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Canadiens are No. 1 in TSN's annual team ranking of U-24 players

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They may not be the Montreal ‘Canadians’, but they could one day be Les Glorieux, the Montreal Canadiens of years gone by if a deep pool of young talent meets expectations.

Montreal has missed the playoffs three straight seasons and is trending in that direction again, but the team and its fans can take some comfort in knowing better days may be ahead.

The Canadiens are No. 1 in TSN’s annual NHL team ranking of U-24 players.

Bolstered by a group of five players born outside Canada, the all-time Stanley Cup leader has a core of young players projected to be as strong as or better than any in the league.

The operative word is: projected.

The top five rated players in the Canadiens’ organization who entered the season 23 or younger are No. 1 American left winger Cole Caufield (23), No. 2 Russian right winger Ivan Demidov (18), No. 3 Slovak left winger Juraj Slafkovsky (20) , No. 4 American defenceman Lane Hutson (20) and No. 5 American goalie Jacob Fowler.

“Montreal, the city, and Montreal, the hockey team, have always been international melting pots,” says TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button.

Not that it makes the Canadiens unique now, but they were among the first teams to draft Russians – Slava Fetisov in 1978 and Vladislav Tretiak in 1983 – and they went on a binge in the first decade of the 21st century, selecting seven American first-rounders. 

Button and FloSports Senior NHL Draft and Prospects analyst Chris Peters assessed every NHL team’s cupboard of assets 23 or younger (as of season’s start) – blending assessments of current development with projected further development to assign 2024-25 grades.

Players are labeled AAA (superstar), AA (elite), A (No. 1 goalie, top-pair defenceman, first-line forward) or B (tandem goalie, top-four defenceman, top-six forward) or C (backup goalie, depth defenceman, bottom-six forward).

Canadian left defenceman Kaiden Guhle rounds out a group of six players who earned grades of AA or A. Add in six more B players and Montreal has a league-leading 10 current or projected top-half-of-the-lineup players.

Montreal is the only team with a list of A-level players that could one day fill out a starting lineup: one goalie, two defencemen and three forwards.

The Canadiens have a premier goal-scorer in Caufield, elite playmaker in Demidov, big winger in Slafkovsky, dazzling defenceman in Hutson, consummate defender in Guhle and a goalie who has the potential to join a long line of accomplished netminders in Fowler.

“It’s an embarrassment of riches,” Button says, “and a reason to be patient with the franchise rebuild.”

Here are the rest of the 2024-25 TSN top five:

- No. 2 San Jose Sharks has a pair of high-skill teenage forwards already in the NHL leading the way: triple-A Macklin Celebrini, 18, and double-A Will Smith, 19.

- No. 3 Detroit possesses 10 players graded AA, A or B, equalling Montreal for most in the survey. Tops among them are defencemen Moritz Seider, 23, and left winger Lucas Raymond, 22.

- No. 4 New Jersey Devils has triple-A centre Jack Hughes, 23, and his double-A brother, defenceman Luke, 21.

- No. 5 Minnesota is the only team with three double-A players – defenceman Brock Faber, 22, defenceman Zeev Buium, 18, and left winger Matt Boldy, 23.

As for Canadian content, Ottawa is next up at No. 8 in our annual ranking. Centre Tim Stutzle and left defenceman Jake Sanderson, both 22, are the best of the Sens’ A Team, which also includes right defenceman Carter Yakemchuk, 19. The Sens have no B players, with its core four filled out by centre Ridly Greig.

No. 16 Calgary and No. 17 Toronto are back to back at the midpoint of rankings in the 32-team NHL.

The Flames have 23-year-old goalie Dustin Wolf and 18-year-old right defenceman Zayne Parekh rated as A players. Wolf, in the midst of a breakout season, was the fourth-last player (214th) selected in the 2015 draft and Parekh was the third defenceman (ninth) chosen in the 2024 draft. Calgary has a total of nine players in the A-B range, tied for second most.

