The Golden Knights are giving Trevor Connelly a real look, and not just in the usual rookie-camp sense.
After a quiet showing Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings, the former first-round pick made it through the first round of cuts and is expected to be in the lineup Tuesday against the San Jose Sharks. Vegas is also testing him on the power play, where he’s working on the second unit in a platoon role with Ivan Barbashev during training camp.
That group includes William Karlsson, Braeden Bowman, Victor Olofsson and Rasmus Andersson, a clear sign the Golden Knights are willing to hand more to their top prospect than simple development reps. As Ryan The Hockey Guy posted, the club’s first look at the power-play units marks a change from last season, with Connelly listed on PP2 alongside Bowman, Karlsson, Olofsson and Andersson.
Connelly is also being paired with Victor Olofsson and Tomas Hertl, giving the 20-year-old a chance to work alongside established NHL players as he gets his first extended exposure to this level. That kind of setup suggests Vegas wants to see how he handles bigger duties, not just whether he can keep up.
The numbers from last season help explain why the Golden Knights are leaning in. Connelly put up 14 goals and 35 assists with the Henderson Silver Knights, becoming one of the team’s most important players. The Tustin, California, native also arrived with the kind of amateur résumé that made him a high-risk, high-reward prospect.
What stands out most is the role itself. Connelly has been strong at the front of the net, using his hockey sense and vision to steer play and open chances for teammates. He has a feel for finding the open man when the puck moves into a dangerous area, and that sort of timing usually belongs to older, more seasoned players.
That’s why the fit on the power play matters. Vegas has one of the NHL’s oldest rosters, with an average age of 30, and that environment could help Connelly absorb lessons quickly.
The organization drafted him in 2024 with the expectation that he could grow into a future top-six winger with special teams value, and this camp usage is a step toward that path. If he handles the extra responsibility, his profile gets a lot more interesting.
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