If you can believe it, we’re almost halfway through the hockey season. The World Juniors are fast approaching—a contest that will feature a handful of Preds prospects—and players across Nashville’s pipeline, from Europe to Western Canada, made some noise in November.
Ryan Ufko
A couple of weeks ago, Ryan Ufko picked up Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week honors after a two-goal weekend against Providence College. One of those goals, an overtime winner, was reminiscent of one of the most famous goals in hockey history:
Ufko’s had a relatively quiet but successful campaign in his junior year at UMass. The Minutemen defender is fifth on the team in scoring with four goals and ten points in 14 games while playing more than 25 minutes some nights.
As I’ve said several times over the past couple of years, he won’t get the headlines his teammate Scott Morrow does, but Ufko is mastering his collegiate game. While I think there’s even more room for him to chip in offensively, I wonder if Ufko decides to leave school this spring and sign his entry-level contract.
Dylan MacKinnon
My read on Dylan MacKinnon after the 2023 NHL Entry Draft was simple: his defensive game was simple yet aggressive and effective, and his offensive game was nowhere. The hope was that on an offensive-minded Halifax Mooseheads team, which is near the top of the QMJHL standings at 19-7-3, MacKinnon could grow a bit more offensively with more responsibility. Through 27 games, that hasn’t been the case.
MacKinnon has just six assists (half of which are primary) this year, putting him on pace for 15 total; that compares to six goals and 23 points last season. He’s playing second or third-pair minutes most nights and isn’t being used in a ton of new situations. I’m really curious to see what Nashville’s plan is here, but my guess is they wait until toward the end of their two-year window to sign him.
Gunnarwolfe Fontaine
Gunnarwolfe Fontaine is in his senior year at Northeastern University, skating for a Huskies team that’s off to a rough start, including a 1-8-0 conference record and a 4-8-1 overall mark.
Fontaine improved his game and his point totals each of his first three years from 15 points to 25 to 30 in 35 games last year. This season, Fontaine has posted two goals and nine points in 13 games, but not a single one of those points has been a primary one scored at even strength. After a slow-ish start to the year, Fontaine heated up a bit in November, scoring two goals and four assists in nine games. But if the Huskies want any shot at resurrecting their season, and if he wants a serious chance at an NHL future, Fontaine needs to show more dominance at five-on-five play.
Simon Knak
There may be no bigger disappointment in the Preds’ pipeline this year than Simon Knak. The 2021 sixth-round pick showed serious intrigue the past few years, increasing his scoring rate from 11 points in 42 games in 2021-22 to 23 points in 50 games last year for HC Davos. A year after signing a three-year extension with the Swiss club, Knak’s stock has plummeted.
After starting the season on HC Davos’ top line, Knak missed some games due to injury and was even briefly a health scratch. In 20 games, he’s scored just one goal and seven points and has watched all of his power-play time vanish. He’s shooting just over three percent and has been featured on Davos’ fourth line as of late.
Aiden Fink
If Knak has been Nashville’s most disappointing prospect, Aiden Fink has been their most surprising. Fink—Nashville’s last pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft—has scored nine goals and 22 points in 17 games for Penn State this year. In seven November games, he notched eight goals and 14 points, including a hat trick against Michigan.
Last month, Fink picked up back-to-back Big Ten Three-Star honors and was named the Hockey Commissioners Association Rookie of the Month. He leads the Nittany Lions in scoring by five points, he’s tenth in the nation in scoring, and he’s third among freshmen in points, sitting just three points behind presumed first-overall selection next year Macklin Celebrini.
There’s a big rush right now to coronate Fink as an unbelievable late-round steal. I’m not ruling that out, but the skating mechanics are still a tad concerning for me. In the meantime, he’s churning out plenty of highlights for fans to enjoy in this phenomenal freshman year.
Kasper Kulonummi
I’ve been a big cheerleader of Kasper Kulonummi’s game, and I still am. He’s been playing valuable minutes for Tappara in the Liiga this year, appearing in 23 games and averaging just under 12 minutes of ice time each night.
While he’s chipped in just one assist, he starred for Finland’s U20 squad at the Five Nations tournament last month, scoring two goals and five points in just three games. Kulonummi will join Finland for the World Junior Championship at the end of this month, where he’ll be one of their most relied-on blueliners in all situations.
Adam Ingram
After a 23-point campaign as a freshman at St. Cloud State University, Adam Ingram is continuing to make his mark for the Huskies in year two. Through 14 games, Ingram has posted three goals and 12 points, including five primary points scored at even strength.
He’s skating around 14 minutes a night, including a few minutes on the power play where he’s especially dangerous; but he’s also notched a primary point on an impressive 55.6% of even-strength goals he’s been on the ice for.
Like Aiden Fink, I’m still a bit worried about the skating, but Ingram is making good progress in his collegiate career so far.
Ben Strinden
A seventh-round pick of Nashville’s in 2022, Ben Strinden has always played a different role at North Dakota than Adam Ingram has at St. Cloud State. He remains a steady bottom-six option for the Fighting Hawks, scoring three goals and four points in 15 games this year.
His ice time has ticked up in November, hitting double digits most nights, and he’s carving out a bigger role on North Dakota’s penalty kill too. It remains to be seen whether Strinden has much of a future beyond the AHL, but I generally like his game most nights on the NCAA circuit.
Ethan Haider
After splitting starts with Arseni Sergeyev to start the year, senior goalie Ethan Haider has taken the reins for the University of Connecticut Huskies. He’s started the last eight contests, posting a 0.915 save percentage this season. After 12 total contests, Haider has saved 2.481 goals above average and looks on his way to earning an entry-level deal this summer.
