We're already getting to some very exciting NHL players and prospects as the online countdown of The Hockey News' top 100 hockey players aged 21-and-under continues.

The Hockey News' Prospects Unlimited issue's annual ranking of hockey's youngest talent is compiled by Ryan Kennedy, and while he uses our Future Watch rankings as a resource, this is a completely independent compilation.

Future Watch is based on a survey of NHL scouts, while the PU Top 100 is cobbled together by Kennedy based on his projections of what the players will be once they hit their primes.

Since different positions have different prime years, take that to mean we are projecting how good these forwards will be when they are 23 or 24 years old, the defensemen when they are 24 or 25 and the goalies when they are 25 or 26.

The birth year cutoff for this year’s list is 2004. Ages noted are as of Oct. 1.

As we share the top 100 list on TheHockeyNews.com, you can see the full list with player bios and draft information for each of them right now by being a subscriber to The Hockey News and accessing the Archive or by opening the magazine if you've already received it in your mailbox.

Catch up on the players ranked 41st to 60th, 61st to 80th and 81st to 100th. Here are the next 20.  

40. Ryan Lin, D, 17 years old, Vancouver Giants (WHL)
NHL Draft: 2026

39. Cole Hutson, D, 19, Washington Capitals
Boston Univ. (HE)

38. Ryan Roobroeck, LW, 16, Niagara IceDogs (OHL)
NHL Draft: 2026

37. Radim Mrtka, D, 18, Buffalo Sabres
Seattle (WHL)

36. Sam Rinzel, D, 21, Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago (NHL)

35. Frank Nazar, C, 21, Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago (NHL)

34. Cayden Lindstrom, C, 19, Columbus Blue Jackets
Michigan State (Big Ten)

33. Axel Sandin-Pellikka, D, 20, Detroit Red Wings
Detroit (NHL)

32. Jake O'Brien, C, 18, Seattle Kraken
Brantford (WHL)

31. Roger McQueen, C, 18, Anaheim Ducks
Providence College (HE)

30. Cutter Gauthier, LW, 21, Anaheim Ducks
Anaheim (NHL)

29. Caleb Desnoyers, C, 18, Utah Mammoth
Moncton (QMJHL)

28. Michael Hrabal, G, 20, Utah Mammoth
UMass (HE)

27. Ethan Belchetz, LW, 17, Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
NHL Draft: 2026

26. Brady Martin, C, 18, Nashville Predators
Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)

25. Will Smith, C, 20, San Jose Sharks
San Jose (NHL)

24. Ryan Leonard, RW, 20, Washington Capitals
Washington (NHL)

23. Carter George, G, 19, Los Angeles Kings
Owen Sound (OHL)

22. Jimmy Snuggerud, RW, 21, St. Louis Blues
St. Louis (NHL)

21. Sam Dickinson, D, 19, San Jose Sharks
San Jose (NHL)

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The Detroit Red Wings said all the right things after their regulation loss to the NHL-worst Nashville Predators on Wednesday evening. 

However, the same kind of defensive miscues that hurt them during that setback were once again at the forefront of Friday afternoon's tilt against the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

The Lightning took advantage of multiple giveaways by the Red Wings and made life hard for goaltender John Gibson, who allowed five goals as part of their 6-3 loss at Little Caesars Arena. 

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It was also the fourth time in the last five games that Detroit has allowed at least four goals against. With the loss, the Red Wings, who briefly were the top team in the Atlantic Division earlier this month, fell to 13-11-1 and are now in a fifth-place tie in the division standings.

Detroit found the back of the net first in the opening 20 minutes of play after J.T. Compher beat goaltender Andrei Vasilevsky with a quick blocker-side shot from the face-off circle. 

But the Lightning knotted the score later in the frame after a blast from the point by defenseman Darren Raddysh beat Gibson through the five-hole. 

Gibson’s five-hole was exposed in the opening seconds of the second period when Gage Goncalves stripped the puck from Albert Johansson near the top of the slot and snapped a shot through his pads.

