Here at Canucks Army, we have an unhealthy obsession with hockey prospects, both undrafted and those already in the system. Never in the seven year history of this website has that obsession been more important than it is now, as the Canucks are entrenched in a rebuild, and prospects are their only hope for the future.

As was the case with our Preseason Prospect Rankings, this set was created by consensus from nearly a dozen Canucks Army writers and contributors. The parameters are simple: the qualify for the rankings, the prospect must be eligible for the Calder Memorial Trophy (i.e., must be a rookie) next season. That means that Jake Virtanen, Jared McCann, and Ben Hutton are out. They are no longer considered prospects by this measure, as they have graduated to full time NHLers.

Rather than publishing individual articles for each prospect like we did in the summer (and will do again for the next preseason rankings), these are split into sections, like last year’s midterm rankings. Without further ado, let’s get into the first group, the 15th to 20th best prospects in the Canucks system.

Joseph LaBate’s rookie season in Utica can be considered a modest success. Drafted in the fourth round (101st overall) in 2011, LaBate showed little progression over his four seasons at the University of Wisconsin. As such, his expected likelihood of NHL success decreased with each season that his points remained roughly static, going from approximately 13 per cent to 10 per cent to 7 per cent over his final three college seasons.

This season, his first as a pro, LaBate has 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in 53 games with the Comets, and his likelihood of NHL success has increased to 20 per cent. In the event that he does eventually reach the NHL, it isn’t going to be as more than a fourth liner, and at 22-years old, there isn’t a whole lot of time for that to occur. LaBate will need to follow up on his rookie season with stronger numbers, similar to what Mike Zalewski has done this season, and work his way into a position where he is a consideration to fill in for an injured player.

LaBate has spent most of the year as a fourth liner player with the Comets, though injuries and call ups have occasionally boosted him into the top six, where he has handled himself well. His entry level contract lasts one more year after this one, so he has a little bit of time to work on his progression.

Few prospects have disappointed this season as thoroughly as Ronalds Kenins, and although he may have company in that regard by way of Cole Cassels, his situation is far worse because of his age. While the 20-year old Cassels has a couple of years to restore his status, the 24-year old Kenins might already be out of rope. After looking like a sure fire NHLer at the tail end of the 2014-15 season, Kenins has been surpassed by a mass of younger and more promising prospects.

Adding to the disappointment of being cut from the Canucks in preseason, Kenins has had to deal with a couple of long term injuries during his AHL season, ones that sliced into his ability to produce offense at the American Hockey League level. All told, Kenins has sat out 19 games this season with injuries. His brief NHL call ups, which were likely based more on trying to spark a dormant Bo Horvat than his actual play, just created more disappointment and left many of the fans that had latched on to the Latvian Locomotive disillusioned as to his ability to play in the NHL.

More recently, Kenins has become one of the Comets hottest players, though it’s likely come far too late.

Kenins has spent most of the games he has played on Utica’s second line, though he took some twirls in the bottom six during a time of the season that the Comets had more depth. He’s also played on the power play for a good portion of the year, and has moved up to the first unit, typically lining up on the blue line as part of a four forward set.

Kenins future in the organization is shrouded in doubt. He is currently on a one-way deal and will be an unrestricted free agent come July 1st. With the wealth of restricted free agents that the Canucks have on their NHL roster, it’s unlikely that Kenins fits into their plans. It’s possible that he signs a two-way deal to stay within the organization, but if he has a strong finish to the year, it’s more likely that he looks for a one-way contract in another organization.

Picked in the sixth round (172nd overall) in 2010, Friesen is one of the most tenured Canucks draft picks remaining in the Canucks minor league system. This season is likely a bright spot for him, as he made his NHL debut on February 15th, 2016. Whether or not he ever plays another NHL game is anyone’s guess. Friesen is already 25 years old and is one pace to have a less productive season this year than in 2014-15.

Friesen has 24 points (nine goals, 15 assists) in 53 games so far this season, and has missed a couple of stretches of time with injuries. Like last year, he has mostly been deployed as the Comets’ second line centre, occasionally covering first line duties when injuries necessitate it. Likewise, he has been the centre on the second unit power play for most of the season, though he’s made appearances on the top unit while following some trades and call ups.

He is under contract next season as well on a two-year deal, and he is now in the role of minor league journeyman looking for a mid-season call up as an injury replacement. Only 10.4 per cent of similar players have gone on to become NHL regulars, so Friesen is a long shot to become anything more than a backup plan at this point.

