The NHL season opens Tuesday night and as rosters have been finalized, several top prospects who still have junior hockey eligibility are part of NHL opening night rosters. It may not be a permanent stay for all of them, but earning the opportunity as a teenager is no small feat. 

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Among the rookies on opening-night rosters, seven players who could be returned to their OHL clubs, should the NHL team choose to do so, are at least starting with the big club.

That list includes last year’s top two picks, Matthew Schaefer of the New York Islanders and Michael Misa of the San Jose Sharks. Also on the opening-night roster is last June’s No. 5 overall pick Brady Martin of the Nashville Predators.

This week can be awfully bittersweet for junior teams. Every junior team is thrilled to graduate a player to the NHL, but in a lot of cases the teams probably hope it’s not so soon. There is still hope for these OHL teams that a player will be loaned back to them and in some cases this year, that’s very possible. Should that happen, they'll get a player with a sample of what it takes to play in the NHL and likely very hungry to do what they have to do to get back quickly.

Most NHL teams that bring along young players for the opening night roster can play that player in nine games before triggering the first year of their contract. If the player plays nine games and is sent back to junior, the contract slides a year so that the NHL club can get an extra year on the player’s entry-level deal theoretically. While there is a proposed rule change, players drafted out of any of the three CHL leagues have to be loaned back to their CHL team if they do not make the NHL roster. That is still the case this season.

Nine is the magic number to watch first. In some cases, NHL teams will give their prized prospect the full nine games or a little less before sending them back to junior. However, more teams are paying less attention to the nine games and just seeing what the season dictates. If they burn the year and still send the player back, it's not ideal but it's not crushing as the salary cap continues to rise.

Shane Wright is a recent example of a player who started in the NHL, stayed almost half the season and ultimately was sent back to junior in the second half of the season. So there’s always at least some hope these players could yet play on their respective OHL teams.

So here’s a quick look at the OHL-eligible players that are on NHL rosters to start the year as well as a look at their chances of returning later this season.

Matthew Schaefer, D, New York Islanders (Erie Otters)

Last year’s No. 1 pick always seemed destined to make the Isles out of camp. His elite skating shone brightly during the preseason and many Islanders fans are salivating at the possibilities this year. The fact is, the team traded away a top defenseman in the offseason in Noah Dobson. The door was kicked wide open for the kid as a result. On top of that, New York has veteran defensemen to insulate him with and get a long look at how he contributes.

He will stay. It seems as though the Isles have a plan in place for him and that doesn’t seem to include sending him back to junior. That said, I think the Islanders should exercise caution. Schaefer played 17 games last season and probably still has something to gain from getting top-pairing reps. If he’s really struggling by midseason, it has to be a discussion about where he should finish out the year. It’s hard to see Schaefer coming back, though. The Islanders will give him all the time and all the leash he needs to learn and grow with them this season.

Michael Misa, C, San Jose Sharks (Saginaw Spirit)

As the preseason concluded, the Sharks used Misa in their No. 2 center spot, which is an outrageous position for an 18-year-old to be in, but they’ve got a lot of belief in him. That might not be where he stays all season, but if he does, that's a huge opportunity. 

As an exceptional status player in the OHL, he’s already played three years in the league. He should be ahead of his age peers in that regard and that’s probably why he’s being handed a big spot with the rebuilding sharks. Will Smith provides a good blue print for his season because Smith struggled early last season before finding his game and thriving in the second half. The Sharks can take a similar approach with Misa.

I have a hard time seeing the Sharks sending Misa back at this point. He would probably have to really fall off for them to even consider it and even then, the Sharks aren’t competing for anything this year. The NHL isn’t supposed to be a development league, but Misa looks like he’s going to get to learn the ropes in the bigs. 

Sam Dickinson, D, San Jose Sharks (London Knights)

Dickinson had such a tremendous season with London last year, I figured he’d be a pretty easy pick to make the Sharks out of camp. He had 91 points in the regular season and 31 in the OHL playoffs with six assists in the Memorial Cup. He’s done just about everything one could at his age. Perhaps he is ready for a new challenge, but defensemen can take longer to develop and I don’t know that you can say with 100% certainty Dickinson is ready to make an impact in the NHL. Despite that, the Sharks are starting to put their long-term core in place at the NHL level and Dickinson is definitely part of that. As long as he can get the game reps he needs, he's probably sticking in the NHL.

Zayne Parekh, D, Calgary Flames (Saginaw Spirit)

Calgary has made no secret that they planned to keep Parekh on the NHL roster. He had over 100 points last season in the OHL and his ability to move pucks seems to be translating. Can he stay healthy? Can he handle the NHL grind? Those are going to be valid questions, but it seems like the Flames are giving him every chance to show that he is ready to stick around.

I often scoff when people say a player has nothing to gain from going back to junior or to the minors. In almost all cases, the longer path is often the best path. You can do more harm than good in rushing a player. That said, Parekh's junior track record is so strong that you can make the case that he's ready for a different challenge. I would have to imagine Calgary is going to shelter him pretty well to start the season and let him figure things out in managed minutes.

Brady Martin, C, Nashville Predators (Soo Greyhounds)

Martin let his play do the talking in the preseason and the 18-year-old from Elmira, Ontario, made a compelling case. He scored some goals in the preseason and even got reps on the top line for Nashville. In the final preseason game, he was playing between Filip Forsberg and Ryan O’Reilly on Nashville’s No. 1 unit. I think Martin is a heck of a player and plays a style that is endearing to fans and coaches alike. I am less convinced he is ready to be a top-six center in the NHL. Martin is one of those players that I think we could see back in junior this year, just to give him more chances to enhance his offensive game. But if his preseason was any indication, he’s not really that far away at all.

I would expect Nashville to give Martin at least the nine games to see where he's at. He's such a critical piece to their future, however, and I really do think there's some risk of too much, too soon for him. There's no question that Martin is a mature, confident player and can probably handle the mental aspects of being up this early. We just have to see if his game will keep up at this early stage in his career.

Beckett Sennecke, C, Anaheim Ducks (Oshawa Generals)

Sennecke is at least going to get a look with the big club. After three years of sensational production in the OHL including a career-best 36 goals and 86 points last season, followed by an absurd 32 points in 18 playoff games, he’s worth a long look from the Ducks. Anaheim has a number of young players on their roster, but Sennecke is a player they’ve got such high hopes for. Selected third overall to the shock of everyone, including himself, in 2024, there’s still a lot of upside to reach. As much as I like the skill Sennecke brings to the Ducks, I think once they’re fully healthy, he could be coming back to junior and it won't hurt him a bit. Another dominant junior season, with a chance to play at the World Juniors, is all good experience for the prized prospect. 

Jett Luchanko, C, Philadelphia Flyers (Guelph Storm)

Luchanko made the Flyers out of camp last year before ultimately being sent back to junior. The Guelph Storm forward had 56 points in 46 OHL games, which is good, but hardly dominant compared to his peers. Luchanko is a speed demon who can fit so many different roles. But the Flyers didn’t pick him 13th overall to make him a bottom-six grinder. I think he still has a lot more offensive game to unlock and probably could best do that in junior. I think we may see him back in Guelph yet, but probably not before an extended audition with the Flyers to start the season. 

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