The Golden Knights have now had six NHL drafts in their history. Their first draft being the most successful with three first-round selections and two seconds. While Vegas has made a first-round selection in all but two of their drafts, they have traded all but one of those selections away to bolster the current roster.
For an expansion franchise, Vegas has had tremendous immediate success, but at the expense of future assets, and as a result, the prospect pool is one of the league’s weaker groups.
1. Brendan Brisson, LW/RW – Henderson Silver Knights (AHL)
Age: 21
Ht/Wt: 6-0/185
Drafted: 2020 round one 29th overall by Vegas Golden Knights
Brisson is a prospect that has been trending up for several years now. After a 59-point season in the USHL with the Chicago Steel in 45 games where he won Rookie of the Year, he moved on to the NCAA. As a freshman at the University of Michigan, Brisson posted 21 points in 24 games and played for USA at the WJC where he captured the Gold. Brisson was a key player for the Wolverines, an All-Star roster, as a sophomore scoring 21 goals and 42 points through 38 games. Brisson again represented the USA, this time at the Olympics and scored two goals in four games.
Following a Big Ten Championship he signed his ELC with Vegas and played out the final seven regular season AHL games in Henderson looking impressive with three goals and eight points. His full-time transition in the AHL has not been as seamless as hoped with 18 goals and 37 points in 58 games as a rookie. Brisson is brimming with skill, is a good skater and has average size. He just needs time to adjust to the pro level where the pace is quicker and the quality of competition is higher.
2. Lukas Cormier, LD – Henderson Silver Knights (AHL)
Age: 21
Ht/Wt: 5-10/176
Drafted: 2020 round three 68th overall by Vegas Golden Knights
The former Charlottetown Islander is an immensely offensively gifted defenseman. He has a cannon for a shot and unloads it every chance he gets.
He posted gaudy offensive numbers throughout his QMJHL career including a senior year of 33 goals and 81 points in 62 games (remember he is a defenseman!). He fell to the third round in his draft year as a result of his one-dimensional play as he is all offense all the time and his defensive game left a lot to be desired. He has made improvements there and was named to Team Canada for the 2022 WJC and scored five points in seven games claiming a Gold Medal.
As a rookie in the AHL his offensive game carried over well posting ten goals and 35 points in 62 games, but was a minus -12. Cormier may need some more coaching and seasoning in the AHL but there is an NHL bottom six, and power-play specialist upside on this file.
3. Pavel Dorofeyev, LW/RW – Henderson Silver Knights
Age: 22
Ht/Wt: 6-1/176
Drafted: 2019 round three 79th overall by Vegas Golden Knights
The Russian winger has been somewhat of an enigma as a prospect and a player I have struggled to project. He played as a full-time player in the KHL as a teenager but had limited production. He has shown flashes of his immense skill at times, such as four points in seven WJC games with Russia in 2020. But after playing in the KHL in 2019-20, he played the following year mainly in the VHL.
Dorofeyev made the move to North America and in his rookie year was dominant scoring 27 goals and 52 points in 63 games in Henderson. This year his production dropped to 17 points in 32 AHL games but saw 18 games in the NHL with Vegas and recorded nine points.
He is a highly skilled winger and offensive play driver. He is impactful with the puck on his stick, but the questions in his game come in his play away from the puck.
4. Daniil Miromanov, RD/RW – Henderson Silver Knights
Age: 25
Ht/Wt: 6-4/203
Drafted: Free agent signed by Vegas in 2021
The Russian free agent has given the Knights great value and versatility. Signed as a defenseman free agent in 2021, he had a tremendous rookie season in the AHL with 11 goals and 40 points in 53 games. His play earned him an NHL recall of 11 games.
Now in his second year in North America the 25-year-old continues to provide the Knights with reliable depth splitting time between the Golden and Silver Knights.
Miromanov has likely developed as far as he will go and is arguably not really a prospect at this point of his career. I see him continuing to split time between the NHL and AHL for another year or two as a versatile utility player that can fill in a gap on defense or forward, play decent minutes and see time on special teams.
5. Kaedan Korczak, RD – Henderson Silver Knights (AHL)
Age: 22
Ht/Wt: 6-4/192
Drafted: 2019 round two 41st overall by Vegas Golden Knights
Korczak checks a lot of boxes for what NHL teams covet in their defenseman these days; he is 6-4, right shot, skates well, and creates transition offense.
