NHL Draft Rankings: Top 5 Prospects in the Pacific Division
A comprehensive list of the Top 5 prospects who have been recently selected in the NHL Draft and now reside in the Pacific Division.
The NHL’s Pacific Division is often overlooked by mainstream hockey media and fans alike. However the team’s on the west coast have an impressive bunch of prospects who are worth staying up late to tune in for.
After an underwhelming couple of years by many of the Pacific Division teams it isn’t that much of a surprise to find out that these clubs have had high draft picks and brought in some high-caliber players in recent years in the hopes of turning their franchises fortunes around.
It’s only a matter of time before we start hearing about these names often in conversations about the Calder Trophy and other accolades awarded to young skaters throughout the league. Especially with teams shifting to relying on younger skaters with cheaper deals.
In most of these cases the skaters named have yet to play a game in the NHL, which means that they haven’t burned a year of their entry-level deals. To clarify a team uses a year of a players entry-level deal if they skate in more than 9 NHL games (playoffs included) in a single season. However there are a couple of examples of players who have already made their way into the pro ranks of North America.
But that isn’t the case for the first name on this Top 5 countdown considering he was just recently selected in the 2019 NHL Draft.
Alex Turcotte
Drafted – 2019 5th Overall, LA Kings
Position – C
Attributes – L, 5’11, 185 lbs
Los Angeles desperately needed some depth up the middle inside their organization, so drafting Alex Turcotte at number 5 in the 2019 NHL Draft made perfect sense for the lowly Kings of southern California. The 18-year-old’s superior hockey sense with flashy scoring touch should translate nicely into today’s NHL.
The native of Illinois spent the last two seasons in US National Team Developmental Program logging huge minutes with some of the country’s top talent. Known for his stellar two-way game, Turcotte is what “hockey men” would like to refer to as a “200 foot player”. However he has also shown a knack for making plays and producing offense at a consistent level.
Throughout his time skating for the U18 group Alex Turcotte compiled 30 goals and 58 helpers in 56 games, per eliteprospects. Playing against a variety of International, NCAA, and Junior level competition.
Turcotte hasn’t just exhibited an ability to play in all situations, skate alongside elite talent, and produce at a consistent level the future Badger showed that he can perform in big moments. Like at the WJC-18 where he put up 9 points in 7 games during a tournament where the U.S. placed 3rd.
We likely won’t get to see Turcotte next year at the NHL level considering his commitment to the University of Wisconsin next season. Nevertheless Kings fans can be relieved to know that they have a two-way center inside their farm system capable of clocking big minutes in the NHL.
Trevor Zegras
Drafted – 2019 9th Overall, Anaheim Ducks
Position – CW
Attributes – L, 6’0, 170 lbs
The Ducks added another impressive prospect to their already deep system by selecting Trevor Zegras at 9th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft. The 18-year-old brings a lot to the ice and will certainly be a welcomed addition to an Anaheim squad looking to turn things around in the near future.
Regarded for his strong skating ability and high offensive upside the kid from New York made a name for himself playing for the US National Team Developmental Program U18 squad where he potted 26 goals with 61 assists in 60 games against a mix of Junior, NCAA, and International competition.
Zegras excels in many parts of the game and definitely has NHL ready skill, which is what obviously attracted the Ducks to the dynamic centerwinger. However he doesn’t quite have the type of frame to play in the NHL just yet, especially in the heavy Pacific Division.
Nevertheless Zegras’ game will likely convert to the pro level with relative ease, especially when you take into account the level of tenacity he brings to the ice, his exceptional play-making ability and wide variety of ways to put the puck in the net.
He was often overshadowed by Jack Hughes in recent years but now he’ll be leaned on as the offensive catalyst for a Boston University team trying to keep the momentum of their programs turnaround going heading into 2019 – 2020.
Vasily Podkolzin
Drafted – 2019 10th Overall, Vancouver Canucks
Position – RW
Attributes – L, 6’1, 190 lbs
While a team like the Ducks have a significant amount of depth within their prospect ranks the Canucks are a bit more top heavy when it comes to overall talent. One of these talented players drafted in recent years is 10th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft Vasily Podkolzin.
The Russian born skater is a prototypical power forward that teams convet. Playing along the boards, creating havoc in front of the net, and making opponents pay attention when trekking across open ice. Podkolzin’s authoritative stride pushes through opponents sticks and attempted checks allowing Vasily to transition the puck through all three zones with ease.
