4 NHL Prospects to Watch in the AHL During the 2025-26 Season

For many fans, the immediate gut reaction to their team's latest big-name prospect being sent to the AHL is to see it as a demotion.

Often, a narrative can take hold that if these (often highly drafted, sometimes only highly touted) players aren't ready to immediately jump into the league from training camp, then what are they good for? But patience in development is normal and good; it's only the superstars that skew the curve. 

The AHL, in particular, is an excellent place for most players to develop, particularly but not only those who come from one of the major junior hockey leagues in Canada. They face bigger, tougher competition—more experienced guys, who are more used to the pace and style of the league. It allows them to adjust to the pace of the professional season and the pro game's intensity and difficulty without the pressures that come with being in the most visible league.

For that reason alone, I really like it when guys get time to cook in the AHL. It's allowing them to learn. Frankly, many junior players who are sent back to their major-junior teams could benefit from time in the AHL rather than spending a season running roughshod over their league.

Let's take a look at some guys currently in the AHL who you should be watching.

Gabe Perreault, RW, Hartford Wolf Pack (New York Rangers)

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While the New York Rangers have been busy losing every home game so far this season, star prospect Gabe Perreault has been tearing up the AHL.

Perreault was named AHL Player of the Week for the period ending November 2nd, during which he netted 6 points (3G, 3A) in 3 games. He's the first Wolf Pack player to win this award since goaltender Louis Domingue in January 2023.

I'm going to be frank: for every other player on this list, I can conceive of and understand an argument for their spending time in the AHL. For Perreault, I don't understand it at all. He has no business not being in the NHL. 

That said, I don't think that time in the AHL will be detrimental to him, and if the Rangers are going to be terrible this season, perhaps it's best he not be involved. (Now that I've said that, I have almost certainly guaranteed a call-up for him; they're probably going to decide he can end their scoring issues.) 

Perreault is a highly skilled and extremely creative player. Though others questioned it, I've never been concerned about his ability to create for teammates at the pro level, and I hope his time in the AHL will help him build confidence in that consistently.

Andrew Cristall, LW, Hershey Bears (Washington Capitals)

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The Washington Capitals have one of the best development environments in the league, if not the best, in the Hershey Bears.

I am almost never concerned when they send a player to the AHL, because I feel confident he's going to get good developmental experience and playing time—and, most importantly, experience that will allow him to transition smoothly into the NHL team's system when he is called up.

So when the Capitals sent forward Andrew Cristall down to the Bears after a strong preseason, it was easy to read it as confidence in a player who is part of a strong NHL organization and who will benefit from consistent playing time, rather than sitting in the press box.

Cristall's even-strength play wasn't one of his strong suits during the preseason—not strong enough to beat out guys who had already spent time in the AHL and were closer to matching the tempo and consistency of the NHL roster. In Hershey, he'll get the kind of repetition that comes from playing night in and night out.

For a player who thrives on utilizing his vision and creating crafty plays for teammates, this is invaluable. He's already got six points in nine AHL games, and while he obviously isn't going to match his gaudy WHL point totals (he ended last regular season with 132 points and another 41 in the postseason), I wouldn't be surprised if we see him end this year getting close to — if not reaching — a point per game pace.

Nick Lardis, LW/RW, Rockford IceHogs (Chicago Blackhawks)

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Nick Lardis just made history by becoming the first Rockford IceHogs player to net AHL Rookie of the Month honors. One week out of that month, he snagged AHL Player of the Week honors.

He currently sits third in league scoring, behind only Riley Tufte and Danton Heinen—both players with far more professional experience. He's on a 90-plus pace for this season, and if he stays in the AHL all year, I wouldn't be surprised to see him hit 100. 

The problem is that the Blackhawks are almost certainly going to call Lardis up at some point, leaving the IceHogs in the dust. But it's nice to see him throw himself wholeheartedly into his professional career and show the AHL the player that those of us who have been watching for a while have seen over and over. Not every high-scoring player (he finished last season with 117 points) who makes the leap from the OHL to the AHL can maintain that style and level of play. For Lardis, it doesn't seem to be an issue so far.

Luckily for Lardis, his strengths lie in anticipating how play is going to unfold, along with excellent shooting and skating skills to support that. Of those 117 points last season, 71 were goals. Lardis knows where he needs to be to succeed and how to get there, and that's a skill set that will serve him well in the NHL.

Denver Barkey, C/LW, Lehigh Valley Phantoms (PHI)

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When a player comes out of the London Knights, even when he looks like one of their world-breaker types, I almost always interrogate whether his scoring ability and playing style will be able to translate to the professional level.

For the most part, guys don't struggle in London. They're just too insulated by a system that has mowed down opponents for decades and a roster that is almost always stacked to the top with phenomenal potential.

With Denver Barkey, I am less concerned and more curious.

He's had a solid start to his professional career with the Philadelphia Flyers' AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. At the time of writing, he sits at seven points in 11 games, including two goals. The split doesn't surprise me—Barkey has always been more of a guy who creates for teammates than a goal-hound himself. He's an offensive force who knows how to create space for his teammates, read the play to know precisely where he needs to be, and get there.

He's a great skater and has an excellent hockey IQ. The latter is why I'm not as worried about him as I have been about other London Knights' graduates—give Barkey's tenacity and skill consistent playing time in the AHL, and the Flyers will really have something to look forward to.