Golden Knights Prospect Roundup: Silver Knights Struggling, Two Prospects Traded

With the Vegas Golden Knights off for the next week and a half, now feels like as good of a time as any to check in on the prospects in the system.

Depth has been one of the biggest issues the Golden Knights have faced all season, especially at forward. With the team failing to replace the likes of Max Pacioretty, Evgenii Dadonov, and Mattias Janmark, a consistent third line has been a problem for head coach Bruce Cassidy all season. Now with Mark Stone injured, these problems are even worse, and the call-ups the VGK have relied on due to injuries have been nothing special.

Let's check in on the Henderson Silver Knights, Savannah Ghost Pirates, and elsewhere in prospect land to see if this could change anytime soon.

Henderson Silver Knights

If you're looking for some 702 hockey to fill the void the NHL's All-Star Break has created, the Henderson Silver Knights are always a good option.

They will play the Colorado Eagles in a home series this Friday and Saturday, with both games starting at 7:00 p.m. The Silver Knights are struggling this season, with a 16-26-0 record, and are ninth in the AHL's Pacific Division Standings.

A big part of their struggles has been an inconsistent roster, as several Silver Knights players have made the leap to the NHL this season due to various Golden Knights injuries. Seven "Silver Knights" players have played with the Golden Knights this season. 

Gage Quinney leads the team in scoring with 35 points in 42 games played. Brendan Brisson has seven goals, and 12 assists in 35 games played, Lukas Cormier 24 points in 39 games played, and Sakari Manninen 18 points in 26 games played. The rest of the Silver Knight's leading scorers are made up of players that have played games in the NHL this season Sheldon Rempal, Byron Froese, Jonas Rondbjerg, Daniil Miromanov, and Pavel Dorofeyev.

Laurent Brossoit remains in Henderson due to the Golden Knight's abundance of goaltenders. He has now played in 22 games and has a .906 save percentage and a 2.77 goals-against average. His status still remains in limbo, as the VGK could either call him up, trade him, or keep him down.

Based on how the Golden Knights have called up players to the Silver Knights, here is the current projected HSK hierarchy. It's safe to say that both Logan Thompson and Paul Cotter have graduated to the NHL level, and guys like Daniil Miromanov and Kaedan Korczak are close.

Jake Leschyshyn, of course, is no longer a factor here as he was claimed off waivers by the New York Rangers in mid-Janurary. 

Forward: Jonas Rondbjerg, Byron Froese, Sheldon Rempal, Pavel Dorofeyev, Sakari Manninen

Defense: Daniil Miromanov, Kaedan Korczak, Brayden Pachal, Jake Bischoff

Goal: Laurent Brossoit, Michael Hutchinson, Jiri Patera, Isaiah Saville

Like the NHL, the AHL will have their All-Star Weekend on Feb. 5th and 6th. It will take place in Laval, Quebec, and Brayden Pachal will be the Silver Knight's representative as he replaced injured defenseman Daniil Miromanov on the roster.

Savannah Ghost Pirates

The Golden Knight's ECHL team, the Savannah Ghost Pirates, are also struggling with a 12-22-0 roster. They are last in the ECHL's South Division with a .378 points percentage. Leading the team in scoring is Vincent Marleau, an undrafted player with 28 points in 41 games played.

Perhaps the biggest highlight in Savannah is goaltender Isaiah Saville, a 2019 fifth-round pick of the Golden Knights. Behind a less-than-stellar defense, the right-handed Saville still has a .917 save percentage and has played in 25 games for the SGP.

Other Prospects

Rounding out our Golden Knights prospect check-in are VGK draft picks who are not currently playing in either the AHL or ECHL. Zach Dean, Jakub Brabenec, Carl Lindbom, and Jakub Demek are the most notable names here. All four of these players recently played in the World Juniors Tournament.

First-round draft choice Dean is having another strong season with Gatineau of the QMJHL, with 40 points in 31 games played.

Brabenec was recently traded from the Charlottetown Islanders to Sherbrooke Phoenix in the QMJHL. There he joins VGK prospect, Joe Fleming. Brabenec currently has seven points in five games with his new team. Demek was also traded, this time from the Edmonton Oil Kings to the Kamloops Blazers. But Demek is currently out with a shoulder injury. Both are expected to make long runs in the Memorial Cup Playoffs.

Lastly, goaltender Carl Lindbom has five shutouts on the season with Djurgardens IF in Sweden and two in his last four games.

Overall, the Golden Knights still do not have any high-quality NHL prospects in the making, but they could come in time. With the NHL Trade Deadline just a few weeks away and the VGK looking to make it back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, perhaps some of these names could be in play in a potential trade.