Two top prospects go at it in fight for NHL respect

PUBLICATION

Noel Drolet
February 4, 2024 (5:32 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

Watching prospects play is always one of the most underrated parts about being a hockey fan. Watching the young guys who are projected to be the future of the league is very entertaining, as some of these kids seem to just be on another planet. That goes for both of today's players, as Brandt Clarke and Matt Coronato went head to head in a fight of highly touted prospects.

Although the fight isn't great, being Clarke's first fight and Coronato is not known to fight either, it's very good for these kids to let off some steam and start to experience some physicality before heading back up to the NHL.

Brandt Clarke is a top defensive prospect and plays for the LA Kings, and is supposed to be a replacement for the likes of Drew Doughty while the club tries to get back to contending for a cup. Clarke is someone who got bullied physically a lot in the limited NHL games he's been in, so hopefully he can learn that and come back stronger at the highest level of competition.

Matthew Coronato is a quick scoring winger for the Calgary Flames, and he is also garnering minutes in the AHL while waiting for the call-up after the allstar break. Coronato has also struggled with being undersized in the NHL, and hasn't translated to the NHL the way Flames fans would want.

These prospects seem like they're next up for their respective clubs, and are due for a breakout any time soon. If they can continue to display this grit and physicality, their transition to the NHL should be easy, and the Oilers may need to keep these two in check in their inter divisional matchups.