderson: A big (6.03, 221) winger with significant skill, he went 58, 18-21-39 .672 in his second AHL season. He has a nice range of skills, could make it as a checker and maybe spend time on scoring lines. A fourth-round pick, 22 now, probably outperforming his draft number by a little.
6. Dean Kukan. Defender (6.02, 198) has two-way ability (33, 3-10-13 .394) and did get some NHL time this past season. At 22, the free agent signed out of Sweden appears to have a future.
7. Dillon Hetherington. A big blue (6.02, 220) who had a nice season (63, 3-16-19 .302) in his AHL debut. More of a throwback defender, he does have shutdown qualities according to scouting reports.
8. Anton Forsberg. Big goalie (6.03, 191) he is an aggressive keeper and owns an acrobatic style. No idea about pro future, but his .914SP during the year did not raise eyebrows. His postseason (.949) numbers no doubt had an impact on CBJ management.
9. Alex Broadhurst. A two-way center who had a fine year (60gp, 10-26-36 .600) and his ability to fill multiple roles suggests a possible future. Came over from Chicago in the Brandon Saad trade.
10. Markus Hannikainen. A former scoring winger in Finland (46 points in 60 games during 2014-15), Hannnikainen is a physical checking forward. He is 6.02, 189 and 23, his AHL numbers during the regular season (50, 7-13-20 .400) do not imply offensive success at higher levels.

TOP 10 PROSPECTS IN BAKERSFIELD

1. Jujhar Khaira took a step forward offensively in his second year in pro. He spent time with the  Oilers (15, 0-2-2) and improved markedly in the AHL with the Bakersfield Condors (49, 10-17-27 .551). Big, strong forward appears to have a future.
2. Josh Winquist is unsigned but had a fine season for the Condors in 2015-16. His 35gp, 8-22-30 .857 totals were far and away the best among Bakersfield forwards in points-per-game—and better than any of the Lake Erie prospects mentioned above. He is not signed and could be in another organization this fall.
3. Brad Hunt continued his ridiculous offense from the back end (57gp, 13-28-41) and found his way to the NHL for another 7 games. It is not certain he will return for another year, Oilers have Jordan Oesterle and Joey Laleggia who can fill his role.
4. Anton Slepyshev had an unusual first season as a North American pro. After making the big club out of camp (11, 0-1-1) he did not dominate with the Bakersfield Condors (49, 13-8-21 .429). Size and speed means he will get every chance to show his ability during his entry-level deal.
5. Laurent Brossoit established himself as a legit NHL prospect this past season. In Edmonton he struggled(5gp, 3.61 .873) but the young former Flames pick played well in Bakersfield (31, 2.66 .920). He may spend more time in the AHL again this year, but NHL minutes are also likely.
6. Griffin Reinhart improved over the season in both the NHL (29, 0-1-1) and AHL (30, 2-8-10 .333). He turned 22 during the season and 2016-17 will be a big one for him.
7. Jordan Oesterle enjoyed another productive season. The puck mover with great wheels caught n for a time with the Oilers (17, 0-5-5) courtesy a strong performance with the Condors (44, 4-21-25 .568). I imagine we will see him in the NHL quite a bit in the coming season.
8. Bogdan Yakimov had a strange year, and the truth is it would not surprise me to find out he planned on spending 2016-17 in the KHL. He did leap from one league to the other this past season, going 36, 5-10-15 .417 with Bakersfield before heading to Russia and Nizhnekamsk Neftekhimik (11, 3-1-4). A wild card for the coming year.
9. Dillon Simpson went 57gp, 4-16-20 .351 and the verbal from observers followed the typical Simpson storyline: Improved as the season went on, coach came to rely on him, people are surprised by his effectiveness. Every year is the same, the only question we have is how high can he go? There is a bit of a Brandon Davidson vibe about this player.
10. David Musil went 67gp, 3-11-14 .209 and remains an effective shutdown player at the AHL level. There was some surprise at the end of the season when the organization did not recall him for a look (Musil had played well in an audition the previous season) and that may telegraph his future with the team.

SUMMARY

• Even excluding Werenski, the CBJ have some impact prospects who are NHL-ready. Milano, Bjorkstrand and Rychel are strong candidates for employment and Paliotta plus Anderson are legit NHL prospects.
• Oilers list lacks a Milano or Bjorkstrand, but most of the names on the Bakersfield list are legit NHL prospects who could play a role on the big club in the future.
• Comparing the two teams from last season: Nick Shore (68 NHL games), Jordan Weal (14), Derek Forbort (14), Colin Miller (42), Brian O’Neill (22), Michael Mersch (17), Nic Dowd (5) and J-F Berube (1) got into NHL action in 2015-16. Total games: 183.
• The final OKC team sent the following men to the NHL from last year’s list: Anton Lander (61), Martin Marincin (65), Iiro Pakarinen (63), Andrew Miller (6), Brandon Davidson (51), Brad Hunt (7), Laurent Brossoit (5) and Jordan Oesterle (17). Total games: 275.