Less than three minutes later, another Detroit defensive miscue set up the first of Yanni Gourde’s two goals on the afternoon. Gourde had multiple whacks at the puck during a goal-mouth scramble before he got the last one to successfully go in. 

Detroit gained some life after Michael Rasmussen poked a loose puck past Vasilevsky a moment after Compher's shot rang off the post, but Gourde capitalized by firing the puck past Gibson, who wasn't properly set after Nate Danielson inadvertently knocked Tampa's Zemgus Girgensons into him. 

A quick shot through the five-hole of Vasilevsky by Dylan Larkin late in the period cut the deficit to one, but Tampa would once again take advantage of a defensive miscue by a Red Wings defenseman to restore their two-goal bulge. 

Jake Guentzel's deflection goal at 12:37 of the third period following a turnover by Moritz Seider effectively put the game out of reach; the Lightning then added insult to injury with an empty-net tally from Brandon Hagel at 17:13.

The goals-against average and save percentage of Gibson, which were both already at pedestrian levels coming into today's game, weren't helped after he allowed five goals on 27 shots. Meanwhile, Vasilevskiy picked up the win by making 33 saves.

The Red Wings will now travel to Boston for the first of two straight matchups against the Bruins, who will be in Detroit on Dec. 2. 

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Sharks' thrilling win over Canucks caps off November to remember on home ice originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Shark Tank is back. The beloved venue once revered as one of the NHL’s greatest home-ice advantages appears to be finding its groove once more.

San Jose’s thrilling 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Friday at SAP Center marked the seventh victory on home ice in November, tying a franchise record for most home wins in a calendar month. It’s the sixth time the Sharks have accomplished this feat, with the last occurrence coming in November 2019.

Will Smith, William Eklund and Adam Gauddette each scored a goal while Yaroslav Askarov delivered yet another scintillating performance in net to put the Sharks at 27 points through 25 games of the 2025-26 NHL season.

The Sharks will finish the month with a 7-1-1 record at SAP Center, racking up wins against quality teams like the Colorado Avalanche, Winnipeg Jets, Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers and Los Angeles Kings. Their only two losses over that span came in close contests, a 3-2 defeat to the Ottawa Senators and a 3-2 shootout loss to the Detroit Red Wings.

Askarov has been at the forefront of San Jose’s incredible form on home ice, posting a 6-0-0 record at the Tank while allowing just 1.83 goals per game this month. That continued Friday with another dominant showing as Askarov recorded 32 saves in the win, including a couple of key stops in the game’s final minute to secure the win for Team Teal.

Askarov’s November currently places him among the NHL’s best netminders this month, ranking second in games played (10) tied for first in wins (eight), eighth in goals against average (1.88) and fourth in save percentage (.947). Askarov’s eight wins in November tied Evgeni Nabokov’s franchise record for most wins by a rookie in a calendar month.

The 23-year-old’s trademarked jubilance was on full display at the end of Friday’s win over the Canucks, as Askarov made sure to show some love to the 17,435 fans who packed the house for the Sharks’ third consecutive sellout.

“Appreciate you guys, thank you again,” Askarov said during his postgame interview with NBC Sports California’s Tara Sloane. “You’re the best again. Let’s go Sharks!”

While Askarov and the home crowd are paramount to the outcome of Friday’s game, the story cannot be told without an emphasized focus on the heroic play of the Sharks’ special teams.

Two of the Sharks’ three goals came on power plays, with both serving as crucial equalizers that got San Jose back into the game after trailing.

Smith tied things at 1-1 with 10:35 left in the first period after Alex Wennberg put the puck on a silver platter as the 20-year-old lurked unmarked on the weak side of the net.

Eklund then followed that up with a screamer of a one-timer to bring the Sharks even at 2-2 with 5:58 remaining in the second period.

After the win, Eklund highlighted the Sharks’ improved effort at retrieving pucks during their spells of advantage, leading to more shots on net and a pair of key goal conversions against the Canucks.

“Good power plays, they shoot a lot of pucks and get a lot of chances out of that,” Eklund told reporters. “I think we’ve been better at retrieving pucks after we shoot and helping out with each other and that’s why we scored on the power play.”

