UFHL

Rank	Team	Comment
1		New York Islanders (Raffi Torres, Brent Krahn, Mikko Koivu, Jani Rita, Dan Hamhuis ) One would expect that only an eternity of futility could ever result in the high draft picks that would be required to collect such a superlative pile of blue-chip youth. UFHL veterens will remember back to a draft day of the past when GM Phantom went overboard on draft picks. Today, those picks - coupled with the acquisitions of present Islander GM have made the Islanders one of the most envied teams in the UFHL in terms of youth. The team has depth at all positions. Torres, Chuck Kobesaw, Rita, , Justin Mapletoft, are all offensive dynamos. They will soon join Tim Connolly, Sheldon Keefe, and Taylor Pyatt in the NHL. On defence Hamhuis and Ilya Nikulin will join sophomores Steve Mcarthy and Branislav Mezei. In goal, Brent Krahn looks up and sees Rick DiPietro and Jean-Sebastien Giguerre ahead of him on the depth chart. Clearly, the New York Islanders have nothing to worry about in the future.
2		Columbus Blue Jackets (Ilya Kovalchuk, Stephen Weiss, Dan Blackburn, Brian Campbell, Ivan Novoseltsev) The Columbus Blue Jackets are going to be exciting one day. The five names listed above guarantee this. Kovalchuk is a special player who has all-star written all over him. Stephen Weiss is a guy who has been compared to Steve Yzerman. Dan Blackburn - one of the finest goaltenders outside the NHL - should guard the Columbus net for the next decade, and could recieve some Vezina votes along the way if he is half the goalie that many critics believe he is. Brian Campbell is an exciting offensive minded defenseman who is very close to NHL action. Overall, the Blue Jackets have blue-chippers at every position, and now only need to improve their depth. Players like Kyle Wellwood and Mike Ribeiro (who is having a sizzling training camp) suggest that this process has already begun.
3		St. Louis Blues (Jason Spezza, Nikita Alexeev, Bryan Allen, Marcel Hossa, Brian Finley) The St. Louis Blues have an outstanding handful of future all-stars. More remarkable is that these blue-chippers cover all positions on the ice. Up front, Spezza and Alexeev are bound for stardom. Marcel Hossa will be happy if he becomes half the player his older brother Marian is (which is probably a realistic projection). Bryan Allen looks like he has returned to being a blue-chip prospect. He should see some power-play action in the NHL this year. Defenseman Ross Lupaschuk is a guy to keep an eye on in the coming years as well. In net, the team looks solid with Brian Finley and the portly Alex Medvedev. Finley should start to see NHL action soon. While there are some players on the St. Louis farm that seem to be only taking up space, the St. Louis Blues have all the corner-stones of a very bright future.
4		Minnesota Wild (Alexander Svitov, Stanislav Chistov, Lars Jonsson, Ales Hemsky, Alexei Semenov) The Wild stockpiled on youthful talent in the 2001 draft coming up with 3 of the top forwards in the draft. Svitov and Chistov play completely opposite styles, but both could be showing their wares in the NHL soon. Hemsky is a bit of a wild card, but Wild management hopes he fills out the same way that Martin Havlat did last season. Simon Gamache and Jonathan Cheechoo are potential snipers, and many teams were after Marcel Goc on draft day. On defense the team is strong with offensive minded Jonsson and mammoth Anton Volchenkov leading the way. Jonsson, a high draft pick in 2000 is still at least a year away from NHL action, but a power-play QB spot should be waiting for him if he continues to progress. In net, the Wild have solid depth with Antero Niittymäki making progress in Finland and Rob Zepp doing the same here in North America. Good depth and lots of promise all around gives fans reason to be wild about the future.
