Twenty-three of the thirty-two NHL teams are represented in the recently-published rankings of the top 50 Affiliated Prospects by TSN chief analyst Craig Button. When Button publishes prospect reports, I tend to pay particular attention. Not only was he the Calgary Flames’ general manager from 2000-2003, he spent many years in other NHL front offices around the league, always in player personnel capacities.
With respect to the league’s Canadian teams in Button’s rankings, Montreal is the leader, boasting four prospects in its pool. The Canadians are tied for most in the NHL as well, as Utah, Detroit, and San Jose also have four on the list.
Per these rankings, Utah has the league’s best prospects. The Mammoth have the top-ranked player (the WHL’s Tij Iginla), to go with the QMJHL’s Caleb Desnoyers at #9 and the AHL’s Dmitri Simashev at #22. Detroit is a close second, having 3 of the top 27 prospects. Two of these three are goaltenders Trey Augustine (#5) and Sebastian Cossa (#19), a very good omen for future playoff runs. Speaking of goaltending prospects, originally occupying #3 in these rankings is Montreal goaltender Jacob Fowler. As the Canadians’ projected goaltender of the future was (and still is) rostered with the big club at the time these rankings were published, he does not appear on this list.
Although Fowler is absent from these rankings due to his NHL playing status, the opposite can be said of Washington d-man Cole Hutson (#7). Hutson was still with Boston University when these rankings were released, but is now with the Caps. Similar to Hutson, top Boston prospect James Hagens (#11) fits this situation as well. Hagens is still with Boston College for now, but the latest word is that he will sign with the Bruins at the conclusion of the Eagles campaign. Dean Letourneau (#13), Hagens’ fellow Bruins prospect, as well as his Boston College teammate, is expected to return to BC for his junior season.
The final things sticking out to me on this list were the presence of Tampa Bay, and Chicago’s continuing development of young players. The Lightning have been among the league’s best teams for over a decade, yet they continue to churn out top prospects. This season is no different, as forward prospects Sam O’Reilly and Benjamin Rautiainen sit at #33 and #36, respectively.
With respect to the Blackhawks, prospect Anton Frondell (#2) is set to join a bevy of young forwards in Connor Bedard, Sacha Boisvert, Nick Lardis, Oliver Moore and Frank Nazar. Constantly compared to Florida’s #1 pivot Sasha Barkov, his arrival in Chicago cannot come soon enough for Blackhawks’ fans. It is still unknown whether he plans to relocate to North America at the end of this season or the beginning of 2026-27.