Top nhl players under 25

Boston Bruins: Matthew Poitras · Buffalo Sabres: Rasmus Dahlin · Detroit Red Wings: Moritz Seider · Florida Panthers: Anton Lundell · Montreal. "So yeah we're gonna sign 34 year top nhl players under 25 days from turning 35 Joe Pavelski to a 3 year 7 million dollar contract to replace our declining stars. Oh. bravadoaustralia.com.au › Who-are-some-underrated-players-underin-the-NH. 1. Adam Fox (New York Rangers) · 2. Andrei Svechnikov (Carolina Hurricanes) · 3. Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo Sabres) · 4. Quinn Hughes (Vancouver.

The NHL’s Top 100 Prospects – Midseason Rankings

Can you start playing hockey at 25? Hockey is an excellent sport for all ages and abilities, and you don't need a lot of experience to get started. If you're new to hockey or you've been away from the game for a while, use these tips to get started playing again.

Who is 25 years old in the NHL? Sebastian Aho was 25 years old in 2022-23.

Can I start ice hockey at 25? It's not about where you come from or how much ice time you have logged in your life; anyone can play hockey no matter their age or athletic abilities.

Is 24 too late to start hockey? No Maximum Age Required

Ranking the top NHL players and prospects under 23: Connor Bedard leads the list

Moore has very good speed and his edgework is NHL-elite caliber. He evades pressure so well and is able to go from a stop to a fast gear very quickly. He has very good hands to go with those feet and projects to get a ton of controlled zone entries in the NHL.

He gets to the net, comes back hard on defense, and coaches trust him in tough situations. He has a ton of NHL projectability and looks like a potential good top-six forward, whether at center or the wing. Kulich is a strong skater with good hands and vision who can make plays in transition.

Kulich is a consistent hard working forwrad. He can pick corners from a long way out, and his one timer is a legit NHL weapon. Barlow is a well-rounded winger. He is a strong skater who can transport pucks through the neutral zone. Offensively he has excellent stick skills and a great shot. He projects as a top-six wing who can play on both special teams in the NHL.

He then went to Team USA at the worlds where he scored eight points in 10 games. Coronato has a lot of offensive skill, can create in the hard areas and can finish plays. He projects as a quality top-six forward in the NHL. He moves very well. He has great technique and high-end hockey sense in goal.

When on the ice and percent, Miroshnichenko is a force. Holloway played at the tail end of the Oilers roster for most of the season. Top nhl players under 25 He was sent to the AHL toward the end of the year where he had a lot of success scoring seven goals in 12 games. Holloway is still on track to be a good NHL player.

When you can skate like he can, with good offensive skills and a willingness to play physically, there will be a place in a lineup for you. York became a regular part of the Flyers lineup and power play this past season. His feet, skill and brain should allow him to be a second-pair defenseman though if his defense is just okay at the NHL level.

Musty is a player with a lot of offensive touch in his game. He tries to make things happen and shows a strong level of creativity. Musty is a good passer who can hit open lanes and has the patience to pull up and make plays. He can score goals and is a shot threat from range but is certainly a player with a pass-first mentality.

There may be times you want more from him, but I think he will score so much that he will be a top-six wing. Sillinger had a tough season, and his development arguably took a step backward. On the positive front, Sillinger remains a very skilled center who plays with an edge that will endear himself to NHL coaches. His footspeed is also not ideal, especially with average size.

His minutes diminished by the end of the season and he was traded to Montreal in June. I think there are still a lot of reasons to believe in Newhook. Tomasino has an explosive skating stride which, coupled with a strong skill level and a creative offensive mind, will let him put up points in the NHL.

He has a decent shot but has more of a playmaker mentality. He can be frustrating at times and you wished he tried harder, but his compete is good enough for him to be a projected second-line wing. Ostlund has a lot of talent. He makes high-skilled plays with pace. At 6-foot-3, he can skate well and plays a highly physical brand of hockey.

He can power his way through checks and to the net and never shies away from an engagement. Due to the lack of sense, there is a possibility he may need to be a wing, but his great faceoff skills could counteract that. Sandin Pellikka is a highly creative and intelligent puck-mover. He has excellent puck skills, showing the ability to beat opponents often. He can improvise well with the puck, while also showing strong playmaking ability with the poise to make plays from the blue line at the highest levels.

He is a goal-scoring threat who can score from range but also pinches well to get scoring opportunities. He skates well enough and can make plays on the move creating offense off the rush and from blue-line activations. His defense will be his main question at the NHL level, but I think he plays hard enough to be a top-four defenseman.

Iorio had a successful rookie pro season in Hershey, scoring 22 points and playing real minutes in a championship run. Iorio has a clear NHL toolkit. His length and feet allow him to make stops even if his physicality is average. Iorio I think could be a second pair defenseman in the NHL.

Sale is a great passer who can run a power play well and hit seams at a strong clip. He can shoot the puck well enough but is better as a passer for me. His compete is OK. I would like to see him be more consistent as there are too many nights I watch him have little impact, even if he can take over games other times. After he came over to North America though, he was quite good in the AHL and became a big part of a deep playoff run as a teenager.

Kemell is a talented offensive winger. He has the speed, hands and offensive IQ to make a lot happen with the puck and at fast tempos. He competes well enough and, despite not being that big, wins puck battles. Kemell projects as a second-line wing. Greig has NHL speed and skill. He can create for himself and others and is a shot threat too.

He looks like a potential top six forward. As a center he may be a 2 or 3C depending on the roster. Geekie can make a lot of tough skill plays, while also having the big body and enough physicality to win pucks or get to the net well. He has all the components except skating. Tiger elin nordegren Even without great footspeed, I still think he can be a second- or third-line center in the NHL, but it will be his main obstacle.

Molendyk is a strong two-way defenseman despite not being the biggest defender. This is because of his excellent skating ability and strong work ethic. He closes on checks like a pro, and is able to evade pressure at a high level. His top speed is good, not great, but he can lead a rush in the NHL. Molendyk has strong offensive instincts and skills, and can make plays from off the blue line and on the move.

I think he checks a lot of boxes and projects to be a top-four defenseman. Savoie is full of natural ability and work ethic. He buzzes around the ice due to his speed and compete, attacking loose pucks and taking them to the net. He is a very skilled playmaker who makes a ton of difficult plays at very fast speeds. Regardless, I see him as a top-six forward in the NHL.

He can score goals, make plays and create around the net. His biggest issue is his skating, as he lacks NHL footspeed and has an awkward skating stride. I think the work ethic is good enough to compensate, and that he could be a second line wing. Bonk is able to skate pucks up ice, make some skilled plays, and show good poise from the blue line.

He projects as a top-four defenseman in the NHL. Scoring is what he does and I expect he will become a highly productive pro. Bourgault has excellent puck skills, vision and offensive IQ. He makes a ton of creative plays with the puck and can do so on the move. He looks like a potential second line wing. Zary had a better second pro season as a big part of the Wranglers offense.

I believe a lot in his skill and compete and think he can make it as a 3C or a 2W, but because of his feet there will be doubts about him until he gets there. Lucius is a tough evaluation case. I still think he can be a top six forward. Wallinder had an excellent season in Sweden, playing a big role for Rogle and scoring 26 points in the SHL.

Wallinder looks to have all the traits to be a successful NHL defenseman. Top nhl players under 25 He is 6-foot-4, skates quite well for a big man, and has puck-moving ability. I think he has a good chance to be a second-pair defenseman in the NHL for those reasons. Yurov is a strong skater with high-end puck skills who should be a transition threat at the highest levels as he physically develops.

He also competes well off the puck. It has to come eventually versus men, but I think it will, and in time I see a potential second-line wing. Ritchie is a player with all the aesthetic tools. When you see a 6-foot-2 center who can skate and handle the puck like him, he sticks out in a massive way and some of the plays he makes are distinct at the junior level.

He is a strong skater with good hands who can be a threat in transition. I could see him as a second or third line wing in the NHL. With excellent skating and work ethic, Brindley buzzes around the ice, playing with a ton of pace and giving his best effort nightly. I see a middle-six forward whether at center or the wing, but likely the latter. He signed at the end of the season and was a solid tail-end roster player for the Wild including in the NHL playoffs.

His skating and compete are both plus traits. He should have just enough offense to be a projected second-pair defenseman. Nazar missed most of the season due to a hip injury. His high rating is based on the toolkit and his history and banking on a bounceback. When healthy, Nazar is a high-energy, high pace player.

He has a ton of speed and plays with courage taking pucks to the net. Khusnutdinov is a highly skilled forward who can make creative plays with the puck. What draws you to him though is his direct style of play. He plays with a lot of courage and brings a ton of energy to every shift. Sogaard looks like an NHL goalie.

He has the ability to steal a game with his natural athleticism. The tools are too good that I think he finds a way to become a tandem goalie and he has a chance to be more. Gulyayev has obvious offensive talents as he has clear NHL skating, hands and vision.

Gulyayev is a highly intelligent and creative puck-mover and can make tough plays at a quick pace. He creates a lot of controlled exits and entries, he projects to run power plays at higher levels and be a point producer versus men. I see a regular NHL defenseman who will put up points but may need to be used in a specific manner by his coach.

Some may think he should be rated higher based on the year he had, but his footspeed, especially at his size, gives me pause as to whether he can repeat that type of performance. He still look like a legit middle six wing, which is a great find at No. Evangelista had a very succesful season. He also scored 15 goals in 24 games.

He has great puck skills and can beat pro defenders often. He competes hard and wins pucks versus men despite not being the biggest guy. He can make and finish plays well. He looks like a solid middle-six wing. Holtz had a tough season and barely played hockey for his development purposes as he was scratched a fair amount at the NHL level. Holtz is a talented winger. He has excellent puck skills that can beat NHL defensemen.

He has an excellent shot that can beat NHL goalies. I think he can be a scoring middle-six wing in the NHL still, but one that may frustrate coaches too. Bankier has developed very well over the last few years. He has a lot of the tools you want in an NHL forward. He showed in junior he has enough touch to be a flank power-play type and can shoot the puck well.

Bankier projects as a middle-six forward, with a legit chance to be a third-line center. Svozil had a great season, posting 78 points in 56 WHL games albeit on the same power play as Connor Bedard. Svozil looks like an NHL defenseman. He has puck-moving skill. He has good enough size, and he gives an honest effort, showing solid defensive play.

I think the defense will be just good enough to play and be a regular NHLer. He skates quite well with a powerful, fluid skating stride that allows him to skate pucks up ice and close on his checks well. Filmon had a great season, scoring 47 goals in 64 WHL games. Filmon was making way more plays through checks and to teammates this season than I saw the prior year.

You add in a solid work ethic, a willingness to get inside and a good finishing touch and he looks like a potential middle-six winger. Ostapchuk takes pucks to the net, and tries to create offense in the high percentage areas. He has good physicality in his game, can kill penalties and overall has a high motor.

His limited sense may push him off the middle to the wing in the NHL, but I think he has the qualities to be a middle six forward in the league. Hutson had one of the best year-old seasons ever by a modern-day NCAA defenseman. He was a dominant player for Boston University and helped lead them to a Hockey East title.

Hutson has special hockey sense. He sees the ice at a distinct level and has the pure skill plus vision to make a ton of plays from the offensive blue line. He is very elusive with his footwork and skill to make checkers miss and hit seam passes very often. Hutson is a good skater, but not an elite burner for his size.

That size is the main issue in his game, and how he will defend NHL size and speed. Lambert has been very up and down as a prospect over the last few seasons. That was exemplified this season when after a tough start in the AHL and a brutal world juniors, he went to the WHL and tore it up in the second half, helping to lead Seattle to a WHL title.

He has all the natural talent in the world. Lambert is a fantastic skater with clear NHL speed and edges. He can make highly skilled dekes at full flight. He often disappears for long stretches and can frustrate coaches. I do think he has an NHL career as a middle six forward because the pure skill plus speed is too good.

Dragicevic is very dangerous with the puck on his stick. He has good hands and better instincts and vision. He can run a power play like a pro. He shows the high-end IQ to let plays develop, hold pucks under pressure and jump into attacks at the right time to go with a strong point shot.

The question with Dragicevic will be without the puck. I think he defends well enough in junior, but there will be questions on how he defends size and speed in the NHL. Cuylle has developed well in recent years and his year-old season in the AHL was a success as he played both special teams and was a top player for Hartford.

Cuylle is a highly intriguing pro prospect as a big winger with offensive skill who also has some bite. He can create around the net, works hard off the puck and can lay out opponents. Nyman scored 10 goals and 14 points on a top Liiga team this season. He had a solid world juniors as well for Finland. The skill and goal-scoring touch Nyman has in a big frame is very promising for an NHL projection.

He can make skilled plays to the inside while also being a shot threat from range. Foote was a top player for Utica this season and got a few games with New Jersey. The biggest issue is his skating. I still think he plays in a top nine because the rest of his game is so good, but with his impending waiver status, it may or may not be in New Jersey. He was dealt to Nashville as a part of the Mattias Ekholm deal.

Schaefer is a big, heavy winger who loves to throw his body around. He has good skill and finishing ability as well and will have offense as a pro, but his vision and skating may hold him back from being a major scorer. Raty was up and down in his first season in North America. He was traded midway through the year from the Islanders to Vancouver as a part of the Bo Horvat trade.

Raty has value as a good-sized center with strong puck skills and vision. He can create off the perimeter with his skill. His work ethic is good enough that I could see him as a third line center despite his skating issues. His skating is average but the work ethic should be good enough to compensate to become a middle six wing.

Beck has a lot of appealing NHL traits. Beck has been a center in junior, and his speed plus compete give him a chance to stick down the middle in the NHL but he may need to be a wing, too. Regardless, I see him as a projected middle six forward. His work ethic is good, he has some physicality even for a big guy but I wish he was even harder. Nelson has shown he can kill penalties and was a go-to guy to kill penalties for the U18 team this season.

I thought his actual play this season was inconsistent, and his lack of hockey sense showed at times around better players. Whoever drafts him will be drafting a lot of talent, and will have a unique opportunity to mold him into whatever position they think is best. The way he can pull pucks by opposing defensemen while moving at a fast pace looks like an NHL forward.

He plays a direct style, and with his frame plus speed he can get to the net very well. Strbak is a defense-first defenseman. He brings a strong effort every night, and coaches tend to lean on him in tough situations. I think he will be a second- or third-pair defenseman in the NHL depending on the level of offense he brings.

Chinakhov has a rifle for a shot that projects to be able to beat NHL goalies from the faceoff dots. The rest of his game is good but not as impressive. He has strong puck skills, vision and skating but none of which are dimensional. Gauthier has very good skill and offensive IQ. He can beat defenders one-on-one at a high rate, making creative plays in small areas and showing he can create a lot for his teammates too.

He has talent but also competes well. He is quite physical and can be a nasty player to play against, which you love to see from a smaller player. Gauthier gets to the net and can create chances there frequently. His skating has grown on me as the season has gone along. He has pro quickness, but I find he slows the game down too much and could use more pace in his game.

Gauthier can get around defenders when he needs to though, and for that reason I could see a middle-six NHL wing. Gaucher has good hands and can shoot the puck, but a lot of his value comes away from the puck. He is a big, strong center who is highly physical and competitive. He is great at creating around the net-front area, strong on the faceoff dots and very good defensively.

The pure playmaking, scoring touch and explosiveness in his skating will likely never inspire but he can be a quality third-line center in the NHL. Bordeleau was a top player for the Barracuda and got eight games with the Sharks as well. Bordeleau is able to pull away from pro defenders and has strong in-tight quickness as well.

His size and lack of physical play are issues and may end up pushing him off the center position eventually. He projects as a middle-six forward, whether at wing or center is to be determined. Spence has been excellent as a pro at the AHL level and was one of the best defensemen in the league this past season.

Spence is a super smart puck-mover who can run a power play like a pro. He makes a lot of creative passes and shows great poise from the offensive blue line to go with strong puck skills. He undoubtedly has NHL offense, but as a 5-foot 10 defenseman who is just a fine skater, whether he can defend in the NHL is the debate.

The talent still remains highly intriguing. Mateychuk is a skilled and creative playmaker who makes a lot of tough plays at full flight. His skating is so good that I think he will have an NHL career, but the size questions will remain until he proves it versus men. With his vision and shot he can run a power play well and is often dangerous inside the offensive zone.

Nadeau has very good individual skill to couple with excellent speed. He sees the ice at a high level, making a lot of seam passes and making tough passes on the move. He has an excellent one-timer that projects to beat NHL goalies from distance. His shot is both very quick, and fast, as he rifles pucks into the corners like a legit NHL scorer.

Gritsyuk continued to have success at the KHL level. He can drive play at even strength creating chances for himself and others to go with a shot that is a legit weapon from range. The combination allows him to run a power play very well. Soderblom made the Wings out of camp but was sent down to the AHL halfway through the season.

I think he will, and that he will become a good NHL player just like he became a good SHL player, but it may take time. Wolf has the athleticism, hockey sense and technique to be an NHL goaltender. He can make a lot of tough saves and competes well in net. I lean yes, but every time a puck squeezes past him or a long range shot gets tipped in, you wonder how things will go in the NHL for him.

He will likely get an opportunity soon to prove himself. For now, I see him as a good tandem goalie. Molgaard has a play style that will translate to playing versus men. He also has a directness to how he plays. He pushes the pace and takes pucks to the net. He has very good hands and can make tough plays through opponents and to his teammates as well.

I can see him being a middle six forward, and while his frame may push him to the wing, he has some of the traits to be a third-line NHL center as well. He has good speed and hands, and projects to create controlled exits and entries at the NHL level. He has the qualities to be a middle six forward, and if he stays down the middle he could be a 3C.

LaCombe was a top defenseman in his conference over the last few seasons playing big minutes for the Gophers. He sees the ice well and has a good shot from the point. Depending on how well he makes stops, he could be a top-four defender or a carefully deployed third-pair guy. His playoff was very good though scoring a point per game for Djurgarden. Lekkerimaki is very skilled and can beat pro defensemen one-on-one often.

He skates well and can create offense with pace. The biggest issue with Lekkerimaki is his consistency and compete. He may frustrate coaches, but the talent is legit enough to be a middle six wing who helps a power play. He has good speed and hands and can finish plays, but what drives Mazur is his work ethic. He projects as a middle-six winger who could become a fan favorite.

The issues around Boucher have been 1 His health and 2 His draft position. Boucher drew strong reviews from scouts in the OHL, when he was healthy mind you. He was also quite good at the World Juniors, prior to injury. Boucher is a highly physical winger who can be a menace to opponents.

He is good around the net. He plays with pace and has strong skill. I think there are still reasons to believe in Podkolzin as a career NHLer. He has good enough creativity as well to improvise with the puck. Kaiser is a very good skater. He has a smooth, explosive skating stride that makes him dangerous in transition.

He closes on his checks very well due to his feet and physicality, and projects to make a lot of stops in the NHL. The offense has always been the debate on Kaiser. Kleven played big minutes for North Dakota this season before signing with Ottawa at the end of the season, getting 8 games for them and then joining Team USA at the Worlds.

Kleven is a defense first defenseman. He has more than k followers on his X formerly Twitter account and more than k Instagram followers. Schmaltz is also the alternate captain of the Arizona. Nick has more than He has more than 3, followers on his Instagram. So these are our top 30 Hottest NHL picks under 25 and of all time in history.

Tell us who do you think is the hottest NHL player. Bhawana Singh is a self-published writer and artist. After completing post graduation in Computer Science, She worked as a Computer Lecturer to an MIS Executive but didn't find her soul there as her passion resides in writing and art. She is an artist and writes art illustration books with poems and Haiku.

She started her sports content writer career with Bullscore. Later joined Fantasy Khiladi to further pursue her passion in the sports industry as a content writer. You must be logged in to post a comment. Close Menu. Facebook X Twitter Instagram. Home » NHL. Martin Necas. Cole Perfetti. Tim Stutzle Source: Sean Sisk. Cole Sillinger. Alex Turcotte. Connor Bedard.

Moritz Seider. Ryan Winterton. Dylan Guenther. Olen Zellweger. Cale Makar. Jack Huges. Nick Suzuki. Nico Hischie. Trevor Zegras. Tom Wilson. Roman Josi. Henrik Lundqvist. Brian Dumouli. Sidney Crosby. He has shown that he only gets better when the games get important, which is an invaluable attribute to have as someone who projects as a top-nine winger in the NHL.

Mateychuk is a dynamic offensive defenseman who excels when he is the one with the puck and can control the play from the point. His superb skating allows him to break down opposing defenses before making his move and charging to the middle or making a clever pass to an open teammate. Daniil But is one of the biggest players on this list, standing at 6-foot-5 despite being just 18 at the time this article was published.

He has the size that NHL general managers dream of, and he has great puck skills and shooting mechanics for a player of his size. His skating grew on me throughout his draft year, with enough speed and agility to really use his size to his advantage, powering through defenders and protecting the puck well.

After rising remarkably in his draft year, Marco Kasper was eventually selected eighth overall by the Red Wings. Many people thought that Kasper had limited offensive potential but would be a great two-way center in the middle six of a good NHL team one day. 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.

Since being selected 23rd overall in the Draft, Jimmy Snuggerud has proven to be an excellent choice for the St. His shot is the first thing that stands out about his game, as the power and accuracy of his wrist shot make it a very dangerous tool, but the real reason his shot is so potent is the way he can disguise or alter his shot by suddenly changing the release point.

Snuggerud is a responsible defensive player which is impressive for a winger with so much offensive potential and he was one third of the most dominant line in college hockey last season. His ability to anticipate the play and make the right play to maximize the scoring chance for his team is remarkable.

He works hard in all phases of the game and could become a great middle-six center if all goes well in his development. Danila Yurov slid on draft day in the NHL Draft because of the uncertainty surrounding Russian prospects and the likelihood of them ever making the move to North America. He is a great two-way winger with excellent skating and enough energy on the forecheck to frustrate opponents even in the KHL although he is at least a decade younger than most of his opposition.

Yurov had a good season last year in the KHL, but his production has leveled up this season as a result of increased confidence and ice-time, putting him on pace to quadruple his point total from the season. He is one of the hardest-working players on the ice every time he plays, and he can do just about anything asked of him.

He is great at finding open space off the puck and he rewards teammates for passing to him by charging the middle of the ice or ripping a puck mid-stride. After an absolutely dominant season in the WHL split between the Everett Silvertips and the Kamloops Blazers, Zellweger has continued to establish himself as one of the top defensive prospects in the NHL.

His game is defined by his excellent skating, playmaking and an emerging two-way game. Zellweger is off to a strong start at the pro level, with the second most points among all U21 defenders in the AHL to this point, putting him behind only Brandt Clarke. Brennan Othmann is a high-octane offensive force on the ice that is also known not to back down from the nastier parts of the game.

He was traded in the middle of last year and was excellent down the stretch for his new team, the Peterborough Petes, helping to lead them to the OHL championship and the Memorial Cup as well. 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.

Alexander Nikishin may have been higher on this list if it were clear whether he would ever come across to the NHL, as he recently re-signed with SKA-St. Petersburg of the KHL on a deal that will keep him in Russia at least until the end of the season.

Regardless, Nikishin is a remarkable defensive prospect who exploded offensively last season, leading all KHL defenders in scoring. He is big 6-foot-4 , has a heavy slapshot, and skates remarkably well for someone of his size. So far this season, Nikishin has shown last year was no fluke, once again leading all KHL defenders in points.

If the Hurricanes are able to convince him to come to play for them in the season, he appears to be a very safe bet to be a top-four defender immediately upon arrival. Axel Sandin Pellikka is a right-handed offensive defenseman who has been an offensive leader in the SHL as a teenager. Sandin Pellikka had a great showing for Sweden at the World Juniors in his draft year, improving his draft stock considerably.

After a solid showing at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in the summer of , Quentin Musty was considered by many to be the best U. A slow start to his draft season saw his draft stock swing way down, but his production leveled up significantly in the second half of the season and he rose back up again. Musty is an athletic winger who can beat goalies with his hard shot or by crashing the net and scoring in tight.

Drafted ninth overall by the Sabres at the draft, Matthew Savoie is a highly creative centreman with a high-end skill set. The combination of speed, hands and stick handling makes him an offensive catalyst and he maintains offensive zone possession extremely well. Oliver Moore was the best skater from the draft class with blazing speed and excellent agility.

The combination of his skating, shot, and quick hands makes him a really fun offensive weapon. He produced solid offense last year for the USA U team on par with guys like Matt Boldy and Frank Nazar which is made more impressive by the fact that he has spent most of that time playing on the second line behind the Smith, Leonard, Perreault trio. Reinbacher is looking like a potential top-four mainstay in the NHL with exciting defensive potential despite a bit of an underwhelming season so far.

He possesses great physical qualities, but his game was very raw and needed to be refined. Mukhamadullin has done just that. Dalibor Dvorsky was very impressive last season against men, playing in HockeyAllsvenskan, the second-tier Swedish professional league. Brad Lambert is one of the least predictable NHL prospects, alternating between games where he looks like a sure-fire top-six centreman and games where you are left frustrated with his apparent lack of effort.

He also has great puck skills and can make great passes or dekes while at his remarkable top speed. Lambert has taken another step forward this year, scoring at roughly a point-per-game pace with the Manitoba Moose. Hutson is an elite skater with high-end playmaking instincts. He battles well against larger players and his low center of gravity makes him harder to knock off the puck than you would expect.

Hutson sees the ice really well and was dominant offensively as a freshman in the NCAA last year. Few centers in junior hockey enter their draft year as well-rounded as Nate Danielson. Danielson is great at attacking the middle of the ice, he works hard, wins puck battles, and has an underrated shot which I think will give him a great chance of being a solid top-six, two-way center in the mold of a guy like Dylan Cozens.

Bourque had a great season in the AHL last year where he established himself as a great pro player with a 47 point rookie year which includes 20 goals. Gabriel Perrault looks like someone who could be a power play specialist at the next level with great skill and smarts in the offensive zone.

He can pick apart opposing defenses with pin-point passes, creative dangles and sly fakes, and his effort level is admirable. Perreault was one of the most creative and intelligent players in the Draft and he is great at weaving his way out of trouble when defenders collapse around him, either with a pass or his lightning-quick hands.

Perreault scored at an absurd rate in the NTDP last year, with points in 63 games. Frank Nazar is a great center prospect who was drafted 13th overall in the NHL Draft despite being 5-foot He missed a lot of time last season following offseason surgery, but has bounced back really well this season. Cutter Gauthier was the player whose draft stock rose the most following the NHL Draft Combine where NHL scouts and general managers were impressed by his maturity, physical strength, and by the commitment he showed to becoming an NHL centerman as opposed to a winger which had been his position with the United States National Team Development Program up until that point.

Gauthier has great size, skating, and has the effort and ability to become a great defensive forward. Those are all pieces of becoming a great centreman someday and he has shown them in abundance for Boston College where he has been excellent for the last 18 months or so. Simon Edvinsson is one of the most exciting prospects in the hockey world, with nearly limitless potential due to his remarkable size 6-foot-6 , mobility guys his size rarely skate this well , and offensive skill.

He looked much more comfortable with the North American game over the course of the season and grew a lot on ice from his NHL pre-season games to the NHL games he played toward the end of the year. The Buffalo Sabres were lucky enough to have three selections in the first round of the Draft, picks nine, 16, and They landed some great prospects with each pick, but my favorite of the bunch, Jiri Kulich , was the last one they selected at 28th overall.

Kulich burst onto the scene at the U18 World Junior Championship just before the Draft where he scored nine goals in just six games. He is great at finding soft spots in defensive coverage and setting up for a rocket of a one-timer. Ryan Leonard is a high energy winger who never takes his foot off the gas in terms of both speed and effort. He uses his speed and skill to blow by defenders in the neutral zone and pressure in-zone defenders who struggle to anticipate his next move.

He has a very versatile skill set and could be a great top-six winger who adds some grit and goalscoring to his line, similar to a Tyler Bertuzzi-type player or Matthew Tkachuk-lite if you think his offense will really pop in the NHL. Logan Stankoven spent last year dominating the WHL to the tune of two-points per game, making him the only player to score at that rate not named Connor Bedard.

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. He is a very intelligent offensive player and can make these great reads and plays at full speed.

His mature two-way game is head and shoulders above most defensive prospects of the same age, and he has the talent to be a perennial top-four leader for the New Jersey Devils in the near future. Nemec has already played over games of professional hockey and has shown he can be a reliable defender against grown men.

Brandt Clarke boasts some of the best offensive smarts and decision-making with the puck as a defenseman in the world. After a brief stint with the LA Kings and their AHL affiliate last year, he joined the OHL for one last dance and was, for my money, the best player in the entire league, scoring an absurd 84 points across 43 regular season and playoff games with the Barrie Colts.

With the graduation of guys like Carlsson, Fantilli, and Bedard, Matvei Michov is the 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. I expect he will land a well-deserved top-six spot with SKA St. Petersburg next season where he will have the chance to be a real superstar for two years before being eligible to sign with the Philadelphia Flyers and come across to the NHL.

Who do you think should have made the list. Leave a comment below!