One under-the-radar prospect who could play games for each Central Division team in 2024-25

Mike Gould
Mike Gould
One under-the-radar prospect who could play games for each Central Division team in 2024-25
Credit: Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome back to another edition of what is turning into a fun little summer series here at Daily Faceoff. The premise is simple: We’re looking at one relatively unheralded prospect from each team who has the chance to make an impact in the NHL as soon as the 2024-25 season.

Last week, we took a look at the eight Pacific Division teams and talked about prospects like Jeremie Poirier, Max Wanner, and Jack Thompson. You can find that article here. This time around, it’s time to talk about one player from each of the eight Central Division teams.

Once again, to qualify for this list, a player must have appeared in fewer than five NHL games in his career through the end of the 2023-24 season — and for our purposes, all first-round picks are ineligible, since they hardly qualify as “under-the-radar” prospects.

Chicago Blackhawks: Ethan Del Mastro, D

The Blackhawks are all-in on Artyom Levshunov, Kevin Korchinski, and Alex Vlasic as their top defensemen of the future, but don’t sleep on Ethan Del Mastro. The 6’4″ lefty is coming off a strong first pro season and has the size and pedigree to be a big piece of the Connor Bedard era in Chicago.

Chicago originally selected Del Mastro in the fourth round (No. 108 overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft. The former Mississauga Steelheads and Sarnia Sting standout played for Team Canada at the 2022 and 2023 IIHF World Junior Championships before immediately establishing himself as a regular with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs in the 2023-24 season, leading all Rockford defenders with 37 points (seven goals, 30 assists) in 69 games; he added one goal and two points in four playoff contests with the IceHogs.

With the Blackhawks bringing in Alec Martinez and TJ Brodie to provide veteran leadership on the blue line this coming season, Del Mastro may have to wait for the injury bug to bite before he gets his first extended NHL look. That said, he’s already moved way up there on the depth chart in Chicago, having skated in his first two games with the Blackhawks late last season.

Colorado Avalanche: Ivan Ivan, C

Ivan Ivan first became well-known in hockey circles while playing for Team Czechia during the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship, when his name was incorrectly shown on a TSN graphic as “Ivan Ivan Ivan.” In reality, that’s one too many Ivans for a player who the Avalanche have taken to calling Ivan².

Ivan spent his junior career with the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Eagles, scoring 30 goals in back-to-back years before signing his first pro contract with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles for the 2023-24 season. Despite not even playing on an NHL deal, Ivan quickly emerged as one of the Eagles’ top offensive players, collecting 12 goals and 31 points in 67 games as a 21-year-old AHL rookie.

Relatively low on prospects and draft picks, the Avalanche opted to sign Ivan to a two-year, entry-level contract following his strong debut season in their organization. The 5’11” forward may project more as a winger than a center at the NHL level, but he has a decent amount of skill that should translate well as he continues to become more comfortable as a professional. With the cap-strapped Avs desperate for players on cheap contracts, Ivan could earn his first NHL cup of coffee sooner rather than later.

Dallas Stars: Christian Kyrou, D

The Stars originally selected Christian Kyrou, the younger brother of Blues forward Jordan Kyrou, with the No. 50 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. Despite posting 18 goals and 60 points in 68 games with the OHL’s Erie Otters during his draft year, Kyrou fell into the back half of the second in large part due to his lack of size (5’10”, 183 pounds) and the fact that he was born just one day after the cutoff for the 2021 NHL Draft, making him one of the oldest first-year-eligible players available.

Despite these knocks on him, Kyrou continued to develop as a top defense prospect in the Stars organization, amassing 77 points in 64 OHL games the following year before turning pro with the Texas Stars in 2023-24. After a strong second half to his first season in Texas, Kyrou truly emerged as a top puck-moving option for the AHL club in the 2024 playoffs, posting seven points in seven games while primarily filling in for Dallas call-up Derrick Pouliot.

Dallas’ undoing in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs was its lack of depth on the blue line. Even after adding Matt Dumba, Ilya Lyubushkin, and Brendan Smith this offseason, the Stars will eventually need someone in their organization to take on a larger role in the months and years to come. If he continues to take the necessary steps forward in his development, Kyrou could be that guy.

Minnesota Wild: Caedan Bankier, C

It’s easy to get lost in the shuffle when playing in one of the deepest prospect systems in the NHL, and Minnesota’s certainly qualifies as one of those. Despite this, their AHL affiliate in Iowa struggled in basically every facet of the game except goaltending last season, posting a 27-37-8 record and failing to qualify for the Calder Cup playoffs.

Nevertheless, Caedan Bankier managed to stand out in a reasonably positive way for much of his first professional season, racking up 13 goals and 23 points in 51 games with the Iowa Wild — enough to finish sixth on the team in both goals and points. His minus-27 rating doesn’t look great on the surface, but it was a tough year for pretty much everyone in Iowa except Jesper Wallstedt. C’est la vie.