Matthew Knies, 22, and centre/right winger Easton Cowan, 19, are both A players for Toronto, with a pair of Russians, 21-year-old right winger Nikita Grebenkin, and 23-year-old goalie Artur Akhtyamov, completing the core four.

Winnipeg and Vancouver take entirely different routes to No. 22 and No. 23, respectively.

The Jets have no A players and seven B’s – led by 22-year-old left winger Cole Perfetti – while Vancouver has two A’s – 19-year-old right defenceman Tom Willander and 20-year-old right winger Jonathan Lekkerimaki – and a single B (23-year-old goalie Arturs Silovs).

Last among Canadian teams in the rankings for a second straight season is No. 27 Edmonton; 20-year-old right winger Matthew Savoie is tops with a B grade.

It should come as no surprise that the future-is-now Tampa Bay Lightning is at or near the bottom of U-24 list for a third consecutive year. Their rankings: 2022-23: No. 32; 2023-24: No. 31; and 2024-25 No. 32.

 

1. Montreal Canadiens (10)

2024 Core 4 Under-24: Canadiens kchow

Core 4 Plus More 

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Cole Caufield Montreal  LW 23 AA
2. Ivan Demidov St. Petersburg (KHL) RW 18 AA
3. Juraj Slafkovsky Montreal  LW 20 A
4. Lane Hutson Montreal  LD 20 A
         
5. Jacob Fowler Boston C. (NCAA) G 19 A
6. Kaiden Guhle Montreal LD 22 A
7. Michael Hage Michigan (NCAA) C 18 B
8. Joshua Roy Laval (AHL) LW 21 B
9. Logan Mailloux Laval (AHL) RD 21 B
10. David Reinbacher Laval (AHL) RD 20 B
 

 

2. San Jose Sharks (16)

Core 4 Plus More

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Macklin Celebrini San Jose C 18 AAA
2. Will Smith San Jose C 19 AA
3. Sam Dickinson London (OHL) LD 18 A
4. Yaroslav Askarov San Jose G 22 A
         
5. William Eklund San Jose LW 22 B
6. Quentin Musty Sudbury (OHL) LW 19 B
7. Igor Chernyshkov Saginaw (OHL) RW 19 B
8. Brandon Svoboda Boston U. (NCAA) RW 19 B
9. Kasper Halttunen London (OHL) RW 19 B
 

 

3. Detroit Red Wings (6)

Core 4 Plus More

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Moritz Seider Detroit RD 23 AA
2. Lucas Raymond Detroit LW 22 AA
3. Trey Augustine Michigan State (NCAA) G 19 A
4. Sebastian Cossa Grand Rapids (AHL) G 22 A
         
5. Axel Sandin-Pellikka Skelleftea (SHL) RD 19 A
6. Simon Edvinsson Detroit LD 21 B
7. Marco Kasper Grand Rapids (AHL) LW 20 B
8. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard Skelleftea (SHL) RW 19 B
9. Max Plante Minnesota-Duluth (NCAA)  LW 18 B
10. Nate Danielson Grand Rapids (AHL) C 20 B
 

 

4. New Jersey Devils (2)

Core 4 Plus More

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Jack Hughes New Jersey C 23 AAA
2. Luke Hughes New Jersey LD 21 AA
3. Anton Silayev Novgorod (KHL) LD 18 A
4. Dawson Mercer New Jersey RW 22 B
         
5. Seamus Casey Utica (AHL) RD 20 B
6. Simon Nemec Utica (AHL) RD 20 B
7. Arseny Gritsyuk St. Petersburg (KHL) RW 23 B
8. Lenni Hameenaho Pori (FIN) RW 20 B
 

 

5. Minnesota Wild (12)

Core 4 Plus More

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Brock Faber Minnesota RD 22 AA
2. Zeev Buium Denver (NCAA) LD 18 AA
3. Matt Boldy Minnesota LW 23 AA
4. Jesper Wallstedt Iowa (AHL) G 22 A
         
