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Golden Knights farm system report: How did top prospects fare?

One silver lining to the Golden Knights’ injury-plagued season is they got a long look at some prospects.

The Knights used a team-record 39 players, many of them young call-ups from Henderson.

Nine skaters — forwards Jake Leschyshyn, Jonas Rondbjerg, Paul Cotter, Pavel Dorofeyev and Ben Jones and defensemen Daniil Miromanov, Zach Hayes, Brayden Pachal and Kaedan Korczak — made their NHL debuts. Goaltender Logan Thompson made his first NHL start and had 17 by the end of the season.

Those games give the Knights a much better picture of their organizational depth entering the summer. Here’s an updated look at their farm system, ranked 17th last preseason by Elite Prospects (before Peyton Krebs was traded to Buffalo) and 22nd midseason by The Athletic:

Silver Knights

Brendan Brisson, right wing

The Knights’ 2020 first-round pick (29th overall) had an eventful season.

Brisson, 20, had an outstanding sophomore year at Michigan with 21 goals and 21 assists in 38 games. He was first in the Big Ten and tied for seventh nationally in goals per game thanks to his lethal one-timer.

Brisson took a break from his collegiate season in February to compete for Team USA in the Winter Olympics in Beijing. He scored twice in four games, but the U.S. lost in a shootout to Slovakia in the quarterfinals.

Brisson wrapped up the season by joining the Silver Knights for their final seven games. He had three goals and five assists.

“I certainly saw the excitement in him and what he can bring to our team,” coach Manny Viveiros said. “The stuff he has naturally sometimes you just can’t teach.”

Ivan Morozov, center

Morozov, a 2018 second-round pick, joined the Silver Knights at the end of the season.

His Kontinental Hockey League season ended in February, but his KHL contract prevented him from signing his entry-level deal until April 26. He played in the Silver Knights’ regular-season finale and their two playoff games, recording one assist.

“I thought he did very well,” assistant coach Jamie Heward said after Morozov’s April 30 debut. “For him to come in and just pop in and look as good as he did is a good sign.”

Morozov, 22, had five goals and six assists in 22 KHL games this season before coming to North America. He had 31 points in 55 games the season before while playing with one of the league’s top clubs, SKA St. Petersburg.

Pavel Dorofeyev, left wing

The 21-year-old played 13 minutes in the NHL, but showed tremendous improvement in the American Hockey League.

Dorofeyev, a 2019 third-round pick, led the Silver Knights in goals (27) and points (52) in 63 games in his first full season in North America. He was tied for 17th in the AHL in goals.

Viveiros said he thinks Dorofeyev will continue to develop. He plans to give him more defensive responsibility next season to round out his game.

“It’s only going to help with his development,” Viveiros said. “If he can get that and master that, too, that’s going to really help his chances of getting to play with the Golden Knights in the future.”

Kaedan Korczak, defenseman

Korczak’s first full professional season was a learning experience.

The 21-year-old dealt with what he called his first injury (undisclosed) and missed 21 games. The 2019 second-round pick also adjusted to battling older players in the corners and in front of the net.

Korczak finished with two goals and 12 assists in 47 AHL games. The defensive defenseman made his NHL debut Feb. 1 against Buffalo.

“I know what I need to do is getting stronger and being able to handle those older men,” Korczak said. “Being a guy that’s relied upon to play lots of minutes, that’s what I want to do.”

Others to know

— Defenseman Pete DiLiberatore had 20 points in 53 games in his first professional season. The 22-year-old can move pucks well but needs to add strength.

— Left wing Jack Dugan had 18 points in 35 games after finishing second on the team in scoring as a rookie in 2021. The 24-year-old is a restricted free agent this offseason.

— Goaltender Isaiah Saville made eight AHL appearances after wrapping up his junior season at Nebraska-Omaha. The 21-year-old had a .907 save percentage and 2.52 goals-against average with the Mavericks.

Junior players

Zach Dean, center

The 2021 first-round pick (30th overall) saw his production take off this season, with 21 goals and 31 assists in 47 games with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Gatineau Olympiques.

Dean, 19, is known as a well-rounded player whose skill level and competitiveness were praised by general manager Kelly McCrimmon after he was drafted. He impressed at the Knights’ rookie camp before returning to his junior team.

“He kept growing as an offensive player,” Gatineau general manager and coach Louis Robitaille said. “But also defensively, you look at his plus-19 (rating), that reflects the quality of his 200-foot game.”

