Thirty-one Nationwide Hockey League groups are making ready to participate on this weekend’s 2019 NHL Draft in Vancouver, and their prime associates are prepared and ready for the subsequent wave of younger American Hockey League stars to start their skilled careers.In 2018-19, a complete of 242 former first- and second-round draft picks performed within the American Hockey League, together with younger standouts like Erik Brannstrom, Klim Kostin, Nicolas Hague, Luke Kunin and Tyler Benson.The 2019 Calder Cup champion Charlotte Checkers featured 9 gamers who had been first- or second-round picks, together with Jake Bean (13th total in 2016), Julien Gauthier (21st total in 2016), Martin Necas (12th in 2017), Haydn Fleury (seventh in 2014) and Alex Nedeljkovic (37th in 2014), who received the Baz Bastien Award because the AHL’s excellent goaltender in 2018-19.9 first-rounders from final summer time’s draft started their professional careers within the AHL this previous season: Filip Zadina with Grand Rapids (sixth total), Evan Bouchard with Bakersfield (10th), Oliver Wahlstrom with Bridgeport (11th), Ty Dellandrea with Texas (13th), Martin Kaut with Colorado (16th), Liam Foudy with Cleveland (18th), Ryan Merkley with San Jose (21st), Isac Lundestrom with San Diego (23rd) and Rasmus Sandin with Toronto (29th).Different first-round picks within the AHL in 2018-19 included 2017 choices Cody Glass (sixth total), Lias Andersson (seventh), Cal Foote (14th), Juuso Valimaki (16th), Timothy Liljegren (17th), Urho Vaakanainen (18th), Kailer Yamamoto (22nd), Kristian Vesalainen (24th) and Eeli Tolvanen (30th); 2016 picks Jesse Puljujarvi (4th total), Olli Juolevi (fifth), Alex Nylander (eighth), Logan Brown (11th), Michael McLeod (12th), Logan Stanley (18th), Kieffer Bellows (19th), Henrik Borgstrom (23rd), Max Jones (24th), Tage Thompson (26th), Lucas Johansen (28th), Trent Frederic (29th) and Sam Metal (30th); and 2015 decisions Denis Gurianov (12th), Jakub Zboril (13th), Zach Senyshyn (15th), Ilya Samsonov (22nd), Noah Juulsen (26th), Jacob Larsson (27th) and Gabriel Carlsson (29th).The New Jersey Devils, guardian membership of the AHL’s Binghamton Devils, personal the primary decide on this yr’s draft, which will get underway on Friday night time at Rogers Area in Vancouver.