Welcome back to The Journey, where we track the development of prospects as they excel in junior, make the NHL, and push towards stardom.

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Happy Saturday folks, the NHL is finally back in full effect and so is the buzz around prospects who have finally made the leap to the big leagues and the storylines swirling around these future fantasy studs is even more exciting. In this week's article, I will cover some key storylines surrounding NHL prospects, their teams, and—most importantly—how it all impacts their fantasy value. Because let's be honest, that's what we're all here for!

Ready or Not, Here Clarke Comes!

Drew Doughty's injury isn't as bad as it initially looked, and he's expected to return around the new year. In Doughty's absence, the Kings will need to get creative with their defensive pairings to survive without him for the first quarter of the season.

Brandt Clarke has the skill set to step up, and he's definitely eyeing more ice time while Doughty recovers. The Kings wanted to bring him along slowly, giving him sheltered even-strength minutes and a chance at the first power-play unit. The coaching staff may decide to try Mikey Anderson or Jordan Spence first to see what sticks before handing the reins to Clarke. It's not their style to rush things, especially with Doughty's month-to-month recovery.

When Clarke was asked about stepping into a bigger role, he was all-in, but head coach Jim Hiller poured some cold water on the hype, saying Clarke still has to earn it. With Doughty out, both Clarke and Spence—two young defensemen who are clearly part of the Kings’ future—will have bigger roles. For what it's worth, I expect Clarke to get a look fairly early in the season. Spence may have an easier transition, given he's already logged a full NHL season, but both are ready to step up and make their mark.

Updates from LAK Jim Hiller:
– Doughty injury NOT season ending, won't give timeline on return.
– Despite losing Doughty/Roy (UFA) defensive presence, no thought to retrench back to 1-3-1.
– Brandt Clarke says he can handle 18 min a night, Hiller says he can get it if he "earns…

— Dennis Bernstein (@DennisTFP) September 27, 2024

Luke Hughes and the Battle for the Top Power Play Spot

With Luke Hughes currently unable to suit up for the start of the season, the top power-play unit is now back in the hands of Dougie Hamilton. There's a real chance he takes control and runs with it. Brennen Des did a great job covering who will run the top unit here. Last year, we saw Hughes take the lion’s share on the top unit, but this time it may be different. Lindy Ruff is no longer there, and Sheldon Keefe recently expressed excitement about having Dougie back to run the top power play.

Luke Hughes was also spotted on the ice during the Devils' practice earlier this week; however, there has been no indication of his return date just yet. For that, you'll want to follow Blake Creamer's Injury Ward for the most up-to-date injury information. We all know what both of these elite defensemen can do. If the Devils aren't hot out of the gate, those Dougie shares may drop. As a Hamilton owner in a few leagues, I'm hoping that's not the case. As of Friday evening, Dougie has not registered any points in three games.

Look Hughes back on the ice 👀 pic.twitter.com/9CNcyScPfx

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) October 8, 2024

One slight change from practice on special teams:

Ondrej Palat taking reps on the PK, Mercer on the PP. Mercer played in that spot when Palat was out for Gm. 2.

Hamilton; Meier, Hischier, Hughes and Bratt
Casey; Tatar, Haula, Mercer and Noesen#NJDevils https://t.co/GLbaRxzjMl

— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) October 9, 2024

Leafs goalie woes and can the Canadians take that next step.

I've paired these two teams together simply because they faced off on opening night. Lo and behold, the Leafs' opening night roster saw their number one netminder, Joseph Woll, placed on IR, with Anthony Stolarz stepping in as the starter. Woll will be out for at least three games with Dennis Hildeby called up as the backup. As always, it's “the year for the Leafs and their core four,” but the uncertainty in net remains a familiar issue. It's difficult to not jump to conclusions however it's still only the first week of the season. There’s no need to panic just yet; let's give things some time to unfold and see how it all plays out.

