Rachel KryshakOct 30, 2025, 07:00 AM ETCloseRachel Kryshak is a professional data consultant specializing in data communication and modelling. She’s worked in the NHL and consulted for professional teams across North American and Europe. She hosts the Staff & Graph Podcast and discusses sports from a data-driven perspective.
Matthew Schaefer scores his first NHL goal (0:59)No. 1 NHL draft pick Matthew Schaefer scores his first NHL goal for the Islanders. (0:59)
Honorable mention: Emmitt Finnie F, Detroit Red Wings
Hockey season is underway around the world, and we’ve had a month to watch the NHL’s top prospects. Teams with draft picks aplenty over the past few years will have many prospects featured on this top 50 affiliated prospects list.
Here are the criteria: Any player who is under 23, with less than 50 NHL games played, is eligible. The rankings account for the player’s current performances, his NHL projection, his development curve and his age.
The Islanders lead the list with five in my top 50, followed by the Blackhawks, Sharks and Mammoth with four apiece.
Had this list dropped prior to the start of the NHL season, Schaefer would have been second. His play has been impossible to ignore, as he is averaging well over 20 minutes of ice time per game and is the only defenseman in NHL history to record a point in his first five games as an 18-year-old.
Schaefer has been nothing short of incredible to start his NHL career, earning himself the quarterback role on the Isles’ top power-play unit.
The smooth-skating defender has held his own against some of the league’s best offensive players, and coach Patrick Roy has been effusive in his praise for the youngest player in league history to play more than 25 minutes in a game. It is rare that a defenseman enters the lineup as an 18-year-old (barely) and provides value offensively and defensively. He leads the Isles’ defensemen in 5-on-5 time on ice, points, shots on goal and shot attempts, and has a positive expected goals share.
The sky is the limit; Schaefer is off to a brilliant start and has a real chance to be one of the league’s elite at the position.
The Calder Trophy favorite came into the season as the must-see prospect, and he has given Montreal fans plenty of reasons to get out of the seats. He is exciting while weaving through traffic, creating scoring chances and scoring big goals of his own.
Demidov’s role is only going to grow as his general impact on possession and run of play continues to develop. A player with his speed, puck skill and vision has limitless potential.
Demidov will likely end up as the most impactful forward on the Canadiens in the next few seasons. He might never be as defensively sound as Nick Suzuki, but his offensive toolbox should allow him to develop into an elite top-line forward capable of consistently producing 90-plus points every season.
The Sharks have plenty of talent that would dominate this list if it were an overall under-23 list as opposed to a Calder Trophy-eligible under-23 list (which removes Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith).
Misa is one of the most exciting young prospects in the game, and while his development with either the Sharks or in juniors will be vital to him hitting his potential as a dual-threat offensive producer in the NHL, he has the raw tools that every team covets. On top of that, Misa’s defensive game has developed nicely and should allow him to become reliable on both sides of the puck — though offense will be his calling card.
Misa can generate scoring chances in the zone and can create off the rush; he gets to the middle of the ice and scores on his own. He is the textbook definition of a player who elevates his teammates because of his ability to draw defenders, manipulate space and provide value on both sides of the puck.
The big center is off to a great start for Djurgardens in the Swedish Hockey League, and is likely to be an impact player next season in Chicago. No 17-year-old in the history of the HockeyAllSvenskan league produced at the level Frondell did last season.
Frondell comfortably projects to become a top-six center in the NHL, and already has an NHL-ready shot. He beats goalies clean from the top of the circles, be it with a wicked wrister or powerful one-timer. He reads the play, finds quiet areas in space and the puck is on and off his stick before defenders or the goalie can react.
He is doing a much better job driving play to start this season, which could catapult him to being a very dangerous offensive player, especially if he becomes a threat off the rush. Frondell’s ceiling is limited only by his ability to drive play in transition. If that improves, Chicago will have another young star in the lineup.
The big winger is going to be a fan favorite in Philadelphia, and he’ll probably be a Rick Tocchet favorite, too. Martone is a dual-threat winger, with some of the best offensive instincts outside of the NHL.
He is as dangerous as a puck distributor as he is a shooter, forcing goalies to play him straight. He will beat goalies clean in the NHL, but his ability to facilitate offense by drawing defenders in and distributing to dangerous areas is going to be a difference maker.