While the power play served a crucial role, it was San Jose’s penalty kill that was flawless in the 3-2 victory. The Sharks killed all nine of the Canucks’ power plays, including a hectic final minute in the third period where Vancouver had six skaters to San Jose’s four after going with an empty net in pursuit of a game-tying goal.

The Sharks are 8-4-3 on home ice this season, a far cry from last season when San Jose didn’t log its eighth win at SAP Center until January.

After years of SAP Center serving as a playground for visiting teams, a trip to San Jose once again is one that opponents will have to respect, and dare I say even fear?

Exactly the way it ought to be.

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Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy will be a player to watch if the Original Six club ends up being sellers at the 2025 NHL trade deadline. This is because the right-shot defenseman is a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) and would be a popular target for playoff clubs. The Blackhawks also have several promising young defensemen in their system.

Due to this, let's look at three teams that could be fits for Murphy if the Blackhawks decide to shop him. 

Vegas Golden Knights 

One of the Golden Knights' objectives this season should be to improve the depth on the right side of their defense. Due to this, a player like Murphy could be a strong addition to their roster. He could work well on their bottom pairing and penalty kill if brought in. 

Winnipeg Jets 

The Jets should also be on the hunt for another right-shot defenseman this season. Due to this, it would be understandable if they made a push to land Murphy. He would provide them with a defensive defenseman with size, which is never a bad thing to have. 

Detroit Red Wings 

The Red Wings could use more help on the right side of their defense, so it would make a lot of sense for them to pursue Murphy. He would give them an upgrade for the right side of their bottom pairing. 

Flyers avoid wasting strong start, stay perfect in shootout at 5-0 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Flyers probably didn’t anticipate going to a shootout Friday when they were up 3-0 on the Islanders.

But that’s where they found themselves. And that’s where they found another win.

Rick Tocchet’s club hung on to beat New York, 4-3, in the skills competition at UBS Arena.

The Flyers improved to 5-0 in the shootout. They lead the NHL with 11 shootout wins over the last two seasons.

Trevor Zegras and Travis Konecny provided the Flyers’ tallies after regulation. Zegras is a blistering 17 for 25 lifetime in the shootout.

Samuel Ersson picked up his 12th career shootout win in 15 opportunities.

Zegras, Tyson Foerster and Sean Couturier staked the Flyers to a 3-0 lead, which was erased before second intermission.

But the Flyers (13-7-3) were able to survive some dicey moments and get to overtime. They’ve earned at least a point in nine of their last 11 games (7-2-2). They’re 2-1-0 on this four-game road trip, which spans six days.

The Flyers are 2-0-0 in their four-game regular-season series against the Islanders (13-9-3). They beat New York, 4-3, in a shootout a little over a month ago at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

• Ersson really battled, recording 28 saves on 31 shots. Nine of his saves came in the third period and three in OT.

The Flyers didn’t manage the puck well after jumping out to that 3-0 advantage. They also had to kill off a Matvei Michkov high-sticking penalty that put the Islanders on a four-minute power play in the third period of a 3-3 game.

After a turnover by Emil Andrae led to New York’s first goal, Tocchet could be seen on the NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcast saying “f—ing freebies.” Andrae wasn’t aware of a banged-up Kyle Palmieri behind the play. The Islanders’ veteran forward stripped the Flyers’ young defenseman and started the sequence for Emil Heineman’s goal.

That gave New York life as the Flyers’ lead was trimmed to 3-1 in the second period. The Islanders built on the momentum and had things tied up heading into the third period.

New York backup David Rittich stopped 18 of the Flyers’ 21 shots.

In five of their previous eight games, the Flyers had fallen behind 2-0. But not in this one.

The Flyers raced out to a 2-0 lead just 8:52 minutes into the action. Foerster and Couturier scored just 22 seconds apart, which was eerily similar to how the Flyers closed out their 4-2 win Wednesday night over the Panthers.

Zegras padded the Flyers’ lead to 3-0 on the power play just 1:55 minutes into the middle stanza.

• After holding Matthew Schaefer scoreless in the first meeting, the Flyers couldn’t slow down the 2025 top overall pick this time.

The 18-year-old defenseman skated into the circle and blasted one past Ersson to make it 3-2. Garnet Hathaway was unable to clear the puck, which kept the Islanders in the offensive zone.

Schaefer then picked up a secondary assist on Anders Lee’s power play goal. That tied the game at 3-3 with 47 seconds left in the second period.

• Foerster has been on a roll going back to March 22 of last season.

Over that span, he has 18 goals, seven assists and a plus-10 rating in 31 games.

The 23-year-old winger has shown his upside as a goal scorer.

• The Flyers are right back at it Saturday when they visit the Devils (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

Since last season, the Flyers have gone just 1-12-2 in the second game of back-to-back sets.

The Buffalo Sabres have had a tough start to the 2025-26 season, as they have a 9-10-4 record and are at the bottom of the NHL standings. If they do not turn things around soon, they very well could end up being sellers again this season.

Alex Tuch is the most notable Sabres forward creating chatter in the rumor mill due to his unrestricted free agent (UFA) status. While it is possible that the Sabres will keep him around, he will be a player to watch if he still does not have one near the trade deadline.

Due to this, let's look at three teams that could be fits for Tuch if the Sabres end up shopping him.

Boston Bruins 

The Bruins have long been linked to Tuch, and it would not be surprising in the slightest if they made a big push for him if they are still in the playoff hunt near the deadline. The Bruins need another top-six winger badly, and Tuch would fit perfectly at their second-line right wing spot. 

Tampa Bay Lightning 

The Lightning should be on the hunt for another top-six right winger, so they could be a team to keep an eye on when it comes to Tuch. Like with the Bruins, the Lightning have been linked to Tuch before, and it makes sense when looking at their current group. If the Bolts added Tuch, it would only make them an even better team. 

Minnesota Wild 

Could the Wild look to bring Tuch back? It would be understandable if they did. The Wild need another impactful scorer in their top six, so a potential reunion with Tuch could very well interest them. 

The Buffalo Sabres are slowly getting some of their injured players back, and will need all hands on deck as they embark on a stretch where they play seven of their next eight games on the road after hosting the New Jersey Devils on Black Friday. The Sabres dropped their eighth of nine road games this season in Pittsburgh, with Jason Zucker and Jack Quinn scoring in a 4-2 loss to the Penguins on Wednesday.   

Zucker returned last Friday in a 9-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks, and winger Zach Benson was back in action last Sunday in a 4-1 victory over Carolina. Based on his participation in practices, injured center Josh Norris looked to be close to returning, and head coach Lindy Ruff said it was possible that the injured center could be back fo weekend games against the Devils or in Minnesota on Saturday, but prior to their Friday afternoon tilt, Ruff updated Norris’ status. 

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“(Norris) is progressing, I would put him in that day-to-day category right now.” Ruff said. 

 The 26-year-old has been plagued by injuries throughout his career. After joining the Sabres last March from Ottawa in a trade for Dylan Cozens, Norris was shut down for the season after just three games. He came to training camp fully healthy and was able to train over the summer, which led to an excellent showing during the preseason, but the former Senators center’s injury woes returned in the season opener against the New York Rangers. The upper body injury has kept Norris out for nearly two months, and the loss of him, along with a plethora of other injuries, has impacted the Sabres, who are currently at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 9-10-4 record. 

"I just come to work every day, do the things that you can do and stay on top of things, and just be a pro." Norris said after practice on Tuesday. "I've been kind of on the wrong side a little bit now, so that's obviously really hard."  

The most important thing for Buffalo at this point is to get Norris back at 100%, and to hope that he can remain injury-free the rest of the season, but with one-third of the NHL season nearly complete, and a difficult December schedule in front of them, the Sabres are facing an uphill climb. 

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Nov 26, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Nashville Predators left wing Michael Bunting (58) during the first period against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena. Tim Fuller-Imagn Images

Goals have been hard to come by for the Nashville Predators this season.

In the first two periods of Wednesday’s game in Detroit against the Red Wings, it looked like that trend would continue. The Preds trailed 3-1 after 40 minutes, then exploded for five unanswered goals in the final frame for a come-from-behind 6-3 victory.

