While the occupants in the Top 10 haven’t changed much, their order has shifted a bit while the remainder of the Top 32 has seen drastic movement with the expansion of the ranks to 50. With the NHL Draft just over 2 months away, the TCB Draft and Prospect crew is refining our rankings and ultimately gearing up towards a final Top 100 release.
The OHL season was a complete wash, meaning the U18 Worlds was the first chance to see prospects from that league this season.
Many players saw their draft stock rise considerably with the good publicity the tournament drew. For instance, Belarus’ Danila Klimovich, went from being a likely undrafted prospect to someone who could get their name called this July.
In addition to Klimovich, players like Finland’s Aleksi Heimosalmi and Canada’s Olen Zellweger opened up scouts’ eyes as potential targets in the 2nd and 3rd rounds of the draft.
It has been a challenging but fun year for scouting these prospects and the rankings below are sure to have further changes between now and our final rankings release in the TCB Draft Guide coming in early July.
The biggest risers from the April Rankings were forwards Logan Stankoven (+13) and Fyodor Svechkov (+14) while Zachary L’Heureux and Aatu Räty both dropped 15 places.
Of note, three goaltenders are a part of the Top 50, with two of them receiving 1st round consensus grades from the TCB crew.
The analysis for this article and subsequent TCB Draft Rankings are going to be intentionally brief as we make progress on the 2021 TCB NHL Draft Guide. The Guide will have in depth analysis of all the prospects listed below and is slated for a July release prior to the draft.
*Change in rankings from April release is noted in parenthesis. NR means player was not ranked in Top 32 in April*
TCB Top 10
1. (+1) Matthew Beniers | C | Michigan | NCAA – Taking over the top spot for now is Matty Beniers who was recently selected to represent Team USA at the IIHF World Championship coming up in a week. Beniers will get a chance to showcase his great skill set against NHL level talent and perhaps make an even stronger case to be taken 1st overall in July.
2. (-1) William Eklund | LW | Djugardens IF | SHL – Eklund drops a single spot but make no doubt, the TCB crew is very high on this Swedish prospect. Eklund will also be attending the World Championship, representing Team Sweden and is expected to do well after already facing professional competition all season long in the SHL.
3. Brandt Clarke | RD | Nove Zamky | Slovakia – Clarke put some of his skeptics to rest with his sound play for Canada at the U18 World Tournament, scoring 7 points (2 goals, 5 assists) in 7 games. The offensive minded right shot defender is looking like a lock to finish in the Top 5 of our rankings.
4. (+1) Luke Hughes | LD | US U18 | USDP – Considering the fact that Hughes is days away from being eligible for the 2022 draft, it’s actually remarkable at how high he ranks here. It also speaks to how much potential he has to develop his game even more. Hughes is an excellent skating 2-way defender who deserves consideration of a Top 5 pick.
5. (-1) Dylan Guenther | RW | Edmonton | WHL – Guenther didn’t slow down at the U18 World Tournament after his truncated WHL season. Scoring 7 points (4 goals, 3 assists) in 7 games, Guenther was a big part of Canada taking home the Gold Medal and has room to rise up the ranks even higher because of his immense potential to be an all around offensive threat.
6. (+2) Fabian Lysell | RW | Luleå HF | SHL – The U18 World Tournament was a great showing by Lysell who scored 9 points (3 goals, 6 assists) in just 7 games. An electric player who dazzles at times, Lysell is locking himself into the Top 10 and could very well threaten to break the Top 5 in our Final rankings.
7. (-1) Owen Power | LD | Michigan | NCAA – As Owen Power makes headlines as the consensus #1 pick among NHL scouts, the TCB crew has remained steady in keeping Power outside of the top 5. This isn’t so much an indictment on Power as it is the talent currently ranked ahead of him but Power will have an opportunity to change our minds one last time with his participation at the World Championship for Team USA.
