AHL notebook: Thompson, Broberg among top NHL prospects

Much has changed in the American Hockey League since it suspended play March 12, 2020 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.

The one constant that remains is the top development league for NHL prospects has another robust crop of talent with the AHL returning to a full schedule for the 2021-22 season.
Here is a look at 10 top AHL prospects (in alphabetical order):

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Philip Broberg, Bakersfield (Edmonton Oilers)

The 20-year-old defenseman (6-3, 199), chosen by the Oilers with the No. 8 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, is playing his first season in North America. He has one assist in two games coming off 89 regular-season games for Skelleftea AIK in the Swedish Hockey League.

Yegor Chinakhov, Cleveland (Columbus Blue Jackets)

Though Columbus assigned the 20-year-old forward (6-1, 189) to Cleveland to start the season, forward Max Domi was placed on injured reserve Monday with a broken rib and is expected to be out 2-4 weeks. That opened the door for Chinakhov to make his NHL debut at the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday. He played 12:00 and was held without a point in a 4-1 loss.
Selected by the Blue Jackets No. 21 in the 2020 NHL Draft, Chinakhov scored 17 points (10 goals, seven assists) in 32 regular-season games for Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League. He had seven points (five goals, two assists) in 21 playoff games to help Omsk won the Gagarin Cup.

Ville Heinola, Manitoba (Winnipeg Jets)

The Jets are taking their customary patient approach with Heinola (5-11, 178), a 20-year-old defenseman who they chose No. 20 pick in the 2019 draft.
Heinola played last season for Finland at the World Juniors, the NHL, AHL and SM-Liiga, the top professional league in his home country. He scored 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 19 games for Manitoba, and 14 points (one goal, 13 assists) in 19 games for Lukko.

Alexander Holtz, Utica (New Jersey Devils)

The 19-year-old forward (6-0, 195) scored two goals in a 6-2 win against Rochester (Buffalo Sabres) on Sunday. The No. 7 pick in the 2020 draft scored 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in 40 regular-season games for Djurgardens IF of the SHL, and three points (one goal, two assists) in 10 games for Binghamton last season.

Peyton Krebs, Henderson (Vegas Golden Knights)

The 20-year-old forward (5-11, 180) started the season in the NHL and was recalled by the Golden Knights on Tuesday with forwards Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone each out indefinitely with a lower-body injury.
Krebs, selected No. 17 by the Golden Knights in the 2019 draft, scored 43 points (13 goals, 30 assists) in 24 regular-season games as captain of Winnipeg in the WHL last season, when he also made his pro debut with Henderson (five points; one goal, four assists in five games).

Scott Perunovich, Springfield (St. Louis Blues)

The 23-year-old defenseman (5-10, 175) is one of the fresh faces who will be a part of the Blues' new affiliation with Springfield after he missed last season because of left shoulder surgery. Perunovich, selected by the Blues in the second round (No. 45) off the 2018 NHL Draft, scored 40 points (six goals, 34 assists) in 34 games as a sophomore at Minnesota-Duluth to win the 2020 Hobey Baker Award given to the top player in NCAA men's hockey.

Marco Rossi, Iowa (Minnesota Wild)

The Wild are taking a slow approach with the 20-year-old forward. The No. 9 pick in the 2020 draft was one of their final cuts from training camp and is expected to play heavy minutes for Iowa.
Minnesota loaned Rossi to Zurich SC of National League, the top professional league in Switzerland, because the 2020-21 NHL season was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. He was diagnosed with COVID-19 in mid-November after playing one game. He led the Ontario Hockey League with 120 points (39 goals, 81 assists) in 56 games for Ottawa in 2019-20.

Braden Schneider, Hartford (New York Rangers)

Schneider (6-2, 202) is one of the key pieces of a deep group of young defensemen the Rangers have in Hartford. Selected No. 19 by the Rangers in the 2020 draft, the 20-year-old played two AHL games and returned to the WHL, where he was captain of Brandon, and scored 27 points (five goals, 22 assists) in 22 games last season.

Logan Thompson, Henderson

The 24-year-old goalie (6-foot-4, 201 pounds) made his NHL debut last season with two saves in relief of Marc-Andre Fleury in a 4-3 loss at the Minnesota Wild on March 10 before returning to Henderson to finish 16-6-1 with a 1.96 goals-against average and .943 save percentage in 23 games. Selected He was named by the AHL the winner of the Aldege "Baz" Bastien Award as the top goalie in the league and to the All-Rookie Team and Pacific All-Star Team.
Thompson made 89 saves on 96 shots in back-to-back wins against Colorado (Colorado Avalanche) last Saturday and Sunday.

Dustin Wolf, Stockton (Calgary Flames)

The 20-year-old goalie has quickly attracted attention as a full-time pro.
Wolf (6-0, 156) showed promise in a three-game stint with Stockton last season, going 2-1-0 with a 3.24 GAA and .895 save percentage. Selected by Calgary in the seventh round (No. 214) of the 2019 draft, Wolf went back to Everett in the Western Hockey League, where he was 18-3-0 with a 1.80 GAA and .940 save percentage in 22 games and helped the United States win the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship.