AHL Stock Watch: Hurricanes prospect Bradly Nadeau is on a scoring streak

The players who make the easiest transition to the AHL are often older and more physically developed.

They establish their role within their team’s system and learn how to impact the game in multiple ways. However, those players don’t always become difference-makers for their club. The true game-breakers sometimes take a few weeks to learn how to leverage their talents within the constraints of the game.

In this edition of Stock Watch, we’ll examine four prospects playing their first full season in the league and how they’re learning to shine in their new environment. 

Stock Rising 📈

Bradly Nadeau, RW, Chicago Wolves (Carolina Hurricanes) 

Bradly Nadeau is the perfect example of a player who needed time to emerge and dominate. His jump from the BCHL to the NCAA from his draft year to the one that followed was already a significant leap, but the AHL presents an even bigger challenge, especially for a 19-year-old.

In his last ten games, Nadeau has recorded 13 points—eight of which were goals. He caught passes and launched them above the goalie’s shoulder, transitioned from skate to stick to bury rebounds, and hammered shots from the middle of the slot, demonstrating high-level power and precision.

Armed with one of the best releases outside the NHL, Nadeau could one day score 40 goals in the league—provided he continues to develop the rest of his game. Over the past few weeks, he has engaged more physically, made smarter cycle plays, and better integrated into the team’s system. He still needs to mature physically and adapt to the Canes’ high-paced system, but he’s on the right track development-wise and could become a key asset for the team in the future.

Ville Koivunen, C, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (Pittsburgh Penguins)

Our scouting team and, especially Lassi Alanen, Elite Prospects’ director of European Scouting, have always been big fans of Ville Koivunen, But even though we hold his talents in high esteem, we didn’t necessarily expect him to fly to North America and dominate in the AHL right away.

He may have recorded 56 points in 59 games last season with Kärpät, but the team played a different style of hockey than the Wilkes-Barre Penguins. Yet, he stepped in and started producing immediately, picking up three assists in his first game and increasing his total to 36 points in 39 games so far this season.

Koivunen’s playmaking skills continue to shine the brightest, and he displays the same anticipation away from the puck at the AHL level, popping into space at the right time and supporting teammates all over the ice. But he’s also playing a more direct and translatable game now. He attacks the net, places the puck behind defenders and forechecks for it, finishes hits, and battles for possession.

He looks more like a top-nine NHLer than ever before. After moving to the Penguins from the Hurricanes, he’s now better positioned than ever to earn that spot. 

Stock Steady ↔️

Dalibor Dvorsky, C, Springfield Thunderbirds (St. Louis Blues)

With his stature and strength, Dalibor Dvorsky can battle along the boards, get deep inside scrums, and lift the puck from the opposition. He puts in the effort defensively, builds passing plays, and can cut right through the opposition’s coverage. His skill set is top-six calibre. His speed could still improve, but his deep stance allows him to protect the puck, and his quick hands help him thread it through traffic.

Before cementing that top-six projection, however, we want to see him drive the play more consistently.

In the AHL, as at most other higher levels before, Dvorsky has looked more like a high-end complementary player than a true play-driver. He’s at his best when roaming the offensive zone, creating give-and-go plays with teammates, and finding space around the slot to hammer the puck.

To get the most out of his game, the St. Louis Blues may need to find the right line combination for him.

Brennan Othmann, LW, Hartford Wolf Pack (New York Rangers) 

An injury cut part of Brennan Othmann’s for part of the season, forcing him to play catch-up to some of his peers in the AHL, but his scoring and overall play seem to be picking up over the past few weeks.

His playmaking improvements in the OHL have translated well to the AHL. He’s spotting advanced options, opening cross-ice lanes, and creating tic-tac-toe plays. And he executes those plays at a high pace, often on his first few touches of the puck. Just as capable of finishing scoring chances with timely net drives and blasts from the slot, he could become a middle-six, dual-threat scorer for the Rangers next season.

As a second-year AHLer, we expect Othmann to finish the season strong and prove that he deserves a spot with the team next season. His combination of pace, skating, physicality, and scoring tools could provide the organization with the boost it needs to get back on the winning path.

Stock Falling 📉

Rutger McGroarty, LW, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (Pittsburgh Penguins)

The reports around Rutger McGroarty this summer—that he was searching for a quicker pathway to the NHL than the Winnipeg Jets could provide—increased expectations for his rookie professional season.

The Penguins gave him a short tryout in their lineup, but after failing to make a consistent impact, they sent him down. It has been a similar story in the AHL. Twenty-one points in 37 games is a respectable total for a rookie AHLer, but it’s certainly a step down for McGroarty after producing at a top-10 rate in the NCAA last season. Other recent Penguins acquisitions, Ville Koivunen and Vasili Ponomaryov, have also outscored him.

Just like in college, McGroarty can orchestrate clever passing plays, drive the net, and battle along the boards in the AHL, but his skating is becoming a more significant weakness at this level. It limits his ability to pressure opponents in the defensive zone, pull away from them in the neutral zone, and execute his playmaking game. He lacks the fluidity necessary to deceive opponents on the move and chain those fakes into productive plays.

While McGroarty’s high hockey sense and physical tools suggest he will carve out an NHL career, if his play-driving abilities don’t improve, he may end up in a lower role than originally projected in his draft year.