5. Marco Rossi Minnesota C 23 B
6. Danila Yurov Magnitigorsk (KHL) RW 20 B
 

 

6. Chicago Blackhawks (4)

Core 4 Plus More

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Connor Bedard Chicago C 19 AAA
2. Artyom Levshunov Rockford (AHL) RD 19 AA
3. Frank Nazar Rockford (AHL) C 20 B
4. Kevin Korchinski Rockford (AHL) LD 20 B
         
5. Oliver Moore Minnesota (NCAA) C 19 B
6. Alex Vlasic Chicago LD 23 B
7. Sacha Boisvert North Dakota (NCAA) C 18 B
 

 

7. Anaheim Ducks (3)

Core 4 Plus More

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Leo Carlsson Anaheim C 19 AA
2. Cutter Gauthier Anaheim LW 20 A
3. Mason McTavish Anaheim C 21 A
4. Bennett Sennecke Oshawa (OHL) RW 18 A
         
5. Pavel Mintyukov Anaheim LD 20 A
6. Olen Zellweger Anaheim LD 21 B
 

 

8. Ottawa Senators (7)

2024 Core 4 Under-24: Senators kchow

Core 4

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Tim Stutzle Ottawa C 22 AA
2. Jake Sanderson Ottawa LD 22 AA
3. Carter Yakemchuk Calgary (WHL) RD 19 A
4. Ridly Greig Ottawa C 22 C
 

 

9. Dallas Stars (22)

Core 4 Plus More

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Wyatt Johnston Dallas RW 21 AA
2. Logan Stankoven Dallas RW 21 A
3. Thomas Harley Dallas LD 23 A
4. Mavrik Bourque Dallas C 22 B
         
5. Lian Bichsel Texas (AHL) LD 20 B
6. Emil Hemming Barrie (OHL) RW 18 B
 

 

10. Columbus Blue Jackets (8)

Core 4 Plus More

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Adam Fantilli Columbus C 20 AA
2. Cayden Lindstrom Medicine Hat (WHL) C 18 A
3. Denton Mateychuk Cleveland (AHL) LD 20 A
4. Kent Johnson Columbus LW 22 B
         
5. Yegor Chinakhov Columbus LW 23 B
6. Luca Marrelli Oshawa (OHL) RD 19 B
7. David Jiricek Columbus RD 20 B
8. Gavin Brindley Cleveland (AHL) C/RW 20 B
 

 

11. Carolina Hurricanes (14)

Core 4 Plus More

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Alexander Nikishin St. Petersburg (KHL) LD 23 AA
2. Seth Jarvis Carolina RW 22 A
3. Bradley Nadeau Chicago (AHL) LW 19 B
4. Scott Morrow Chicago (AHL) RD 22 B
         
5. Jackson Blake Carolina RW 21 B
6. Nikita Artamonov Novgorod (KHL) RW 19 B
7. Felix Unger Sorum Chicago (AHL) RW 19 B
8. Dominik Badinka Malmo (SHL) RD 18 B
9. Ruslan Khazheyev Chicago (AHL) G 20 B
 

 

12. Washington Capitals (24)

Core 4 Plus More

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Ryan Leonard Boston C. (NCAA) RW 19 AA
2. Connor McMichael Washington LW 23 A
3. Cole Hutson Boston U. (NCAA) LD 18 A
4. Terik Parascak Prince George (WHL) LW 18 B
         
5. Aliaksei Protas Washington LW 23 B
6. Ryan Chesley Minnesota (NCAA) RD 20 B
7. Ivan Miroshnichenko Hershey (AHL) LW 20 B
8. Andrew Cristall Kelowna (WHL) LW 19 B
 

 

13. Utah Hockey Club (11)

Core 4 Plus More

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Logan Cooley Utah C 20 A
2. Dylan Guenther Utah RW 21 A
3. Tij Iginla Kelowna (WHL) LW 18 A
4. Dmitry Simashev Yarolsavl (KHL) LD 19 B
         
