One explanation is that Hastings’ coaching style is regarded as, shall we say, abrasive and perhaps players got tired of him as the year went along and those who didn’t fit his style exited in the offseason. That’s an explanation as to why they specifically lost players with NHL potential to the portal. Despite the strong goaltending from Augustine, MSU gave up 117 goals last season which was quite a few (way more than Minnesota, Wisconsin, or ND) and a lot of that was attributable to icing a very young D. Levshunov obviously exits but much of the defense returns and is a year more experienced in college hockey and could be ready to tighten things up.
Jake Guentzel, LW, Pittsburgh Penguins
He was loaned to a different KHL club this year where he had to prove himself once again. Khusnutdinov joined the Wild for a stretch at the end of the season, playing his first 16 NHL games, scoring four points. Connor McDavid, known for his breathtaking speed and impeccable puck-handling abilities, remains a standout. His ability to change the course of a game single-handedly makes him one of the most electrifying players to watch. Nathan MacKinnon, with his powerful skating and scoring prowess, consistently shows why he is one of the league’s top forwards, leading his team with intensity and precision.
Roope Hintz, C, Stars
He finished last season third in hits, fourth in shots, and second in penalty minutes. TJ Hughes’ point totals may take a step back because Michigan’s PP likely won’t be the most efficient PP in modern NCAA history, but you scan this lineup and see a lot of guys with the potential to give you 8-12 goals. Moldenhauer, Hallum, Eernisse, Werner, Humphreys could all reasonably chip in something in that range and then you’re hoping to get from Hughes and Schifsky based on their production last season. The two X-Factors are Michael Hage and William Whitelaw, two guys who could easily score 8-10 goals or could hit 20 on the high side. If they can each meet somewhere in the middle, given the rest of the scoring depth, you’re really not in bad shape as a robust offense.
How to find proven 2024-25 Fantasy hockey rankings
- He will undoubtedly be fighting for the starting job against Vitek Vanecek and Mackenzie Blackwood, but his ceiling as a goalie is one of the best out there.
- The main reasons he has been so successful against larger and stronger competition are his phenomenal skating and his ability to make good decisions at a very high speed.
- On the third one, Barczewski did seize the starting job by November but came painfully close to posting a SV% better than Portillo’s final season.
- Ever since scoring 30 goals as a rookie in the OHL, Colby Barlow has been on my radar as a pro-sized winger with a legit NHL-caliber shot.
- While some will look just at the point total and question if he he reaches the level of a strong first-line center, his defensive impacts are his biggest strength.
- Modern hockey emerged in England in the mid-19th century and was developed at private schools (like Eton) throughout the country.
- 30 goals, 70 points, and strong defensive play is a combination that makes a winger very valuable.
- It’s what he did in the half-decade after that, when his Penguins era seemed to have run its course, the captain turning trade chatter into back-to-back Stanley Cups, and back-to-back Conn Smythe trophies.
Last year, Hamilton proved to the Devils he was well worth the investment from the 2022 offseason. The New Jersey defenseman recorded 52 assists and 74 points during the Devils’ breakout season. He’s the No. 1 defenseman any contender needs, providing an offensive option as a right-handed blue liner. After winning it all with St. Louis in 2019, the defenseman brought Vegas its first championship in hockey. He’s a minute muncher who can provide 50 points from the back end while being a leader off the ice as well.
Eight Boston College Eagles Named to The Hockey News Top 100 NCAA Players to Watch in 2024-25
He is the best player they have, one of the longest-tenured players with the Utah/Coyotes team, and provides great leadership. Keller has been scoring nearly a point per game over three seasons, during which time the Coyotes have struggled a lot. He has proven himself as one of the top-scoring wingers in the league and is starting to get recognition for it. They lost last year’s #2 goalscorer Ryan Kirwan to the transfer portal (ASU), and #3 goalscorer Jacques Bouquot graduated. PSU rolls over Aiden Fink, Matt DiMarsico, and Reese Laubach, all of whom were freshmen last year and they seem like a solid group to build a team around.