Martone’s physical game should develop at Michigan State, and if he can add a power element to his high-skill game, the Flyers have a player who will be a rare commodity in the NHL. His speed holds him back to a degree, but added strength and a refined stride should see Martone become a play-driver winger in the vein of Mikko Rantanen.
Buium’s poise with the puck, his ability to manipulate defenders and make the pass to space is already paying dividends for the Wild. At even strength, Buium has room to develop and grow into a top-four defenseman. He skates well enough to play a tight gap, and will learn to manage the space in transition.
He’ll need to refine his decision-making in the defensive zone, both with and without the puck, but that is not out of the ordinary for a young defender. If Buium can translate his impact on the power play to become a play-driving defender at the NHL level, there’s every reason to believe the Wild have an elite offensive producer who can play top-four minutes for the foreseeable future.
The highly talented center fell to the Bruins in the 2025 draft, and no one should be surprised if a few teams regret passing on Hagens in a case of “prospect fatigue” after he entered the season in the mix at No. 1 overall.
Hagens is right up the road at Boston College, and will benefit from another year of development in college where he’s already producing over a point per game. Without his linemates from last season (Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault), Hagens is driving play. His shot has noticeably improved in the offseason, which makes Hagens more of a scoring threat from outside the high-danger area.
Hagens has all the potential to be Boston’s top-line center, capable of driving the offense and elevating the play of his teammates.
His selection at third overall in 2024 caught many — including Sennecke — off guard, but he’s been fantastic for the Ducks in his rookie season, playing on the second line and getting reps on the second power-play unit.
Sennecke gets pucks to the net, creates scoring chances and has the touch at the net front to capitalize on rebound opportunities. His skating, which was a concern in his draft year, has improved to the point that he beats NHL defenders in transition and has the skill to keep them on their heels. His passing ability has set up numerous chances for teammates and his ability to facilitate offense seems to be translating to the NHL level.
Already a top-six player in his rookie season, Sennecke has the offensive skill to become a scoring top-line winger who drives offense — and the exact player you want at the net front on the power play to deflect pucks and score on rebounds.
The future of the Calgary Flames’ defense corps has arrived in the form of a right-handed, offensively brilliant, smooth-skating rearguard. Playing third-pairing minutes for the Flames, Parekh is easing his way into the NHL lineup while receiving reps on the second power-play unit. The expectation is that Parekh will quarterback the Flames’ PP unit for years to come, but allowing him to learn and get his feet under him is the right approach before thrusting him into that role.
Roger McQueen, being drafted by the team that plays near Disneyland, taking photos with Lightning McQueen and opting to wear No. 95 is the kind of story that fans will love. He’s a fantastic package of size, skill and instincts that will complement the Ducks’ young core, very well.
McQueen has the chance to be a unicorn in the NHL: a player who is physically dominant, with an abundance of skill and the ability to control play on both sides of the puck. If McQueen hits his ceiling, he’ll comfortably be a top-line center that is highly coveted around the NHL.
The small Swedish forward fell right into the Islanders’ lap at No. 16 in the 2025 draft, and is on track to make teams regret that decision. So many parts of Eklund’s game are projectable to the NHL — his non-stop motor that powers relentless pace, pro-level forechecking ability, and an above-average ability to win puck battles.
Many of Eklund’s details are refined, which will allow him to be a reliable player when he steps in the lineup. Unlike many young players, he can play when holding a lead, and can shift momentum with his relentless pace and quick-strike ability.
Eklund should blossom into a two-way play driver that plays in all situations on the second line, and he’s likely to be ready for NHL action sooner than other prospects because his details are so strong. He’s currently skating for Djurgardens in the SHL.
The Capitals have become accustomed to having a big, physical competitor capable of scoring in a top-six role. Tom Wilson has been a fan favorite for years, and Leonard is cut from the same cloth.
If Leonard is as good as advertised for the duration of his career, the Capitals have an in-your-face competitor that plays on the edge and has the skill to back up his play. He can draw opponents into penalties, and then score on the ensuing power play. He’s got excellent puck skill maneuvering in tight spaces that make him the ideal candidate to be a net-front offensive player at even strength or on the power play.