5. Matias Maccelli Utah LW 24 B
6. Daniil But Yaroslavl (KHL) LW 19 B
7. Josh Doan Tucson (AHL) RW 22 B
8. Cole Beaudoin Barrie (OHL) C 18 B
9. Maveric Lamoureux Utah RD 20 B
 

 

14. Buffalo Sabres (1)

Core 4 Plus More

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Owen Power Buffalo LD 21 AA
2. JJ Peterka Buffalo LW 22 B
3. Bowen Byram Buffalo LD 23 B
4. Devon Levi Rochester (AHL) G 22 B
         
5. Zach Benson Buffalo LW 19 B
6. Jiri Kulich Buffalo LW 20 B
7. Noah Ostlund Djurgarden (SHL) C 20 B
8. Konsta Helenius Rochester (AHL) C 18 B
9. Dylan Cozens Buffalo C 23 B
 

 

15. Philadelphia Flyers (9)

Core 4 Plus More

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Matvei Michkov Philadelphia RW 19 AA
2. Jett Luchanko Guelph (OHL) C 18 A
3. Oliver Bonk London (OHL) RD 19 B
4. Cam York Philadelphia LD 23 B
         
5. Yegor Zavragin St. Petersburg (KHL) G 19 B
 

 

16. Calgary Flames (17)

2024 Core 4 Under-24: Flames kchow

Core 4 Plus More

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Dustin Wolf Calgary G 23 A
2. Zayne Parekh Saginaw (OHL) RD 18 A
3. Connor Zary Calgary LW 23 B
4. Samuel Honzek Calgary (AHL) LW 20 B
         
5. Matt Coronato Calgary RW 22 B
6. Matvei Gridin Shawinigan (QMJHL) LW 18 B
7. Andrew Basha Medicine Hat (WHL) LW 18 B
8. Hunter Brzustewicz Calgary (AHL) RD 19 B
9. Jacob Battaglia Kingston (OHL) LW 18 B
 

 

17. Toronto Maple Leafs (27)

2024 Core 4 Under-24: Leafs kchow

Core 4

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Matthew Knies Toronto LW 22 A
2. Easton Cowan London (OHL) C/RW 19 A
3. Nikita Grebenkin Toronto (AHL) RW 21 B
4. Artur Akhtyamov Toronto (AHL) G 23 B
 

 

18. Los Angeles Kings (21)

Core 4 Plus More

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Brandt Clarke Los Angeles RD 21 A
2. Quinton Byfield Los Angeles LW 22 B
3. Carter George Owen Sound (OHL) G 18 B
4. Liam Greentree Windsor (OHL) RW 18 B
         
5. Alex Laferriere Loa Angeles RW 23 B
 

 

19. New York Rangers (18)

Core 4 Plus More

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Alexis Lafreniere NY Rangers LW 23 A
2. Gabriel Perreault Boston C. (NCAA) LW 19 B
3. Braden Schneider NY Rangers RD 23 B
4. EJ Emery North Dakota (NCAA) RD 18 B
         
5. Brennan Othmann Hartford (AHL) LW 21 B
 

 

20. Seattle Kraken (13)

Core 4 Plus More

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Berkly Catton Spokane (WHL) C 18 A
2. Matty Beniers Seattle C 22 B
3. Ryker Evans Seattle LD 22 B
4. Jagger Firkus Coachella Valley (AHL) RW 20 B
         
5. Ryan Winterton Coachella Valley (AHL) RW 21 B
6. Julius Miettinen Everett (WHL) C 18 B
 

 

21. St. Louis Blues (20)

Core 4 Plus More

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Philip Broberg St. Louis LD 23 B
2. Theo Lindstein Brynas (SHL) LD 19 B
3. Jimmy Snuggerud Minnesota (NCAA) RW 20 B
4. Jake Neighbours St. Louis LW 22 B
         
5. Dalibor Dvorsky Springfield (AHL) C 19 B
6. Otto Stenberg Malmo (SHL) C 19 B
7. Adam Jiricek Brantford (OHL) RD 18 B
 

 

