(Image Source: EA Sports)
The Vegas Golden Knights were the story of the sporting world last season: entering the league with an expansion draft team to go all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. They missed out on the ultimate fairytale ending, but the feel-good factor is still in Vegas, with the team set to contend in the playoffs once again this season.
Jonathan Marchessault, Right Wing, 86 OVR
Age: 27Role: PlaymakerHeight: 175cmWeight: 79kgShoots: RightBest Stats: 92 Deking. 91 Passing. 90 Puck Control, Offensive Awareness
After missing five games, Jonathan Marchessault finished second on the Golden Knights by only three points, scoring 27 goals and 48 points. Not quite as emphatically in 2017/18, Marchessault is having another strong season with 17 goals and 35 points through 54 games. The former Florida – having played for both the Lightning and Panthers – winger boasts very well-rounded shooting, puck skills, and skating attributes to make him a great player to have in NHL 19.
Shea Theodore, Defenseman, 83 OVR
Age: 23Role: Two-WayHeight: 188cmWeight: 88kgShoots: LeftBest Stats: 90 Slap Shot Power. 88 Wrist Shot Power. 87 Strength, Acceleration, Balance, Endurance, Speed, Shot Blocking, Stick Checking, Passing, Puck Control
The Vegas Golden Knights’ defensive corps is deep with strong and mobile defensemen who can move the puck. In NHL 19, their top three defensemen have overalls of 83, but each of them brings something a little bit different to the table. Theodore is a very creative defenseman, often being played as the orchestrator of the powerplay. With 87s littered around key skills like passing, puck control, shot blocking, stick checking, speed, and strength, you can see that there’s a lot to come from this 23-year-old blueliner in the game.
Marc-Andre Fleury, Goaltender, 87 OVR
Age: 33Role: HybridHeight: 188cmWeight: 82kgShoots: LeftBest Stats: 91 Angles. 90 Breakaway, Glove Low, Stick Low, Poise, Rebound Control, Recover, Aggressiveness, Vision
Marc-Andre Fleury continued to prove that he’s still a world-class goaltender last season, leading his brand new team to the Stanley Cup Finals. The veteran netminder amassed an impressive 29 wins, .927 save percentage, and 2.24 goals against average through 46 starts of an injury-plagued campaign. At 87 overall, Fleury appears to be almost criminally underrated on NHL 19, but with well-placed 90-plus ratings for breakaway, recover, vision, and aggressiveness, he’s still rather difficult to beat.
From the Day 1, September 13 update, this is how the Vegas Golden Knights’ first lines start. The top set of the Golden Knights is very well-rounded, as is most of the team, with the immense speed of the three forwards proving to be devastating on any given breakaway.
NHL 19 Vegas Golden Knights Roster
Jonathan Marchessault (86) – William Karlsson (85) – Reilly Smith (84)Brayden McNabb (83) – Nate Schmidt (83)Marc-Andre Fleury (87)
Name | Overall Rating | Position/Role | Height | Age | Shoots | Best Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Max Pacioretty | 86 | Left Wing Sniper | 188cm | 29 | Left | 90 Slap Shot Power, Wrist Shot Power, Wrist Shot Accuracy |
William Karlsson | 85 | Two-Way Center | 185cm | 25 | Left | 90 Deking, Hand-Eye. 89 Passing, Puck Control, Offensive Awareness, Acceleration, Agility |
Reilly Smith | 84 | Right Wing Sniper | 183cm | 27 | Left | 88 Deking, Hand-Eye, Passing, Puck Control, Discipline, Offensive Awareness, Acceleration, Agility, Speed, Slap Shot Power, Wrist Shot Accuracy |
Nate Schmidt | 83 | Two-Way Defenseman | 185cm | 27 | Left | 88 Endurance, Speed, Shot Blocking, Stick Checking |
Paul Stastny | 83 | Playmaker Center | 183cm | 32 | Left | 90 Discipline. 88 Offensive Awareness, Passing, Puck Control, Stick Checking |
