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Lockout puts prospects’ potential NHL promotions on hold

2011 NHL Entry Draft - Portraits

ST PAUL, MN - JUNE 24: (EDITOR’S NOTE: This image has been digitally altered) Third overall pick Jonathan Huberdeau by the Florida Panthers poses for a photo portrait during day one of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft at Xcel Energy Center on June 24, 2011 in St Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

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Just about every group of NHL players has something to lose because of a lockout.

Yahoo’s Cam Charron profiles nine skaters in a particularly anxious category: prospects who could have been mere days from beginning rookie campaigns in the NHL.

He begins with Jonathan Huberdeau, arguably the top prospect in the Florida Panthers’ highly regarded farm system.

He has speed and skill to boot, and all these things that make him a particularly desirable player for an NHL organization, but he’s also physically dominant, despite being listed at just 171 pounds.

Charron discusses why Buffalo Sabres’ 2013 first-rounder Mikhail Grigorenko is a polarizing figure, yet could also play with the big club in little time.

The Russian has 14 points in six games, but his true talent lies in his ability to be a dominant defensive player as well as contribute on the north side of the ice.

He’s the primary face-off man who draws the tough matchups, and whatever you think of him as an NHL-prospect, he’s glorious to watch at this level and flat-out dominate. The Québec Remparts have given up a league-low seven goals in five games, and he’s a big part of that.

The list also includes New York Islanders gem Ryan Strome, Winnipeg Jets prospect Mark Scheifele and less widely-praised prospects who might make a jump because of a team’s weakness or lack of depth.

Are there any other prospects who would be flirting with an NHL leap if the lockout wasn’t impeding their progress?