Wild, Sabres among potential breakouts
He blocks a bunch of shots, shattered his career-high in hits, and had his best season in many defensive metrics. He only played 59 games last season but was credited with 142 hits, which would be nearly 200 hits across a full season. He isn’t afraid to mix things up and will battle for any loose puck harder than most. While he still awaits a big offensive breakout, Svechnikov is very valuable to the Hurricanes.
Joe Pavelski, C, Dallas Stars
Over the last two seasons, Martin Necas has emerged as a goal-scoring and point-scoring winger. He had hopes of playing at center, but it doesn’t look like he will be making that transition. He is still very effective and plays a versatile enough game that he can fit in with any center and make offense happen. Drew Doughty fought back after a downward trend in his career, and over the last few seasons, has proven he still has lots left in the tank. He is a physical, smart, and strong defensive defenseman who can chip in with good offensive numbers.
Prospects #70-61
He’s still incredibly young, having been born just two days before the cutoff for the 2024 Draft, so there’s a ton of runway for him to develop into an effective player. David Pastrnak seemed destined for greatness from the jump, making his presence known with a 35-goal campaign just three years into his NHL career. At 23, he took it one step further, winning the Rocket Richard with a 48-goal, 95-point outburst, and earning the first Hart Trophy votes of his career, too. Just a few years after that, he was sniping 60 — joining one of the most exclusive goal-scoring clubs in the modern NHL — while topping 100 points for the first time and collecting his first Hart nomination.
Kyle Connor, LW, Jets
On top of the offense, Barzal is one of the best skaters in the league and puts in good work defensively as well. Not many would have been able to predict Gustav Forsling to make this kind of list even just a few years ago. From being a throw-in in a trade and being waived, to now in the Top 50 for the best players in the league is remarkable. Forsling is a great shut-down defenseman and was given a heavy workload in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs on the path to winning a Stanley Cup, and received eight third-place votes for the Conn Smythe.
Mattias Ekholm, Edmonton Oilers
He missed the World Juniors with an injury but will be eligible to join Canada there again next year where he should be a massive factor for them. Molendyk scored a ton this year in the WHL, seriously improving on his point totals from the season before. His transition game, defensive play, and wicked wrist shot make him an all around threat at the junior level already.
Trevor Connelly, LW, Vegas Golden Knights
Once viewed as a questionable pick in the 2020 NHL draft, Shakir Mukhamadullin’s stock has consistently risen ever since. He possesses great physical qualities, but his game was very raw and needed to be refined. At 6-foot-4, 194 pounds, he’s extremely mobile and has a very smooth stride in transition, not to mention he can make a strong breakout pass to start a play. Mukhamadullin joined the San Jose Barracuda in the AHL last year and has been an excellent two-way player, one who looks more than capable of cracking the Sharks’ lineup very soon.
On top of scoring goals and an impressive point total, he is a solid two-way player who can take on additional responsibilities. Bo Horvat has turned into a dependable 30-goal, 70-point two-way center that the New York Islanders can rely on in any situation. With Selke Trophy votes in two of the last three years, his defensive play has been on notice, and that is part of what makes him so valuable to the strong defensive team, the Islanders.
Mackie Samoskevich, LW/RW, Florida Panthers
McDavid can take over games and has fared well against even the toughest defensive matchups through the first three rounds. The Panthers will throw the kitchen sink at him, but McDavid is just operating on another level right now. Draisaitl could be the No. 1 guy on many teams around the NHL, but in Edmonton he has Connor McDavid as a teammate. Draisaitl gives the Oilers a truly elite finisher, both at five-on-five and on the power play. After notching 41 goals in the regular season, he has 10 goals this postseason, which is second in the NHL and would be first on the Panthers. What makes Draisaitl so key in this series is that, although he’s earned a reputation as a prolific goal-scorer, he’s no pushover in the physicality department.
