The Golden Knights rookies return from San Jose with a shootout win, a shutout loss, and a few injuries after a couple of hard-fought games against the Mammoth and Avalanche. Special teams played a large part in both games as VGK allowed all three goals on the penalty kill to Utah and then scored a few on the power play, including a late one to tie the game against Colorado.
These games are about much more than results, though. The key storyline as the Golden Knights rookies return to Vegas will be the health of Trevor Connelly and Ben Hemmerling, but here are a few other takeaways as well.
Connelly and Hemmerling injured
In the first game, Trevor Connelly was boarded viciously and illegally by Utah 4th round pick Gabe Smith. Connelly was down on the ice for a while before walking off under his own power. He returned to the bench in the 3rd period but did not take a shift in the game.
Being a long layoff, we didn’t want to jeopardize anything with him, so we pulled the reins on him a little. It was good to see him back. He got good clearance from our staff so we wanted to take it easy for Game 1. -Joel Ward, Silver Knights head coach
Connelly did not dress in the second game.
Hemmerling was injured in the 1st period of Sunday’s game against Colorado after taking a big open-ice hit from Gustav Stjernberg (a 23-year-old defenseman who played 11 games in the AHL last season after finishing up his career at Bowling Green). Matheau Cataford immediately stepped up to fight the big defenseman. Hemmerling did not return to the game. Ward did not speak about the injury postgame.
The Golden Knights rookies head up to San Jose for a pair of games today and tomorrow against the rookies of Utah and Colorado. Trevor Connelly is the headliner for the Golden Knights as the only 1st round pick on the roster, but players like Ben Hemmerling, Mathieu Cataford, Tuomas Uronen, and a few others give Vegas a pretty strong and experienced team.
Both games are expected to stream live on the Golden Knights website with today’s puck drop at 3 PM and tomorrow at 1 PM. Here’s what I’ll have my eyes on during the six periods of rookie hockey.
Has Trevor Connelly graduated beyond this level?
If Connelly is a serious contender to make the Golden Knights’ roster out of Training Camp, he must look like a man among boys in games like this. He says he’s added a bunch of muscle and is currently the heaviest he’s ever weighed in his life which has him feeling healthy and using his word, “stable.” We already know he’s a good skater with a great knack for playmaking especially with the puck on his stick in the offensive zone. He’s been working on adding a lot more to his 200-foot game and instilling “professional habits.” It all needs to show up as the talisman for the VGK squad in the two rookie games. He doesn’t necessarily need to score a bunch of goals or post a ton of points, he just has to look like the best player on the ice more often than not when he’s out there.
With a new crop of draft picks in the system, along with an unexpected 1st round pick following the trade of Pavel Dorofeyev, there’s been a lot of movement in the Golden Knights prospect pool.
Unsurprisingly, Trevor Connelly remains atop the list, but the Top 10 has five players who were either not in the system or outside the Top 15 last time we updated the rankings. Also, a few promising prospects from the past have dropped significantly.
Here’s the Top 5 skaters in the system. Click through to see the full set of rankings including goaltenders.
Criteria to qualify for rankings:
Must be younger than 23 years old for skaters, 25 years old for goalies
Cannot have played more than 10 NHL games
Must be either under contract or drafted by the Golden Knights
Players are ranked based on value to the organization. The most important factor is the player’s ceiling, or how good they can eventually become, but also taken into consideration is how close they are to playing in the NHL and how likely they are to play in the NHL. This is NOT a ranking of which players are the best if a game were to be held today.
Removed since last update: Christoffer Sedoff (Traded), Braeden Bowman (NHL experience), Kai Uchacz (Age), Lukas Cormier (Age), Jakub Demek (Age), Jackson Hallum (Age), Abram Wiebe (Traded), Joe Fleming (Age), Noah Ellis (Age), Jesper Vikman (Traded)
Clearly still the crown jewel of the VGK prospect pool, Connelly will have a legitimate chance to make the roster out of camp. Even if he doesn’t, he’s going to be one of the first options to be called up when the Golden Knights need a forward this season. He’s done pretty much everything he needs to do before reaching the NHL, now he just needs to do it at the highest level.
More on Connelly
9/2/25 – Ranking: 1 – When Connelly has been healthy enough to be on the ice, in a VGK, Providence, or Team USA jersey, he’s the undisputed best prospect in the Golden Knights’ system, and honestly, it’s not even close. The trouble has been keeping him healthy as he missed a portion of the college season at Providence, a chunk of the 2024 Development Camp, and the latter half of the World Junior Summer Showcase. It’s possible he misses Training Camp and maybe the beginning of the upcoming season as well.
8/12/24 – Ranking: 1 – On the ice, Connelly looks every bit the part of a 1st round pick. He was terrific in his single scrimmage at Development Camp before picking up an injury that kept him out of the second one. His speed is noticeable in all three zones, he has poise with the puck, and his playmaking ability both shooting and passing, is excellent. Supposedly, there was some discussion of signing an ELC and heading to the WHL this season, but instead, he’ll go to Providence College. He is the clear blue-chip prospect in the VGK system at the moment; it’ll be up to him to continue on that path.
Already playing professional hockey at the age of 17, Piiparinen is physically already at a place where he’s ready for big-boy hockey. The next step for him will be to adjust to the speed of the North American game. He’s expected to stay in Finland for one more season and should have a big year.
3) Jakob Ihs-Wozniak (F) Acquired: 2025 Entry Draft, 2nd Round, #55 overall Age: 19 (February 1, 2007) Most Recent Team: IF Björklöven (Sweden) Previous Ranking: 4
His offensive numbers were not overwhelming as a 19-year-old in the Swedish second tier (HockeyAllsvenskan) but he earned plenty of ice time on a team that was promoted to the SHL. The hope was that there’s be more scoring touch, and maybe that will still come, but it appears the rest of his game is already pretty mature.
More on Ihs-Wozniak
9/2/25 – Ranking: 4 – The man from a land down under has an absolute cannon of a shot, and he’s not afraid to use it. He did not do a ton in his stint in the big leagues in Sweden, but few do at the age of 18. At junior levels and on the international stage, he’s scored goals and put up points like a 2nd round pick should. The challenge for him is going to be his compete level. At times, he has “disappeared” from games, especially big games, and that simply can’t happen once he arrives in North America.
There’s an argument he was the breakthrough star of the 2025-26 season in the VGK prospect pool. He was never the best player on the Silver Knights, but as a rookie he more than held his own, including being named Rookie of the Month in March. His trajectory is on the upswing more than anyone else on this list.
More on Hemmerling
9/2/25 – Ranking: 17 – Hemmerling was one of the more exciting late-round picks as he thrived in Juniors to the tune of 91 points in 65 games. But, a shoulder injury disrupted most of his first pro season, and then when he finally did get on the ice he couldn’t quite find his footing. There’s still plenty of time for the 6th round pick to get the train back on the tracks though, which isn’t the case for many of the forwards above him.
8/12/24 – Ranking: 10 – The offensive breakthrough that was necessary for Hemmerling happened in a big way in his overage year in the WHL. He posted a massive 30 goals and 61 assists in 65 games and then was nearly a point-per-game player in the postseason as well. He’s become a shoot-first player who has gotten stronger and faster making him more dominant in Juniors. Now, heading into the AHL ranks, will the success continue. If it does, Hemmerling has a shot to be a late-round gem.
10/5/23 – Ranking: 13 – An alternate captain for the Silvertips, Hemmerling is clearly a leader on the ice. The challenge so far though has been his inability to make a truly consistent offensive impact. He was not great offensively in the rookie games despite playing in a place in the lineup that was enviable.
