Vegas Golden Knights are No. 22 in 2025 NHL prospect pool rankings

Welcome to Scott Wheeler’s 2025 rankings of every NHL organization’s prospects. You can find the complete ranking and more information on the project and its criteria here, as we count down daily from No. 32 to No. 1. The series, which includes in-depth evaluations and insight from sources on nearly 500 prospects, runs from Jan. 8 to Feb. 7.

The Vegas Golden Knights injected some skill into their pool by selecting Trevor Connelly in the first round in 2024, but that boost was also offset by trading David Edstrom and aging out a couple of others. The end result is a pool that ranks in about the same spot it has (22nd or 23rd) for the last four years.

I thought about ranking them a couple of slots lower as well. If there were tiers for the actual pools themselves, the Golden Knights would represent the last team in the league’s bottom tier of pools (teams 32-22).

2024 prospect pool rank: No. 23 (change: +1)

1. Trevor Connelly, LW, 18 (Providence College)

Connelly is a talented playmaking winger who has been highly productive and consistently flashed exciting individual skill over the last two and a half seasons with Tri-City in the USHL, for Team USA at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup (where he led the Americans in scoring with 10 points in five games en route to a bronze medal), the World Jr. A Challenge (where he again led the Americans with 11 points in six games en route to a bronze medal) and the under-18 worlds (where he made some pretty plays and scored a Michigan goal, but also had extended shifts of offensive-zone time in a good pairing with LJ Mooney) before he was ejected from the gold medal game for an illegal check to the head, and to a lesser extent at Providence and the World Juniors this year.

Connelly is a high-end talent who has room to develop physically and add strength, and whose slight build doesn’t hold back his shot (which uses a quick release to fool goalies, although his one-touch shots in the slot do often lack power) or his skating (which is really fast and pretty fluid even without the muscle/power that’s coming). I like his work rate off the puck. He possesses borderline elite hands and his on-puck movement at speed, offensive-zone small-area skill and touch as a passer all also get high grades as he regularly makes difficult skill plays in tight coverage and finds his way out of trouble or through traffic. He’s a dynamic one-on-one player who can turn defenders and goalies inside out with his hands and uses quick crossovers and a light skating stride to be agile on cuts, jumps and changes of direction. He’s creative. He’s as comfortable playing off his backhand as he is his forehand. He plays pucks under sticks and into space as well as anyone in his age group. And while he can try to do too much, force one-on-one plays into congested areas or be too cute, you live with it because of how often he makes something out of nothing. The big developmental leap he’ll have to make is in his decision-making and discipline. He’s not going to always be able to look for the pretty play as he progresses up levels but Connelly’s ability to beat players laterally and shake around and through coverage, combined with his playmaking sense, gives him top-six, PP1 NHL upside as a player.

2. Mathieu Cataford, C/RW/LW, 19 (Rimouski Oceanic)

The reigning QMJHL MVP and a member of the Canadian World Junior team in Ottawa, Cataford is a versatile and quietly powerful player who can, and has, played all three forward positions and stood out at Vegas’ rookie tournament in L.A. in the fall. He has also had success both as a skilled play creator for his line or as a complementary give-and-go type who can play with skilled players and get after it. His understanding of how to play and read off his linemates is arguably his biggest strength, and it’s complemented by a good feel on the puck and a heady use of spacing. Add in above-average tools as a passer and shooter (though his skill is not high-end), an effective game in the dirty areas, a solid work rate and a willingness to compete and battle, and there’s not a lot to dislike. He’s also strong in the faceoff circle. For a 5-foot-11 player, he has some real strength and drive to his game as well. He doesn’t have a star quality, but he looks like he’s potentially got the makings of an everyday third-liner who can chip in in a variety of ways.

3. Carl Lindbom, G, 21 (Henderson Silver Knights)

Eventually, a goalie starts to play well enough, for long enough, at enough levels that you can’t ignore the results. And it’s easier to get on board when they’re 6-foot-4, obviously. But more and more goalies in the 5-11 to 6-1 range are emerging as well, and Lindbom looks poised to be another recent success story. Two seasons ago, outside of one tough start in the bronze medal game at the World Juniors (where he was named one of the team’s top three players) against Team USA, Lindbom was tremendous, winning HockeyAllsvenskan goalie of the year and rookie of the year to backstop Djurgarden to within one game of promotion with stellar numbers. Last year, on loan to Färjestad so that he could play in the SHL (where he belonged), Lindbom was again good, winning the majority of the starts in a tandem with veteran Max Lagacé. And this season, he has again played well as a rookie in the AHL, outperforming the more experienced Akira Schmid on a bad Henderson team.