22. Winnipeg Jets (19)

2024 Core 4 Under-24: Jets kchow

Core 4 Plus More

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Cole Perfetti Winnipeg LW 22 B
2. Brayden Yager Moose Jaw (WHL) C 19 B
3. Brad Lambert  Manitoba (AHL) C 20 B
4. Elias Salomonsson Manitoba (AHL) RD 20 B
         
5. Colby Barlow Owen Sound (OHL) LW 19 B
6. Nikita Chibrikov Manitoba (AHL) RW 21 B
7. Alfons Freij  Bjorkloven (SWE J20) LD 18 B
 

 

23. Vancouver Canucks (5)

2024 Core 4 Under-24: Canucks kchow

Core 4

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Tom Willander Boston U. (NCAA) RD 19 A
2. Jonathan Lekkerimaki Vancouver RW 20 A
3. Arturs Silovs Vancouver G 23 B
4. Elias Nils Pettersson Vancouver LD 20 C
 

 

24. Nashville Predators (15)

Core 4

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Matthew Wood Minnesota (NCAA) RW 19 B
2. Tanner Molendyk Saskatoon (WHL) LD 19 B
3. David Edstrom Frolunda (SHL) C 19 B
4. Yegor Surin Yaroslavl (KHL) LW 18 B
 

 

25. Vegas Golden Knights (32)

Core 4

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Trevor Connelly Providence (NCAA) LW 18 A
2. Mathieu Cataford Rimouski (QMJHL) RW 19 B
3. Pavel Dorofeyev Vegas RW 24 C
4. Matyas Sapovaliv Henderson (AHL) C 20 C
 

 

26. Colorado Avalanche (23)

Core 4

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Calum Ritchie Oshawa (OHL) RW 19 A
2. Mikhail Gulayev Omsk (KHL) LD 19 B
3. Sean Behrens Colorado (AHL) LD 21 C
4. Oskar Olausson Colorado (AHL) RW 22 C
 

 

27. Edmonton Oilers (29)

2024 Core 4 Under-24: Oilers kchow

Core 4

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Matthew Savoie Bakersfield (AHL) RW 20 B
2. Beau Akey Barrie (OHL) RD 19 B
3. Shane Lachance Boston U. (NCAA) LW 21 B
4. Sam O'Reilly London (OHL) RW 18 C
 

 

28. New York Islanders (26)

Core 4

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Cole Eiserman Boston U. (NCAA) LW 18 B
2. Marcus Gidlof Leksands (SWE J20) G 19 B
3. Simon Holmstrom NY Islanders LW 23 C
4. Jesse Pulkkinen JYP (SM Liiga) LD 19 C
 

 

29. Florida Panthers (25)

Core 4

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Anton Lundell Florida C 23 B
2. Kirill Gerasimyuk Khanty-Mansiysk (VHL) G 21 B
3. Mackie Samoskevich Florida RW 22 C
4. Gracyn Sawchyn  Edmonton (WHL) C 19 C
 

 

30. Boston Bruins (28)

Core 4

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Mason Lohrei Boston LD 23 B
2. Dean Letourneau Boston C. (NCAA) C 18 B
3. Matt Poitras Providence (AHL) C 20 C
4. John Beecher Boston C 23 C
 

 

31. Pittsburgh Penguins (30)

Core 4

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Rutger McGroarty Wilkes-Barre (AHL) LW 20 B
2. Harrison Brunicke Kamloops (WHL) RD 18 B
3. Joel Blomqvist Wilkes-Barre (AHL) G 22 C
4. Ville Koivunen Wilkes-Barre (AHL) LW 21 C
 

 

32. Tampa Bay Lightning (31)

Core 4

 
Player Team Pos. Age Grade
1. Conor Geekie Tampa Bay C 20 B
2. Ethan Gauthier Drummondville (QMJHL) RW 19 B
3. Isaac Howard Michigan State (NCAA) LW 20 C
4. Gage Goncalves Syracuse (AHL) C 23 C
 

 

 

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