NHL Breakout Players – Central Division Pt. II

With NHL training camps opening this week and the regular season less than a month away, the 32 clubs are looking for young players to break out after playing in Europe, the NCAA, or the AHL to make their mark in the big show. For contending clubs, finding players on their entry-level contracts is essential to stay under the $83.5 million salary cap, while rebuilding teams are looking for youngsters as potential building blocks.

We finish our look at the possible breakout players from the Central Division:

Minnesota Wild

Marco Rossi – An immense offensive talent who scored 120 points in the OHL but lost a year of his career due to a COVID-related heart ailment. Rossi bounced back, scoring nearly a point per game in the AHL, but has been unable as of yet to have an impact with the Wild.

Jesper Wallstedt – Minnesota’s first-round pick in 2021, Wallstedt left the SHL and had a stellar season in the American Hockey League. At the moment, Marc-Andre Fleury and Filip Gustavsson are in his way, but his path to being a tandem partner or the future #1 is clear.

Nashville Predators

Yaroslav Askarov –  Similar to Wallstedt, Askarov left his European club for the AHL and more opportunities. The 2020 11^th overall pick went 26-16-5, with a 2.69 GAA in Milwaukee last season. He may have to wait a year to get significant NHL time with Juuse Saros and Kevin Lankinen the tandem in Nashville.

Luke Evangelista – A 2020 second-rounder who scored 111 points with OHL London and translated his success to the pros last season. Evangelista was recalled in late February and scored 15 points down the stretch to keep the Preds in the playoff race.

St. Louis Blues

Jake Neighbours – The Blues kept the young winger for a nine-game trial in 2021 before sending him back to junior, and last season Neighbours split time between St. Louis and AHL Springfield. With the significant turnover in their roster, the 21-year-old should get a long look higher in the Blues lineup.

Joel Hofer – After two full seasons in the AHL and an impressive 27-15-5 record in Springfield last year, the 23-year-old is ready to back up Jordan Binnington, but there are some who believe that Hofer will eventually take the top spot between the pipes.

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Winnipeg Jets

Cole Perfetti – A top-10 pick in 2020, the 21-year-old center has split time between the AHL Manitoba Moose and the NHL, with 30 points in 51 games with the Jets last season. With the trade of Pierre-Luc Dubois, Winnipeg may be ready to plug Perfetti into a top-six role this season.

Brad Lambert – A big talented center, Lambert left Finland and put up remarkable regular season and playoff numbers with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds last season and even saw spot duty in the AHL. The 19-year-old could play full-time in Manitoba this year and with any success, could make his NHL debut.