He has quick hands (a great glove hand in particular, but also a good blocker) and shoulders reacting to shots. He has quick feet. He always seems set in his stance before shots are taken. Despite his quickness, he’s not busy in the net. Few shots beat him down low because of how fast he gets in and out of his butterfly. He holds his edges well and doesn’t go down until he has to. Ultimately, he has the right blend of control and athleticism and looks like he’s on a very good trajectory for being the third-last pick in the 2021 draft. I expect him to be an NHL goalie.

4. Lukas Cormier, LHD, 22 (Henderson Silver Knights/Vegas Golden Knights) 

Cormier ranked 28th on my draft board when Vegas selected him 68th in 2020 and I’ve liked him since, even though he hasn’t yet made it full-time (minus one blip at Canada’s selection camp for the World Juniors in Calgary, he has looked good whenever I’ve watched him across levels over the years), including on a poor Silver Knights team as one of the younger defensemen in the AHL last year and the year before. He also got into two NHL games last season and registered his first assist.

He was an absolute force in the QMJHL for his last two seasons there, emerging as one of junior hockey’s best players regardless of position. He has also looked comfortable at the AHL level, which is not an easy thing at his age and size. He’s a power-play quarterback, he was an adept penalty killer in junior, he has been proficient at five-on-five at every level he has played at, and his statistical profile is projectable (players who’ve done what he has almost always hit).

With the puck, he drives play to high-danger areas as a playmaker to look to create chances for himself and to regularly put pucks through layers to his teammates. Without the puck, he has learned to play a disruptive and increasingly competitive/feisty game defensively.

He has also grown two inches since he was drafted and is now listed at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds. He can occasionally chase a little too much in his own zone, losing players behind him in coverage, but I’m a fan of most of the rest of his game. He has NHL hands in transition, under pressure and across the offensive-zone blue line, rotating and pivoting in and out of lanes to get open or make space for himself. He doesn’t back down from physical engagements despite his size. He can serve as a fourth forward at times and plays with the appropriate restraint in distribution and on breakouts when the game tightens. His approach is aggressive and he has the skill to execute when he tries to make something happen offensively, but he rarely makes poor decisions or attacks without support. When he’s sliding down the wall to make plays in the offensive zone, stopping up to evade forecheckers in the defensive zone, pulling pucks past and around opposing players in neutral ice and attacking off the line, it’s impressive to watch.

It’ll take the right coach to believe and trust in him at the NHL level, as is always the case with smaller defensemen, but I see him becoming a No. 5 at five-on-five and a PP2 QB. I think there’s a chance he’s never allowed to become that and is made to be a square peg in a round hole as a AAAA call-up type but it’s not my job to rank based on the way others see him.

5. Pavel Moysevich, G, 20 (SKA St. Petersburg)

After playing just 18 games to mixed results across four teams two years ago, Moysevich, a Belarusian netminder who turned 20 in September, really took off with SKA at both the VHL and KHL levels last year to get drafted in the third round as an overager. This season, he has made the jump to the KHL, where he has played well for SKA in a bit of a three-goalie tandem.

He’s got ideal size (almost 6-foot-5), he’s decently mobile, he reads and tracks pucks quite well and his technique and habits are good. There are times when I’ve seen him frozen or a little slow into his butterfly/recoveries, but he’s a solid prospect. If he keeps it up, he’ll eventually get signed and come over. It’s always a bit of a long game with Russian goalies, though.

6. Matyas Sapovaliv, C, 20 (Henderson Silver Knights)

A fascinating project with some really standout attributes, Sapovaliv’s numbers in the OHL (just above a point per game on a Saginaw team that was deep down the middle and spread that depth out in their usage) never told the full story of his appeal as an NHL prospect. He has had a fine rookie season on a poor Silver Knights team as well.

The thing that stands out most about Sapovaliv is his unique ability in puck protection out wide to his body. He has great hands but more importantly has mastered the art of keeping defenders off his hip, shielding pucks, hanging onto pucks and using his length to drive extended sequences inside the offensive zone and wait for a passing lane to open up for himself.

