NHL Prospect Watch -- Atlantic Division

[Commish Bub(NYR)]

[Thanks for the write-ups, guys]

New Jersey Devils
Name: Mattias Tedenby
Acquired: NJ 1st round 2008, 24th overall
Position/Projection: 1st line scoring W
Report: Started the season with the Albany River Rats putting up decent numbers but below expectations, with only 17 points in 37 games. With 12 of those points being goals he earned a spot on the goal-starved Devil's roster, and has since put up 18pts in 23gp, with 7 goals. Mattias has truly made strides this year and has been a spark plug for his team, and with the departure of Parisé big things are expected from him. He is an explosive winger with the puck skills to take on anyone in the league at a mere 5'10". Once he develops some backchecking skills he could also make an effective and dangerous penalty killer.

Name: Nicklas Bergfors
Acquired: NJ 1st round 2005, 23rd overall
Position/Projection: 1st/2nd line playmaking W
Report: A very versatile player, Bergfors meshes well with an array of different players because of his ability to see the play develop, make plays and feed off of his linemates. In his rookie season so far he has put up 34pts in 60gp with 12 goals. Naturally a playmaker, Bergfors has a good enough shot to keep goalies honest and good enough puck skills to keep defenders backing up.

Name: Joe Colborne
Acquired: Trade with BOS (BOS 1st round 2008, 16th overall)
Position/Projection: 1st/2nd line Playmaking C
Report: Colborne has 1st line potential if he can be consistent and learn to use his huge 6'5" frame more to his advantage. He is a great offensive player with grade A puckhandling and passing ablities, he can skate like the wind and is quickly becoming one of the best faceoff guys coming up right now. Colborne earns praise from the Devils coaching staff for his great positioning, and knowing where the play is going will allow him to be a more effective player in the coming months. Colborne had seven points in just three games with Denver in the WCHA to start his season before hitting the AHL where he has 60 points in 45 games with the River Rats. Colborne is having beyond a successful season at this point and management is expecting him to occupy a top 6 spot on the Devil's roster next season.

Name: Alexander Vasyunov
Acquired: NJ 2nd round 2006, 58th overall
Position/Projection: 2nd line goal-scoring winger
Report: While he may not have the top end projections of Tedenby and Bergfors, on the right line Vasyunov should score plenty of goals in the NHL. He already has NHL-caliber offensive skills, but needs to bring all other facets of his game up a notch to earn regular minutes for the Devils. His major drawback could be a near-total lack of defensive zone awareness, but like a home run hitter who strikes out a ton, he can more than make up for that deficiency.

Best of the rest:
G Riku Helenius -- still developing but could be starting goalie of the future
RW Vladimir Zharkov -- Vasyunov's playmaking doppelganger
LW Mike Hoeffel -- inconsistent checking winger
D Alexander Urbom -- stay-at-home shutdown-type D, needs to get stronger
C Adam Henrique -- another checking forward, NJ has a good core for a 4th line along with Hoeffel


Pittsburgh Penguins
Name: Cody Hodgson
Acquired: Trade with DAL (VAN 1st round 2008, 10th overall)
Position/Projection: 1st/2nd line scoring C
Report: Has first-line potential, but probably won't beat out Crosby on the Pens 1st line anytime soon. Gifted skater and already a strong faceoff guy too. Not a prospect for long, with 55 NHL games under his belt; should get more playing time as he develops, improving on his 13 points so far (but 4 points in 5 games with the Pens).

Name: Nazem Kadri
Acquired: Trade with TOR (TOR 1st round 2009, 7th overall)
Position/Projection: 1st/2nd line LW
Report: Has been slow to develop on the farm this year, but his upside is tremendous. GM Matt Bernier figures he's set for years with Hodgson and Kadri as the core of the Pens 2nd line. Not much of a checking forward, Kadri has the smarts to play a sound positional game. Only has six goals in 27 AHL games this year; saw time with the Maple Leafs before being traded, registering five points in 32 games.

Name: Simon Despres
Acquired: PIT 1st round 2009, 30th overall
Position/Projection: Shutdown D
Report: A big, strong-skating blueliner, Despres is nearly ready for the big time. While he may not pack a physical wallop as hoped, he figures to be the Penguins shutdown blueliner for years to come. Despres won't be a scoring machine, but appears to have the knack for getting plays started up the ice, just don't expect him to be a PP quarterback. Despres has played 31 games with Wilkes-Barre so far, registering seven points, after starting the season with Shawinigan in the QMJHL.

