The games may not count, but the NHL preseason is one of our favourite parts of the hockey calendar at EP Rinkside. It’s a rare opportunity to see the prospects we scouted in years past test their skills against NHL competition, and while it may not be the be-all, end-all, it can still offer a window into where a player is at in their development.
Some of them acclimate themselves well to the higher-paced environment, suggesting they’re closer to an NHL role or that their skill set might translate better to the big leagues than some of their peers. And others struggle, exposing some weaker points in their game that we may not have picked up on previously.
This article offers a breakdown of the preseason performance of many prospects in the Eastern Conference. An identical one for the Western
