Patrick Williamstheahl.com writer
Last season, some of the AHL’s young talents are showing themselves this weekend in the NHL Prospects Championship.
Let’s break down some NHL organizations that will have familiar AHL names on the ice in the upcoming season.
Buffalo Saber (Rochester American)
Buffalo’s annual September Outlook Championships has become one of the most popular tournaments in the AHL, and Sabers fans will have many familiar Rochester names.
Rochester striker isak rose After 28 goals last season with the Amerks, he will skate. He then added five goals in eight playoff games, with Amicks playing in the North District final. Buffalo, who ranked 14th in the 2021 NHL draft, has already played three AHL campaigns behind him. Along with the Rose, there are top strikers Konsta Helenius and Anton Wahlbergeveryone broke into North American professionals with Rochester last season. Helenius, like Rosén, is a first-round draft pick, who provided 14 goals in 65 regular season games at the age of 18 in 2024-25. Wahlberg had just 19 last season, scoring 11 goals in 63 games with Rochester.
Join Saber, Boston Bruins, Columbus Blue Jacket, New Jersey Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins.
Carolina Hurricane (Chicago Wolf)
Make your mark with the wolf and move forward Bradly Nadeau The Florida Panthers at Wesley Church in Florida, the Carolina roster on the Nashville Predators and Tampa Bay Lightning.
Nado ranked 30th in the Hurricanes’ 2023 NHL Draft and quickly entered the professional game with Chicago last season. He surpassed all AHL rookies in 64 games, and he won the AHL All-Rookie team as well as the AHL top prospect team.
Chicago Blackhawks (Rockford Icehogs)
After the second-place Hawks in the 2024 NHL Draft, the Ministry of Defense Artyom Levshunov He spent most of his seasons with Rockford at the age of 19. Playing 52 games for Icehogs, he scored 22 points (5 goals, 17 assists). He also won 18 games with Chicago at the NHL level.
The Hawks are in St. Paul, Minnesota, with Tom Kurvers’ prospect display case and Minnesota wild and St. Louis Blues.
Detroit Red Wings (Grand Rapids Griffin)
Detroit’s lineup will have a heavy Grand Falls, playing two games against the Dallas Stars in Frisco, Texas.
Start with the defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka. He spent last season with Skellefteå in the Swedish Hockey League and then played two late-season games with Griffins. Detroit has made him the 17th pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.
Join him with a striker Michael Brandsegg-nygård and Nate Danielson. Brandsegg-nygård spent last season with Sandin-Pellikka and then gave a brief look with Griffins. The Red Wings made him the 15th pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. Danielson ranked ninth in 2023, scoring a 39-point rookie season in 2024-25.
Detroit will also have 2021 second round players Shai BuiumLast season, he performed well at the Grand Rapids Blue Line.
Bakersfield Condors
Two provincial battles with Calgary Flames will provide the highest prospect Matthew Savoie Another opportunity for the spotlight.
The Speed Car performed well last season, winning 54 points (19 goals, 35 assists) in 66 games and participating in the AHL All-Star Classic. After picking him ninth in the 2022 NHL draft, he came to the Edmonton organization in July 2024 with a contract with Buffalo.
Florida Black Panther (Charlotte Inspector)
The Panthers can resume action in less than three months in the Checkers’ six games against Abbotsford Canucks in the Calder Cup final.
Leaded by Checkers head coach Geordie Kinneardefender Marek Alscher and Mikulas Hovorka Providing professional experience forward Ben Steves and Brett Chorske With the defender Eamon Powell Later last season, everyone entered the Charlotte roster to play for the team’s playoffs. Will move forward in your hand Sandis Vilmanis After the first season with Charlotte.
Nashville Predator (Admiral Milwaukee)
Milwaukee’s solid presence will be in Florida, Nashville roster will be held in Florida Joakim Kemell And the defender Ryan Ufko.
