Some players quickly get full-time NHL jobs. Other players need a few seasons of development time in the AHL before moving up, while some may be sufficiently ready for NHL work but find themselves in a positional logjam; in those cases, many NHL teams will opt to season a player further in the AHL.
Here is a look at five first-round picks from the 2018 and 2019 NHL Drafts who continue to progress well in the AHL (in alphabetical order):
Alexander Alexeyev, D, Hershey (Washington Capitals)
Selected by Washington in the first round (No. 31) of the 2018 NHL Draft, the 22-year-old defenseman is playing well within one of the top developmental systems in the AHL.
The sturdy Alexeyev (6-foot-4, 213 pounds) has scored nine points (one goal, eight assists) in 34 AHL games, and played one game for the Capitals, on Dec. 29.
He was able to take on a nearly full complement of work last season, playing 55 regular-season games with Ufa of the Kontinental Hockey League, nine games in the Gagarin Cup Playoffs and then 12 games with Hershey.
Ty Dellandrea, F, Texas (Dallas Stars)
Dallas selected Dellandrea with the No. 13 pick in 2018 draft and has him with Texas for further development this season after he scored five points (three goals, two assists) in 26 NHL games last season.
Texas coach Neil Graham has used Dellandrea with some of the top talent on the team, including forward Riley Damiani, and he has scored 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in 27 games. The Stars also have recalled the 21-year-old within the past month for duty on the taxi squad while also still enabling him to get regular time in the AHL.
Grigori Denisenko, F, Charlotte (Florida Panthers)
The forward, selected No. 15 by the Panthers in the 2018 draft, has been battling an undisclosed injury and has been out of the Charlotte lineup since Jan. 12.
However, the 21-year-old has scored 18 points (nine goals, nine assists) in 30 games. He arrived in North America for the 2020-21 season already owning two seasons of high-level experience in the KHL with Yaroslavl.
Martin Kaut, F, Colorado (Colorado Avalanche)
Any prospect who comes through the Avalanche development system will receive a thorough education on two-way hockey from AHL coach Greg Cronin.
Kaut went one spot after Denisenko in the 2018 draft. He then took on the AHL as a 19-year-old in the 2018-19 season, scoring 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) in 63 games.
Now 22 years old, he has scored 11 points (eight goals, three assists) in 18 AHL games while also playing six games for the Avalanche.
Brayden Tracey, F, San Diego (Anaheim Ducks)
The 20-year-old forward, who was selected No. 29 by the Ducks in the 2019 NHL Draft, is eighth in scoring among AHL rookies with 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in 31 games.
Last season he was able to play 12 AHL games for San Diego before returning to Victoria of the Western Hockey League when their season began.
That brief taste of the higher level of play in the AHL appears to have helped Tracey, who was the WHL Rookie of the Year in 2018-19 with Moose Jaw after he scored 81 points (36 goals, 45 assists) in 66 regular-season games, best among all rookies.
