AHL notebook: Perfetti, Dostal among top NHL prospects

The American Hockey League's 85th season was its strangest yet, but prospect development remained a constant.

The regular season ends Thursday when Toronto (Toronto Maple Leafs) visits Belleville (Ottawa Senators). There are no Calder Cup Playoffs this season. The Pacific is the only division to have a postseason with its best-of-3 semifinals starting Friday.
Here is a look at the best NHL prospects from each position during the 2020-21 AHL regular season:

Goalie

Lukas Dostal, San Diego (Anaheim Ducks)
The 20-year-old has had a swift rise since the Ducks selected him in the third round (No. 85) of the 2018 NHL Draft.
Following an outstanding career with Ilves in SM-liiga, Finland's top professional league, when he won the Urpo Ylonen Award as top goalie in 2019-20, the Czech Republic-born Dostal (6-foot-2, 174 pounds) has continued his ascent in North America. He immediately took on a heavy workload this season with San Diego and finished 15-9-0 with a 2.87 goals-against average and .916 save percentage. His 24 games ranked him third among AHL goalies. He will have a chance to play additional games when the Pacific Division will stage a tournament to determine a division champion. San Diego will face Bakersfield (Edmonton Oilers) in a semifinal series.
With Ryan Miller retiring, Dostal is a strong candidate to push veteran Anthony Stolarz for the backup job behind John Gibson in Anaheim.
Honorable mention:Stuart Skinner, Bakersfield; Logan Thompson, Henderson (Vegas Golden Knights)

Defensemen

Martin Fehervary, Hershey (Washington Capitals)
The 21-year-old has been able to blend a sturdy game with a heady, skilled style in his second pro season in North America.
Taken by Washington in the second round (No. 46) of the 2018 draft, the Capitals have patiently allowed Fehervary (6-2, 202) to develop with Hershey like many AHL graduates on their roster throughout the past several seasons. He scored 17 points (three goals, 14 assists) in 24 games playing top-pairing minutes for Hershey, which went 24-7-2-0 and had the best points percentage (.758) among the 28 AHL teams that played this season.
Thomas Harley, Texas (Dallas Stars)
The 19-year-old made the transition to the pro game look very smooth.
Dallas chose Harley (6-3, 190) in the first round (No. 18) of the 2019 NHL Draft. Despite having junior hockey eligibility remaining, Harley was able to play for Texas because the Ontario Hockey League did not have a season.
Harley is an excellent skater with a strong ability to distribute the puck and was a key part of an improving Texas power play, which had an 18.2 success rate. He ranked second among AHL defensemen with 25 points (eight goals, 17 assists) in 38 games and his eight goals led all at the position. Coach Neil Graham pushed Harley to fine-tune his defensive zone play to round out his game.
Honorable mention:Calen Addison, Iowa (Minnesota Wild); Ben Gleason, Texas; Johnathan Kovacevic, Manitoba (Winnipeg Jets); Tarmo Reunanen, Hartford (New York Rangers)

Forwards

Riley Damiani, Texas
Another top Dallas prospect, the 21-year-old (5-10, 170) finished tied for third in the AHL with 36 points (11 goals, 25 assists) in 36 games. He led the AHL in points scored by a rookie, three ahead of Henderson forward Jack Dugan.
Damiani is looking to be a potential steal for Dallas after being taken in the fifth round (No. 137) of the 2018 draft.
There could be a couple of openings for forwards in Dallas during training camp for the 2021-22 regular season. Damiani should be in the mix.
Cooper Marody, Bakersfield
The 24-year-old is primed to find a position in Edmonton next season after scoring 21 goals to lead the AHL this season.
Marody (6-0, 184) also had 15 assists for 36 points in 39 games to finish tied for third in AHL scoring with Damiani and forward Tyler Benson, another strong prospect for the Oilers. Marody was a sixth-round pick (No. 158) of the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2015 NHL Draft. Edmonton acquired him in a March 21, 2018 trade for a third-round pick in 2019.
Cole Perfetti, Manitoba
The 19-year-old is another player that took advantage of the opportunity to play in the AHL because of the cancelled OHL season.
That situation fit the Jets' long-established draft-and-develop philosophy. The No. 10 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft flourished with Manitoba this season after dominating the OHL last season by scoring 111 points (37 goals, 74 assists) in 64 games for Saginaw.
Perfetti (5-11, 175) tied for seventh in AHL rookie scoring with 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists) in 32 games. He will play for Canada at the 2021 IIHF World Championship, which starts Friday in Riga, Latvia.
Honorable mention:Morgan Barron, Hartford; Dugan, Henderson; Arthur Kaliyev, Ontario (Los Angeles Kings); Adam Mascherin, Texas; Connor McMichael, Hershey; Trevor Zegras, San Diego