Winnipeg Jets top prospects neglected in NHL Network’s ranking of league’s top 25 prospects.
The Winnipeg Jets have several prospects on the rise heading into the upcoming season with names like Brayden Yager, Brad Lambert, Colby Barlow and Nikita Chibrikov. However, when the NHL Network released their top 25 prospects in the league, not one Jets prospect was mentioned.
The list has garnered some controversy as 2025 first overall pick Matthew Schaefer sits a top the list of prospects ahead of established names like Ivan Demidov and Zeev Buium.
The list is certainly disjointed from a glance as most of the selections are recent draft choices that are still quite fresh and we won’t know their true upside for quite some time. NHL Network’s Research Development Team is the reported curator of the list and it’s not surprising to see the Winnipeg Jets neglected on another front of the NHL media.
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Nikita Chibrikov vs Jimmy Snuggerud
Chibrikov is one of the most neglected of them all as he was a second round pick back in 2021 and has shown over two seasons now that he can handle an NHL role. With four points over his first five NHL games, he doesn’t get mentioned in the same conversation as other talent getting the same opportunity like Snuggerud, who put up stellar numbers in the NCAA while Chibrikov has been producing solid numbers at a pro level for two seasons now. Both players have the potential to be top six forwards throughout their career.
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Colby Barlow vs Brady Martin
Before Brady Martin was selected in the top five of the 2025 NHL Draft, a player with a nearly identical build and similar point production, Colby Barlow, has already been developing since being picked 18th overall in 2023. Barlow stands an inch taller and carries a bit more weight than Martin, but he may not possess the same creative and savvy play style.
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What he does have, however, is an elite shot that helped him score 46 goals at the same age Martin is now. While Martin still has a year or two before making the jump to pro hockey, Barlow is beginning that transition this season. The two are close but Barlow could very well be a better player at the end of the day.
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Brad Lambert vs Isaac Howard
The NCAA is a hard league to find comparable for as the league used to featured older players that played a more physical style of game while the CHL had their leagues operate as a better training ground for developing players. This has changed however as the American schools are catching up thanks to name, image and likeness deals that allow their players to get paid. Still prior to this adjustment, Howard was a solid colligate player with 105 points over 108 games.
While in Finland, Lambert played in a more advanced league in Liiga, the highest league in the country and one of the top pro hockey leagues in the world. His numbers weren’t as impressive as Howard’s but when joining the Seattle Thunderbirds in the WHL, Lambert torched the league for 38 points in just 26 games. He helped the Thunderbirds go on a lengthy playoff run in which he recorded another 26 points over 17 games.
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He continued his success into pro hockey and has been a force in the AHL. Howard is expected to get a top nine role with the Oilers due to their lack of depth, while Lambert is going to be vying for a Jets main roster spot at training camp. The two may get to face off and see who performs better as early as September 23rd when the Jets take on the Oilers in pre-season action.
Brayden Yager vs Sam Rinzel
Despite being drafted higher, producing at a stronger rate in Juniors, and putting up better numbers in international competition, Sam Rinzel is ranked inside the top nine prospects while Brayden Yager is notably absent. Rinzel recorded just one point from the blue line with Team USA, while Yager produced five points in as many games representing Canada. Over two NCAA seasons, Rinzel averaged under a point per game, which isn’t bad for a defenseman, but Yager posted a much higher 332 points in 265 WHL games.
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Yager also has more overall game experience despite being a year younger, and he has shown greater upside. His potential was high enough to be involved in a major trade for another top prospect, Rutger McGroarty. Rinzel does hold a significant physical advantage with four extra inches in height and 20 additional pounds, but once Yager begins developing in his first pro season with the Manitoba Moose, their prospect stock could quickly become comparable.
