Top 6 NHL Prospects to Watch in the AHL During the 2026-27 Season

Whether you're keeping up with your favorite NHL team's prospects or just enjoy watching minor league hockey, there are tons of great players in the AHL honing their craft and preparing for the big leagues.

The AHL is a fantastic development league, and that's demonstrated this season more than ever. Because its level of competition is higher than major-junior, teams pushed for a new agreement between the NHL and the CHL.

Previously, no 19-year-olds drafted out of a CHL league were allowed to be assigned to an AHL team. Thanks to the new agreement—which was almost certainly spurred on by the widening development options afforded due to CHL players now being permitted to play NCAA hockey—one 19-year-old drafted specifically in the first round from each NHL team can play in the AHL this season.

A couple of the players on this list are in the AHL because of that agreement; several others would've greatly benefited from it existing last season. All of the players on this list are going to be consistently and thoroughly challenged as the level of talent in the league continues to rise ever higher. It's up to them whether they rise to that challenge, but for those of us who are prospect heads, it's definitely going to make things even more entertaining than they already were.

This list is by no means exhaustive, but it's a great place to start. We're looking at three players from the Eastern Conference and three players from the Western Conference.

Kashawn Aitcheson — D, Hamilton Hammers (NYI)

New York Islanders prospect and defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson is spending this season with the AHL's newest team, the Hamilton Hammers. Don't be surprised if you see him as an injury call-up at some point this season, though; in addition to perfectly suiting the Islanders' preferred identity, Aitcheson's playing style feels like the perfect complement to a player like Matthew Schaefer. While he brings a strong physical presence, he can also more than keep up offensively, and it's a lot of fun to watch.

Last season Aitcheson co-captained the OHL's Barrie Colts with the next player on our list (spoiler alert), and put up 70 points in 56 games with a further 27 points in 19 playoff games. His hard-hitting, battling dimension gets discussed a lot, but his offensive game is greatly enjoyable. He's constantly engaged, closing gaps and forcing opponents to the outside, and at the same time he's anticipating the location of teammates to send off a pass, or finding the back of the net. It wouldn't be surprising to see him on the second power-play unit for the Islanders in the future (with Schaefer obviously running the first).

There are elements of his game that require refining before he makes the NHL full-time; specifically his decision-making when it comes to being a little too physical at the wrong time, as well as his defensive and passing choices. But that's exactly what his time in the AHL is for, and his overall engagement in the game bodes well for his ability to identify those needed changes and make them. He's also just a heck of a lot of fun to watch; Hammers fans will find themselves rooting for him straight away, if they aren't already doing so.

Cole Beaudoin — C, Hartford Wolf Pack (NYR)

Center Cole Beaudoin, drafted 24th overall by the Utah Mammoth in 2024, was traded to the New York Rangers last season as part of the larger Vincent Trocheck deal. His addition was a really nice step forward for a Rangers prospect pool that was less-than-impressive, as Beaudoin brings significant skill, particularly when it comes to complementing other skilled players on his line.

Beaudoin, the other former Barrie Colts captain—I swear this article doesn't contain multiple Barrie Colts products on purpose—put up 88 points in 54 games last season, as well as a further 29 points in 15 playoff games. It was beyond time for him to jump to the next level and further challenge himself.

Though he's played four NHL games this season, having been called up to fill in for forward Joe Veleno, Beaudoin did not record any points. He spent those games on the fourth line, and averaged 10-11 minutes in all but the last where he played 3:30. In Hartford he'll be playing regular minutes every night, and that's what he needs to learn how to best transition his strengths to professional hockey.

We can already see that he can transition those strengths; he recorded five points in his first two AHL games. He's cooled off a bit since, obviously, and currently sits at six points in four games, which feels like a pretty decent snapshot of the kind of player we expect him to be. It's still a small sample size, though—we've got a whole season ahead of us.

Bill Zonnon — C, Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins (PIT)

When Bill Zonnon arrived to the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins after his last QMJHL season ended, he immediately fit in like a puzzle piece. Turned out he'd been studying Penguins game tape so that he would know the system when it came time for him to join the team. The way that he was able to apply what he'd learned from that studying immediately made me wish we'd had a chance to see him play the entire season in the AHL.

Thankfully, we get that chance this season—he turned 20 at the beginning of October, so he didn't require the 19-year-old exception. At the time of writing he's sitting at 5 points in 6 games, and it won't be at all surprising if those totals continue to trend upward.

Drafted 22nd overall in the 2025 NHL Draft, Zonnon put up 46 points in 35 games with the Blaineville-Boisbriand Armada of the QMJHL last season. He impressed despite being hampered by injury at multiple points in the season, showcasing excellent pace and passing abilities. His skating could use some refinement, but his fluidity with the puck—particularly the precision in his passing—is no doubt a facet of his game that the big club will be keeping a close eye on.

Caleb Desnoyers — C, Tucson Roadrunners (UTA)

QMJHL product Caleb Desnoyers, drafted 4th overall by the Utah Mammoth in 2025, is another 19-year-old exception. He won't turn 20 until right around the end of the regular season in April, but thanks to the new agreement he'll be spending that season sanding off the rough edges of his game against bigger and tougher opponents instead of developing bad habits in the Q.

The former Moncton Wildcats captain had 78 points (22 goals, 56 assists) in 45 regular season games last season. He added a further 25 points in 21 playoff games. It's extremely easy to look at that scoring pace, already a jump to 1.73 points-per-game from 1.5 the prior season, and assume that if he returned to the Q this year he'd explode even further offensively thanks to his constant engagement in play and the precision with which he finds teammates.

In the AHL, he won't find that quite so easy. Opponents are larger, more experienced, requiring more force and energy to beat. Desnoyers isn't the type of player to cheat for offense, which will serve him well, but to utilize his vision and tactical approach at the professional level, he needs to add more power and urgency to his game. The AHL requires that. It's going to be a lot of fun watching it develop.

Brady Martin — C, Milwaukee Admirals (NSH)

Last season, 2025 5th overall pick Brady Martin started out the year with the Nashville Predators, playing three NHL games. As he was 18, he couldn't be assigned to the AHL and wasn't ready for the NHL, so he was returned to major-junior hockey. This year, however, he's suiting up for the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL as one of the players taking advantage of the new 19-year-old exception.

His season was undoubtedly a frustrating one; a shoulder injury limited him to only 24 games with the Soo Greyhounds (which he captained), and only a point-per-game pace after posting a 1.26 point-per-game pace during his draft season.

This wasn't entirely surprising; shoulder injuries take so long to return to form, particularly in hockey when they drive the foundation of so many skills. Can you imagine trying to shoot or pass a puck with an injured or less-than-recovered shoulder? Much less doing it as a physical, heavy-hitting player like Martin is. It also wasn't surprising, then, that he had a less-than-impressive preseason.

But that's what makes this season so exciting. Not only does he have a full, hopefully injury-free season ahead of him, he's going to continue his return to form and continue to look more like himself as time goes on, and he's going to do it against bigger, tougher opponents. It's such a great opportunity, particularly as his playing style of high pace and destructive yet productive hitting is perfectly suited for the AHL.

Dallas Stars prospect Emil Hemming is off to a slow start for the season, with no points in five games at time of writing. That said, it doesn't feel like much to worry about yet. Hemming also got off to a slow start last season, with no points through five AHL games before he was loaned to the Barrie Colts of the OHL (where he played with the aforementioned Kashawn Aitcheson). He would go on to put up 63 points in 46 games with the Colts, as well as a further 28 points in 21 playoff games. It was a significant jump from his 48 points in 60 games with the Colts the previous season, his first in North America.

Unlike every other player on this list, Hemming wasn't drafted out of the CHL. He was playing in the Finnish Liiga when the Stars selected him 29th overall in 2024 and then loaned to the OHL to further his development on North American ice. He did have the option to play in the AHL last season, but in opposition to the other players we've discussed, the OHL was a better place for him.

That's the main reason we're so excited to watch him this season. By all accounts, his time in the OHL last year saw his skating improve, and saw him showcase flashes of playmaking and dynamism. The big question is whether he can carry those forward. He's skilled in just about every area of the game; he just needs to learn to apply them at the pro level.