The Vegas Golden Knights Prospect Report will be a monthly article that will offer a peek into who will be wearing the black and gold in the future. I will have a top 10 list of players and discuss how they performed in the previous month, as well as mention the prospects who are trending up and down.
The parameters for the list are as follows: they are considered a prospect if they are below the age of 25 and have under 25 games played in the NHL.
Through the first six weeks of the season, the Golden Knights have a few casualties and have needed to go to the well for a fill-in. Cody Glass has been a staple all season, Nicolas Hague has stepped up and is getting better each game, and Nicolas Roy has filled in here and there.
A number of other prospects are biting at an opportunity to put on a Golden Knights sweater – here are the top 10.
Top-10 Golden Knights Prospects
1. Cody Glass, Vegas Golden Knights (Center)
- Draft Information: 2017 first round (sixth overall)
- Previous Rank: 1
- 2019-20 Season Stats
Glass has been a nice story. The Golden Knights’ first ever NHL Entry Draft selection has played in every game this season. He started at his normal position of center, but once Cody Eakin returned he moved over to the wing.
Glass is an offensive dynamo with tremendous creativity and has seen time on the top power-play unit. He has nine points, five of them with the extra man. Valentin Zykov is practicing with the team again, so a decision will have to be made on who gets sent down.
Since Glass is on his entry-level contract and is not subject to waivers, he could be sent to the Chicago Wolves. While that would be disappointing, he would benefit from playing top-line minutes and in all situations. On the flip side, the Golden Knights only have 21 players on their roster, so they don’t need to make room for Zykov once he returns.
2. Peyton Krebs, Winnipeg Ice (Center)
- Draft Information: 2019 first round (17th overall)
- Previous Rank: 2
- 2019-20 Season Stats
Peyton Krebs recently signed his entry-level contract and got a couple of practices in with the Golden Knights before being returned to his Western Hockey League team, the Winnipeg Ice. Playing in two games this season, he looks as strong as ever on his skates and it will be great to see him play in the World Junior Championships next month.
A lock to make Team Canada, we will be able to see Krebs’s talent and how fortunate the Golden Knights are that he fell to them at 17 in the 2019 Entry Draft.
3. Nicolas Hague, Vegas Golden Knights (Defense)
- Draft Information: 2017 second round (34th overall)
- Previous Rank: 3
- 2019-20 Season Stats
With the Golden Knights defense fully healthy, Hague is becoming a staple on their back end. He is currently paired with Shea Theodore and the two feed off each other.
Theodore is the mobile, smooth skating defenseman while Hague is the physical, stay at home type. At 6-foot-6, he uses his body to clear the front of the net and has a booming slap shot from the point that he has not fully shown off yet.
4. Pavel Dorofeyev, Metallurg Magnitogorsk (Left Wing)
- Draft Information: 2019 third round (79th overall)
- Previous Rank: 4
- 2019-20 Season Stats
Pavel Dorofeyev has already played more games in the Kontinental Hockey League this season (29) than he did all of last (23). While his stats are not impressive (four goals and six points), he is only 19 years old. Most KHL organizations do not play kids, so it is tough for him to put up high offensive numbers.
Where we want to look, is at his performance at the recent U20 Four Nations tournament. He played on Russia’s top line and was one of their best forwards. He had a goal in three games and was relied upon in all situations. We will get a good glimpse of him this December as he is a lock to make the World Juniors for Russia.
5. Lucas Elvenes, Chicago Wolves (Center)
- Draft Information: 2017 fifth round (127th overall)
- Previous Rank: 8
- 2018-19 Season Stats
Lucas Elvenes has taken North America by storm. He has six goals and 25 points in 19 games this season. His six goals are tied for the team lead while his 19 assists and 25 points put him 10 above second place in each category.
Because of his performance, he should see a cup of coffee with the Golden Knights this season and if a top-six player gets hurt, he could be asked to take some of those minutes.
6. Jack Dugan, Providence College (Left Wing)
- Draft Information: 2017 fifth round (142nd overall)
- Previous Rank: 7
- 2019-20 Season Stats
Jack Dugan looks like a diamond in the rough. Drafted in the fifth round of the 2017 Draft, Dugan is in his sophomore season at Providence College and currently leads the NCAA in assists (21) and points (26). In his freshman season, he scored at almost a point-per-game pace, putting up 39 in 41 games.
In November, he has 12 points in six games and has been on notice this season. Many weren’t sure if he could duplicate his rookie success, but he has more than doubled his point-per-game average. He skates very well and is starting to shoot the puck more.
7. Dylan Coghlan, Chicago Wolves (Defense)
- Draft Information: Undrafted
- Previous Rank: 5
- 2019-20 Season Stats
After an impressive rookie and training camp, Dylan Coghlan was on the cusp of making the Golden Knights out of training camp, but management decided to keep Hague with the big club as he plays with a little more sandpaper.
Both defensemen can move the puck and have offensive instincts, but with Coghlan coming in at 190 pounds, the team felt Hague’s game was more NHL ready.
That’s okay though, because Coghlan is the Wolves’ number one defenseman and he’s learning every game. After 15 goals in his rookie season, he has 4 in 18 games this season and is logging significant minutes in every situation.
8. Nicolas Roy, Chicago Wolves/Vegas Golden Knights (Center)
- Draft Information: 2015 fourth round (96th overall)
- Previous Rank: 9
- 2019-20 Season Stats
Roy has been a spark plug for the Golden Knights this season. With Alex Tuch missing time due to injuries and Valentin Zykov’s suspension, Roy was able to make his Golden Knights debut and has played in six games.
In his debut, he scored his first career goal and had a celebration to match. He will continue to be a filler in the lineup if an injury or trade occurs.
9. Ivan Morozov, SKA-Neva St. Petersburg (Center)
- Draft Information: 2018 second round (34th overall)
- Previous Rank: 10
- 2019-20 Season Stats
Ivan Morozov has played with SKA St. Petersburg organization across their minor and junior teams this season with nine points in 13 combined games. He also played in all six tournament games for Team Russia at the CIBC Canada/Russia Series held earlier this month.
He only registered one power-play assist with 18 shots on goal, but played a shutdown role and won 57% of his faceoffs, taking all the big draws in the defensive zone and late in games. Morozov came in clutch when it mattered most, in the shootout.
He was two for two in the two games that went to shootouts. With Team Russia and the CHL tied at nine points apiece after six games, the teams went to a shootout to decide the series. Morozov scored on his first chance, but could not light the lamp on his second.
Overall, he was three for four and was named MVP for Game 6 of the tournament when he had the deciding shootout goal. He is another Golden Knight who could be on Team Russia at the World Juniors, so we will want to keep our eyes on them this December.
10. Jimmy Schuldt, Chicago Wolves (Defense)
- Draft Information: Undrafted
- Previous Rank: 6
- 2019-20 Season Stats
After making the team out of training camp, Jimmy Schuldt didn’t do enough to get into a game. Rather than keep him in the press box, management sent him down to the AHL to adjust to the pro game. The rookie has two goals and eight points in 19 games.
Jumping from college to the pro game is a big step, as Schuldt was playing against men his own age but now, he has to face off against players older and stronger than he is. He is getting used to the pace of the game and re-gaining his confidence, as he has a point in seven of his last nine games.
He has a bomb from the point and that is one thing the Golden Knights lack on their back end. With three defensemen becoming free agents at the end of the season, spots will be opening up on the blue line and Schuldt is working towards a full-time gig.