5		San Jose Sharks (Ryan Miller, Mikka Kiprusoff, Mike Komisarek, Jordan Krestanovich, Mark Bell) The Sharks have two of the top young goaltenders outside the NHL. Ryan Miller won the Hobey Baker award last year while setting the NCAA career shut-out record in the process. Mikka Kiprusoff got his feet wet with the Sharks last season and is one to watch in the NHL this year. The Sharks do not have a lot of depth on defense, but giant Mike Komisarek is regarded among the top 5 defense prospects in the NHL. Up front, the Sharks have a number of players who are close to cracking into the NHL but there are no superstars among them. Jeff Farkas, Petr Shastilivy, Martin Erat, Kamil Piros and Mark Bell have all had strong training camps. Other pleasant surprises include Krestanovich, Steve Ott and Yuri Butsayev.
6		Philadelphia Flyers (Dany Heatley, Johan Hedberg, Kristian Kudroc, Jiri Novotny, Fredrik Sjostrom) The Flyers have done a good job acquiring legitimate NHL prospects. Dany Heatley will play in the NHL this year as will Hedberg, Kudroc and possibly defenseman Libor Ustrnul. Kudroc is starting to make a name for himself. The Pronger-esque behemoth put up solid numbers for a rookie in 22 games last year. The team is very excited about his potential. The organization places a great deal of emphasis on European scouting. Patience and draft preparation has resulted in depth in all areas.
7		Washington Capitals (Jamie Lundmark, Kris Beech, Michael Sivek, Colby Armstrong, Vaclav Pletka) The Capitals have always been a team that put a great deal of importance on developping youth. Lundmark, Beech, and Sivek look to be very special players. Each should see some NHL action this year. The Washington has done a great job with the likes of Cechmanek, Hartnell, Williams, Hinote, Tanabe, and Skoula. At this time next year there will most likely be more names added to this list.
8		Atlanta Thrashers (Jeff Jillson, Pascal Leclaire, Jared Aulin, Igor Knyazev, Niklas Kronwall) The Atlanta Thrashers do not have a lot to be happy about these days, but the farm team suggests much brighter days ahead. Jillson is a Pronger-esque defender who has size and offensive instincts, Kronwall is an intriguing prospect who some compare to fellow countryman Nik Lidstrom, and the Thrashers also have junior scoring star defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron. Taking care of the dirty work on defense will be Igor Knyazev. The former Spartak defender takes great pride in his defensive game, but also has strong enough hockey sense to make him a two-way threat. In net the Thrashers are very deep. Pascal Leclaire and Jan Lasak are two very good goaltenders with NHL careers ahead of them. Up front, Daniel Tkaczuk and should be skating with Marian Gaborik in the future. Add gritty Jens Karlsson, and play makers Jared Aulin and Artem Kriukov to the mix and the Thrashers are well on their way to respectability.
9		Pittsburgh Penguins (Barret Jackman, Konstantin Koltsov, Tim Gleason, Henrik Zetterberg, Mike Mottau) The Penguins have an impressive talent pool of forwards and defensemen. Jackman, Gleason, Mottau, and Nathan Paetsch provide assurance that the Penguin blueline will be well kept for many years. Koltsov, Gionta, Zetterberg - all coming off strong years - guarantee that goal scoring will not be a problem either. Add in second tier players like Milroy, Heisten, Hereema, Holden and Polushin and one can see that the Penguin organization is very close to enjoying the fruits of responsible management.
10		Dallas Stars (Rostislav Klesla, Kristian Huselius, Mikhail Yakubov, David Hale,Tomas Malec) Rostislav "Rusty" Klesla alone is enough for this organization to be proud of. An early Calder favorite, Klesla will be earning Norris votes for the rest of his career. Kristian Huselius is another early candidate for the Calder based on his domination of the SEL last season. Yakubov, Thatcher Bell, and Hale are solid prospects who have legitimate chances of becoming NHLers in some capacity. In net the Stars hope that Evgeny Konstantinov will bolster their goaltending. Other than Konstantinov, the Stars have little else in the goaltending cupboard.In all, the Stars have a few bright lights, but not a lot of depth.
