Controversial ranking: Shane Wright ahead of Cole Caufield and it's causing a huge stir

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Jeff Drouin
August 30, 2022 (11:42)

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In the last few hours, popular pundit Corey Pronman (of The Athletic) just released his rankings of the NHL's top under-23 prospects.

There are 170 players in this list, which is drawing a lot of reaction and criticism. See the top 30:

1. J. Hughes, New Jersey
2. Moritz Seider, Detroit
3. Trevor Zegras, Anaheim
4. Quinn Hughes, Vancouver
5. Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa
6. Andrei Svechnikov, Carolina
7. Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo
8. Tim Stützle, Ottawa
9. Lucas Raymond, Detroit
10. Alexis Lafrenière, Rangers
11. Luke Hughes, New Jersey
12. Seth Jarvis, Carolina
13. Dylan Cozens, Buffalo
14. Matthew Beniers, Seattle

15. Juraj Slafkovsky, Montreal

16. Shane Wright, Seattle
17. Logan Cooley, Arizona
18. Bowen Byram, Colorado
19. Evan Bouchard, Edmonton
20. Owen Power, Buffalo
21. Matthew Boldy, Minnesota
22. Quinton Byfield, Los Angeles
23. David Jiricek, Columbus
24. Mason McTavish, Anaheim
25. Dylan Guenther, Arizona
26. Simon Nemec, New Jersey
27. Jake Sanderson, Ottawa
28. Lukas Reichel, Chicago
29. Anton Lundell, Florida

30. Cole Caufield, Montreal

You notice that two Montreal Canadiens players are in this ranking. You also notice that Cole Caufield is ranked 30th!

We are talking about a player who scored 27 goals in only 77 career games in the NHL. We're also talking about a player who is only 21 years old and has produced at a rate of almost 48 goals per season for a full half-season (22 goals in 38 games and 35 points in 38 games).

Yes, that's only half a season, but it's mostly far more impressive than what players like Shane Wright or Dylan Guenther have accomplished in the NHL (which is to say, nothing at all.)

It's disappointing to see Caufield placed so far down in these rankings, and to see him so disrespected (professionally) by some experts.

Please also note the other CH players in this 170-player ranking:

Kirby Dach (41st)
Kaiden Guhle (119th)
Justin Barron (131st)
Lane Hutson (137th)
Joshua Roy (157th)
Filip Mesar (164th)

This promises to be a good one for the future. Solid!

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Credit: Marco Normandin, HABSolumentFan