Name: James Wright
Acquired: Trade with TB (TB 4th round 2008, 117th overall)
Position/Projection: 4th line checking forward
Report: An under-the-radar player, Wright has the chops to develop into a fine checking forward, probably on the wing. He still has trouble giving consistent effort, but has the skills to make up for much of that. Has 7 points in 9 AHL games this year, but is back with his junior team in Prince George.

Best of the rest:
LW Eric Tangradi -- already with the Pens, a tough, hard-hitting checking winger
C Dustin Jeffrey -- another hard-hitting forward, with some offensive potential
G Killeen and Pechurski -- one of the two should figure as a quality backup


Philadelphia Flyers
...coming...


New York Rangers
Name: Artem Anisimov
Acquired: NYR 2nd round 2006, 54th overall
Position/Projection: 1st line C/RW
Report: Demoted to Hartford after starting the season in NY, Anisimov barely belongs on this list as he's now a regular once again for the Rangers. The 21 year-old solidified the team's second line after returning in December, and earned the league's rookie of the month award in January. "Artem's been dynamite for us since coming back up. He went down to the AHL, didn't sulk, did everything we asked, and run with the chance he's been given." With 27 points in 35 games since his recall (he went 0-2-2 in six early games), Anisimov has been one of the team's hottest scorers. Although he may be near the peak of his development, his all-around quality play and his consistent effort make him invaluable on an aging team. He also added a point-a-game in 19 games with Hartford.

Name: Michael Del Zotto
Acquired: NYR 1st round 2008, 20th overall
Position/Projection: 1st pair offensive D
Report: Now plying his trade on the Rangers blueline (with 2 assists in 9 games, as of this writing), the nineteen-year-old Del Zotto has moved far, fast. "His offensive instincts are already top-notch," said GM Pat Webber. "And once his defense catches up to his offense, he'll be on the top pairing." Del Zotto also needs to gain more consistency, an issue with most rookies, and strength in order to rate with the top rookie defensemen around the league. Prior to his recall, he went 3-15-18 in 46 games with the AHL's Hartford Wolfpack.

Name: Ryan McDonagh
Acquired: Trade with MTL (MTL 1st round 2007, 12th overall)
Position/Projection: 1st/2nd pair offensive D
Report: Another of the Rangers one-two punch from the blueline, McDonagh would be a #1 prospect in most systems. "Ryan would be playing for us already if we didn't have a glut on defense right now," remarked Webber. Although his offensive development hasn't been as rapid as Del Zotto's, he is NHL-ready defensively already. As he gets stronger and learns to use his size more effectively, he'll put his AHL days behind him. Some NHL-level instruction will help his offense along, especially his shot, which could feature as one of the league's best one day. He has 3 goals and 5 assists in 57 games for Hartford this year.

Name: Ethan Werek
Acquired: NYR 2nd round 2009, 47th overall
Position/Projection: 3rd line power forward, C/LW
Report: Werek has made huge strides this season, despite missing significant playing time with two major injuries. (He's appeared in just 32 of Hartford's 60 games so far.) His stats don't yet show it, with just 4 assists, but Werek has a stout future as a hard-checking, physical forward. He likely won't score much, but he does have a nifty touch around the net, which could be put to good use on the power play down the road. His injuries have set him back somewhat, and he needs to get stronger. He won't skate past anyone either, but he'll be hard to move from the front of the net.

Name: Dane Byers
Acquired: NYR 2nd round 2004, 48th overall
Position/Projection: 3rd/4th line winger, power forward
Report: Emerging as something of a dark horse, the 23 year-old Byers has developed slowly but steadily over several seasons in Hartford, and is finally emerging as an NHL-ready player. The Rangers were impressed enough with his improvement that they recently shipped out the pestilent Sean Avery to the Flyers. Byers should get some NHL-time this season, but figures more prominently next season. His major drawback are his slow feet, which could limit his playing time in the NHL. Byers is 7-12-19 in 46 games with Hartford.

Best of the rest:
G Chad Johnson -- projects as a decent, consistent backup
D Pavel Valentenko -- physical D with curiously high offensive potential
LW Jamie McGinn -- role player, could be a PP specialist with a good shot
C Chris Kreider -- 2009 1st rounder not quite a bust, but getting there


New York Islanders
...coming...

[Penguin]

Very nice write-up champ!

[Commish Bub(NYR)]

NJ added.

[DevilsGM]

good job man, nice additions