11		Montreal Canadiens (Ilya Bryzgalov, Alex Frolov, Tuomu Ruutu, Eric Chouinard, Martin Samuelsson) The Montreal Canadiens are proof that Original Six teams are capable of rebuilding. Bryzgalov seems poised for stardom. The other hot goalie in the system is Mathieu Garon. Ruutu is going to be a solid NHL player eventually. Frolov has the potential to be a true sniper in the NHL. Speedster Samuelsson is going to play in the NHL one day, but he is in no hurry to get to here. Brighter days are ahead for Les Habitants!
12		New Jersey Devils (Pavel Brendl, RJ Umberger, Christian Berglund, Brandon Reid, Adam Mair) Defense and goaltending prospects are a rare bird on this Devils team, but they sure should score goals! Brendl is finally developping into an NHL threat. He has arrived. Christian Berglund has been compared to Elias. Brandon Reid is a tiny-tot, but has Fleury in the organization rooting him on. Adam Mair seems poised to crash into the team's checking line this season. Umberger is a few years away. Not a lot of depth on this team, but there is definitely some potential.
13		Toronto Maple Leafs (Mikael Tellqvist, Brad Boyes, Mika Noronen, Petr Svoboda, Michael Garnett) The Toronto pro-team is so strong that it often does not have room for players from the farm. Arkhipov and Kraft barely squeaked into the lineup last year. The team is strong in net. Few UFHL teams can boast a young tandem like Noronen and Tellqvist. Brad Boyes is comign off a terrific year of Junior hockey but is likely headed back for one more year. Garnett is a darkhorse that many teams overlooked in the past draft. Thomas Kurka is only mentioned because of the disappointing season that he had. He was expected to be higher in the team's depth chart by now. Overall, the Leafs have some real potential coming in the next couple years. They have the ability and depth to be patient for these youngsters to arrive.
14		Calgary Flames (Ari Ahonen, Kirill Safranov, Nathan Smith, Brooks Orpik, Adrian Foster) The fact that Calgary has exported Ilya Kovalchuk, Jason Spezza and Marcel Hossa recently tells you just how strong this farm team was. Acquiring Lemieux and Sakic will help the team more than Spezza and Kovalchuk could have, but a few years down the road these deals could be hard to swallow. On the brighter side, the Flames still have solid depth at all positions. Ahonen is coming to North America this season after a few successful years in Finland, and he is widely considered one of the top young goalies outside the NHL. Nathan Smith had a suprisingly good year adding strong offensive production to his already responsible defensive game. Defensemen Safronov and Brooks Orpik promise to keep the blueline well stocked as well. Add in Shaone Morrisonn and Jeff Woywitka and you get an idea of the depth the Calgary franchise has. It will be interesting to see what type of player that Adrian Foster turns into. This strong farm, and the presence of sophomores Patrick Steffan, Denis Shvidki, and Oleg Saprykin suggest a brighter flame ahead.
15		Florida Panthers (Mark Popovic, Kyle Wanvig, Dmitri Afanasenkov, Niklas Hagman, Ramzi Abid) The Florida Panthers have done a good job acquiring legitimate NHL prospects. Popovic could have been a first round pick in this years draft, Wanvig's stock sky-rocketed after the Memorial Cup when it seemed that he might see NHL action this year. Afanasenkov seduced Panther GM into recently acquiring him, but has since been demoted to the minors. THe talented winger has the potential to be a big time scorer. Hagman, Rico Fata, and Abid are all solid prospects although Fata and Abid have seen their stock fall since being drafted as projected sure-fire NHLers. Johnathan Girard is a defenseman to keep an eye on.
16		Carolina Hurricanes (Vaclav Nedorost, Erik Cole, Tero Maata, Jarett Stoll, Carlo Colaiacovo) The Carolina Hurricanes are a team on the rise. The farm team is not spectacular, but they are above the league average. The team's only blue-chipper is Nedorost - who should crack into the NHL this season. Despite the lack of other "stars" the team has a wide assortment of players with good potential. Cole, Stoll, are all solid prospects. Colaiacovo, Nikos Tselios, and Maata provide strong depth on the blueline. Goaltending is really the only are where the depth is lacking.