Bankier needs two things as he continues on his development pathway in Iowa: time and help. The first one will come naturally; the second has already arrived in the form of AHL veterans Travis Boyd, Brendan Gaunce, Reese Johnson, and Ben Jones. Iowa should be a much stronger team in 2024-25, and if the 6’2″ Bankier takes another step or two, he could wind up in Minnesota by the end of the season.

Nashville Predators: Ryan Ufko, D

The Predators have always had a knack for identifying strong defensemen in the draft, and Ufko looks to be no different. Despite coming in at just 5’10”, 181 pounds, the Smithtown, New York product already looks every bit like a future NHLer with the upside to be a true top-four option.

After being drafted by Nashville in the fourth round back in 2021, Ufko immediately cemented himself as a star at UMass-Amherst and collected 81 points in 106 games over three seasons with the Minutemen. He signed his first pro deal with the Predators at the tail end of the 2023-24 season and wasted no time in making his presence felt with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, scoring six points in nine games to close out the regular season before adding 10 points in 15 playoff contests.

The Predators want to win now. That’s why they signed Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei this summer. But there is still plenty of room in Nashville for a young upstart defenseman to force his way into a spot on the right side, and Ufko is clearly the closest to making an NHL impact of the Preds’ defense prospects. Given that they have more than $11 million in dead money this year, Nashville could turn to Ufko and his $925,000 cap hit as a cheap fix if their power play struggles or Skjei gets hurt at any point this season.

St. Louis Blues: Dylan Peterson, C

Because the Blues didn’t make a single second-round pick in the 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 drafts, they don’t actually have many quality prospects who qualify for this list — first-rounders are exempt, after all. However, Dylan Peterson, one of the Blues’ two third-round picks from 2020, does qualify, and he has quite a bit going for him as he enters his first full pro season.

The 22-year-old Peterson spent the last four seasons at Boston University, where he gradually developed into a quality middle-six forward for one of the top NCAA teams in the country. As a senior with the Terriers in 2023-24, the 6’4″ Peterson managed eight goals, 20 points, and 73 penalty minutes in 35 games; he appeared in his first three AHL contests with the Springfield Thunderbirds at the end of the season.

Peterson is a right-handed center who could easily carve out a role on a checking line at the NHL level. For a Blues team seemingly in limbo between contention and bottoming out, Peterson could be a big asset as they try to re-establish their identity. He won’t make the NHL club out of camp, but don’t be surprised if Peterson gets a look at some point down the stretch in 2024-25.

Utah Hockey Club: Sam Lipkin, C

Sam Lipkin is the rare seventh-round pick who has looked every bit like a top prospect ever since he was drafted. After being selected with the No. 223 overall pick in 2021, the 6’2″ Lipkin went from being one of the best players on a dominant Chicago Steel team in 2021-22 to playing a key role on a National Championship-winning Quinnipiac University team over two NCAA seasons. Now, there’s a chance he could become a middle-six center with Utah HC at some point over the next few years.

When the Arizona Coyotes drafted Lipkin, his production in his draft year was lessened by him having to play behind Sean Farrell, Matt Coronato, Josh Doan, Adam Fantilli, Jackson Blake, and Mackie Samoskevich on Chicago’s depth chart. But in his draft-plus-one season, Lipkin emerged as a top player in the entire USHL and finished just behind Blake and Fantilli on Chicago’s scoring leaderboard.

In 2022-23, Lipkin joined Quinnipiac and finished second to Collin Graf with 43 points in 39 games as a freshman. Playing against fellow Coyotes prospect Logan Cooley in the Frozen Four Final, Lipkin set up the clinching goal in overtime to win Quinnipiac’s first-ever National Championship. He enjoyed another strong season with Quinnipiac in 2023-24 before signing his first pro deal with the Coyotes, who relocated to Utah shortly thereafter.

Winnipeg Jets: Parker Ford, C

There weren’t many players who stood out more at the 2023 Penticton YoungStars Tournament than Parker Ford, whose legs seemingly never stopped moving as he zoomed around the ice. Ford is a 5’9″ forward and the oldest player on this list, but he’s one of the easiest players to root for and could be the heir apparent to a guy like Ryan Lomberg if he ever establishes himself as a bona fide NHLer.

Ford went undrafted out of the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers program before arriving at Providence College, where he became a fan favorite over four full seasons. His performance with the Friars convinced the Jets to throw him a two-year, entry-level deal, which will conclude after the forthcoming 2024-25 campaign.

In 72 AHL games with the Manitoba Moose in 2023-24, Ford collected 18 goals and 41 points. The Wakefield, Rhode Island product may not have the overwhelming offensive upside of a guy like Brad Lambert, but he’s an extremely intriguing option to play a bottom-six role in Winnipeg as soon as next season. Ford is the textbook definition of an under-the-radar player — he’s well under the NHL height average, to boot — but he’s one who Jets fans could grow to love very soon.

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