With only six full NHL drafts under their belt, and boasting the title of 2023 Stanley Cup champions, it's very fair that the Vegas Golden Knights have one of the weaker prospect pipelines in the league. But with a championship summer well underway, no one in Las Vegas is too concerned about that right now, especially as the team is in excellent shape to compete for more rings in the next few seasons.

Although the Knights have made a first-round selection in all but two of their drafts, they have traded all but one of those selections away to bolster their current Stanley Cup caliber team. Still, the pool is supported by a trio of legitimate NHL prospects, two of whom could compete for a roster spot on the 2023-24 iteration of the squad.

There are some solid future pieces who are playing excellent hockey in the American Hockey League and itching for a chance to skate with the defending Stanley Cup champions next season. Whether that will happen is unknown, but there will be some fierce competition at training camp for a couple of spots with the elite team.

3) Brendan Brisson, LW/RW

Brendan Brisson is one of the few first-round selections by the Golden Knights who remains in the farm system. The 21-year-old was selected with the No. 29 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, and he's been trending up for years. Brisson put up a 59-point season with the Chicago Steel of the USHL, followed it up with 21 points in 24 games as a freshman at the University of Michigan, and further improved to 42 points in 38 games in 2021-22.

Last season was Brisson's first full-time taste of professional hockey; he joined the Golden Knights' farm team in Henderson, accumulating a respectable 37 points in 58 games. Brisson boasts terrific hands, an excellent shot and an overall enticing offensive tool-kit that should translate well to the pro game. He won gold with the United States at the World Juniors and followed it up by playing for his country's Olympic team. After a good first full AHL season, the California native should improve on those numbers in 2023-24 before looking to make the jump to the big leagues in two years.

2) Lukas Cormier, D

Lukas Cormier is coming off an excellent rookie professional season with the Henderson Golden Knights, scoring 35 points in 62 games as a defenseman and proving that it's only a matter of time before he cracks an NHL roster. The No. 68 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft played junior hockey for the Charlottetown Islanders in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and his offensive instincts were on full display; he scored 135 points in 101 games in his last two junior seasons.

The 21-year-old is extremely talented, with an excellent skating stride and loads of creativity. Despite being only 5-foot-10, he played great defense in Henderson and used his body and stick extremely well. He also helped Team Canada win the 2022 World Juniors, scoring five points in seven games for his country. The one concern was his minus-12 rating in Henderson, meaning he will need some more coaching and fine-tuning in the AHL. Still, he has all the tools to be an NHL D-man and powerplay specialist sooner rather than later.

1) Pavel Dorofeyev, LW/RW

Pavel Dorofeyev has a legitimate shot to make the Vegas Golden Knights' opening night roster when they host the Seattle Kraken on Oct. 10. The immensely talented winger has great hands and broke out with Henderson in 2021-22, scoring 27 goals and 52 points in 63 games for the AHL squad. The 22-year-old was picked pack in the 2019 NHL Draft, being selected at No. 79.

Dorofeyev needs to work on his consistency; he's shown flashes of elite skill, but needs to put the full package together. After an excellent rookie year in North America, the Russian's production dropped to 17 points in 32 AHL games in 2022-23. He had a cup of coffee in the show, scoring nine points in 18 games with the Golden Knights in 2022-23, but didn't suit up for the postseason.

There's really no doubt that the young winger projects as an everyday NHL player, but he really needs to work on his game away from the puck. With excellent puck control and a wicked shot, it's the defensive battles, ability to hang onto pucks and get to the middle of the ice consistently that will determine how quickly he makes it to the sport's premier league. Pavel Dorofeyev is still getting adjusted to the North American game, but should be a complementary winger on a third line and second powerplay unit in the National Hockey League sometime in the next two seasons.