Vegas Golden Knights: Top 10 prospects entering 2019
The Vegas Golden Knights have built an impressive prospect pool in two seasons. Let’s take a look at their top 10 prospects after the 2019 draft.
Usually, it takes a while for NHL expansion teams to put together a competitive team and a strong prospect pool. The Vegas Golden Knights failed to get that memo, as they’ve done both. Even though they’ve already traded two top-notch prospects in Nick Suzuki and Erik Brannstrom, their prospect pool is very solid.
Vegas has been a destination for younger players. They’ve taken chances in the draft and they’re already starting to pay off. Whether it’s as trade bait or as future players, the Golden Knights have a number of prospects who should give them value.
Before I begin, let me review my criteria. My definition of a “prospect” is pretty simple. Here are the requirements.
- Must be younger than 25 years old as of October 1, 2019
- No more than 25 NHL games in any season or 40 games over two seasons.
- I tend to be biased towards upside when evaluating prospects.
Let me give you some quick examples. Jimmy Schuldt is a prospect (though he’s 24 years old, so he won’t be one not for long). Alex Tuch, though he is just 22 years old, is not one. Neither is Valentin Zykov, as he played 28 games in the NHL last season.
I’ll separate the goalies from the skaters, as it’s much harder to project goalies than skaters.
Goaltenders
1. Isaiah Saville
Acquired: 2019 fifth-round pick
Age: 18 (turns 19 in September)
Stats: 34 games, 1.90 GAA, .925 save percentage (Tri-City Storm, USHL)
Am I being a bit bold putting a late-round pick from 2019 as the Golden Knights goaltender? Yeah, probably. But you know what? I don’t care. Isaiah Saville has a ton of talent and did extremely well in the USHL. He put up better numbers there than Spencer Knight.
The most impressive thing about Saville’s game is his ability to take away angles from shooters. Combined with his impressive agility when moving from post to post, I think Saville’s got a legitimate shot at being Marc-Andre Fleury’s eventual replacement. He probably wouldn’t crack the top 10 if I evaluated him with the skaters.
2. Dylan Ferguson
Acquired: 2017 seventh-round pick
Age: 20 (turns 21 in September)
Stats: 49 games, 3.01 GAA, .908 save percentage, 5 playoff games, 3.29 GAA, .887 save percentage (Kamloops Blazers, WHL)
Dylan Ferguson can already say he’s played in an NHL game. He did so as a 19-year-old. It went about as well as expected – badly. Ferguson isn’t big, but he’s got above-average positioning and his athleticism is better than you think.
He’ll be getting some time in the AHL this season. The Golden Knights like him a lot. I don’t agree with that assessment, but I think Ferguson has the tools to be an NHL backup. At worst, he should be a solid depth goalie.