With major changes looming over the Leafs’ roster, Rielly is one of the few that can be marked safe. He has a good contract, plays important minutes, and has a strong presence in the game. Forward James Hagens topped off the rankings at No. 1, followed by forwards Ryan Leonard at No. 2 and Gabe Perreault at No. 3. Hockey season comes back into full swing, and there are already a ton of fun storylines to follow this year.
- I’d expect Fox gets at least one more nod for defenseman of the year before his career is over.
- Not only has the Swede improved immensely on defense, but he hit 100 points last year, potting 39 goals and adding 63 assists.
- Don’t get me wrong, 52 points in 67 games is nothing to sneeze at, but if the Boston defender wants to shake his underrated status, he’ll have to put up more on the score sheet.
- He isn’t the biggest defenseman (just under 6-feet) but he competes hard and defends well as a result of his energy and skating.
- He has a really well-rounded tool kit as a 6-foot-1 center who skates well, has excellent skill with the puck and can create chances at will in the USHL.
He was so good, in fact, that he has made the choice to enter the NCAA early, playing as a 17-year-old for Boston University last season. His play in the NCAA was wildly impressive, with him already establishing himself as the best player in all of college hockey. Celebrini’s performance for Team Canada at the 2024 World Juniors was borderline dominant, and he was their best player in the entire tournament despite being a double-underager. His first-touch passing has improved, making him a more dangerous puck carrier in his own end, and his defensive decision making has made him a serious threat on defense. Lamoureux looks like a future NHLer to me at this point, though his offensive play at the pro level will likely decide his ultimate ceiling. Thankfully, his treatment and recovery have been going well and he returned to play the following season.
- They lost last year’s #2 goalscorer Ryan Kirwan to the transfer portal (ASU), and #3 goalscorer Jacques Bouquot graduated.
- Celebrini’s performance for Team Canada at the 2024 World Juniors was borderline dominant, and he was their best player in the entire tournament despite being a double-underager.
- There’s a ton of two-way, top-four defender potential in his game, and room for something more if his offensive numbers from this year are to be believed.
- Players like these two don’t come around often, and where Brady thrives is in the physicality department.
- Glass, but certainly not least (especially with the other Sharks on this list), we have the newest addition to the Sharks in Yaroslav Askarov.
- As harassing as Barkov can be on the defensive end, he’s just as dangerous when he’s got the puck on his stick.
- While he dealt with injuries throughout last season, this will be a big year for him as he tries to cement himself as a player who can score closer to 90 points or more every year, rather than 70.
- The Winnipeg goaltender was in trade rumors this offseason after the two sides could not come together to a contract extension, but he’s still their starting goaltender entering this year.
On top of that, he has a Norris Trophy, Conn Smythe Trophy, and has been a Norris Trophy finalist in each of the past four seasons. Sidney Crosby is without a doubt one of the greatest players in NHL history, and even at 37 years old, he is a top 10 player in the league. He has been consistently in the conversation for the Hart Trophy, Selke Strophy, and many other awards. His offense has barely fallen off over the past decade, and his defensive game has arguably gotten better. There is certainly an argument for him to be even higher on this list than number 10.
Hutson confident ‘better years’ ahead for Canadiens, young defense corps
A towering defender at 6-foot-4, 190 pounds, William Wallinder was drafted 32nd overall in 2020. He’s extremely mobile and has a smooth skating stride and a very strong puck carrier. He has put in a lot of work on his defensive game to round out his strengths, but his offensive instincts are what will make him a very good option for the Detroit Red Wings on defense. Wallinder was one of the best young players in Sweden last season and has made the switch to North America this year with the Grand Rapids Griffins. The transition hasn’t been the smoothest and the offensive production hasn’t really arrived yet, but his size and skating sure have, making him a solid defensive player from the jump. Jagger Firkus had a phenomenal final season at the junior level, leading the entire CHL in scoring (goals and points), and being named MVP of the WHL and CHL.
