The Vegas Golden Knights have made their first cuts from training camp.
Here’s the full list of first cuts: Scooter Vaughan, Alex Barre-Boulet, Ben Jones, Patrick Bajkov, Jayden Halbgewachs, Keoni Texiera, Will Warm, Nikolas Brouillard, Jiri Patera, and Dylan Ferguson.
Among those players cut are prospects Jones, Patera and Ferguson. All three were late-round picks in the 2017 draft, as well as players the Knights retain rights to. Patera was the sixth-round pick of the Golden Knights, Jones a seventh, and Ferguson another seventh.
Ferguson was traded from the Dallas Stars as part of the return for Marc Methot. He’ll remain in the Knights’ system but will go back to playing in the WHL. Same thing goes for Patera (who will head to the USHL) and Jones (who’s headed back to the OHL).
Vaughan will also remain a part of the Knights system, as he has a contract with the team’s AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. He’ll provide a veteran presence on a young team.
Players who won’t remain will more than likely be Brouillard who was signed to a professional tryout agreement. That PTO has now effectively ended, as (likely) have Brouillard’s chances to make the Golden Knights in any fashion.
The rest of the prospects will return to their minor leagues, and will likely look elsewhere next season. Some notables to survive Day 1 include players like Griffin Reinhart, TJ Tynan, and Paul Thompson.