Lately, I've been on a Megamind kick (no, not the sequels since they suck). The movie talks about hot topics such as "nice guys" and people who weren't given a chance in life. When the latter is finally given that chance, he shines brightest.
Our hero (or villain reformed as a hero) had a bad string of luck during his life. He landed in a jail cell after being born and was constantly overlooked for Metro Man. Lo and behold, he takes over Metro City, where he eventually reforms by falling in love. In the process, he takes out said "nice guy," wins the girl of his dreams, and becomes the city's protector.
Granted, Trevor Connelly isn't going to take over Las Vegas (at least, on a hostile political takeover level) any time soon. However, that doesn't mean he won't take over the Vegas Golden Knights.
While he's faced some controversies during his amateur career, the Golden Knights prospect was extremely productive. In turn, he's looking to turn a controversial Snapchat story into a frutiful NHL career. How, you ask?
Well, continuing his current trajectory certainly helps. But how high can the star prospect go in the NHL? Will he have an integral role in keeping the Golden Knights atop the NHL hierarchy?
How high is Trevor Connelly's ceiling with the Vegas Golden Knights?
Corey Pronman of The Athletic didn't give the Vegas Golden Knights a friendly ranking when he rated prospects. However, he did believe in certain prospects within the system. Who was one of those names that came up? Trevor Connelly.
Pronman projected the Tustin, California native as a middle-of-the-lineup guy to hold the fort down.
"Connelly was up and down in college this season, scoring only four goals for Providence, although he scored four points in six AHL games after turning pro toward the end of the season. Connelly is a very talented winger. He’s a dynamic skater with clear NHL foot speed and edge work. He’s a great puck handler who makes a ton of difficult plays at an elite tempo. Connelly isn’t a great playmaker, but he sees the ice well enough and can flank a power play. His decision-making isn’t the best, though, as well as his consistency and discipline, which are connected to character flags that have dogged him for years. He projects as a middle-six winger."Corey Pronman
Being in the middle of the lineup sounds worse than initially thought. Connelly is a former first-round pick and was extremely solid as a contributor during his amateur career. However, his projected trajectory could be even higher than people anticipate.
Why Trevor Connelly could be a top-six fixture for the Golden Knights
Looking at Connelly's brief AHL stint last season, he scored a goal and three assists with the Henderson Silver Knights. The former first-round pick impressed in his short stint. But some things can be improved.
For example, he needs a better hockey sense. Sometimes, he can get lost in the play and make simple mistakes. He can also not feel a sense of competitiveness while he's on the ice. Luckily, he has plenty of time (as with all prospects) to rectify these problems.
After all, he has the playmaking abilities and offensive capacity to make the on-ice magic happen. Just look at his last campaign with the Tri-City Storm in 2023-24. Here, he scored 31 goals and 47 assists in 52 games.
If Connelly can adjust to the faster pace of professional hockey, he can have a redemption story like Megamind. All it takes is one chance to make it work. After all, presentation makes a "supervillain" (or the hero, in this instance).