17		Phoenix Coyotes (Kris Kolanos, Jeff Taffe, Jean-Marc Pelletier, Stefan Liv, Jason Jaspers ) The Coyotes are a team in transition. Poor management in the past is forcing the current team to start rebuilding the foundation of the team. Kolanos, Taffe and Jaspers are a good start. Many of the prospects on the team are marginal at best and could be discarded as the team continues to reconstruct the pieces of a system that once produced players like Selanne, Tkachuk and Zhamnov.
18		Vancouver Canucks (Mike Van Ryn, Artem Chubarov, Andy Hilbert, Chris Nielsen, Jarkko Ruutu) Suprisingly, the Canucks farm team is not as depleted as it was at the end of last season. Mike Van Ryn is a top defensive prospect, and Andy Hilbert was a Hobey Baker finalist that has been compared to a Chris Drury type player. Hilbert should play a lot in the NHL this year. Chubarov and Ruutu are legitimate NHL prospects who will make the NHL due to their willingness to take the body when needed. Nielsen is a junior scoring star who should continue to bang in goals at the NHL level. While the Canucks still have a long way to go to improve depth on the farm, they are off to a good start.
19		Buffalo Sabres (Maxime Ouellet, Jason Bacashihua, Brad Winchester, Filip Novak, Milan Bartovic) The Sabres have built a solid collection of prospects. Maxime Ouellet is on the cusp of NHL action, and many consider him to be a future elite goaltender. Bacashihua is a few years away but provides depth for the organization. WInchester is the kind of towering 6'5" checking winger that every team has a spot for. The Sabres will have to wait until he finishes his college career. Filip Novak is a solid prospect who seems to have a promising NHL career ahead of him. While Ouellet is the only potential star in this organization, the team has a solid foundation.
20		Los Angeles Kings (Yanick Lehoux, Radim Vrbata, Martin Bartek, Rick Berry, Konstantin Panov ) The Kings have not placed a lot of emphasis on their farm team to make them the power house that they are. Having said that, the LA organization has a number of bright spots. Rick Berry is sure to see NHL action this year. Vrbata and Panov are junior scoring sensations that should pan-out. The Kings have lots of offensive weapons on the horizon. The remarkable rookie season of Evgeny Nabokov reduces the glaring lack of goaltending depth on the Kings roster.
21		Colorado Avalanche (Alexander Riazantsev, Mikhail Kuleshov, Brian Willsie, Jaroslav Bednar, Brad Ference) With every prospect there is an element of risk. Will he become a bust or a bonafide NHLer? Rather than stock up on safer picks like Riazantsev - an almost sure fire NHL defenseman, the Avs instead have the likes of Kuleshov, WIllsie, Bednar and Ference. Each of these latter 4 players could become solid NHLers. Kuleshov could become a first line sniper. Willsie a poor man's Deadmarsh, Bednar an overaged European diamond in the rough, and Ference a Marchment type force on the blue-line. While an optomist will sit patiently waiting for these players to break into the NHL, others would expect the Avalanche to focus more on building depth within the organization.
22		Ottawa Senators (Alex Auld, Jordan Leopold, Vadim Tarasov, Igor Radulov, Alexander Perezhogin) Jordon Leopold heads up the Senators group of prospects. While still in college, Leopold could see NHL action late this season or to start next year. Auld and Tarasov are solid goaltending prospects, but they are both years away from making significant impacts. Igor Radulov is an interesting player. Some expected him to make the Sens this year but he has been returned to junior to be coached by Russian Hockey fan Don Cherry.
23		Tampa Bay Lightning (Pavel Vorobiev, David Steckel, Sebastien Caron, Jonas Andersson, Marc-Andre Thinel) The Lightning have a solid assortment of prospects, but there is not a lot of flash. Vorobiev is the real deal. He has improved his stock tremendously over the past two years and is certainly a sure-fire NHLer. Steckel is a late first round draft choice who is years away from NHL action. Caron had a satisfactory rookie year in the AHL. You would know who Thinel was if he was not 5'11" 168 lbs. He scored approximately 170 goals and almost 400 points in the last 3 years of junior. He played in the QMJHL though so take those stats with a grain of salt.
