Vegas Golden Knights Prospects: Russians Moving Up, Korczak and More

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The Vegas Golden Knights Prospect Report is a monthly article that will offer a peek into who will be wearing the black and gold in the future. I will have a top 10 list of players and discuss how they performed in the previous month, as well as mention the prospects who are trending up and down.

The parameters for the list are as follows: they are considered a prospect if they are below the age of 25 and have fewer than 25 games played in the NHL.

Vegas Golden Knights Prospect Report Peyton Krebs Pavel Dorofeyev and Lucas Elvenes

With the new year comes the World Junior Championship, and this year’s winner was Team Canada. They beat Team Russia, which had two of the three Golden Knights prospects in the tournament (Pavel Dorofeyev and Ivan Morozov). The third player in the tourney that has his rights owned by Vegas is goaltender Isaiah Saville. He was the third goalie for Team USA and did not see any game action.

NCAA standout Jack Dugan continues to climb the rankings while the two Russians have had impressive months.

Here is your top-10.

Top-10 Golden Knights Prospects

1. Peyton Krebs, Winnipeg Ice (Center)

Krebs is in full swing as he is up to 35 points in 24 games this season. After recovering from offseason surgery, he looks like the player many scouts saw last season. He plays a hard, 200-foot game and likes to get his teammates involved as he is averaging more than one assist per game. Management will likely keep him in junior for next season, but Krebs could get a cup of coffee with the Chicago Wolves after his season with the Ice is over.

2. Jack Dugan, Providence College (Left Wing)

Dugan has continued to light up the NCAA ranks. The nominees for the Hobey Baker were recently released and Dugan is an early favorite. He has surpassed his point total last season as he is up to 42 in only 25 games. General manager Kelly McCrimmon would love to sign the winger after his college season is over and provide some extra depth for a potential playoff run.

3. Pavel Dorofeyev, Metallurg Magnitogorsk (Left Wing)

The Russian winger had an outstanding World Juniors for his home country, scoring three goals and adding an assist in the seven games he played, helping them take home a silver medal. Dorofeyev has returned to Metallurg in the KHL, and unfortunately, since he is still a teenager, he draws the short stick for ice time every game – that is the name of the game over there.

Pavel Dorofeyev of Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk
Pavel Dorofeyev (courtesy MHL)

Don’t let the small stat line fool you, the skill is there, and, as he gets older, he will be worked into more shifts. He is still a few years away from crossing the pond, but he should be worth the wait.

4. Lucas Elvenes, Chicago Wolves (Center)

Even though his scoring has slowed down, Elvenes is still learning the North American game. He is still fifth in rookie scoring (33) and second in assists (25) in the entire AHL. With his exciting rookie season, he was named to the 2020 AHL All-Star Classic.

Possibly a trading chip at the trade deadline, Elvenes won’t see any NHL time this season, but with Cody Eakin being a free agent and Paul Stastny climbing up in age, he should have a decent shot at making the team next season.

5. Nicolas Roy, Chicago Wolves/Vegas Golden Knights (Center)

With recent injuries to Eakin, Cody Glass and William Karlsson, Roy has been a steady fixture in the Golden Knights lineup. He has a goal and an assist in his most recent call-up which includes seven games so far. Under new coach Peter DeBoer, Roy has averaged over 10 minutes a night and is looking more comfortable with every game.

6. Ivan Morozov, SKA-Neva St. Petersburg (Center)

Another Russian at the World Juniors for the Golden Knights, Morozov is a smart player and was a big reason they made it to the gold medal game. Since returning from the tournament, he has been called up to the KHL and been on a tear recently. In seven games, he has four goals and six points, all of them coming in his last three.

This was his second goal of the game against Dinamo, displaying his soft hands in front of the net. This type of production is unheard of from a player under 23 in the KHL, let alone a teenager. If he can continue this strong start to his KHL career, his confidence will skyrocket and he will keep climbing this list.

7. Dylan Coghlan, Chicago Wolves (Defense)

Coghlan has rediscovered his confidence in the past month, making confident plays and leading the Wolves defense. He provides a high, booming shot from the point and has grown his game leaps and bounds in his own zone. He could see a couple of NHL games towards the end of the season if the Golden Knights don’t add a significant defenseman at the trade deadline.

8. Kaedan Korczak, Kelowna Rockets (Defense)

New to our list, Korczak was selected in the second round of this past summer’s draft. The 2019 draftee plays in the Western Hockey League for the Kelowna Rockets. He possesses a booming shot from the point and skates very well.

He has already tied his point total from last season (33) and has doubled his goal total this season with eight lamp-lighters in 24 fewer games. He will continue to develop in the WHL, but could be a top-four defenseman for the Golden Knights in a few seasons.

9. Jimmy Schuldt, Chicago Wolves (Defense)

Signing out of college, Schuldt had plenty of playing experience. Unfortunately, he has not developed as quickly as expected. He is still adjusting to the pro game and is only 24 years old, but younger Golden Knight prospects are starting to leap past Schuldt on the depth chart.

10. Isaiah Saville, University of Nebraska-Omaha (Goalie)

In four games since returning to Nebraska-Omaha (UNO) from the World Juniors, Saville has posted a 3-1-2 record, going 1-1 against North Dakota, playing two ties against the University of Denver and winning both games on the road against Colorado College.

Playing for Team USA instilled confidence back in his game and the young American should continue getting his reps at the college level as the Golden Knights already have five total goalies in their organization. Staying at UNO will develop his game more than playing occasionally in the ECHL.