He’s never in a rush to get rid of the puck and commonly hangs onto it to make a slow play, whether spinning off inside the offensive zone or just holding it off his hip out of reach of defenders with his stick long enough for the player to move off him so that he can make his play. He understands how to hold positioning and use his body (even in his upright skating stance) to create advantages. He’s good below the goal line making plays low to high and the puck seems to find him inside the offensive zone (he’s much better there, when the game slows down, than he is off the rush, where he has to slow it down).

He can play on the perimeter a little too much, though, always trying to slow the game down and often waiting too long to make a play, and he’s not a dynamic finisher or skater, which makes him less productive than he is attention-grabbing. Still, he’s a big center who has begun to fill out, he’s good in the faceoff circle and he plays a smart and supportive game defensively. With a little more finishing touch and quicker acceleration gear, he might become something interesting. When he keeps his feet moving, he looks like a very interesting player.

I like the player and the prospect. I really like the way he controls and shields pucks. I’m just waiting for him to find another level/some more pace.

7. Cameron Whitehead, G, 21 (Northeastern University)

I’ve struggled with Whitehead at times because I didn’t like what I saw three years ago and his numbers reflected that. Several folks insisted he was good anyway, and then he took a step in the USHL two years ago (like folks said he would) and he has played well as a freshman and sophomore starter behind a mediocre Huskies team in college the last two seasons. Over time, I’ve spent more time on him and my evaluation has come around to where it probably should have been.

He stays square to pucks, doesn’t let a ton of shots squeak through, tracks pucks well, moves fairly well and has good size (6-foot-3, 185 pounds) and athleticism. I’m not sure any of those tools are high-end enough to become a projectable NHL type but he’s a good goalie with above-average tools. Patience will continue to be important as he continues to establish himself, strengthens his statistical profile and builds upon his foundation of tools. But he should get signed after his junior or senior year if he continues to perform in line with how he has.

8. Abram Wiebe, LHD, 21 (University of North Dakota)

Wiebe is a 6-foot-3, 206-pound defenseman who has taken a bit of a winding road. He’s a late-August birthday who wasn’t on the radar in his actual draft year in 2021 because he was one of the youngest players in the class and he was behind the development curve. He was drafted in the seventh round out of Chilliwack as an overager. It’s rare for a drafted 19-year-old to return to the BCHL but he went back post-draft as Chilliwack’s captain and played the long game, winning the league’s top D award that year. And now, despite being 21, he’s only a sophomore at North Dakota. But his role and play this year have looked more like that of an upperclassman in line with his age, indicating that he has caught up. He plays 23 minutes per game for the Fighting Hawks and is one of UND’s leading scorers.

He’s a big boy who has worked to turn his shot into a weapon from the point on the power play. He’s a competitor who moves well for his size (I like his mobility laterally and pivots) and plays the game with intention. He has a good first pass. He has a good stick but can also step up and close gaps in physical engagements. There’s some pro quality there and he looks like he’s on a path to getting signed.

9. Jakub Brabenec, LW, 21 (Henderson Silver Knights)

One of the youngest players in the 2021 draft class when Vegas drafted him in the fourth round, Brabenec is an athletic kid who boasts good speed, passing instincts and some creativity on the puck. He also gets his shot off quickly while moving and he’s good along the wall and making little plays off it. I’ve always found him to be a consistently noticeable player, even if his production doesn’t scream NHLer. He was really good in the playoffs for Charlottetown three years ago, played a prominent role on a top team in Sherbrooke two years ago, was a standout at the World Juniors and hasn’t looked out of place as a young player in the pro game (a game that was always going to suit him better than junior). He works and he has decent skill. I’m not sure it’ll be enough to become a full-time NHLer but I could see him become organizational depth/a call-up option who plays some games here and there.

10. Ben Hemmerling, RW, 20 (Henderson Silver Knights)

Hemmerling was a well-liked junior player who plied his trade by playing a fast, driven, hardworking, dirty-areas game that blends smarts with competitiveness. His numbers don’t pop (though he did lead Everett in scoring with 91 points in 65 games last year) but he has skill in traffic and despite always being on the go he has some quiet intelligence to his game. He has yet to play this year as he rehabs from an injury and there’s a chance he just becomes a third-line AHLer, but there are some who believe he has the makeup to play in the NHL potentially as a bottom-sixer. It’s hard not to like his pace, energy and intuition. I’m not sure if there’s enough to go as far as the NHL but he’s going to take some steps in that direction and I’d wager he becomes a useful mid-level pro at minimum. He reminds me a little of Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Gage Goncalves (another Everett grad), who’s now on the NHL’s doorstep as a top player with Syracuse in the AHL.

11. Jordan Gustafson, C, 20 (Lethbridge Hurricanes)

Gustafson’s so-so production doesn’t properly contextualize the way his career has played out (first in a depth role that didn’t give him offensive zone time/power-play opportunity on a WHL championship Seattle team and then as the oft-injured captain on a rebuilding Seattle team that has almost no talent around his smart game). This year, after returning from another injury, Gustafson has joined a contending Lethbridge team as an overager. Next year, he’s expected to turn pro with the Silver Knights.

I really enjoy watching him operate on the ice. He’s a versatile, highly intelligent, all-purpose forward who’s aware of areas of the ice when others can get caught sleeping, can penalty kill, stays above the puck to support play and breaks up a lot of passes with his ability to read and anticipate in real time.

He was a top offensive player in minor hockey and those skills are still sometimes on display in his heads-up passing game and his soft hands as well as his sneaky ability to protect the puck below the goal line and work off the cycle for a player his size. But he’s defined by the combination of his work ethic, his smarts, his pace of play (he’s not a burner but he plays quickly and can play his game at a variety of paces), and his attention to detail more than any one of those things in isolation. He’s a coach’s favorite and will take his career as far as it will go, even if that’s not to the NHL.

12. Arttu Karki, LHD, 20 (Tappara/Ässät)

One of the most productive defensemen at Finland’s junior level two years ago, Karki’s a player I believe would have received a Liiga look if he’d been with any organization other than back-to-back league champions Tappara. Instead, he didn’t get to climb like he probably wanted to and warranted, so he came to the OHL where he finished tied for fourth among all D in goals with 21 and top 20 in points with 45 in 59 games. It’s not a good sign when you come to North America and then don’t get signed, though, and Tappara had to loan him out to Ässät when he couldn’t stick with another deep team. He’s still young, though (he just turned 20 in December and started the year as a teenager), so I’d continue to keep an eye on him.

Karki’s a heads-up, offensively inclined defenseman who shakes coverage well to create paths around the ice and lanes to the net for himself. He gets his shots through and does a good job side-stepping the first layer of pressure to get into better areas. He can comfortably run a power play and doesn’t hesitate to take space and use his wrister or one-timer, though he’s a little too focused on getting shots off at times. And while I wouldn’t say he’s a standout skater or defender, I don’t think either is a concern (he has work to round out his game defensively) and he reads the play well on pinches and close-outs. He also has decent size as a 6-foot-2 defender with some room to add some muscle. He’s a tough player to project but I wouldn’t give up on him just yet.

13. Lucas Van Vliet, C/RW/LW, 18 (Dubuque Fighting Saints)

Van Vliet is a player who despite playing in a fourth-line role at the program, I found to be quite effective over his two years with USA Hockey. This year, he’s spending his post-draft season in the USHL in advance of his commitment to MSU and has been a good part of a good team.

He’s a strong straight-line skater and cutter, even if he doesn’t quite have that pull-away gear. He has some secondary (or tertiary) skill, including a nice wrister with a deceptive release that comes off his blade mid-stance and some smooth handles. He plays within himself. He’s physical. You’ll notice him over the course of a game and I thought he was impactful at U18 worlds right before the Golden Knights drafted him in the seventh round. I don’t know if there’s enough offense there to project as a fourth-liner at the next level, but sometimes depth guys from the program take off in college and I wouldn’t be surprised if he developed into a solid player at MSU and good organizational depth for an NHL team someday in the AHL.

The Tiers

As always, each prospect pool ranking is broken down into team-specific tiers in order to give you a better sense of the proximity from one player — or group of players — to the next.

The Golden Knights’ pool is divided into three tiers: 1, 2-4, 5-13.

Also considered but not ranked were signed Silver Knights defenseman Christoffer Sedoff and unsigned OHL forwards Trent Swick and Tuomas Uronen.

(Photo of Trevor Connelly: Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images)