24		Edmonton Oilers (Ruslan Zainullan, Vitali Yeremeyev, Alexei Mikhnov, Alfie Michaud, Michel Riesen) Unfortunately for the small-market Oilers, they will always have to rebuild to stay competitive. Unfortunately for the small-market Oilers they don't have many tools in the rebuilding tool-box. Zainullan is a solid forward prospect, but after him thee isn't a lot. Riesen's stock has suffered since being drafted, Michaud seems to have very little chance of seeing the NHL this season, and Yeremeyev struggled in NHL action last season. Hope is far from gone for Yeremeyev who needs a chance to show his lightning fast reflexes. A lot of questions also surround dark horse winger Alex Mikhnov. All that is really known about this enigma is that he will play at least one more year in Russia.
25		Nashville Predators (Zdenek Blatny, Brad Moran, Mikael Samuelsson, Owen Fussey, Matt Kinch) The Predators have some forward depth, but there isn't a lot of flash on the farm.. Blatny is the team's lone sniper. Matt Kinch has put up good numbers in the minors, but his critics question whether his small stature will prevent him from making an impact in the pros. With Finley sent packing in the Selanne deal, goaltending depth might cost the Predators in the future.
26		New York Rangers (Nick Schultz, Pasi Nurminen, Josef Boumedienne, Mike Commodore, Cody Rudkowsky) The Rangers farm team is suffering the pains of the trades that have been made that make the parent club so strong. There are some solid defensive prospects in Commodore, Boumedienne and Schultz. Each of these three are not far from seeing NHL action, and all can be projected as top 4 defensemen - with Schultz potentially being a #2 guy. Netminders Nurminen and Rudkowsky are not likely to ever be GM Tran's top two goalies. They will either be traded once they make it - or they will become radio broadcasters for the local AM radio station.
27		Detroit Red Wings (Ron Hainsey, Pavel Datsyuk, Maxim Kuznetzov, Brenden Bell, Timofei Shishkanov) Ron Hainsey is really the only bright spot on the Detroit roster. Datsyuk and Kuznetsov could see some NHL action this year. Slightly better than Original Six brothers Chicago and Boston, the Red Wings are a team in dissaray. The first step towards recovery may need to come from changes in the management department. Luckily, the talent on the pro-team should be strong enough to keep fans comign to games... for now.
28		Boston Bruins (Lee Goren, Denis Timofeev, Johnathan Aitken, Tuomas Pihlman, Brandon Smith) Much of the magnificence surrounding original six teams is based on tradition and memories. Recollections of past days of glory make it that much harder for Boston fans to be happy with the future that is in store for them. The organization's cupboard is virtually bare. Lee Goren has scoring potential, but is nothing special. Pihlman may see NHL action one day, but again is a 3rd liner at best. Timofeev is a project, and a big one at that (6'6"), but he could end up being a complete bust. The same system that so recently delivered Joe Thornton, Sergei Samsonov, and Kyle Mclaren seems to be in hibernation; without any indication of spring time ahead.
29		Anaheim Mighty Ducks (Dave Morriset, Sean O'Connor, Christian Larrivee, Jay Legault, Ivan Huml) The Anaheim Mighty Ducks are in trouble. The pro-roster has many holes, and the farm team does not seem prepared to add much assistance. Ivan Huml has a lot of offensive potential, but he is years away from the NHL. Jay Legault is a solid prospect - he put up strong numbers in junior and had a respectable 15 goal rookie season in the AHL. O'Connor and Larrivee are promising junior players, but they remain just that. Rebuilding in the UFHL can be difficult. Without a foundation that task is even more difficult.
30		Chicago Blackhawks (Marc Lamothe, Colin Pepperall, Mike Fountain, Vladmir Vujtek, Colten Orr) The Boston Bruins and the Chicago Blackhawks seem to be using the original "Original Six" guide to raising a farm team. Back in the days when there were only six NHL teams developping a strong farm organization was not nearly as important as it is today. There are no Mikita's nor Hull's to be found here. New Hawks GM has a lot of work ahead of him.

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