This article is part of our Prospects Analysis series.
After taking a deep dive into the Top 200 NHL prospects last month, RotoWire's Jon Letterine is back with an update on rising and falling NHL prospects to keep an eye on heading into the final weeks of their respective seasons -- including 2025 Draft-eligible prospect Michael Misa.
For more information on RotoWire's Top NHL Prospects, check out the Top 200 Ranking, which includes our NHL ETA for each prospect. Additionally, check out the breakdown of the latest news for Minor, Junior, Collegiate and Foreign players.
RISING PROSPECTS TO WATCH
Zayne Parekh (D-CGY): If you are accomplishing things that haven't been done in the past 30 years, it's safe to say you are going to find yourself in the "risers" portion of the column. At the time of this writing, Parekh has 33 goals and 102 points in 59 games for OHL Saginaw. No OHL defender has put up that many points in a single year in three decades. Going back the past two seasons, Parekh has 66 goals and 198 points in 125 games. Oh, he's also a plus-43. The 2024 No. 9 overall selection may never be the type to log heavy defensive minutes at the NHL level, but the offensive abilities and awareness are truly elite. It becomes more mind-numbing by the day that Parekh was cut from the Canadian World Junior team.
Nick Lardis (LW-CHI): You would think the Canadian WJC must have been loaded (they finished fifth), given neither Parekh nor Lardis
After taking a deep dive into the Top 200 NHL prospects last month, RotoWire's Jon Letterine is back with an update on rising and falling NHL prospects to keep an eye on heading into the final weeks of their respective seasons -- including 2025 Draft-eligible prospect Michael Misa.
For more information on RotoWire's Top NHL Prospects, check out the Top 200 Ranking, which includes our NHL ETA for each prospect. Additionally, check out the breakdown of the latest news for Minor, Junior, Collegiate and Foreign players.
RISING PROSPECTS TO WATCH
Zayne Parekh (D-CGY): If you are accomplishing things that haven't been done in the past 30 years, it's safe to say you are going to find yourself in the "risers" portion of the column. At the time of this writing, Parekh has 33 goals and 102 points in 59 games for OHL Saginaw. No OHL defender has put up that many points in a single year in three decades. Going back the past two seasons, Parekh has 66 goals and 198 points in 125 games. Oh, he's also a plus-43. The 2024 No. 9 overall selection may never be the type to log heavy defensive minutes at the NHL level, but the offensive abilities and awareness are truly elite. It becomes more mind-numbing by the day that Parekh was cut from the Canadian World Junior team.
Nick Lardis (LW-CHI): You would think the Canadian WJC must have been loaded (they finished fifth), given neither Parekh nor Lardis were on the team. Now in his fourth OHL campaign, Lardis had never scored more than 29 goals in a season. This year, he has 71 goals (and 115 points) in 63 games. That is not a misprint. He's already had six hat-tricks and a four-goal game. A high-end athlete with terrific wheels, Lardis is going to finish with one of the most dominant seasons in recent OHL history when all is said and done. His transition to the pro ranks next year will be fascinating to watch.
Rutger McGroarty (RW-PIT): McGroarty was flipped from Winnipeg to Pittsburgh just before training camp began in exchange for Brayden Yager in a swap of top-100 prospects. He began the season in the NHL and played three ineffective games before being sent to the AHL. The Penguins wisely let him marinate in the minors the entire season, and they are finally being rewarded for their patience. McGroarty has eight goals and 17 points in his last 15 games. This is a player who was a big scorer in his two seasons at the University of Michigan, and it was only a matter of time before he found his way as a professional. McGroarty is in line to spend the entirety of the 2025-26 campaign in Pittsburgh.
Will Zellers (LW-BOS): Zellers has shown enough in his draft-plus-one season that the Avalanche were able to make the 2024 third-rounder (76th overall) a key piece in the deal to bring Charlie Coyle in from the Bruins at the trade deadline. A 2025-26 commit to North Dakota, Zellers decided to spend this season in the USHL and he has unquestionably been one of the league's best players. He has 39 goals and 61 points in 43 games for Green Bay. He's second in league scoring while his 1.42 points per game lead the league. Zellers has shown enough this year to make you believe he's ready for an immediate role at NoDak in the fall. He's a very nice addition to a Boston prospect pool that is amongst the worst in the NHL.
Michael Misa (2025 Draft Eligible): Misa has been on the radar as a top-rated prospect for years. He was granted exceptional status to join the OHL as a 15-year-old back in 2022. This year, he currently leads the OHL scoring with 59 goals and 126 points in 62 games for the same Saginaw team that features Parekh. An excellent skater with skill for days, Misa has all the makings of a top-line NHL point producer. Things can change over the next few months, but Misa has currently leapfrogged Boston College center James Hagens and is No. 2 on my big board for the 2025 draft, trailing only Erie (OHL) defender Matthew Schaefer.
FALLING PROSPECTS TO FADE
Brennan Othmann (LW-NYR): Othmann has been a regular in the New York lineup for the better part of the last month -- outside of one game in which he was a healthy scratch -- and it hasn't gone great. He has no points and just 11 shots on goal in a dozen appearances. He's tried to make up for it by remaining engaged physically and throwing the body around, but the scoring chances haven't been there. Part of that is deployment-related. Othmann has played almost exclusively on the fourth line with names like Matt Rempe, Jonny Brodzinski, and Sam Carrick. This issue isn't limited to just Othmann. Rangers coach Peter Laviolette has been dreadful the past two seasons in terms of integrating prospects into his lineup effectively. Laviolette's job is almost certainly in jeopardy given how terrible New York has been this year, but if he returns for 2025-26, expectations need to be kept in check for Gabe Perreault, the organization's top prospect, who figures to arrive when his sophomore season at Boston College concludes.
Gavin Brindley (C-CBJ): Brindley's season got off to a late start after he fractured a finger in a preseason game in early October. He was sent down to AHL Cleveland when healthy and made his season debut in late November. He's spent the entire year in the minors and has really struggled to score. Brindley has just five goals and 14 points in 40 games for the Monsters. Brindley will play this entire season at age 20, so it's way too early to sound the alarm, but I expected more from the 2023 second-rounder (No. 34 overall) after he had 25 goals and 53 points in 40 games in his second and final season at the University of Michigan.
Oskar Olausson (LW-COL): I continue to leave the light on for Olausson because of his immense individual skills, but it's starting to become abundantly clear it simply won't be working out for him in North America. Now in his third AHL campaign, Olausson has 10 goals and 22 points in 55 games for Colorado's top minor affiliate. The Swede can really shoot the puck and make brilliant plays at times, but he lacks consistency and brings nothing to the table from a physical standpoint. I expect him to return to Europe sooner rather than later.
