This week, we're diving into the October edition of Dobber's top-50 points-only dynasty defense prospects ranking. Although it's a points-only criteria, I'll still touch on the multicat potential for a few of these prospects. There's a solid mix of intriguing prospects out there—some already on rosters offering immediate value, and others waiting for their big break. Let's kick things off with the one prospect who made a big jump up the rankings.

Risers:

Luca Cagnoni

San Jose Sharks

August: 75 / September: 68 / October: 32

Since jumping from the Portland Winterhawks in the WHL, Cagnoni it the ground running with the San Jose Barracuda. He's only been held off the scoresheet in one game, tallying four goals and five assists over nine AHL games. Right now, he's leading all AHL defensemen in scoring with six points (four goals, two assists) across just five games.  The Sharks have little reason to call him up just yet. With the team still deep in rebuild mode, Cagnoni is better off getting top-pairing minutes in the AHL, piling up points and building his confidence. There's no rush, as he's more valuable playing big minutes with the Barracuda rather than logging limited ice time on a third-pairing role in San Jose. This definitely was a nice fourth round pick-up by the Sharks.

LUCA CAGNONI STAYS HOT🧨@sjbarracuda | #SJvsHSK pic.twitter.com/gO7jBcMBCQ

— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) October 24, 2024

YES HE CAGNONI!
Luca Cagnoni scores on the powerplay for his first professional goal!#AHL #BarracudaHockey #TheFutureIsTeal #IAvsSJ pic.twitter.com/eYjiIr6LjX

— FloHockey (@FloHockey) October 20, 2024

Lane Hutson

Montreal Canadians

August: 5 / September: 5 / October: 2

Hutson is the real deal, and all the buzz around him is completely deserved. The Canadiens have every reason to be ecstatic about a defenseman who can leave the zone with the kind of flair and composure Hutson brings. He's young and still prone to the odd misplay, but his potential is unmistakable. Martin St. Louis clearly sees it too, giving Hutson a hefty 23:11 of ice time per game—the highest on the team. He's already proving he can keep pace at the NHL level, even though there's plenty of room for growth. Amid the Habs’ ongoing evolution, his presence on the blue line shines hope for the future.

Watching Hutson with the puck on his stick as he drives play up the ice is a thrill on its own. He's still working out the kinks—tightening his shooting accuracy and bulking up to avoid getting overpowered defensively—but Habs fans have waited a long time for someone with this kind of spark. If you're not hyped yet, you should be!

Lane Hutson was close to being all over SC tomorrow. He's a one man breakout and zone entry. The edge work is on full display here and it is beautiful. pic.twitter.com/1KpZCMgx2R

— Rachel Doerrie (@racheldoerrie) October 29, 2024

Philip Broberg

St. Louis Blues

August: 29 / September: 15 / October: 12

I would suspect we'll see Broberg slip in the rankings next month, though it won't be due to his gameplay. Broberg is set to be sidelined for the next four to six weeks with what appears to be a right leg injury. Although he's out for an extended period, the St. Louis Blues have provided little to no information on the nature of the lower-body injury, aside from saying it could have been worse considering how bad it looked when he went down. Sometimes, it'd be nice to get a straight answer on what the injury actually is—gotta love NHL teams and their cryptic injury updates.

That said, Broberg seemed to fit in very well with the Blues, taking on a top-pairing role and getting power-play time he wasn't seeing with the Oilers. In his first game of the season with the Blues, he scored and went on to tally nine points over 12 games before his injury. The Blues clearly saw something in him, so I'd expect that when he returns, he'll be eased back into the lineup, eventually reclaiming a spot on the top unit.

Philip Broberg has been pretty, pretty good for the @StLouisBlues so far. 👀

That's now seven points in eight games.#NHLStats: https://t.co/oH7Rw8pAVC pic.twitter.com/yapqOZsVrW

— NHL (@NHL) October 24, 2024

PHILIP BROBERG IS A ST. LOUIS BLUE 🫵🫵🫵 pic.twitter.com/Xve1UuGJe0

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 8, 2024

Logan Mailloux

Montreal Canadians

August: 24 / September: 22 / October: 15

Much like Hutson, the Mailloux hype is also warranted but he still has plenty of room to grow, and the AHL is the right place for him to refine his game rather than being thrown into the mix with a Habs team finding its footing. Still, he's already given fans some exciting moments, especially with his first NHL goal against the Islanders on October 19.

Since his move to the Laval Rocket, Mailloux has been lighting it up, putting up an impressive nine points in just four games. The Canadiens know they've got something special in him, raw skill and big offensive upside but his defensive gaps raised some concerns, particularly in that Islanders game where he was on the ice for five goals against. While he's not solely responsible, it likely pushed the Habs to send him down for some fine-tuning.

With Laval, Mailloux is embracing new responsibilities, including a lot of ice time on the penalty-kill, where he's clocking over three minutes per game, a great chance to develop his all-around game. When the Canadiens need an injection of energy the on blueline, you can bet Mailloux will be first in line for the call-up.

Fallers:

Jeremie Poirier

Calgary Flames

August: 25 / September: 23 / October: 35

Poirier took a solid drop in the rankings, sliding from 23 in September to 35 in October. While it's still early, it feels like he's starting to become a victim of a Flames roster that clearly is not sure if it's in rebuild more or not. With defensive prospects that have higher ceilings, it leaves him in a tougher spot than likely expected.

There's no doubt Poirier has the skill, maturity, and potential to make it in the NHL, but his long-term fit with the Flames will hinge on coming back from a significant injury sustained last year which slowed his progress, and in that time, players like Hunter Brzustewicz have started making their mark. Adding Zayne Parekh at the draft only adds to the competition. He's had a slow start with the Calgary Wranglers, posting just two points over 11 games which does not help his case. Poirier still remains a key piece of the Flames' future and is firmly within their top five prospects.

Henry Thrun

San Jose Sharks

August: 13 / September: 13 / October: 16

Thrun slipped a bit in the rankings this month but still sits comfortably in the top 20 as the leading prospect for the San Jose Sharks. There's no question Thrun is currently playing a depth role as a third-line defenseman, but his long-term spot with the Sharks will come down to his consistency in play. 

Despite being a top prospect in terms of NHL readiness, he's got some serious competition with established defensemen like Jake Walman (who by the way was a mysterious healthy scratch earlier this week and is now DTD) and Mario Ferraro already holding down spots, and a pipeline stacked with younger talent like Shakir Mukhamadullin, Luca Cagnoni, Sam Dickinson, Jake Furlong and Jack Thompson (who has been since called up into the lineup). Add the newly acquired Timothy Liljegren into the mix, and things are looking even more crowded on the Sharks' blue line. Fortunately, at 23 with only 83 games under his belt, Thrun still has time to prove he's not the odd man out. He'll need to push hard to secure his place among some steep competition.

Thanks for reading! 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.