Top 10 NHL-affiliated goaltending prospects in 2024-25

Apr 15, 2025, 12:00 EDT

Top 10 NHL-affiliated goaltending prospects in 2024-25

Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

For close to half a decade, we were talking about Dustin Wolf being one of the best goaltending prospects in the world.

Now, he’s got a strong case to win the Calder Trophy in his first full year with the Calgary Flames – although Lane Hutson might have something to say about that. All those years of watching Wolf dominate the WHL and AHL has carried over him being one of the top young goaltenders in the NHL.

But who’s next? Who’s set to join Wolf in the future Vezina Trophy conversation? Each summer, we look at the top 25 goaltending prospects in the NHL, and we’ll continue to do that. But to tide you over, here’s an updated look at the top 10:

1. Yaroslav Askarov, San Jose Sharks

Askarov is barely a prospect at this point – he’s been San Jose’s top goaltender in bursts this season. But he still has spent significant time in the AHL – looking good while doing so, too. By all accounts, he has been fantastic for a Barracuda team that gives up a bit too many high-quality chances. The 22-year-old has had some impressive starts for the big club this year, but there’s only so much he can do behind the Sharks’ blueline. Askarov has excellent size at 6-foot-4, always gives his team a chance to win, and has some of the best reactions of any goaltender we’ve seen in years. He’s still prone to flopping around a bit too much and isn’t the most fundamentally sound goalie, but he’s so quick and skilled. Askarov should be San Jose’s starter as early as next season.

2. Jacob Fowler, Montreal Canadiens

It won’t be too long until Fowler puts his hat in the ring as Montreal’s goaltender of the future. He is one of just three NCAA goaltenders who boasted a save percentage above .940 this year, and he has played some of his best hockey against other high-end programs. Fowler is listed as 6-foot-2, but he covers the net so effectively. He’s positionally solid, mentally strong and rarely gives up a bad goal. He’ll spend some time in Laval, where he’ll look to show he can translate his game to the next stage. Hopefully, he ends up performing better than Cayden Primeau did once he made the NHL after being a highly touted college prospect.

3. Sebastian Cossa, Detroit Red Wings

There’s an outside chance Cossa is Detroit’s No. 1 by this time next year. The 22-year-old is having a remarkable season with the Grand Rapids Griffins, putting up some of the league’s best numbers for the second straight year. The Red Wings were smart about his development – they sent him to the ECHL for his first year of pro hockey instead of rushing him to the Griffins in 2022-23. Since then, he’s been an absolute force and even won in his NHL debut earlier this season. The 6-foot-6 goaltender has a great frame, is fundamentally sound and has some of the most powerful legs you’ll find of any prospect. There’s a ton of upside, and I hope we see him getting a chance at full-time NHL duty sooner rather than later.

4. Trey Augustine, Detroit Red Wings

Fresh off becoming the most successful American goaltender in World Junior Championship history, Augustine has continued his trek to becoming the top goaltender in the NCAA this year. He registered a seven-game winning streak from mid-October until the end of November to help push MSU near the top of the standings. He hasn’t lost consecutive games at any point this year, and while having a good team helps, he routinely is forced to make 30-plus saves against quality opponents. Augustine is ready to take the AHL by storm next year and isn’t far away from challenging for NHL duty, either. He’s about half a foot shorter than Cossa but has been a star at every level. I don’t expect that to change by the time Augustine hits the pro level.

5. Jesper Wallstedt, Minnesota Wild

Wallstedt was once seen as the No. 1 goalie prospect nearly across the board. Now 23, some of his stock has fallen in what’s been a difficult season for the young Swede. He’s put up below-average numbers in the AHL and didn’t look particularly comfortable in either of his NHL starts. At points, he just looks, for lack of a better word, tired. Wallstedt had to have some game-changing performances for Iowa in the past, but we just haven’t seen that consistently enough this year. There’s still a lot to like. Few goalies move post-to-post as well as he does and, unlike Askarov, Wallstedt is not too floppy and doesn’t get caught chasing pucks. He needs to find a way to limit the bad goals and could be quicker at going up and down, too.

6. Devon Levi, Buffalo Sabres

Levi entered his pro career as one of the hottest goaltending commodities around. It was hard not to be excited, given that he put up some of the best college numbers in decades. But his pro career has been a mixed bag. He was rushed to the NHL last year and struggled. In the AHL, though, he’s been fantastic. The quick, reactive goaltender is very agile and does a good job of looking through traffic, despite being just six-foot. But at the same time, he struggles at covering space in the net and NHL shooters have exposed him as a result. Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen has been good enough that the Sabres can continue to be patient with Levi, but his inconsistency can be troubling.

7. Hampton Slukynsky, Los Angeles Kings

What a year for Sluknysky, who helped Western Michigan University make the NCAA final for the first time in the program’s history. He was absolutely lights out in the second half of the season after only getting a handful of starts prior to winning gold at the World Juniors. He has the reflexes, the speed, and a strong mental game to build around, and I can’t wait to see him turn pro at some point. The Kings have a bit of a logjam in net, with Erik Portillo and Carter George both showing promise. But I think Slukynsky could be the best out of all of them.

8. Michael Hrabal, Utah Hockey Club

Hrabal is coming off a tremendous season at UMass, going 19-12-5 while boasting an impressive .924 save percentage. He also overcame a difficult personal showing at the World Juniors a year ago to lead the team to a second consecutive bronze after a much-improved effort. So, he’s got the results, and he has the 6-foot-7 frame. Combine that all together, and it’s clear the 20-year-old has some good things going for him right now. Utah has gotten some decent goaltending this year, but Hrabal likely will become the team’s first true, long-term No. 1. He can be a bit shaky, especially on his glove side. But when he’s in the zone, he’s competitive, gets the puck out of the crease, and the size doesn’t hurt, either.

9. Leevi Merilainen, Ottawa Senators

Meriläinen deserves so much credit for helping the Sens make the playoffs this year. He went 8-3-1 with three shutouts and a .925 save percentage in 12 games to help keep the team in contention while goaltender Linus Ullmark was sidelined. The Senators had spent the past few years trying to establish a clear goalie of the future, and they got that when they acquired Ullmark last summer. But Meriläinen deserves a shot to be the team’s No. 2 while pushing for even more playing time as time goes on. He has a big, 6-foot-3 frame, he moves well, and he reads plays as well as any other prospect his age. I’ve liked Meriläinen for a while, and Sens fans have a lot of reasons to be excited about their future in net.

10. Ilya Nabokov, Colorado Avalanche

Nabokov has been one of the best goaltenders in the KHL over the past two years, bringing back memories of Igor Shesterkin and Ilya Sorokin from their early days of pro hockey. Nabokov is exceptionally young for a starter (he turned 22 during the playoffs) but he led Metallurg Magnitogorsk to a KHL title as a rookie last year (while also earning playoff MVP honors). Nabokov isn’t big at 6-foot-1, but he’s exceptionally quick and has tremendous reflexes. His KHL contract ends at the end of May, for what it’s worth.

Other notables: Carter George, Los Angeles Kings; Mikhail Yegorov, New Jersey Devils; Carl Lindbom, Vegas Golden Knights; Yegor Zavragin, Philadelphia Flyers; Joel Blomqvist, Pittsburgh Penguins; Sergei Murashov, Pittsburgh Penguins