To continue our series on potential prospect from the 2025-26 AHL season that can win the Calder Trophy in the 2026-27 NHL season, today we are presenting to you the contenders from the Atlantic Division:
If you missed out, yesterday we mentioned the favorites from the North Division .
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton/Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Sergei Murashov (1) (Source: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images)
It's very common knowledge by now that the Stuart Skinner experiment didn't work out in the Steel City. In fact, you can even say Arturs Silovs is also not the best long-term solution for the Penguins. He ended his last ten regular-season games with a disastrous save percentage of 0.851 and an equally bad if not worse Goals-Against-Average (GAA) of 3.89. A decent performance in three games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs will nowhere near make up for that. Meanwhile, Murashov compiled a 24-9-4 record with a save percentage of 0.919 and a GAA of 2.20 en route to being named as an AHL All-Star and to the AHL All-Rookie Team and AHL Top Prospects Team. The Yaroslavl, Russia native led Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to becoming Atlantic Division champions before falling to eventual Calder Cup champions Toronto in the Eastern Conference Finals. Despite coming up short, Murashov registered a save percentage of .931 and a GAA of 2.11 in the postseason. Expect him to take the starting goaltender role and run with it next NHL season.
Hershey Bears/Washington Capitals forward Ilya Protas (62). (Source: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images)
The Vitebsk, Belarus native is coming off an absolutely historic season with the Hershey Bears. In his debut campaign of professional hockey, he compiled 62 points (28G, 34A) in 66 games to find himself on both the AHL All-Rookie Team and the AHL Top Prospects Team. His 62 points stand as the fourth-highest by a teenager in AHL history. In a late-season call-up to Washington, he picked up four points in four games including his first goal against the Penguins in his second NHL career game. With the Caps actively transitioning to younger, energizing talent, Protas' chances to secure a top-six role right out of camp are looking extremely good.
Boston Bruins defenceman Frederic Brunet (59). (Source: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports)
The 2022 fifth-rounder has exceeded expectations of the 132nd position he was picked in the draft. The Gatineau, Quebec native has quietly become the best blueliner on the a Providence Bruins' teams who were just one win away from establishing the best win-loss record in the 90-year history of the AHL. In fact, with San Diego Gulls' Stian Solberg, he was tied for the most goals by a U23 defenceman last season with 12. In every one of his three AHL seasons, he has made improvements in goals, assists and points in the subsequent year. He ended the 2025-26 campaign with 36 points (12G, 24A) in 65 games, ultimately being rewarded with a trip to the 2026 AHL All-Star Game. The Bruins organization clearly has him in their sights as on March 9, they locked him in to a fresh two-year extension. With Boston experiencing a lack of playmaking defencemen, expect Brunet to take his shot and put the league on notice.
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