Not only is he extremely effective on offense the 18-year-old is also a force on defense. His 6’2 190 lbs frame grants him the ability to take skaters off the puck, win battles along the boards, and in general be an obstacle a shooter and a goalie has to deal with when aiming towards the net. When playing against Junior level competition pairing these factors with his high level skill, Podkolzin can make the game of hockey look easy at times.
However this will likely be put to the test next season considering the kid will be playing in the KHL for the SKA St. Petersburg. Nevertheless, Podkolzin will likely benefit from the consistency of a full regular season, which is something he has lacked in the past year of his hockey development.
It’s likely we will not seeing Podkolzin in the NHL for a while, but Canucks fans should feel confident that the power forwards style of play will transition well into the NHL, especially the Pacific Division.
Quinn “Quintin” Hughes
Drafted – 2018 7th Overall, Vancouver Canucks
Position – D
Attributes – L, 5’10, 170
The prospect on this list likely to make the most impact on their current team this upcoming season is the number seven overall in the 2017 NHL Draft Quintin Hughes. The 19-year-old defender will play a huge role in Vancouver’s forced renaissance in 2019 – 2020.
Unlike the forwards where teams are shifting to bigger players nowadays a prototypical defenseman is on the smaller side who are excellent skaters, can make a smart first pass out of their own zone, and jump into the play on offense if need be. Hughes checks every single of these boxes.
A player renown for his vision and hockey sense. Hughes see’s the game at a different pace than the other skaters on the ice. A sixth sense for the ebb and flow of play which gives him the patience to find open areas of the ice, discover passing lanes, and fire pucks through net front screens.
Hughes is another player coming out of the USA National Team Developmental Program but has most recently spent time at the University of Michigan where he averaged nearly a point per game (0.89) from the blue line in his two seasons as a Wolverine.
The dynamic defenseman will likely be clocking big minutes next season for the Canucks on 5v5 and the powerplay. Look out for Hughes’ name included in Calder Trophy discussion for a bulk of the 2019 – 2020 campaign.
Cody Glass
Drafted – 2017, 6th Overall, Vegas Golden Knights
Position – C
Attributes – R, 6’2, 185
The first ever selection in Golden Knight’s franchise history at 6th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft, Cody Glass appears ready to finally make his presence known at the pro level.
A 5 tool skater capable of playing in all situations. Glass uses his exceptional vision and brilliant edge work to navigate to the open areas of the ice where he’s able to filter the puck into dangerous net front areas. Not only is he a world-class playmaker, The 20-year-old is also equipped with a deceptively lethal shot that can fool any potential blocker and netminder looking to get in front of the puck.
Glass has blown the lid off just about every league he’s competed in, including last year for the Knights AHL affiliate during the Calder Cup Playoffs where he tied for the most points scored by a Chicago Wolves skater with 15.
Prior to this the centerman averaged 1.68 PPG in his previous two seasons playing in the WHL for the Portland Winterhawks. Getting trusted to play in every crucial situation for Coach Mike Johnston while also playing riding alongside Sharks prospect Joachim Blichfeld.
Shorthanded!! Vegas prospect Cody Glass #VegasBorn second goal of the game and good assist from Sharks prospect Joachim Blichfeld.https://t.co/i0hkONMy79https://t.co/SGFahSQg8D
— Elite Prospects (@eliteprospects) October 11, 2018
#SJSharks #WHL pic.twitter.com/4MdXxbV8iG
It’s looking more and more likely that Glass will be making his way onto Vegas’ depth chart next season. He’s going to relied on to help supplement a bottom six portion of their roster that is lacking high-caliber scoring talent. Don’t be surprised if we hear his name in the Calder Trophy discussions in the next coming season, as well as Hughes who was mentioned previously.
It’s not really all that surprising seeing the teams on this list having so many star level prospects within their farm system considering where these teams have selected in the NHL Draft in recent years.
Related Story. Sharks Prospect Perspective: Mario Ferraro. light
Regardless it’s good to have this level of talent out on the West Coast and gives the mainstream hockey media absolutely no excuse not to tune into these often late night games. Perhaps the more attention turned out west the more convinced the NHL can be that Pacific Division teams are wroth slotting into the national spotlight.