AHL TARGETS (EAST DIVISION)

OTTAWA (BINGHAMPTON SENATORS)

• L Shane Prince: Smallish winger with skill (49GP, 18-24-42 AHL) this is his third AHL season. Prince may be a ‘tweener’ who can’t score enough to keep a job on a skill line but he’s talented enough to get a legit shot in the next couple years.
• L Matt Puempel: Skill winger in his second AHL season, his offense (51GP, 12-20-32) is a little shy this season but he scored 30 last season in Bingo.
• C Jean-Gabriel Pageau: Young forward has played over 60 NHL games since arriving in pro hockey but can’t seem to establish himself in Ottawa. AHL numbers (27GP, 11-10-21) show his skill and he has a nice range of ability despite being undersized.

WASHINGTON (HERSHEY BEARS)

• D Connor Carrick: Young puck-moving defender having an impressive (52GP, 7-28-35) second pro season. Spent 34 games in the NHL last year. Smaller player.
• R Stanislav Galiev: Big winger with skill, he spent more than a year in the ECHL but is posting some nice numbers in the AHL this season (46Gp, 20-17-37) at age 22 (turned 23 in Jan).
• G Phillipp Grubauer: Enjoying a big season in the  AHL (35GP, 2.11 .923) and is very athletic. Has had a couple of cups of coffee in the NHL.

PHILADELPHIA (LEHIGH VALLEY PHANTOMS)

• RW Nick Cousins: Skill winger lacking size, he has good foot speed and is getting results (53GP, 17-31-48) in his second AHL season.
• C Scott Laughton: Wonderful prospect who is playing well in the AHL (17GP, 6-7-13) but not having a great deal of success in the NHL (31GP, 2-4-6) as a 20-year old rookie pro. It’s likely he’ll be in Philly for years but they have depth (and young depth) in the NHL so he might be available.
• L Taylor Leier: Classic example of a player who doesn’t impress visually but shows up in the right places, including the scoreboard. He was part of that powerhouse Portland Winter Hawks team 2011-14 and is posting solid AHL numbers (50GP, 13-13-26) as a rookie in the AHL. 

ANAHEIM (NORFOLK ADMIRALS)

• D Josh Manson: 6.03, 217 and the pedigree for a horror movie. He’s a very physical player doesn’t bring a lot of offense but on name alone he’s a curio.
• L William Karlsson: Swedish skill forward has been a terrific find for the Ducks. Great skater and passer, he’s 35GP, 7-14-21 in the AHL and has had some NHL time this year.
• C Nicolas Kerdiles: Smart, physical player with a range of skills. This is my favorite type of player, he could succeed in the NHL in several different ways. 49GP, 9-17-26 as an AHL rookie. 

PITTSBURGH (WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PENGUINS)

• G Matt Murray: You’d want to see this over a longer period, but lordy this guy’s AHL debut (.934 in 27 games) has to be mentioned. He was a good OHL goalie, spiked in his final year.
• D Brian Dumoulin: Big, mobile defender with enough skill and grit to be considered a really good prospect for the NHL. This is his third solid AHL season in a row and he has seen some NHL action.
• D Derrick Pouliot: A wonderful offensive prospect who is growing as a defender. Impressive with the puck, great passer and skater. I can’t imagine he’d be available for trade but might be the best prospect in the minors.