8. (-1) Jesper Wallstedt | G | Luleå HF | SHL – Not much has changed with Wallstedt in our eyes as he is every bit a Top 10 talent in this class. Whether he gets selected in that range is yet to be seen but the star goaltender is worth taking there for sure. Wallstedt’s 2.23 GAA and .908 Save % in 22 SHL games was an impressive feat this past season and make him an elite goaltending prospect.
9. (+5) Simon Edvinsson | LD | Frölunda | SHL – Edvisson is a towering and good skating defenseman who has drawn comparison to Victor Hedman. Edvinsson showed well at the U18 worlds and impressed us enough to jump 5 spots and crack the Top 10 in this version of the rankings.
10. (-1) Kent Johnson | C | Michigan | NCAA – Kent Johnson remains just in the Top 10 and likely doesn’t rise up considering the competition ahead of him and nipping at his heels. The Michigan forward is very creative with the puck with some goal scoring prowess who looks like a solid get in the Top 10.
Ranks 11-32
11. (+5) Mason McTavish | C | Olten | SL
12. (-1) Cole Sillinger | C | Sioux Falls | USHL
13. Chaz Lucius | C | US U18 | USDP
14. (+4) Brennan Othmann | LW | Olten | SL
15. (+4) Simon Robertsson | RW | Skellefteå AIK | SHL
16. (+13) Logan Stankoven | RW | Kamloops | WHL
17. (+14) Fyodor Svechkov | LW | Ladia | MHL
18. (-8) Carson Lambos | LD | Winnipeg | WHL
19. (+6) Nikita Chibrikov | RW | St. Petersburg | KHL
20. (-5) Sasha Pastujov | LW | US U18 | USDP
21. (-1) Oskar Olausson | LW | HV71 | SHL
22. (+1) Francesco Pinelli | C | Jesenice | AlpsHL
23. (+4) Isak Rosén | LW | Leksands IF | SHL
24. (-2) Xavier Bourgault | C | Shawinigan | QMJHL
25. (NR) Mackie Samoskevich | C | Chicago | USHL
26. (+2) Zachary Bolduc | C | Rimouski | QMJHL
27. (-15) Aatu Räty | C | Kärpät | Liiga
28. (+4) Matthew Coronato | LW | Chicago | USHL
29. (-8) Stanislav Svozil | LD | Kometa Brno | Extraliga
30. (NR) Sebastian Cossa | G | Edmonton | WHL
31. (-7) Corson Ceulemans | RD | Brooks | AJHL
32. (-15) Zachary L’Heureux | C | Halifax | QMJHL
Ranks 33-50
33. Zach Dean | C | Gatineau | QMJHL
34. Dylan Duke | C | US U18 | USDP
35. (-9) Daniil Chayka | LD | CSKA Moskva | KHL
36. Ayrton Martino | LW | Omaha | USHL
37. Samu Tuomaala | F | Kärpät U20 | U20 SM-sarja
38. Sean Behrens | LD | US U18 | USDP
39. Ryder Korczak | C | Moose Jaw | WHL
40. (-10) Scott Morrow | RD | Shattuck St. Mary’s | USHS
41. Brett Harrison | C | KOOVEE U20 | U20 SM-sarja
42. Aleksi Heimosalmi | RD | Ässät | U20 SM-sarja
43. William Strömgren | LW | MODO | Allsvenskan
44. Prokhor Poltapov | RW | Krasnaya | MHL
45. Brent Johnson | RD | Sioux Falls | USHL
46. Olen Zellweger | LD | Everett | WHL
47. Tristan Broz | LW | Fargo | USHL
48. Evan Nause | LD | Quebec | QMJHL
49. Benjamin Gaudreau | G | Sarnia | OHL
50. Jack Peart | LD | Fargo | USHL
*The TCB Consensus Rankings were compiled by our Prospect/Draft Group Below*
- Curtis Schwartzkopf (@CurtisNHLDraft)
- Austin Broad (@Austin_Broad)
- Walt Zurowski (@Sabremetrix)
- Joe Marino (@JoeTCBNHL)
- Paul Zuk (@Paulzuk81)
