It shouldn't surprise anyone that the Vegas Golden Knights are Stanley Cup contenders. They've done everything they can to get the best players in the world, whether that's Tomas Hertl, Jack Eichel, or Mitch Marner. While that sounds nice, that comes at a cost.
You see, The Athletic came out with a farm system ranking for all 32 NHL teams. Let's just say the Golden Knights didn't rank so high on the pipeline list. In fact, they were ranked near the bottom of the list, sitting in 30th place, courtesy of Corey Pronman.
Does your NHL team have the best pipeline in the sport?@coreypronman ranked all 32, and today, he's starting with the bottom eight: https://t.co/sUcld31UOy pic.twitter.com/KUiyiR62Q7
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) August 25, 2025
Let's be real. There was a good reason behind that ranking. But we'll get into that later. Let's look at how the team was graded on a grand scale.
This year's draft yielded them a C+ ranking, with picks such as Jakob Ihs-Wozniak and Gustav Sjoqvist leaving little to the imagination. Overall, the ranking was a three-spot drop for the franchise, who ranked 27th the season before.
While the Golden Knights weren't given glowing reviews for their farm system, the team did have some projected NHL players in the lower ranks. Obviously, Trevor Connelly stands out given his exceptional offensive talent. After all, he was invited to the 2025 NHLPA Rookie Showcase. However, he wasn't the only player who stood out in Pronman's rankings.
The other Vegas Golden Knights prospects that stood out to The Athletic
Goaltender Pavel Moisevich was given the distinction of potentially playing NHL games in his future. The Belarusian netminder has the size and movements necessary to be a backup goaltender, making him an NHL regular. He was also lauded for his high-difficulty saves, doing well when the pressure was on.
Wozniak was also given high remarks as a "middle-of-the-lineup" guy. His penchant for a wide selection of shots makes him valuable as a shooting forward. But he can also skate for someone his size (6'2"), making him valuable for the Golden Knights' future. If he can work on being more consistent, he'll become that "middle-of-the-lineup" guy that he's seen as here.
Other names that stood out here include Matyas Sapovaliv and Jakub Brabenac. The Czech prospects know how to score and carry some size with them. Other names given some love on the ol' ranking system include Mathieu Cataford and Arrtu Karki.
One surprising omission was Carl Lindbom. The Henderson Silver Knights netminder had a solid 2024-25 campaign with the AHL club, posting a GAA of 2.65, a save percentage of .912, and three shutouts. Perhaps a duplicate campaign will fetch him some love among NHL analysts and writers... It should give him a chip on his shoulder for the upcoming season.
Let's be honest. The Vegas Golden Knights' prospect pool isn't expected to light the world on fire. It's mired with fringe players who probably won't see the light of day in the NHL. Obviously, that's a by-product of a team in a Stanley Cup contention window right now. But that doesn't mean that the team doesn't have viable players in the system.
Names like Connelly and Wozniak should stand out for the long term, giving Vegas a fighter's chance at longer sustainability. However, more drafting and nailing your prospects is the key to keeping that window open. Who knows what the future holds for an aggressive contender like Vegas?