Buffalo Sabres
Chaos in Pronman’s U23 List — Stunning Drops, Wild Snubs, and Furious Fanbases
Pronman’s Top 156 U23 rankings are stirring up chaos — from surprising drops to major snubs — and fans across the league are pushing back.
Corey Pronman’s annual Top Prospects and Players Under 23 list dropped again, this time stretching to 156 names. These lists are notoriously difficult to build and always subjective, but one trend never seems to die: recency bias. Players who were just drafted high or who recently won a flashy award often leapfrog players who are already producing in the NHL. And unless a fanbase pushes back, some guys simply get forgotten.
This year’s rankings had more than a few eyebrow‑raisers.
The Sam O’Reilly / Ike Howard Contrast
Sam O’Reilly — former Oilers prospect moved in the Isaac (Ike) Howard trade — just became the fourth player in OHL history to win regular season MVP, playoff MVP, and Memorial Cup MVP in the same season. It’s a great accomplishment, but he was also a 20‑year‑old overager expected to dominate. His scoring rate was actually modest for his age, yet recency bias launched him all the way to #40.
Meanwhile, Howard — who has proven more at higher levels — didn’t make the list at all. He won the Hobey Baker, put up 50 points in 47 AHL games as a rookie, and played 29 NHL games last season. He was ranked 163rd last year (when the list was larger), so dropping off entirely after a better season is baffling.
Notable Movement: The Zach Benson Drop
Zach Benson was 93rd last year. All he did this season was score 47 points in 63 games, go +27, torment opponents every night, and then add five goals and nine points in 13 playoff games for a rejuvenated Sabres team. Instead of rising, he fell to 124th.
Vojtech Hradec, a 2024 6th-round pick who scored 8 points in 43 games in the Czech league, was ranked 17 spots above Benson at 107. David Edstrom scored eight goals in 53 AHL games and ranked 43rd. Neither has played an NHL game.
Pronman’s explanation?
“[Zach Benson] played against two shi*** playoff teams. The Bruins were not a good playoff team; the Habs were not a good playoff team.”
Whether you think those teams were strong or weak, playoff production is always an up arrow. Young players proving they can handle the toughest games is exactly what organizations want. And for what it’s worth, Montreal made the Eastern Conference Final and pushed the eventual Cup champs.
The Biggest Snub: Matt Savoie
The most confusing omission on the entire list might be Matt Savoie.
Savoie broke through this season. He earned trust in all situations, became one of the Oilers’ first penalty‑kill forwards over the boards, and eventually climbed onto Connor McDavid’s wing. His first 63 games were quiet (18 points), but after the Olympic break he exploded: 9 goals and 19 points in his final 24 games.
He finished with 18 goals and 37 points while keeping pace with the best player alive. He was relentless on pucks, defensively responsible, and one of Edmonton’s better forwards in multiple playoff games despite only recording one point.
Last year he ranked 148th. This year? Not on the list at all.
Recency bias cuts both ways — and here, it’s glaring.
Players Ranked Ahead of Savoie
A few examples:
- Reid Schaefer (#83) — three months older than Savoie, six goals and eight points in 47 NHL games.
- Vadim Moroz (#156) — older than Savoie, down year in the KHL, dropping from 44 points to 29, zero NHL/AHL games.
There’s no objective world where those résumés outrank Savoie’s season.
The Broader Controversy
These lists exist to spark debate, and they succeed. Fifteen players from Savoie’s draft class made the list despite scoring fewer NHL points than him — and all are older. Points aren’t everything, but Savoie showed he can do far more than score.
Other oddities:
- Jiri Kulich (#64) — Jumped nearly 30 spots from last year’s list and is 60 spots higher than Benson after playing only 12 games due to a blood clot and none in the playoffs. In total, he has 29 points across 75 NHL games.
- Pavel Mintyukov (#153) — Just signed for five years and $7.2M AAV and is a strong NHL defenceman.
- Plenty of names rose or fell in ways that don’t align with their actual NHL or AHL impact.
But that’s the nature of prospect lists. They’re fun, they’re subjective, and they’re always going to be controversial.
Final Thoughts
It’s valuable to see different perspectives on prospects, and Pronman’s lists always generate discussion. But they should be taken with a very large grain of salt. Prospect development isn’t linear — some players stall, some explode, and some take years to find their stride.
Matt Savoie stands out as one of the clearest snubs on the entire list. After earning trust in every situation, driving play down the stretch, and proving he can hang on a line with Connor McDavid, he deserved far more recognition for the season he just delivered. Leaving him off entirely doesn’t just feel like an oversight — it feels like a complete miss on a player who took a major step forward.
Next: Are the Oilers About to Repeat an Old Mistake With Luke Glendening?
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