<\/p>\n
Cue the trumpets. Let the confetti fly. It\u2019s awards season.<\/p>\n
Many of hockey\u2019s top prospects have already closed out the 2022-23 campaign. Some are getting late-season call-ups, while others are basking in the extra relaxation time after a grueling season.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been an excellent year for fans of high-quality prospects. Connor Bedard alone captivated the hockey world for his exploits with the WHL\u2019s Regina Pats. We also saw tons of longstanding records broken across various leagues, and other players emerged from the shadows to become top-flight pieces of their teams\u2019 futures.<\/p>\n
So let\u2019s have some fun. Here are Daily Faceoff\u2019s first annual NHL prospect awards, looking at the best NHL-affiliated players at every position, and a few other fun nods:<\/p>\n
Other notables:<\/strong> Logan Stankoven (Dallas Stars), Logan Cooley (Arizona Coyotes)<\/em><\/p>\n What else is there to say about Jordan Dumais at this point? Drafted 96th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets last season, Dumais followed up a tremendous 109-point sophomore season by scoring 54 goals and 140 points with Halifax of the QMJHL this year. He was the only CHLer who could hang with Bedard all season long, and he finished 30 points clear of the next highest-scoring player in the QMJHL.<\/p>\n Despite that, Dumais missed out on Canada\u2019s World Junior Championship team, and there are still quite a few skeptical about what he\u2019s capable of at the next level. At 5-foot-9, he has to do much more than the average prospect to stand out. Frankly, I think he dealt with that requirement no problem, but now, what\u2019s next? With 240 points over the past two regular seasons, there isn\u2019t much more for Dumais to accomplish, but can he crack the Blue Jackets roster? It wouldn\u2019t hurt to give him a few games to start the year, head back to junior to play at the world juniors and see from there. But that\u2019s a question for another day. For now, we can just admire the special season Dumais had.<\/p>\n For the finalists, both were outstanding. Yet another dynamite season for Stankoven showed why he\u2019s one of the best in the game today. There\u2019s no doubt he\u2019ll make an immediate impact with the Stars next year. For Cooley, he had a very strong case for the Hobey Baker Award and was truly remarkable. It wouldn\u2019t surprise me at all if he became the best prospect from the 2022 draft class.<\/p>\n Other notables:\u00a0<\/strong>David Jiricek (Columbus Blue Jackets), Brandt Clarke (Los Angeles Kings)\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Most could agree that Hutson\u2019s offensive abilities were going to translate well to the college game but enough to break a 35-year-old record for the most points by a U-19 defenseman, while taking home a boatload of other honors? Not likely. Hutson did all that after getting taken 62nd overall by the Canadiens last year, a pick many \u2013 especially myself \u2013 believed to be way too low.<\/p>\n With Hutson leading the way with 48 points, Boston University qualified for the Frozen Four before ultimately losing out to the University of Minnesota. Hutson wasn\u2019t part of the Hobey Baker\u2019s Hat-Trick finalist shortlist but was named to the top 10. He was also named Hockey East Rookie of the Year, was runner-up for Hockey East\u2019s Player of the Year and was HE\u2019s tournament MVP. They started to run out of awards for the 19-year-old, who played well above his smallish frame to record one of the most remarkable draft+1 seasons by a defenseman in recent memory.<\/p>\n Hutson is heading back to BU for another shot at a national title. Given what we saw this year, the sky\u2019s the limit in 2023-24 \u2013 and beyond.<\/p>\n This was supposed to be a learning year for Jiricek in the AHL after coming over from his native Czechia. Instead, he emerged as one of the league\u2019s best blue-liners, one who looks capable of being a top-pairing option in the near future. Clarke, who started the year in the NHL but struggled to be a full-timer, finished the OHL regular season with 61 points in 31 games. It was easily one of the most dominant runs we\u2019ve ever seen, and he\u2019s still going strong in the playoffs.<\/p>\n Other notables<\/strong>: Devon Levi (Buffalo Sabres), Brandon Bussi (Boston Bruins)<\/em><\/p>\n At long last, Dustin Wolf finally got to make his NHL debut on Wednesday in Calgary\u2019s final game. The big question: Could Wolf had saved Calgary\u2019s season if the Flames had been willing to call him up sooner?<\/p>\n We\u2019ll never know, but once the Calgary Wranglers\u2019 season comes to a close, that should be the end of Wolf\u2019s time in the AHL. He simply has nothing else to prove. The 21-year-old won the AHL\u2019s Goaltender of the Year Award with Stockton last year and has followed it up with one of the best season-long performances we\u2019ve seen in decades. He\u2019s 13-0-1 in his past 14 starts and 41-9-2 with seven shutouts and an incredible .932 save percentage with the Wranglers this season, which is absurd. The Flames had Jacob Markstrom and Daniel Vladar and didn\u2019t want to budge on either, but Wolf could slide in to the No. 1 slot quite quickly next season if the Flames are able to move one of the veterans.