Kemell was selected 17th by Nashville in the 2022 NHL Draft and has competed in 39 Calder Cup playoff games with Milwaukee in three seasons. Last season, he scored 40 points (19 goals, 21 assists) in 65 games in the Admiral. UFKO made quick adjustments to the professional game and led all Milwaukee Blue Line stores with 30 points (8 goals, 22 assists) when playing all 72 games for the Admiral.
New York Rangers (Hartford Wolf Pack)
Rangers travel to Pennsylvania every September to face the Philadelphia Flyingman at the PPL Center where the Lehigh Valley Phantom is located.
Two prospects are titled New York lineups. One is moving forward Brennan OthmannAfter two professional seasons, he tried to break through and earn a full-time NHL job. Ottoman split between New York and Hartford wolves last season; he scored 12 goals in 27 AHL games while also dressing up for the NHL game.
Second grade defender Scott Morrow In their return from Carolina, he won his debut in Carolina K’andre Miller Trading this summer. Morrow is a dangerous offense, scoring 39 points with the Wolves last season and joins Nadeau to join the top AHL prospects team.
Pittsburgh Penguins (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins)
Wilkes-Barry/Scranton list of several familiar names on the weekend in Buffalo.
Defensive players Irving PickeringHe represented Wilkes-Barre/Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the AHL All-Star Classic last February, and he will be on hand after being separated from the NHL and AHL over the past season. So move forward Ville KoivunenHis 56 points (21 goals, 35 assists) led to Wilkes Barry/Scranton scoring in 63 games. forward Tristan Broz 19 goals as rookie tied for Pittsburgh’s lineup, tied for third.
In the Internet Sergei Murashovhe showed great hope with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for a limited time, while also developing with Wheeling Nails.
San Jose Shark (San Jose Barracuda)
The Sharks will continue to lean heavily on the Barracuda to help them through the ongoing reconstruction process, and the talent will be on display in person at the Golden State rookie in Irving, California. Anaheim Ducks hosted the Shark and the King of Los Angeles.
Undrafted progress Collin Graf The Barracudas ended with 35 points (8 goals, 27 assists) in 40 games and scored 33 games against the Sharks. He will be with Pike Frequents in Irvine Filip Bystedt and Luca Cagnoni. Bystedt, a 2022 first-round draft pick, is a forward who scored 31 points in the 2024-25 Barracudas. Cagnoni tied for the AHL rookie lead with a 52-place (16 goals, 36 assists) defensive player in 64 games to win a spot on the AHL All-Rookie team.
Stone. Louis Bruce (Springfield Thunderbirds)
2024-25 Another member of the AHL’s top prospect team returns to the ice this weekend.
forward Dvorsky Will lead the Blues after 45 points (including 21 goals) in the Thunderbirds’ 64 games as rookie. He also participated in the AHL All-Star Classic. His busy seasons include representing Slovakia in the IIHF World Youth Championship and the IIHF World Championship, as well as two matches with Blues. St. Louis ranked 10th in the 2023 NHL Draft, and he was only 20 years old this June.
Utah Mammoth (Tucson Passerby)
Defensive players Maveric Lamoureuxselected as 29th in the 2022 NHL Draft, had a strong start with Tucson last season.
He played 42 games for the Roadrunners and won 15 games against Utah. The Mammoth also features the Las Vegas Golden Knights in the Colorado Avalanche game.
Vancouver Canucks
Calder Cup Champion Kirill Kudryavtsev and Jonathan Lekkerimaki Vancouver will be back on the ice when it faces Seattle Cleken in two games at Washington State this weekend.
Every player plays a key role as Abbotsford won the Vancouver organization’s first Calder Cup in June. Kudryavtsev played 21 of the 24 playoff games after a strong rookie season at the Abbotsford Blue Line. Lekkerimaki scored 19 goals in just 36 regular season games in Abbotsford. The forwards ranked 15th in the 2022 NHL Draft.
During the fifty years in the American Hockey League, Theahl.com writer Patrick Williams currently covers NHL.com and Flosports leagues and is a regular contributor to Siriusxm NHL New Network Radio. He won the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for his outstanding league coverage in 2016.