The No. 1 pick from 2017 has always been touted as a responsible, two-way center that excels in the faceoff dot. However, last season, the Devils captain proved he can get it done at both ends of the ice, hitting 31 goals and 80 points. The duo of Hischier and Hughes down the middle for New Jersey is flat-out terrifying.
If it hadn’t been for a season-ending injury early in the year, Dougie Hamilton could have been in the running for the Norris Trophy last season. He was off to a fantastic start and built off of the prior season’s career-high of 74 points. Aaron Ekblad’s play has regressed over the past two seasons, https://gambibet.org/ but he is still a strong defensive presence. The Florida Panthers have relied on him as a true number-one defenseman over the course of his career, but as they built a stronger team, more defensemen stepped up. His defensive play last season was good, but his offense was the lowest of his career.
No, for Pastrnak, it was never a question of how high he might reach — it was simply whether his success was a product of his environment or whether that environment was a product of him. In one sense, it’s no surprise Sidney Crosby remains among the game’s best, even after all these years. In another, it is a signature achievement, one more in an absurdly long line of them, that the Pittsburgh Penguins captain has managed to stay at this level for this long. No. 87 has made a habit of authoring resurgent campaigns just when the hockey world begins to write him off. It’s what he did when injuries threatened to derail him early in his big-league tenure, Crosby eventually returning with a century season that earned him his second Art Ross.
- On top of scoring goals and an impressive point total, he is a solid two-way player who can take on additional responsibilities.
- Rantanen finished sixth in MVP voting — and I don’t think that did his performance enough justice.
- The Finnish power forward had his first 50-goal, 100-point season, leading Colorado with 55 goals and 105 points.
- His hands are really quick and he plays with a ton of deception which made him one of the most dangerous offensive players in the entire USHL last season.
- His playmaking and shot aren’t exceptional, but they’re both good enough to be reasonably effective in the NHL someday.
- He finished the season as the second highest scoring U20 player in the league behind only Leo Carlsson and was a net-positive player even as a teenager in a very difficult professional league.
- He’s a top-three goaltender in the league, coming off a season where he posted a 2.34 GAA, .934 SV% and a 38.7 goals saved above expected.
- He blocks a ton of shots, plays excellent defense, and is one of the strongest leaders and mentors in the league.
Buium has a great motor and always finds himself in the thick of the action on both ends of the ice. He has good skill with the puck but his calling card will be his skating and sense which he uses to his advantage best on the rush both as a passer and a scoring threat. Buium falling to 12th in the draft could make a few teams look really silly if he becomes the player I expect he will. Zeev Buium is a complete defenseman who has had a ton of success early in his collegiate career, scoring well above a point-per-game as a freshman defender. He is an excellent skater and has plenty of hockey sense which allows him to defend incredibly well in the NCAA, and likely in the NHL as well. It’s becoming increasingly common to see NHL defenders succeed through puck skills and clever positioning rather than simply through physicality and I think Buium could fit that mold.
Augustine’s return gives MSU a high floor, because they can project to get very solid goaltending most nights from one of the more talented NHL goalie prospects in the world. Augustine was a huge piece of MSU’s success as I was not terribly high on the defense they played in front of him and returning the netminder is a coup. Losing Levshunov, who signed with the Blackhawks after being drafted (may spend the year in the AHL), was a big blow and will be the big challenge for Nightingale’s staff.
Nick Suzuki had one of the best offensive seasons by a Montreal Canadiens player since 2000, and not only was he producing at a great rate, but he is also an excellent defensive center. With Suzuki being the first-line center on a team that struggled as much as the Canadiens did defensively, what is even more impressive is that he earned Selke Trophy votes. There is so much potential for Cole Caufield to become one of the best goal-scorers in the NHL, and while he has yet to hit the 30-goal mark, he has a great release and plays well. There is hope that with an improved top-six, Caufield’s new teammates will help him reach his full potential and challenge for 50 goals someday. Regarded as one of the top two-way players in the entire league, Mark Stone is likely only this low because of his health.
