NHL Season Preview: 5 Candidates for AHL Graduates

NHL Season Preview (2016-17): 5 Players Looking to Graduate From AHL Ranks

Continuing our NHL season preview for 2016-17, we shift our focus to the minor ranks. Several promising prospects are lurking in the AHL (American Hockey League), including some of the game’s top young players.

For every Mikko Rantanen or William Nylander that graduates with expectations of producing immediately, there are usually a handful of unexpected performers. In 2015-16, we saw players such as Radek Faksa, Nick Paul, and Bryan Rust (among many others) emerge.

That brings us to today’s topic. Below we have identified 5 under the radar AHL players – some of which can be described as “fringe players” – that could impress this Fall and have an NHL impact in 2016-17.

2016-17 NHL Season Preview: 5 AHL Players Looking to Make Jump to NHL

Brandon Montour, Anaheim Ducks

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Montour, 22, was a 2nd round selection in 2014 from the USHL. He signed with the Ducks after one year of NCAA hockey with UMass-Amherst and had immediate success down the final 14-game stretch in 2014-15 posting 10 points with AHL Norfolk.

Joining new affiliate San Diego in 2015-16, Brandon led all rookie defenseman in scoring with 57 points in 68 games – only four points behind rookie scoring leader Austin Czarnik (Providence).

A right-handed shooting defender, Brandon loves to join the rush and get involved in the offense. His style of play is becoming less risky over time as his hockey sense continues to develop with better reads on when/when not to take chances.

Jakub Vrana, Washington Capitals

Sep 24, 2015; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Washington Capitals center Jakub Vrana (13) before the game against Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

While players such as Evgeny Kuznetsov and Andre Burakovsky disappeared in the playoffs for the Capitals, top prospect Jakub Vrana continued to produce down in Hershey after posting 34 points in 36 games during the regular season. Vrana scored eight goals, six assists (14 points) in 21 games helping lead the Bears to a Calder Cup Final appearance.

Selected 13th overall in 2014, don’t be surprised if the left-handed shooting center finds himself in a LW role with Washington this Fall. His only knock is inconsistency which leads to disappearing at times, but there’s no denying his elite skill-set. Creativity is hard to come by these days, and the Czech skating Vrana can be an exciting player to watch in the offensive zone.

Connor Brown, Toronto Maple Leafs

Mar 28, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Connor Brown (16) skates with the puck as Tampa Bay Lightning center Cedric Paquette (13) defends during the first period at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

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The focus in Leafs nation surrounds the likes of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner, Nikita Soshnikov, and Zach Hyman as the prospects expected to step up this Fall. There are however a number of other Leafs prospects that could also impress, one of which is Connor Brown.

A sixth round selection in 2012, Brown exploded for 128 points in his final year of junior with Erie (OHL). Many believed it had a lot more to do with linemates such as Connor McDavid, Dylan Strome, and Andre Burakovsky, but Brown quickly silenced his critics posting 61 points during his AHL rookie season in 2014-15.

The undersized winger saw slight improvement in 2015-16 with 29 points in 34 games for the Toronto Marlies. He also had nine points in 14 playoff contests. Connor made his NHL debut this past season and impressed with six points in seven games.

All of that success and production is directly related to Brown’s excellent work ethic. He’s the type of hard-nosed player that gives you full effort every night from shift-to-shift. His hard work and determination are intangible skills that will help propel him to the NHL level, and have success there.

Dominik Simon, Pittsburgh Penguins

Mar 15, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Dominik Simon (49) takes the ice to play the New York Islanders during the first period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Penguins won 2-1 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Simon was an overage selection of the Pens in 2015 (5th round) after he exploded onto the scene with a productive 2014-15 campaign in the Czech mens league. He immediately made the jump to North America in 2015-16 joining AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and had a productive rookie season. After a slow start getting adjusted, Dominik Simon finished the year with 25 goals (48 points) in 68 games.

Even though Dominik is slightly undersized at 5’11 175lbs, he still has a willingness to go into the dirty areas, corners, or drive the net and has some of that creative elusiveness that smaller players need to have success. There’s still some work to do in certain areas of his game, but those could be easily developed at the NHL level if Pittsburgh has room for him on the roster.

Kevin Fiala, Nashville Predators

Jan 16, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Nashville Predators left winger Kevin Fiala (56) warms up prior to the game against the Minnesota Wild at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports