Top 100 NHL Players for 2024-25 NHL News, Analysis & More

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 https://gambibet.org/ 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.

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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.

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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.

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• Aleksander Barkov has taken over as the top two-way center in the NHL now that Patrice Bergeron has retired, and on top of that, has found strong offensive consistency over the past three seasons.
• Not only did he scoring more than every other top prospect in that league in his time there, but he was actually the leading scorer for the entire league in January before earning a run of play in the NHL.
• It may be a little while before we see him playing in the NHL, but I’m sure Utah is more than willing to wait as they look to establish themselves in the league.
• Josi has earned Norris Trophy votes in nine of the last 10 seasons, including one win and finishing top-five four times.
• Leon Draisaitl has five straight 100-point seasons excluding the shortened 56-game season.
• McDavid picked up all 20 first-place votes last season despite having finished second in Hart Trophy voting to Auston Matthews just a few months earlier.
• 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.
• One of the best defensemen in the league, Roma Josi continues to score a significant amount of goals and points every season.

The Cougars have been loaded with talent for the past two seasons so it’ll be very interesting to see how Heidt looks once he makes the jump to pro level in another year. Marat Khusnutdinov is an undersized center who is known for his excellent vision and hockey sense as well as his refined defensive game. He never gives up on a play and works incredibly hard on both the forecheck and the backcheck, often re-gaining possession for his team entirely on his own. Khusnutdinov finally broke through in the KHL two seasons ago, earning a large enough role to demonstrate his talents, and he rewarded his coaches by scoring 41 points in 63 games.

Jonathan Marchessault, LW, Vegas Golden Knights

In his final junior season, Beck scored at a higher rate than ever and was a strong play driver for the Saginaw Spirit throughout the regular season, OHL playoffs, and their Memorial Cup victory. There are always a few first-round picks who rose in their draft year in large part to their size advantage, and Lian Bichsel is certainly one of them. The 6-foot-5 defender is adept at using his size to get what he wants on the ice, against junior players as well as seasoned pros. His offensive game is unlikely to ever really pop in the NHL, but I could see him as a solid complimentary guy you gladly pair with your top offensive defender if all goes well over the next few seasons.

• Draisaitl could be the No. 1 guy on many teams around the NHL, but in Edmonton he has Connor McDavid as a teammate.
• Matthews earned a majority of the second-place votes last year to finish ahead of Cale Makar, who was the top defenceman at No. 3.
• He transitioned from center to the wing as he got older, but he still plays a strong defensive game and has good offensive numbers.
• 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.
• Sandin Pellikka had a great showing for Sweden at the World Juniors in his draft year, improving his draft stock considerably.
• It won’t be a huge surprise if Barkov makes his presence known at many points during the series.
• After winning his second Art Ross Trophy, Nikita Kucherov is well deserving of a spot this high on the list.

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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.

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Previously he worked for NBC Sports on their national news desk reporting on breaking news for the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL, in addition to covering the 2020 and 2022 Olympic Games. A graduate of Quinnipiac University, he spent time in college as a beat reporter covering the men’s ice hockey team. Part of the reason the Stars have materialized into legitimate Stanley Cup contenders in the Western Conference is due to Oettinger. The Dallas goaltender wasted no time adjusting to the NHL level when he made the jump from the NCAA in 2020. The 24-year-old is one of the most promising young goaltenders, coming off a season where he posted a 2.42 GAA and a .916 SV%. McDavid picked up all 20 first-place votes last season despite having finished second in Hart Trophy voting to Auston Matthews just a few months earlier.

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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.

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Östlund is also a skilled puck handler with the speed and agility to make plays happen both on and off the puck. He works hard in all phases of the game and could become a great middle-six center if all goes well in his development. After being selected 10th overall in the 2022 CHL Import Draft by the Vancouver Giants, Samuel Honzek has done nothing but impress in his two seasons in North America.

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Levshunov has a very projectable game, with the size, skating, and offense to be a great NHL defender. He plays with a ton of confidence, which can be a bit of a double-edged sword at times. Levshunov’s offensive game is dynamic, with his smooth skating serving as the catalyst for each thing he does well.

Brad Marchand, LW, Bruins

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. Since being acquired by the Colorado Avalanche, Devon Toews has developed into an excellent defenseman to support all of the superstars on the team. He has had impressive point totals, and incredible defending, and has earned Norris Trophy votes in three straight seasons before last season.

Nate Danielson, C, Detroit Red Wings

Last season was a positive one for Lambert who looked like a top young player in the AHL. The past two years, however, have been a different story as Bystedt continues to show more offensive skill which he is then rewarded for with a larger role on the team which then leads to more offensive production. Bystedt played eight AHL games last Spring with the San Jose Barracuda and looked excellent.

Leon Draisaitl, F, Edmonton Oilers

The 24-year-old is coming off a second consecutive 40-goal campaign, finishing with over 100 points for the first time in his career. Along with Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski, the smooth-skating winger forms the most dominant forward trio in hockey. He combines size and aggression with slick skill, showcasing some of the best hands in the league while not being afraid to muck things up. After he was acquired by the Panthers last summer, he emerged as the face of the franchise, posting his second consecutive 100-point season. Tkachuk’s clutch run in the playoffs was the cherry on top of a sensational first season in Florida.

His goal-scoring ability is unmatched in today’s league, and on top of that, he was a nominee for the Frank J. Selke Trophy last season as well. Artemi Panarin had the best season of his career last season and finished fourth in scoring league-wide. He has always been among the most productive wingers around the league, but took a huge step this season scoring 49 goals and shattering his career-high of 31 goals before that. On top of that, it was his first time hitting the 100-point mark, and while he was on pace to do it plenty of times, he hasn’t been able to push that number until now. A career year from William Nylander earned him not only a massive contract extension but also a high spot on this list. He has scored 80+ points in each of the last three seasons and has back-to-back 40-goal seasons.

Dylan Larkin, C, Detroit Red Wings

Isak Rosen laced up for exactly 120 professional hockey games by his 20th birthday, and has added quite a few since. 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. Rosen has the defensive effort and technique to be a solid two-way winger in the NHL one day, which has served him well in the AHL so far, where he’s been one of the league’s best young players for the past two seasons.

• 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.
• He didn’t last very long and didn’t leave the biggest impact, but he’s still just 19 so every bit of pro experience and guidance he soaked up in those weeks was time well spent.
• Last season, he posted the lowest points-per-game pace of his career and has noticeably slowed down from the player he once was, but he is still a great second-line center.
• He tied Hellebuyck for the league lead in games played last year, making over 60 starts for a second consecutive season.
• He absolutely tore up the top junior league in Russia and was excellent in the second-tier professional league in Russia as well (VHL).
• The New Jersey defenseman recorded 52 assists and 74 points during the Devils’ breakout season.
• Unger Sörum is an excellent playmaker, regularly feathering passes to teammates through traffic.

He dominated that level this season, but we’ve seen him do that already so it’s no surprise. I’d really love to see him against pros full-time next season, hopefully in the KHL. The reason people are so high on Eiserman, is that he scored 72 goals in 69 games last season for the NTDP. While he may not be the most reliable player when it comes to play driving or defensive results, he is an incredibly reliable goal scorer and projects to be a 30+ goal scorer in the NHL someday. Pair him with your best playmaking center and watch him do the hardest thing there is in hockey, score goals.

• Last year, Hamilton proved to the Devils he was well worth the investment from the 2022 offseason.
• He has had impressive point totals, and incredible defending, and has earned Norris Trophy votes in three straight seasons before last season.
• 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.
• Kulich burst onto the scene at the U18 World Junior Championship just before the 2022 Draft where he scored nine goals in just six games.
• Either way I don’t really see an NCAA path here because this roster looks even more questionable than the one that wasn’t close to the tourney last year.
• With former Bruins star Patrice Bergeron out of the league, you can easily argue that Barkov is the best two-way center in the game.
• The 24-year-old is one of the most promising young goaltenders, coming off a season where he posted a 2.42 GAA and a .916 SV%.

Silayev is 6-foot-7, but he moves like he’s 6-foot-2, and he has shown great two-way play so far in the KHL. He scored six points in his first six games, but slowed down significantly, finishing the season with 11 points after 63 regular season games. There’s a very real chance that he ends up as the top defender in this class given the massive potential his frame and agility provide. The Montreal Canadiens were lucky to snag Lane Hutson near the end of the second round of the 2022 NHL Draft because many expected he’d be drafted much, much earlier. He battles well against larger players and his low center of gravity makes him harder to knock off the puck than you would expect.

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.

He has emerged into a 40+ goal and 90+ point center on the Lightning since taking over the top-line role from Steven Stamkos. Not only can he produce, but he has also received votes for the Lady Byng and Selke Trophies throughout his young career. Like Reinhart, a big breakout year from Hyman in terms of goal-scoring shot him up this list pretty high. Now that he has 90 goals and 160 points over the past two seasons, he has proven that he is a perfect fit with the big names on the Oilers like McDavid and Draisaitl, and compliments their game very well. After a very long and successful career with the Lightning, Steven Stamkos has moved on and joined the Predators. He was one of the best goal-scorers for the last decade and a half, one of the best leaders in the game, and still brings a ton of offense every night.

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, 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.

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.

He was among the best defensemen in the league when healthy, but to continue climbing this list, he needs to show he can do it over a full season. He is a very strong two-way defenseman and is neck-and-neck with Alex Pietrangelo for the true top defender for the Vegas Golden Knights. A career-high in goals and points led Travis Konecny to a big eight-year extension, and his importance to the team is very clearly on display.

He can receive a contract extension on July 1, 2025, and he can become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2026. Either way, the three-time MVP will reap the benefits of being the NHL’s best player since he was drafted No. 1 overall in 2015. Florida claimed the defenseman off waivers in 2021 from Carolina, and he has since flourished into a legitimate top-pair defender. He quickly rose to the top of the Panthers’ blue line and is now one of the most underrated defensemen in the league. The Panthers captain trails only Tkachuk on the team in playoff points with 17 in as many games. His 164 faceoff wins rank third out of all skaters, and he’s winning 53.4 percent of his draws.

The NHL has been whittled down from 32 teams to 16 that remain in the hunt for the Stanley Cup. With the playoffs set to begin Saturday, it’s time for our annual ranking of the top 50 players who will participate in the postseason. Not only did fans see a first-time champion crowned in Vegas, but records were broken, careers were revitalized and breakout stars were born. Matthew Tkachuk, Jack Hughes and Jason Robertson continue to lead a youth movement in the league, while superstar Connor McDavid continues to wow audiences with his video game-like production.

Joshua Roy has proven just about everyone wrong ever since he was drafted 150th overall in the 2021 Draft. He became one of the best goalscorers in the entire CHL in his final seasons there and was excellent for Team Canada at the World Juniors, winning two Gold medals. Roy is incredibly competitive, responsible defensively, and protects the puck extremely well. 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. There was a time when Joakim Kemell was seen as the second-best prospect in the 2022 Draft.