<\/p>\n Levi\u2019s college accomplishment list is utterly ridiculous, and he capped it off by winning the Mike Richter Award as the top collegiate goaltender. We\u2019re already seeing what he\u2019s capable of with Buffalo, where he\u2019ll look to assume No. 1 duties next year. Then there\u2019s Bussi, who, after starting the year in the ECHL, took over as one of the best goaltenders in the AHL in a special year for the Bruins franchise. There\u2019s an argument for him to be in the NHL next year, but Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman have other plans.<\/p>\n Other notables:<\/strong> Marat Khusnutdinov (Minnesota Wild), Nikita Grebyonkin (Toronto Maple Leafs)<\/em><\/p>\n After Nikishin recorded just 12 points with Spartak Moskva a year ago, nobody could have seen the offensive explosion he was destined for in 2022-23. He joined SKA St. Petersburg, where he had 11 goals and 55 points in the regular season, far beyond the rest of the league\u2019s top defensemen. He finished second in scoring for SKA, which is impressive on its own.<\/p>\n There are questions about when the 21-year-old will come to the NHL, if ever. He\u2019s signed until 2025, so there\u2019s a bit of a waiting game here. Nikishin stands tall at 6-foot-4 and 216 pounds, and the offensive explosion was far beyond what anyone could have imagined. Now the Hurricanes will have to play the waiting game, and watching him pummel the competition has to make GM Don Waddell excited \u2013 if not overly jealous.<\/p>\n Other notables:<\/strong> Stanislav Svozil (Columbus Blue Jackets), Aatu Jamsen (Los Angeles Kings)<\/em><\/p>\n This one could have gone many different ways depending on how you value \u201cmost improved.\u201d Was it a late-round pick exceeding predictions? A player moving overseas and excelling? Someone jumping up a bit offensively?<\/p>\n In this case, here\u2019s a fourth-rounder in 2022 who was taken as an overager before becoming one of the best players in major junior. Lombardi had a decent 18 goals and 59 points in 67 games as a rookie in 2021-22 after missing the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19. This year? Lombardi potted 45 goals and recorded 102 points to finish third in league scoring. That\u2019s an improvement of 43 points, which is absolutely absurd.<\/p>\n Lombardi, 19, is already signed to his entry-level contract and is finishing off the year with the AHL\u2019s Grand Rapids Griffins. Now, Lombardi has emerged as one of Detroit\u2019s best prospects. Not everyone develops at the same rate, but Lombardi is excelling at the right time.<\/p>\n Connor Bedard received all the attention in Regina, but Svozil was the backbone of that blue line. He often controlled the pace of play and was used in all situations. The 69th pick from the 2021 NHL Draft looks like he could be something precious for the Blue Jackets in the coming years in what is shaping up to be quite the blue line.<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s Jamsen, a seventh-round pick by the Kings in 2020. He turned pro full-time this year and scored a remarkable 14 goals and 32 points in 43 regular-season games. No NHL-drafted player had more points or a better point-per-game average than Jamsen in the top Finnish league this year. The Kings have done an excellent job of drafting in the past few years, and this could be another slam dunk.<\/p>\n Some might wonder why Jiri Kulich isn\u2019t here. Sabres fans: There was no reason one of the best shooters from the 2022 class should have fallen to 28th overall. This was exactly the type of season I, and many others, expected. Kulich was one of the best international junior players on the planet last year, and a big reason for his lack of production can be boiled down to usage among U-18 players in European pro leagues. Smart NHL teams are willing to use their top young prospects as much as possible in the AHL. Maybe some couldn\u2019t see him hitting 45 points in the regular season, but compared to other truly MIP performances, this wasn\u2019t too crazy to predict before the season.<\/p>\n Other Notables:<\/strong> Adam Fantilli, Matvei Michkov<\/em><\/p>\n Well, duh.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nBest Defenseman: Lane Hutson (Montreal Canadiens)<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Best Goaltender: Dustin Wolf (Calgary Flames)<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Best European: Alexander Nikishin (Carolina Hurricanes)<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Most improved: Amadeus Lombardi (Detroit Red Wings)<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Best NHL Draft Prospect: Connor Bedard<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n