Brayden McNabb | 83 | Two-Way Defenseman | 193cm | 27 | Left | 88 Defensive Awareness, Balance, Slap Shot Power, Body Checking, Strength |
Erik Haula | 82 | Playmaker Center | 183cm | 27 | Left | 90 Acceleration, Speed. 88 Deking, Agility, Slap Shot Power, Wrist Shot Accuracy |
Alex Tuch | 82 | Right Wing Power Forward | 193cm | 22 | Right | 88 Strength, Balance. 87 Slap Shot Power, Wrist Shot Power |
Colin Miller | 82 | Two-Way Defenseman | 185cm | 25 | Right | 88 Deking, Acceleration, Agility, Speed |
Jon Merrill | 81 | Defensive Defenseman | 191cm | 26 | Left | 88 Shot Blocking. 87 Stick Checking, Balance, Slap Shot Power, Wrist Shot Power, Body Checking, Strength |
Deryk Engelland | 80 | Defensive Defenseman | 188cm | 36 | Right | 89 Balance, Aggressiveness, Body Checking, Strength |
Oscar Lindberg | 79 | Playmaker Center | 185cm | 26 | Left | 87 Discipline, Acceleration, Agility, Speed |
Cody Eakin | 79 | Two-Way Center | 183cm | 27 | Left | 87 Stick Checking, Acceleration, Agility, Speed |
Ryan Reaves | 78 | Right Wing Grinder | 185cm | 31 | Right | 93 Aggressiveness. 92 Balance, Body Checking, Strength |
Tomas Nosek | 78 | Two-Way Center | 191cm | 26 | Left | 87 Strength, Discipline, Balance |
William Carrier | 77 | Left Wing Sniper | 188cm | 23 | Left | 87 Slap Shot Power. 86 Wrist Shot Power, Acceleration, Balance, Speed, Strength |
Ryan Carpenter | 76 | Two-Way Right Wing | 183cm | 27 | Right | 86 Discipline, Durability. 85 Acceleration, Agility, Speed, Slap Shot Power, Wrist Shot Power, Strength |
Daniel Carr | 76 | Left Wing Sniper | 183cm | 26 | Left | 87 Discipline. 85 Acceleration, Agility, Speed, Slap Shot Power, Aggressiveness |
David Clarkson | 70 | Right Wing Grinder | 183cm | 34 | Right | 90 Aggressiveness, Body Checking. 87 Strength, Balance |
Malcolm Subban | 81 | Hybrid Goaltender | 188cm | 24 | Left | 90 Agility, Speed. 86 Glove Low, Stick Low, Recover |
Cody Glass, Center, 71 OVR
Age: 19Role: Two-WayHeight: 185cmWeight: 75kgShoots: RightPotential: Elite med
Cody Glass is a very exciting prospect, and thanks to the continued success of Vegas, the Golden Knights can give the center as much time as he needs to develop into an NHL-ready skater. In a season or two, Glass will have the skills to demand a place in your NHL 19 lines.
Despite only experiencing two NHL Entry Drafts, the Golden Knights boast a decent prospect pool, but by far the most exciting prospect – bar Cody Glass – is Erik Brannstrom. The offensive defenseman develops into one of the fastest skaters in the game, let along one of the fastest defensemen, and boasts a tremendous shot, making him a one-man breakaway wrecking crew.
NHL 19 Vegas Golden Knights Top Prospects
Name | Overall Rating | Position/Role | Height | Age | Shoots | Potential |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Connor Corcoran | 57 | Two-Way Defenseman | 185cm | 18 | Right | 7th D med |
Xavier Bouchard | 58 | Two-Way Defenseman | 188cm | 18 | Right | 7th D med |
Jonas Rondbjerg | 58 | Two-Way Right Wing | 183cm | 19 | Left | Top 9 med |
Jake Leschyshyn | 60 | Two-Way Center | 180cm | 19 | Left | AHL Top 6 high |
Ben Jones | 61 | Two-Way Center | 183cm | 19 | Left | Bottom 6 med |
Lukas Elvenes | 62 | Two-Way Right Wing | 183cm | 19 | Left | Top 9 med |
Erik Brannstrom | 64 | Offensive Defenseman | 178cm | 19 | Left | Top 4 med |
Nicolas Hague | 65 | Defensive Defenseman | 196cm | 19 | Left | Top 4 med |
Dylan Coghlan | 61 | Two-Way Defenseman | 188cm | 20 | Right | Top 6 med |
Keegan Kolesar | 65 | Right Wing Power Forward | 188cm | 21 | Right | Bottom 6 med |
Zach Whitecloud | 70 | Two-Way Defenseman | 188cm | 21 | Right | Top 6 med |
Zachary Fucale | 70 | Hybrid Goaltender | 188cm | 23 | Left | Fringe Starter low |
Dylan Ferguson | 59 | Hybrid Goaltender | 185cm | 19 | Left | Fringe Starter med |
Jordan Kooy | 58 | Hybrid Goaltender | 185cm | 18 | Left | AHL Starter high |