Calum Ritchie has great puck skills and sometimes it looks like he’s glued the puck to his stick while carving through defenders or when he’s on a breakaway. His tools make him very well suited as a center at the next level with good size, a coveted right-handed shot, good defensive habits (kills penalties quite well), and solid faceoff results. He has the tools to be a top-6 forward, but his offensive game will need to continue to grow if he wants to reach that level of play in the NHL. Ritchie missed pieces of the past two seasons with injuries, but his play down the stretch in the OHL last season was phenomenal. Despite missing nearly all of his draft-1 season to injury, Michael Hage has established himself as a high end prospect, and was drafted 21st overall. He has a really well-rounded tool kit as a 6-foot-1 center who skates well, has excellent skill with the puck and can create chances at will in the USHL.
If it hadn’t been for McDavid’s outrageous scoring pace, Barkov would have won the Conn Smythe Trophy as he received second-place votes on 15 out of the 17 ballots. A huge breakout year for Sam Reinhart propelled him up this list, and if he can replicate this kind of season and prove it isn’t a one-and-done kind of year, he will continue to shoot up the list. Scoring 57 goals has only been done by a handful of players currently active, and while many were on the powerplay, they all count the same.
This feels like the right level of competition for him right now, challenging enough that he’s not going to score two points each night but manageable enough for him to be one of the best players on his team. He had a great season with the Coachella Valley Firebirds and is looking like the player everyone thought would go first overall back in 2022 once again. Dickinson’s defensive game has shone in an increased role this year and his offense has improved as well, nearly tripling his previous career high for points. There’s a ton of two-way, top-four defender potential in his game, and room for something more if his offensive numbers from this year are to be believed. Jonathan Lekkerimäki had a really tough post-draft season, with multiple injuries/illnesses ruining any momentum he tried to build. That was true all year until the Allsvenskan playoffs where he seemed to finally look like his old self again, scoring 15 points in 15 games.
But as a result, they still don’t have a very rich senior class and they didn’t pursue the portal to accent this group. Thus it still feels like they’re a year away, especially in adding another huge freshman class, one that doesn’t have a lot of drafted players nor obvious top tier USHL stars. PSU should still be decent and competitive in a tough B1G but seems more like an ongoing retool while they grow and develop the 14 freshmen and sophomores on the roster.
Not only was he an excellent defensive option, he also led the Rangers in playoff scoring with 20 points in 16 games. He had challenged for the top center spot on the team, and at the very least, gives them the ability to have a fantastic tandem of centermen at the top of the lineup. Strong offensive production numbers have placed Kevin Fiala on the list, and he has been one of the most consistent players in the league over the past three years. 30 goals, 70 points, and strong defensive play is a combination that makes a winger very valuable. He is a fantastic complimentary piece to any of the top three centers the LA Kings have, and his versatile playstyle allows him to be deployed in nearly any situation. Drafted ninth overall by the Sabres at the 2022 draft, Matthew Savoie is a highly creative centreman with a high-end skill set.
Matthews has also greatly improved defensively and in the faceoff dot, forming into an all-around star for Toronto. With the graduation of guys like Leo Carlsson, Adam Fantilli, and Connor Bedard, Matvei Michov is clearly at least a top-three best prospect in the NHL with an incredible ability to manipulate opposing defenses. He has a great shot, but more often than not he scores goals because he slipped his defender and managed to find the space and time necessary to score a goal. While Bedard scores by shooting a wrister as hard as possible, trying to punch a hole through the goalie, Michkov will outsmart the defense and score by finding holes in coverage. Will Smith is an incredibly shifty playmaker who can create high danger plays at will (pun intended) by threading passes through traffic, stickhandling around pressure, or taking a shot of his own.