The reason that Mike Zalewski went unranked in the preseason rankings is simple: he wasn’t given a contract extension in the summer following the completion of his Entry Level Contract. Sure, the Utica Comets signed him to an AHL deal, but he could hardly be considered a prospect if the Canucks weren’t able to call him up to the NHL.

All that changed during a flurry of activity in mid-January. Following a strong start to the season, Zalewski was signed to an NHL contract on January 19th, called up to the NHL on January 20th, and played his first game of the season on January 21st. Zalewski’s call up was largely necessary due to injury, but that didn’t make the fact that he looked decent in the two games he played any less impressive. Zalewski tallied one assist, won 60 per cent of his faceoffs and had a Corsi-For percentage of 58.1 per cent while playing about 12 minutes per game while playing with Derek Dorsett and Jake Virtanen.

In the AHL, Zalewski has predominantly played centre. Near the beginning of the season, when Utica had greater centre depth, he often saw time on the wing. That changed after Linden Vey was promoted to the NHL, while the Comets have also dealt with a rash of injuries and call ups that forced him to the middle. In fact, Zalewski actually spent a decent chunk of time as the Comets’ first line centre, including immediately before and after his Vancouver appearance. During other points of the season, he was served on all four lines, though more often in the top six than bottom. Zalewski also kills penalties on a regular basis and has seen steady power play time, usually on the second unit, particular since trades, injuries and recalls have diminished their forward depth.

Zalewski’s emergence as a potentially useful depth player is a positive storyline. It’s unlikely at this point that he becomes an NHL regular, but if the Canucks retain him, he could prove to be a useful injury replacement down the line, although carving out a career as a journeyman fourth line centre in the vein of an Adam Cracknell is not out of the question.

Adam Gaudette’s selection in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft (Fifth round, 149th overall) was largely unheralded, with a relatively unimpressive PCS score and potentially better options left on the table. Since then, Gaudette has turned in to a prospect certainly worthy of a first round selection, with a little over 21 per cent of comparable players going on to become NHL regulars.

The boost in his value is largely due to a strong second half of his NCAA season. Since the Christmas break, Gaudette has nine goals and 16 assists for a total of 25 points in 22 games. That 1.14 points per game average, if sustained over a season, would put him in the top 25 of NCAA scoring, and in the top five for freshmen. He is also fourth in points (and first in points among freshmen) at Northeastern University, which is a fairly strong team in a good conference. Gaudette has played most of the season as the Huskies’ second line centre.

It will be at least a couple more years until we see Gaudette enter professional hockey. He will return to Northeastern next season, and likely the season after that. At that point, it will be up to him if he wants to turn pro following his junior year at college (taking the same route as Ben Hutton), or return to college for a final season. If all goes well, he projects as a third line centre somewhere down the road.

How the mighty have fallen. It’s hard to believe that it was only six months ago that Cole Cassels was considered one of the strongest prospects in the organization. Many fans felt that he had a shot to make the team out of camp, or at least be a mid-season call up.

Things haven’t exactly worked out that way. Cassels’ rookie season in Utica has been a disappointed in just about every way imaginable. As a result, he’s tumbled all the way to 15th in the midterm rankings – a situation that is all the more shocking when you consider that five of the six of the prospects that were ranked ahead of him in September are either gone from the organization or no longer eligible to be on the list. Rather than just falling eight spots, he’s essentially been passed by 13 prospects.

Cassels has scored two goals and six points in 55 games so far this season, averaging just 0.67 shots per game, and sitting out eight games as a healthy scratch. He’s played predominantly as the fourth line centre, and was used sparingly to start the season. Occasionally he gets a boost into the top six to see how he is progressing, and he sees periodic power play time.

The reason that he’s been so sheltered is likely the same reason for his slow start. Cassels came into the season rehabbing an abdominal injury sustained midway through his final junior season. He’s been playing catch-up for the majority of the season, having missed his entire summer workout due to recovery. That said, we would have expected greater improvement by this point in the season.

Cassels has time on his side. A strong summer could go a long way in improving his numbers for next season when the graduation and attrition of Canucks prospects should open up the door for a larger role for Cassels next year in the AHL. Cassels has two more years remaining on his ELC, so it’s far too early to write him off. Still, this season has been a sobering reminder that Cassels was a third-round pick, not a first.

Tomorrow we’ll tackle the 14th down to 10th best prospects in the Canucks organization. Feel free to speculate on who they might be.