It’s hard to believe that the 2019 NHL Draft is now less than two months away — the 2018-19 season seems to have flown by.
However, despite the vicinity of this year’s Draft, a great deal of time remains for each and every prospect to establish himself as a can’t miss talent in the eyes of prospective NHL organizations. With virtually every league in the midst of their post-season, opportunities to shine are seemingly limitless and endlessly abundant.
For those who found themselves on the outside looking in, however, the 2019 U18 World Championship afforded numerous prospects with yet another chance to shine. Come to the end of this year’s event it was Team Sweden who took home gold, although the likes of Jack Hughes, Cole Caufield, Cam York, and Peyton Krebs all put forth absolutely tremendous performances.
These international efforts alongside recent playoff results have had a dramatic impact on this month’s 2019 NHL Draft ranking. While just two new prospects have cracked the top-31 this month, 24 of the other 29 youngsters listed have seen their position altered since we last convened at the beginning of April.
Who are these prospects whose value has fluctuated over the past month?
The Top-31 Prospects
Here are our top-31 NHL Draft eligible prospects as of May 1st, 2019.
Perhaps the most notable movement within this month’s ranking is Bowen Byram’s ascension to the third-overall slot. In the midst of a stellar post-season run with the Vancouver Giants, Byram has continued to establish himself as a premier two-way defender. Elsewhere, the massive crop of U.S. NTDP prospects continue to improve, as Alex Turcotte and Cole Caufield also enjoyed substantial bumps in this month’s edition.
So, without further ado, here are our top-31 prospects for the month of May.
| Rank | +/- | Player | Position | 2018-19 Team |
| 1 | – | Jack Hughes | C | USA U18 (NTDP) |
| 2 | – | Kaapo Kakko | C/RW | Turku (SM-liiga) |
| 3 | +1 | Bowen Byram | D | Vancouver Giants (WHL) |
| 4 | -1 | Dylan Cozens | C | Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL) |
| 5 | – | Kirby Dach | C | Saskatoon Blades (WHL) |
| 6 | +3 | Alex Turcotte | C | USA U18 (NTDP) |
| 7 | +3 | Alex Newhook | C | VIctoria Grizzlies (BCHL) |
| 8 | – | Philip Broberg | D | AIK J20 (SuperElit) |
| 9 | -3 | Arthur Kaliyev | RW | Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL) |
| 10 | +1 | Vasili Podkolzin | RW | SKA 1946 St. Petersburg (MHL) |
| 11 | -4 | Jakob Pelletier | C/LW | Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL) |
| 12 | +2 | Trevor Zegras | C | USA U18 (NTDP) |
| 13 | – | Peyton Krebs | C | Kootenay Ice (WHL) |
| 14 | -2 | Victor Soderstrom | D | Brynas IF J20 (SuperElit) |
| 15 | +3 | Thomas Harley | D | Mississauga Steelheads (OHL) |
| 16 | +1 | Matthew Boldy | LW | USA U18 (NTDP) |
| 17 | -2 | Cam York | D | USA U18 (NTDP) |
| 18 | +3 | Cole Caufield | RW | USA U18 (NTDP) |
| 19 | -3 | Nils Hoglander | LW | Rogle BK J20 (SuperElit) |
| 20 | +2 | Ryan Suzuki | C | Barrie Colts (OHL) |
| 21 | -2 | Bobby Brink | RW | Sioux City Musketeers (USHL) |
| 22 | -2 | Tobias Bjornfot | D | Djurgardens IF J20 (SuperElit) |
| 23 | +4 | Raphael Lavoie | LW | Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) |
| 24 | +2 | Samuel Poulin | LW | Sherbrooke Phoenix (QMJHL) |
| 25 | -2 | Anttoni Honka | D | JYP (SM-liiga) |
| 26 | -2 | Connor McMichael | C | London Knights (OHL) |
| 27 | -2 | Albin Grewe | RW | Djurgardens IF J20 (SuperElit) |
| 28 | NR | Yegor Afanasyev | F | Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL) |
| 29 | NR | Ville Heinola | D | Luuko (Liiga) |
| 30 | – | Nathan Legare | RW | Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL) |
| 31 | -2 | Moritz Seider | D | Adler Mannheim (DEL) |
20 Honourable Mentions
As always, here are 20 honourable mentions to keep an eye on throughout May and into the month of June.
This month, this list stands relatively unchanged — outside of the addition of Vladislav Kolyachonok and subtraction of BCHL star Alexander Campbell.
| HM | Bryce Brodzinski | RW |
Omaha Lancers (USHL) |
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HM |
Pavel Dorofeyev | LW/RW | Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk (MHL) | |
| HM | Nolan Foote | LW |
Kelowna Rockets (WHL) |
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HM |
Ville Heinola | D | Luuko (Liiga) | |
| HM | Hunter Jones | G |
Peterborough Petes (OHL) |
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HM |
Ethan Keppan | LW | Flint Firebirds (OHL) | |
| HM | Vladislav Kolyachonok | D |
Flint Firebirds (OHL) |
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|
HM |
Kaeden Korczak | D | Kelowna Rockets (WHL) | |
| HM | Spencer Knight | G |
USA U18 (NTDP) |
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HM |
Brett Leason | RW | Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) | |
|
HM |
Ilya Nikolayev | F |
Loko Yaroslavl (MHL) |
|
| HM | Jamieson Rees | C |
Sarnia Sting (OHL) |
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|
HM |
Matthew Robertson | D | Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL) | |
| HM | Nicholas Robertson | C/LW |
Peterborough Petes (OHL) |
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HM |
Dmitri Sheshin | LW/RW | Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk (MHL) | |
| HM | Lassi Thomson | D |
Kelowna Rockets (WHL) |
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|
HM |
Phillip Tomasino | C | Niagara IceDogs (OHL) | |
|
HM |
Alex Vlasic | D |
USA U18 (NTDP) |
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HM |
Marshall Warren | D | USA U18 (NTDP) | |
| HM | Max Wahlgren | C/LW |
MODO J20 (SuperElit) |
Prospect Pipeline 