Preseason is not the be-all and end-all of prospect evaluation, but it’s another form of feedback for us at EP Rinkside. We get to see prospects we’ve just scouted test their skills against a different kind of competition, one that provides a facsimile of the NHL experience.

Some of those prospects acquitted themselves well in the higher-paced environment, a sign that they're closer to an NHL role or that their skill set might translate better to the big leagues than some of their peers. Others struggled, exposing weaker points in their game that we may not have picked up on previously, and that we will monitor going forward.

What follows is a review of the performance of many top prospects in this preseason. Not every team made the cut, however. For some, it’s due to a lack of available gam