5 NHL Prospects That Could Break Out During the 2024-25 Season

Which prospects are going to have a breakout season? Your guess is as good as oursthere are as many possibilities as there are prospects.

But there are a few we can point to and say "Yep, he's really going to shine this year".

We've got two players who we expect to see establish themselves as full-time NHLers, and three who we expect high-performing seasons from outside the NHL.

Technically still a prospect, Kraken forward Shane Wright is one of two players we expect to take the next step and establish themselves as full-time NHLers this season.

Wright's road to the NHL has been a rocky and diverting one, with many calling him a bust as recently as the beginning of last season.

Once granted exceptional status to play for the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL, he fell to the Kraken at fourth overall in a draft many had dubbed 'his' several years prior.

Since then, he's played eight games with the Kraken in each of the last two seasons.

Given his play under new Kraken head coach Dan Bylsma with the Coachella Valley Firebirds last season (thanks to the CHL allowing him to bypass the CHL-NHL agreement's restrictions), this year is likely to be the season he sticks with the big club.

His game has matured over the last two seasons, particularly last year when the hockey sense and dynamic playmaking many liked about him in his early prospect days really started to show up again.

Barring injury, expect to see him play a full NHL season, and don't be surprised to see that speed, lightning-fast release, and sneaky passing ability frustrating opponents.

Logan Stankoven isn't just a player that we expect to establish himself as a full-time NHLer this year, he's also a dark horse candidate for the Calder Trophy.

Obviously this is being written prior to the season starting and could very well change, but what we saw from Stankoven in the 24 games he played with the Stars, and more importantly the 47 he spent in the AHL where he was named Rookie of the Year, makes it feel like a viable prediction.

He's a tenacious player, his motor relentless every time he steps onto the ice.

Five goals in his first six NHL games gave us a glimpse of the sort of scoring that the Stars can expect when he's at his best.

Despite hitting a goal drought after that initial scoring run, his work ethic and puck skills continued to shine the rest of the season as he won battles and set up teammates.

Depending on how strong a start he gets off to in training camp and the start of the season, Stankoven could see top-six minutes and power play time.

If that happens, and as he adjusts physically to the NHL game, expect to see his offensive production begin to look more like the offense we saw from him in junior hockey.

Does it really count as a breakout if you were already good offensively, and are going to light up your opponents because you've got nothing left to prove in the major-junior ranks? Not scoring-wise, anyway.

San Jose Sharks prospect Quentin Musty almost makes us wish he'd make the Sharks out of training camp purely for the challenge of it, because going back to the OHL isn't going to be a challenge for him and he can't play in the AHL because he's still 19.

Given his talenthe's got elite vision and passing skills, and irritates his opponents endlessly along the boards and around the netand the fact that we don't expect the OHL to challenge Musty much, his point totals will likely be gaudy.

However, given that one focus for Musty this season will likely be making Team USA for the World Junior Championships, we do anticipate this being a breakout season in the sense of him maturing both his defensive game and his leadership abilities.

If he manages that, and can maintain his offensive game, he's set up quite nicely for both the tournament and for turning pro next season.

Last season was a little bit of a rollercoaster ride for Chicago Blackhawks prospect Oliver Moore, as he made the jump from the NTDP to college hockey at the University of Minnesota.

It wasn't a bad season, just a slow start, and Moore's play immediately following helping Team USA to a gold medal win at the World Juniors was impressive21 points, including 7 of the 9 goals he scored last season, in a two-month span.

It wasn't a step backward by any means.

It just also wasn't a step forward.

We expect him to take that step forward this season.

Moore's most prominent tool is his speed, and at his best he pairs that with a nonstop work ethic and creative, highly-skilled puckhandling and passing.

He's got a solid shot, and to top it all off, he's a hard worker.

That's the player we expect to see at Minnesota in the fall, with his offensive production taking a leap right alongside those improvements.

Don't be surprised if this is the last season Axel Sandin-Pellikka spends in the SHL.

The highly-skilled defender chose to spend one more season playing at home in Sweden to continue refining his game, a decision the Red Wings fully supported.

After attending development camp in July he returned to Skelleftea and while he's spent some time on the shelf recently due to injury, all signs point to this being a season where he takes the next step in becoming what the Red Wings saw when they drafted him: a player who is essential to the future of their organization's blue line.

He looked great for Sweden internationally last season, and is expected to see significant power play time for Skelleftea this season.

His intelligence, playmaking, and puck skills are all key facets of his game, and he'll be put in a position to utilize those skills night in and night out in SHL and Champions League play.

Our prediction: that he shines, and in doing so doesn't just come to North America next season, but forces Steve Yzerman's hand and stays in Detroit..

This article has been shared from the original article on bleacherreport, here is the link to the original article.