2/11/23 – Ranking: 11 – Despite being physically small, Hemmerling plays a fairly strong style of hockey. He’s able to hang onto the puck in the offensive zone and he’s quick enough to make defenders miss if he gets a head of steam. He’s continuing to score goals as an 18-year-old in the WHL and he’ll be one to keep an eye on when the prospects return to Vegas this summer.
8/16/22 – Ranking: 17 – Hemmerling had a nose for the front of the goal in Development Camp which is a welcome sign for those wearing a Golden Knights uniform. He also popped in many of the drills at the beginning of camp.
Wilmott had a bit of a coming-of-age party in the postseason with the Barrie Colts. He scored 11 goals and 22 points in 20 games, helping lead the team to the OHL Final. As always with this type of player, the question will become whether or not the bulldog style around the front of the goal works against grown men. Some guys are just born to play that role, and they thrive in the NHL, he looks like he may be one of them.
Over the weekend, the Golden Knights prospects took the ice at the South Suburban Sports Complex in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. VGK’s rookies put forth a pair of excellent performances as a team, walking away with a pair of wins, 8-1 over Utah and 3-2 over Colorado.
(Photo Credit: @Avalanche on X/Twitter)
These types of “tournaments” are held every year, and having watched just about every game over the course of Vegas’ nine seasons, I can confidently say this is the best the group in gold has ever looked. The Golden Knights carried the play for the majority of both games, felt dangerous in the offensive zone and on the rush consistently, and looked like a team that’s been playing together for years (not four days as they actually have) defensively.
Here are eight takeaways from the games.
Braeden Bowman is a stud. He’s not particularly big, he’s not the fastest guy on the ice, and he rarely does anything overly flashy. Instead, he’s just a damn good hockey player who makes the right play every time he’s near the puck. He was noticeable just about every shift he took in Colorado, both offensively and defensively, and he elevates the game of the players around him. There probably isn’t a spot quite yet for him on the NHL squad, but don’t be surprised at all if he’s one of the first call-ups.
What a weekend for the two goalies. Carl Lindbom got the first game and looked like a seasoned pro in the net. He’s excellent at stopping anything that comes in along the ice, which was a majority of the shots he faced against the Mammoth prospects. He wasn’t tested nearly as much as Cameron Whitehead, who also put forward a solid outing. Whitehead made one incredible back-door stop and had to deny a few other Grade A opportunities. VGK clearly had the best goalies of the three teams on the weekend.
(Photo Credit: Rob Schneidmiller, Ice Time Southwest)
The Golden Knights rookies finished off the annual Rookie Faceoff tournament in San Jose with a record of 1-1-1, winning on Friday against Arizona. Most VGK prospects participated in two games with a few hitting the ice for all three. Goalie Jesper Vikman started the second two games while Isaiah Saville played the first and came on halfway through the third.
We’ll have a full update to the SinBin Prospect Rankings towards the end of main training camp, so for now let’s just highlight a few guys whose stock is rising and a few whose stock is falling.
Stock Up
(Photo Credit: Scott Strande, Ice Time Southwest)
Artur Cholach
Prior to this tournament in his time with the Golden Knights, the 6th round pick was most known for representing Ukraine at the most recent Draft. After this tournament, he’s should be known much more for what he does on the ice than where he’s from off it. Cholach looked like a dominant shutdown defenseman in all three games. Each of the first two games he was paired with an offensive-minded defenseman and he held down the fort as his partner ventured forward. He’s big, he’s strong, and he’s positionally sound.
Ben Hemmerling
The most notable aspect of Hemmerling’s game this weekend was his motor. Quite simply, he never stops. You can find him busting his butt all over the ice trying to make the next play no matter how far away he is from the puck. There’s still a ways to go in his offensive game, but the groundwork is there. Playing against him has to be such a pain.
The Golden Knights did not have a 1st round pick due to the trade of Jack Eichel. They are slated to make six picks on Day 2 however with the first coming at #48. Here’s a quick rundown of what we know about each player selected by the Golden Knights in the 2021 NHL Draft.
