Trevor Connelly Could Be Golden Knights’ Next Breakout Forward
A salary cap crunch has once again forced the Vegas Golden Knights to part ways with an important lineup piece. This time it was winger Pavel Dorofeyev, who was traded to the New York Rangers while Vegas used its limited cap space to extend defenseman Rasmus Andersson. Dorofeyev blossomed over the last two seasons, culminating in a top-line role during the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs as Vegas addressed injuries throughout their lineup. After moving Dorofeyev, the Golden Knights will need to find another under-the-radar forward who can provide a boost when they need it most. To the dismay of teams around the league, top prospect Trevor Connelly could become just that.
Connelly, 20, played through his first full season in the AHL last year after signing in Henderson at the end of the 2024-25 campaign. His season got off to a rocky start, derailed by a lower-body injury that held him out of the 2025 World Junior Championship and carried through the subsequent summer. Connelly didn’t make his way into the Silver Knights’ lineup until mid-November, but his start was explosive. He scored six points in the first four games of his season. His scoring came in waves after that, until Connelly was able to get back on the point-per-game scoring track in February. The first-year pro put up 43 points in 31 games between February 14 and April 24. He finished the year with 49 points in 46 games and the highest scoring pace among AHL rookies.
More important than his scoring was how clearly Connelly showed his ability to drive play. The puck seemed to seek him out when he took the ice, and Connelly excelled at getting down through the neutral zone with tempo and control. His game in the offensive end remained poised, with Connelly showing off the vision and puck skills needed to wait for the right chance to strike. Whether it was firing off deceptive shots or threading passes through traffic, Connelly’s toolset allowed him to create consistent offense. It was the exact same toolset that he used to dominate two seasons with the USHL’s Tri-City Storm, where he posted 125 points in 109 games before pursuing a year at Providence College.
After an AHL debut that went even better than expected, Connelly has shown that his play-driving may be ready for an NHL test. His ability to generate controlled entries, then slow the play down to scan for scoring chances, should only shine brighter as he pushes into Vegas’ lineup. Even better, he will have a chance to hone it behind Vegas captain Mark Stone, who has mastered the ability to create time and space after gaining the blue line. In that way, Vegas’ top prospect will follow a similar path to Dorofeyev – who learned to harness his talents as a volume shooter by adding a layer of hard drive to the net.
The Golden Knights have assembled a great setting for Connelly – largely thanks to the fact that he is the club’s only first-round pick still on the depth chart, excluding 2026 selection Juho Piiparinen. Connelly’s development path is supported further by Vegas’ lack of an urgent need. While Dorofeyev’s absence will sting, the Golden Knights can fill his role quickly with a healthy Stone and established wingers Victor Olofsson and Braeden Bowman. They can afford to wait for Connelly to find his footing at the top level before asking him to grow into a second-line scoring role. That path could begin in a bottom-six role with second-unit power-play reps, giving the winger time to adjust to NHL pressure.
Making the jump shouldn’t be insurmountable for a player with so much momentum and support. Connelly will face an uphill battle against the NHL’s physicality, a challenge that also presented itself as he adjusted to the NCAA and AHL. Such a key play-driving role will require that he learn how to beat defenders in multiple ways – through his puck skills and physical will. If Connelly can show that knack early on, Vegas could quickly move him toward a top-six role. That potential – while not guaranteed – will be an ace up the Golden Knights’ sleeve as they look to contend for another Stanley Cup in 2027.