Top 10 NHL prospects to watch during AHL’s Calder Cup playoffs

The Stanley Cup playoffs kicked off dramatically on Monday, highlighted by the Minnesota Wild and Los Angeles Kings winning late-night overtime thrillers.

Now, it’s the Calder Cup’s turn.

The American Hockey League’s playoffs begin Tuesday, with the Charlotte Checkers vs. the Lehigh Valley Phantoms starting things off. The fun commences with seven first-round series, while a handful of teams have already earned byes to the division semifinals. Each first-round matchup is a best of three, with the division semifinals and finals both being best of fives. The conference finals and the Calder Cup Final will all be the traditional seven-game affairs, but it’s the first few rounds where most of the fun happens.

There’s absolutely no room for error.

Many teams were able to send their top-quality young prospects back to the AHL for the playoff run, while other prospects have been plying their craft there all season long. Here’s a look at 10 notable prospects to watch during the 2023 Calder Cup playoffs:

Jiri Kulich, C (Rochester Americans, BUF)

What a year for the 19-year-old. One of the best shooters from the 2022 NHL Draft, Kulich made an immediate impact with the Americans, scoring 24 goals and 46 points in 62 games. Kulich became just the fourth U-19 player in AHL history to score more than 20 goals – as a pivotal play driver for an Americans team looking to take down Syracuse. The Sabres are building quite the young future core, with Kulich the main attraction thanks to his remarkable offensive campaign. Clearly, it didn’t take long for him to adjust to the pro game.

Dustin Wolf, G (Calgary Wranglers, CGY)

Wolf is easily the best goaltender in the AHL, and these playoffs should mark the end of his minor league career. The defending goalie of the year winner should do it again after putting up one of the best regular-season efforts in decades. The Wranglers have a bye to the Pacific Division semifinals, giving them a bit of extra rest. That’s definitely what the rest of the Calder Cup playoffs needed – giving one of the most dominant teams some off time.

Joel Hofer, G (Springfield Thunderbirds, STL)

Sticking with the goalie train, would Springfield be in this position without Hofer’s excellent play? He finished the regular season with a .921 save percentage and five shutouts, earning him a spot on the AHL’s second All-Star Team. Hofer looked good for the most part in his six-game run with the Blues this year, solidifying his case to be Jordan Binnington’s backup next year. Heck, it wouldn’t be crazy to think he assumes No. 1 duties before too long, but he has a mission to complete first. After coming up one spot short in the Calder Cup playoffs a year ago, he’ll have a chance to change the outcome this time around.

Graeme Clarke, RW (Utica Comets, NJD)

It’s been a good year to be a Clarke brother. While Brandt Clarke has obliterated the OHL in a way few defensemen have ever done, Graeme Clarke has had his own season to remember. He put up 25 goals and 58 points in his third season in the AHL, easily crushing the 42 career points he had heading into the 2022-23 season. Utica will need all the help it can get as the fourth seed out of the North Division, easily the tightest one in the league. The Comets will play Laval Rocket in the first round, with all eyes on Clarke’s ability to dominate offensively. He had one of the best U-16 seasons we’ve seen in quite some time back in 2016-17 but never really became a high-output scoring threat in the OHL. The Devils took him with the 80th pick in 2019, and he has quickly become one of the league’s most dangerous scorers.

Lukas Reichel, C (Rockford IceHogs, CHI)

Reichel was going to be the top-scoring prospect had it not been for his call-up a few weeks back. Now, the IceHogs enter the Central Division’s first-round series as the underdogs against Iowa. Reichel’s 108 points in 111 games over the past two seasons are the best among U-22 players; his 0.97 points-per-game rate is just 0.01 behind Calgary’s Jakob Pelletier for the lead in that time. Reichel will challenge for a spot on Chicago’s top line next year, but he’ll chase the Calder Cup for now.

Georgii Merkulov, C (Providence Bruins, BOS)

After signing with the Bruins as an undrafted NCAA free agent last year, Merkulov has carved himself quite the season with Providence. He’s the only player to break the 50-point barrier, with the 22-year-old looking at home right out of the gate. At 22, he was more pro-ready than some of Boston’s other top prospects, which helped in the transition to the AHL this year. He hasn’t earned an NHL call-up yet in his career, but it’ll be interesting to see what route Boston decides to take with Merkulov next season.

Tyson Foerster, RW (Lehigh Valley Phantoms, PHI)

There weren’t a lot of reasons for the Flyers to celebrate this year, but Foerster’s late-season play – seven points in eight games – made that possible. He was also one of the better U-21 players, scoring 20 goals and 48 points to lead Lehigh Valley in scoring. That shouldn’t have been a surprise – he has been a high-volume scorer everywhere, including as an 18-year-old with the Phantoms during the 2020-21 COVID-affected season. The Atlantic Division bracket will be a tough one, but Lehigh Valley will be happy to have Foerster back in the lineup.

Jordan Spence, D (Ontario Reign, LAK)

If there’s one thing Spence is excellent at, it’s putting points on the board. He has 87 points over the past two seasons, making him the most dangerous U-22 defenseman and a big part of Ontario’s attack. The offensive defenseman is as good of a puck mover at the blue line as you’ll get at this level. There are definitely flaws in his game, but Spence is one of the most fun defensemen to watch in the AHL.

Alex Steeves, C (Toronto Marlies, TOR)

Depth is a strength for the Leafs this year, something that hasn’t been the case for many years, and that meant Alex Steeves spent the past two seasons with the Marlies after some promising stints in the NHL. Steeves is a hard-working forward with a good release while bringing decent muscle around the net. The Marlies have had an awful past month, especially with key players getting called up to the NHL to deal with injuries, but if Steeves can have a big run after a bit of time off due to Toronto’s bye, maybe he’ll force the Leafs’ hand next season.

Joakim Kemell, LW (Milwaukee Admirals, NSH)

No matter what, don’t count out Milwaukee. The team received Philip Tomasino, Mark Jankowski, Luke Evangelista and Michael McCarron, among others, from the Nashville Predators, giving the Admirals a deep lineup for the playoff run. They’ll also have a red-hot Joakim Kemell, one of the best young goal-scoring prospects around. He had 13 points in 14 games to close out the regular season and immediately thrust himself into a prominent position up front. With the added talent to the Admirals, will his ice time dip? Regardless, Kemell is going to be one heck of a player one day, and with the Preds out of the playoffs, this is an excellent chance for him to get used to his future NHL teammates.