This article is part of our The Coming Thing series.
The NHL trade deadline has passed us by, and it was boring as all get-out, as basically no teams traded any meaningful prospects. I'm not here to talk about Zach Sanford or a potential Curtiz Lazar resurgence; instead, let's talk about some of the higher-end youngsters who've gotten the call recently.
Comings and Goings
Pavel Buchnevich, RW, NYR – The Russian rookie again finds himself in prime position here after getting recalled by the Rangers in advance of Thursday's game and then scoring a beautiful goal against Boston's Tuukka Rask. The bit of AHL action that Buchnevich has seen this year has resulted in five points in four games, and his NHL line of 16 in 27 certainly isn't bad for a kid whose progress was interrupted by back issues. He's also jumped right back into a premium line assignment – just another factor in Buchnevich's arrow pointing up.
Brandon Montour, D, ANA – Another repeat offender in this space, Montour got called back to the Ducks on Thursday and could be back in the lineup for Friday's game. As you're surely aware, he's been a destructive force on offense in the AHL, where he has 13 goals and 33 points alongside a plus-17 rating in 36 games for the Gulls. Montour isn't a regular in the lineup yet, obviously, but his time is coming.
Jordan Schmaltz, D, STL – As a guy who was drafted in the distant past (2012), Schmaltz may be an easy
The NHL trade deadline has passed us by, and it was boring as all get-out, as basically no teams traded any meaningful prospects. I'm not here to talk about Zach Sanford or a potential Curtiz Lazar resurgence; instead, let's talk about some of the higher-end youngsters who've gotten the call recently.
Comings and Goings
Pavel Buchnevich, RW, NYR – The Russian rookie again finds himself in prime position here after getting recalled by the Rangers in advance of Thursday's game and then scoring a beautiful goal against Boston's Tuukka Rask. The bit of AHL action that Buchnevich has seen this year has resulted in five points in four games, and his NHL line of 16 in 27 certainly isn't bad for a kid whose progress was interrupted by back issues. He's also jumped right back into a premium line assignment – just another factor in Buchnevich's arrow pointing up.
Brandon Montour, D, ANA – Another repeat offender in this space, Montour got called back to the Ducks on Thursday and could be back in the lineup for Friday's game. As you're surely aware, he's been a destructive force on offense in the AHL, where he has 13 goals and 33 points alongside a plus-17 rating in 36 games for the Gulls. Montour isn't a regular in the lineup yet, obviously, but his time is coming.
Jordan Schmaltz, D, STL – As a guy who was drafted in the distant past (2012), Schmaltz may be an easy prospect to forget, but the No. 25 pick in that draft went on to play three years of college pucks before graduating to the pros. His AHL returns have been impressive – over 113 games between this season and last, he's put up an assist-heavy 61 points. That production earned him his first NHL call-up Wednesday, and Schmaltz could slot into the lineup for his first game Friday. Between Schmaltz and Jaden Schwartz, the Blues have the most Yiddish-sounding team in the league. Just you wait until these mensches really start doing mitzvahs on the ice.
J.T. Compher, LW, COL – A destroyer of worlds alongside fellow top prospect Kyle Connor for the University of Michigan last year, Compher has had a solid AHL debut season with 30 points in 41 games. Now, with the Avalanche just playing out the string, he's up with the big team. Compher made his NHL debut Thursday, going minus-1 with a minor penalty and three hits – an indication that he may provide physicality for fantasy owners right away. However, he also skated just 11:13 and took no shots, which isn't as promising. Still, it's nice to see him getting this experience in now; the Avs would be well served to give him hefty ice time now and again to keep his development coming and see how he holds up.
Josh Ho-Sang, RW, NYI – The Isles' first-rounder in 2014, Ho-Sang also made his NHL debut Thursday, skating a hearty 17:01 (including 1:30 on the power play) and managing no points on two shots. The Isles really threw the 21-year-old Ontarian right into the fire, which may be a bit much for the kid even though he's picked up a solid 36 points in 48 AHL games in his first season as a pro. It could be that he'll stick on the second line for a bit, though, especially if he can find his way onto the scoresheet a few times.
Jakub Vrana, RW, WAS – Recently returned to the NHL, Vrana took his star turn Thursday, scoring the game's only goal in a 1-0 win over New Jersey. He just turned 21 earlier this week – the day of his recall, in fact – but Vrana has actually had a bit of a disappointing AHL campaign. He's played 36 games with Hershey, garnering 26 points; last season, Vrana picked up 34 points in an equal number of contests. Still, he's impressed with his performances in limited time with Washington, and it wouldn't be surprising to see the team look for ways to get him on the ice more often.
Prospect of the Week
Connor Hobbs, D, WAS – As a fifth-round pick by the Capitals in 2015, Hobbs hasn't garnered a lot of attention, but that's changing rapidly, which is what ripping off 27 goals and 73 points from the blue line in 57 WHL games will do for you. Hobbs was coming off a one-goal, 15-point season when the Caps drafted him, so he's sure come a long way in a short time. Of course, it doesn't hurt that he plays for the Regina Pats, far and away the WHL's best team, who are 44-10-7 this year and feature the two top scorers in the circuit (Sam Steel and Adam Brooks). But hey, Hobbs easily leads all of Regina's blueliners in offensive production, and he's just turned 20 years old. Just imagine when he gets to work with Alex Ovechkin on Washington's power play in a couple years.