Stolarz had a solid performance, allowing just one goal on 27 shots on opening night. Hildeby played well in his debut with a win in New Jersey, spoiling Sheldon Keefe's opening night revenge game against his former team.  Meanwhile, the Canadiens faced 45 shots from the Leafs, but Sam Montembeault stood tall, earning the shutout while Cayden Primeau had a tough outing with six against on 29 shots versus the Bruins. Caufield has two goals on the season with, an assist each for Juraj Slafkovsky and Kirby Dach, and Lane Hutson with two assists versus the Bruins. It looks like Montembeault may be the guy going forward but he can't face 45 shots every night, so the rookie core will need to step up offensively and defensively.

Korchinski Takes the Elevator Down, While Vlasic Holds the Fort

Not so much a major story, but I did initially find it surprising for Kevin Korchinski to be sent down the Icehogs to start off the season.  He played in 76 games and recorded 15 points for the Blackhawks last season, though he did finish with a minus-39 rating. Rockford worked wonders for Alex Vlasic's development and his rise to become a top-four defenseman—Korchinski will have a similar opportunity. Richardson indicated that he didn't want him to struggle with the team as a young defenseman. They wanted him to go and flourish in Rockford, just as the organization envisioned when they drafted him.

On the other hand, Vlasic is a very strong and reliable defenseman. Richardson plans to pair Alec Martinez and Seth Jones as the top duo, with Vlasic and TJ Brodie rounding out the top four defensemen for the Blackhawks. Vlasic may get some glimpses of playing up with Jones and also quarterbacking the second power-play unit based on Richardson's comments going into the season. He has already recorded an assist on opening night.

Alex Vlasic is quarterbacking the second power-play unit after Kevin Korchinski was assigned to AHL's Rockford IceHogs. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/7e4wivSkTw

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) October 3, 2024

Nick Foligno wins the faceoff cleanly then goes straight to the net and redirects Alex Vlasic's shot from the point to score his first goal as captain of Chicago. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/8BcKzkpSA3

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) October 9, 2024

Will Tortz Turn Mitchkov’s Calder Dreams into a Nightmare?

We all know Matvei Michkov has the skill set to be a Calder finalist, no question about it. What's really giving Michkov owners anxiety? John Tortorella. The kid’s already juggling a new city, new teammates, and, oh yeah, a language barrier. The last thing he needs is the stress of worrying whether his coach is going to bench him for playing his game.

At 19, Michkov's already weathered a lot in life. Torts is known for being tough and quick to pull the plug on players who don't meet his high standards so it's natural to assume that he would do the same to Michkov. But hold up before we hit the panic button—Yes, Tortz is tough but for the most part he's not unfair. He knows Michkov's potential, and with some time to settle in, so hopefully Michkov can find his feet early on in the season. Let's not forget, the Flyers and Tortz are not about instant results, they're in it for the long haul.

Utah's Young Core: A New Hope for the Jazz

Opening night in Utah was pretty awesome to see, and so was the final score—albeit it was against the Chicago Blackhawks. Utah's young, up-and-coming core put on a show for the fans. Dylan Guenther scored two goals, one of which was the first goal in the franchise's history and scored another two goals versus the Islanders putting him already at four goals this season. Logan Cooley has also registered four points and Barrett Hayton had three points, which is a great start to this very young team's season. This looked like a team that finally got the monkey off its back and is now able to focus solely on hockey, rather than all the other noise that came with the club in Arizona. It's a totally different feel and vibe when you watch this team. It's like they have a new lease on life.

If they can keep up this type of momentum you should already or at least seriously consider adding anyone of Cooley, Matias Maccelli or Hayton to your lineup. Being only two games into the season, if they can shoot off a good string on wins it will help them down the stretch before they hit a few rough patches. They have a fairly even schedule throughout the season, so the players won't have to adjust too much as far as travel is concerned.

‼️‼️‼️ https://t.co/X7t0u5GDbc pic.twitter.com/c2U2OTYIBC

— Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) October 9, 2024

Thanks for reading and enjoy the long weekend again for this living in Canada! See you next week. For more content/fantasy hockey analysis, or if there’s a prospect, you’d like me to cover, follow and message me on X @Punters_hockey.