The comeback snapped a three-game skid for the Preds. Michael Bunting lit the lamp in the first period before Nick Blankenburg, Roman Josi, Ryan O’Reilly, Erik Haula and Steven Stamkos all scored in the third to make American Thanksgiving much more pleasant for Nashville.

Bunting’s tally came on the power play and put Nashville on top 1-0. It was Bunting’s 100th career NHL goal. It was the Preds' first five-goal period since 2019, also coming in Detroit.

Justus Annunen got the start in net and made 28 saves to earn his first win of 2025-26. The Preds hope to close out their two-game road trip with another win Friday night in Chicago against the Blackhawks.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Friday’s matchup.

Game Day

Who: Nashville Predators (7-12-4) at Chicago Blackhawks (10-8-5)

Where: United Center

When: 7 Pm CST

TV: FanDuel Sports Network South

Radio: 102.5 The Game

Betting line (via BetMGM):

Predators

-1.5 (+220)

O 6 (-105)

-110

Blackhawks

+1.5 (-275)

U 6 (-115)

-110

Schaefer Recalled From Milwaukee

The Preds have recalled forward Reid Schaefer from the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL.

The 22-year-old Schaefer has played in 15 games for the Admirals this season. He is tied for second on the team in points (14) and assists (10). His four goals are tied for the third-most on the team.

The 6-foot-5, 226-pound forward additionally has nine points (4g-5a) in his last six games, including a season-high three-point effort on Nov. 21 at Henderson (2g-1a). He has scored twice on the power play, and his 41 shots lead Milwaukee.

Schaefer skated on a line with Fedor Svechkov and Matthew Wood during Friday morning skate in Chicago. He will make his NHL debut Friday against the Blackhawks.

Preds Leaders

Filip Forsberg paces the Preds in scoring with nine goals and 17 points, followed by Ryan O’Reilly with seven goals and 16 points. Bunting (5g-8a), Haula (4g-9a) and Luke Evangelista (2g-11a) each have 13 points.

Juuse Saros is 6-9-3 this season with a 3.08 goals-against average and .889 save percentage. Saros is 14-4-2 with a 2.17 goals-against average, .926 save percentage and two shutouts in 21 career appearances vs. the Blackhawks. The 14 wins are the most Saros has recorded against a single franchise.

Justus Annunen, who got his first victory Wednesday night, is now 1-3-1 for the season, 3.89, .850.

The Preds come into Friday 12-for-72 (16.7%) on the power play through 23 games, good for 22nd. On the penalty kill, Nashville is 13-of-67 (80.6%), 16th overall.

Head To Head

The Preds have done well against Chicago of late. They are 8-2-0 in their last 10 versus the Blackhawks and 4-1-0 in the last five matchups at United Center.

The Predators and Blackhawks have played against each other 140 times. Those 140 games are the most the Preds have played against any single franchise. Nashville has earned at least a point in 30 of their last 35 games against the Blackhawks (26-5-4), holding Chicago to two-or-fewer goals 29 times in that span.

Scouting The Blackhawks

Chicago has dropped four games in a row, including a 4-3 overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday night.

Connor Bedard leads the Blackhawks with 14 goals and 33 points, followed by Tyler Bertuzzi with 12 goals and 20 points.

In goal, Spencer Knight is 7-5-4 with a 2.47 GAA and .920 SP. Arvid Soderblom is 3-3-1, 3.46, .881.

Chicago is 15-for-66 with the man advantage (22.7%), 13th in the NHL. The Hawks have recorded power-play goals (8G) in six of their last 10 games since Nov. 5 and rank fourth in the NHL with a power play percentage of 30.8% over that span.

Bertuzzi has five power play goals over his last ten games dating back to Nov. 1. That ties him for second in the NHL over that span.

On the penalty kill, Chicago ranks ninth at 83.1% (14-of-83).

The Blackhawks lead the NHL having allowed just 12 first-period goals against so far this season. The team also ranks fifth in the NHL with a plus-6 goal differential in the first period.