Since his draft he has continued to trend up, earning a roster spot on Team Canada at the 2021 WJC. His rookie season in the AHL was impressive as he transitioned smoothly playing a key role in Henderson. While his counting offensive stats are underwhelming, he does effectively relieve defensive pressure effectively using his size, skating, gap control and smarts to eliminate plays, and retrieve pucks. Then he moves the puck up the ice either by skating it up, making stretch passes or joining the rush. Korczak may top out as a middle-six-pairing NHL defenseman, and that is pretty good value.
6. Jakub Brabenec, LW – Sherbrooke Phoenix (QMJHL)
Age: 19
Ht/Wt: 6-2/176
Drafted: 2021 round four 102nd overall by Vegas Golden Knights
Brabenec is developing into a steal of a pick from the fourth round. Drafted out of Czechia where he had one assist in 23 games of limited ice time for HC Kometa. He has since played in the QMJHL and has exploded, oosting 64 points as a rookie with the Islanders, leading the league as a rookie in assists and points. He posted another 19 points in 15 playoff games. Traded to the Phoenix this year he also played in the 2023 WJC for Czechia and was a force on a surprising team with a goal and seven points winning the Silver Medal.
Brabenec will be turning 20 years old at the start of the 2023-24 season and should be assigned to the AHL as he has signed his ELC. Brabenec may need a season or two of AHL development but this fourth-round selection is quietly a prospect on the rise.
7. Matyas Sapovaliv, C – Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
Age: 19
Ht/Wt: 6-3/183
Drafted: 2022 round two 48th overall by Vegas Golden Knights
Another Czech prospect in the Knights system on the rise is Sapovaliv. Playing in the OHL on the Saginaw Spirit with the “exceptional” Michael Misa, the Spirit have punched their ticket to the 2024 Memorial Cup as the host city.
Sapovaliv is a tricky prospect to forecast, he has size and plays a strong physical game. He has puck skills that are above average at the OHL level, but will need to improve to project at the professional level. Perhaps he continues to develop and evolves into a strong second-line center at the NHL level, or perhaps he peaks as a fourth-line physical player with offensive upside. Either way, he is looking like a sleeper NHL prospect.
8. Carl Lindbom, G – Djurgardens IF (HockeyAllsvenskan)
Age: 19
Ht/Wt: 6-1/190
Drafted: 2021 round seven 222nd overall by Vegas Golden Knights
An undersized goalie by todays standards at just 6-1. Lindbom showed well for Sweden at the 2023 WJC with a 4-3-0 record and two shutouts. His play in the Allsvenskan has been even more impressive as he was named the Best Junior Goalie with a 1.86 GAA, .930 SV%, and a 25-11-0 record with seven shutouts.
The 19-year-old remains unsigned and likely remains developing in Sweden for another year or two before he contends for a position in the Knights system. While it is still early in his development, he is trending in the right direction and is a prospect on the rise.
9. Jonas Rondbjerg, LW/RW – Henderson Silver Knights (AHL)
Age: 24
Ht/Wt: 6-2/194
Drafted: 2017 round three 65th overall by Vegas Golden Knights
The Danish winger is now in his third season in the AHL and is a veteran of the league. He has the size and some offensive upside but saw his point-per-game totals drop from 0.69 last year to 0.52 this year. The production drop could be attributed to the team’s play as Henderson was not a good team this year, and despite his dip in production, he was recalled to the NHL for 13 games. This is also less than the season prior where he played in 30 games for the Golden Knights posting six points.
The 24-year-old is a peripheral prospect that took a step back in his development this year. He is running out of runway to become a regular NHL player and likely plays out the balance of two remaining years on his contract in the AHL.
10. Daniil Chayka, LD – Henderson Silver Knights (AHL)
Age: 20
Ht/Wt: 6-3/181
Drafted: 2021 round two 38th overall by Vegas Golden Knights
Chayka is a player that had a lot of momentum as a teenager and has been slow to develop. Drafted seventh overall by the Guelph Storm, his junior trophy case includes an OHL Cup Championship, OHL Championship, Hlinka-Gretzky Gold Medal, and 87 points in 165 career games.
He has size, mobility, skill and has shown flashes of being an impact defenseman. I had him ranked as an early top half of the first-round prospect for the 2021 draft class, his final ranking ranged from 23-77 and he ended up as an early second-round selection.
His rookie year in the AHL has been comfortable in a limited role on a poor team. He needs to get a bigger role and to do that he needs to play more aggressively, both offensively and physically. Chayka remains a long-term project with a middle-six upside.