Dean will need to play one more season at Gatineau before being AHL eligible.

Lukas Cormier, defenseman

The 20-year-old put on a show in the QMJHL and was named defenseman of the year for the second straight time.

He’s the first repeat winner and was presented the award by his father, Mario.

“Thank you to his teammates, staff and (host families) for their support,” Mario Cormier said in a mix of English and French. “Lukas, keep being a good role model to the kids and keep working hard.”

Cormier, a 2020 third-round pick, had 33 goals and 48 assists in 62 games in his fourth season with the Charlottetown Islanders. He led QMJHL defensemen in points for the second straight season. His 81 points were the most by a defenseman in the league since 2013-14. His 33 goals were the most by a defenseman since 2005-06.

Cormier, listed at 5 feet, 10 inches, will need to show he can hang with bigger, stronger players defensively, but his offensive upside is clear. He’s eligible to play in the AHL next season.

Daniil Chayka, defenseman

Chayka, selected eight spots after Dean in the second round, returned to the Ontario Hockey League this season after spending the previous year in Russia.

The 6-foot-3-inch lean blue liner finished with seven goals and 32 assists in 53 games for the Guelph Storm and was named the team’s defenseman of the year. He had 11 goals and 23 assists in 56 games in his last season with Guelph in 2019-20.

“He was certainly leading the way from his position on the back end,” Storm coach George Burnett said. “Led our power play, killed penalties and played against the other team’s best people most every night.”

Chayka, 19, joined the Silver Knights before their final playoff game but did not play. He’s AHL-eligible next season.

Others to know

— Forward Jakub Brabenec, a 2021 fourth-round pick, was named the QMJHL’s offensive rookie of the year playing with Cormier for Charlottetown. He was first among rookies with 64 points in 58 games.

— Forward Jackson Hallum, a 2020 third-round pick, had 29 goals and 41 assists in 62 games in the United States Hockey League. He’s expected to attend Michigan next season.

— Artur Cholach, a 2021 sixth-round pick, was named the third-best defensive defenseman in the Eastern Conference in the OHL coaches’ poll. Cholach is Ukranian and took part in a ceremonial puck drop before the NHL’s Heritage Classic in March.

NHL to AHL shuttle

Jake Leschyshyn, center

Leschyshyn, a 2017 second-round pick, made his NHL debut in the second game of the Golden Knights’ season.

He played 41 games in the NHL and 34 in the AHL. He had more offensive production with the Silver Knights, but his improved skating showed he could have an NHL future.

Leschyshyn, 23, had 27 points in Henderson and six with the Golden Knights.

“I feel like I gained a lot of confidence over this season getting some time up,” Leschyshyn said. “It was really exciting.”

Jonas Rondbjerg, right wing

Rondbjerg spent more time than any other prospect shuffling between levels.

The 2017 third-round pick played 39 AHL games and 30 in the NHL and posted a career year offensively. He doubled his production with the Silver Knights by getting 14 goals and 27 points. The 23-year-old had six points for the Golden Knights.

“I really improved in that part of my game,” Rondbjerg said. “It’s something I want to keep on working going into next year.”

Daniil Miromanov, defenseman

The 24-year-old was one of the organization’s training camp surprises and made an impact at multiple levels.

The offensive defenseman had 11 goals and 29 assists in 53 games with the Silver Knights. He had one assist in 11 NHL games. He often started shifts in the offensive zone with the Golden Knights because the former forward is still working on his defensive play.

“Gaining more strength (is a goal),” Miromanov said. “Getting that endurance, because those guys, (Alex) Pietrangelo, you look at (Shea) Theodore, they play a lot of minutes in an 82 game-season.”

Others to know

— Cotter had what he said was “the best week of my life” early in the season when he made his NHL debut Nov. 9, scored his first goal Nov. 11 and turned 22 on Nov. 16. He had 34 points in 59 games with the Silver Knights.

— Hayes played his first three NHL games in March. The 23-year-old defensive defenseman said taking the ice for warmups for the first time was “like a movie scene.”

— Pachal, the Silver Knights’ captain, appeared in his first two NHL games. The restricted free agent defenseman said he wants to work on his puck skills this summer.

— Jones had a breakout AHL season with 41 points and also played in two NHL games. The 23-year-old has started a foundation to help with youth sports’ costs.

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.

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