A player unexpectedly blossoming into a star is every team’s dream, but it’s not something that happens every day. While it’s more common for a young player to break out, there are times when it takes players several seasons to find their groove.

Last year, Columbus' Kirill Marchenko, Colorado's Martin Necas and even Winnipeg's Kyle Connor all had career seasons, including playing an instrumental role in their team’s improvements. 

Here’s a look at three players who are off to hot starts and on pace for a breakout season.

Seth Jarvis, RW, Carolina Hurricanes

There’s no doubt Jarvis was a solid forward for the Carolina Hurricanes since entering the league, and he’s improved every year, but coming off back-to-back 60+ point campaigns, there were high expectations for Jarvis entering his fifth NHL season. Through 14 games, he's lived up to those expectations. 

He’s totalled 14 points and a plus-4 rating. Jarvis is also averaging 19:19 in ice time, and nearly six minutes combined between the power play and penalty kill, which are all career highs. Jarvis also became the first NHL player to score four game-winning goals within the Hurricanes’ first five games in the season. The ability to close out games is a skill that separates the good from the great, and alongside his offensive and defensive contributions, it shows he can be a leader.

He’s on pace for a point per game campaign, which would shatter his season high point total of 67, which he put up in both 2023 and 2024. 

Despite playing alongside Jordan Martinook and Jordan Staal on the third line, Jarvis leads the team in points and has still found ways to contribute defensively as well. 

With Andrei Svechnikov and newly acquired forward Nikolaj Ehlers struggling to find their groove, Jarvis’ breakout campaign has proved to be crucial. The Hurricanes sit at 10-4-0 and near the top of the Eastern Conference, largely due to Jarvis’ elite level of play on both sides of the ice and in close game situations.

Jarvis has shown he is the most well-rounded forward on the Hurricanes, and if he can continue his high level of play for the rest of this season, it won’t be long until he’s considered one of the league’s best.

Macklin Celebrini, C, San Jose Sharks

If there’s one player whose breakout hasn’t been a huge surprise, it’s Macklin Celebrini’s. Celebrini was drafted first overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 2024 NHL draft, and in his first NHL season, he led the team in points with 63 and a minus-31 rating through 70 games. He was also named a finalist for the Calder Trophy. Considering the Sharks had next to no star talent and ended up finishing with the worst record in the NHL, Celebrini’s rookie season went about as well as it possibly could have. 

In the off-season, San Jose drafted Michael Misa with the second overall pick and added veterans John Klingberg and Dmitry Orlov. The Sharks weren’t expected to contend this year, and while they currently have a losing record, Celebrini has looked like one of the league’s best forwards so far. Through 16 games, he’s tied with Nathan MacKinnon for the most points in the league, at 24. He also holds a plus-7 rating, despite the Sharks being one of the poorer defensive teams in the league.

Macklin Celebrini And Will Smith Are Igniting Change In San Jose, Placing The Sharks In Playoff ContentionYoung stars Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith have ignited the San Jose Sharks' offense this season, but can they lead the Sharks on a surprising playoff push?

Since starting the season 0-4-2, the Sharks have turned it around and are 7-2-1 in their last eight games, largely due to Celebrini’s play. He’s notched at least a point in every one of the team’s wins and has three points or more in two of them. So, when Celebrini turns it up, so do the Sharks. He showed flashes of stardom as a rookie, but this season, he’s emerging as a true leader and the cornerstone of the franchise who can win them games.

The Sharks' first line, consisting of Celebrini, Will Smith and Tyler Toffoli, has also drastically improved and looks like one of the better ones in the league. According to Money Puck, they have the sixth most goals for and the eighth fewest goals against among forward lines with at least 80 minutes of playing time. They also rank seventh in goals against per 60 minutes, averaging just 0.89. 

It’s rare to see the top line of one of the league’s worst teams put up such strong numbers, and Celebrini is the main reason behind it.

He’s shown how valuable he is to the team’s success and is on the verge of not just being a franchise cornerstone but also the league’s next superstar.

Dylan Larkin, C, Detroit Red Wings

For most players, if they’re going to break out, it’ll usually be before their 11th year in the league. But Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin is proving it can come at any time. Larkin, who was drafted 15th overall by the Red Wings in the 2014 NHL draft, has spent all 11 seasons with Detroit, and by no means has he been a bad player.

He’s led the team in points five times and has been a consistent scorer since entering the league. However, he’s never averaged a point per game, and the highest point total he’s ever accumulated in a single season was 79. 

He’s a three-time all-star with selections in 2016, 2022 and 2023, but every team is guaranteed one player to make it, and Larkin was the Red Wings’ only selection all three years.

Heading into the 2025-26 season, there were no expectations that Larkin would step his game up to a new level, but that’s what he’s doing right now.

Through 15 games, Larkin is tied for the 18th most points in the league with 18, and he’s also posted a plus-6 rating.

Detroit currently holds the second-longest playoff drought in the NHL at nine seasons, having missed the post-season every year following Larkin’s rookie season in 2015-16. But, they’re off to a good start. They’re tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning for third in the Atlantic Division. The Red Wings' top line, consisting of Larkin, Lucas Raymond and Emmitt Finnie, has been a major factor in their early success.

They’re tied for the 18th most goals among forward lines with 80 or more minutes played. They also rank seventh in average goals against per 60 minutes, allowing just two. While all three players on the Red Wings' first line have been effective, Larkin has been the best. Entering the season, Detroit was in desperate need of someone to step up and lead the team to the playoffs, and the captain has answered that call.

He’s always had the talent, but was surrounded by weak rosters for most of his career. Now that the Red Wings are ready to contend, it appears Larkin is prepared to take that next step. If he continues to sustain the pace he’s on right now, and Detroit’s successes continue, I think it’s fair to say Larkin has taken that step from good to great.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

The Los Angeles Kings (6-5-4) travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins (9-4-3) at PPG Paints Arena at 11 AM PT/2 PM ET. The Kings are still in search of their first win over an Eastern Conference foe and will look to take advantage of a Pittsburgh team playing their third game in four days.

After their impressive seven game point streak came to an end, Los Angeles has lost three of their last four games. They have scored an average of 2.25 goals in those four games. That is not a recipe for success in today's NHL. Penguins 21-year-old net-minder Sergei Murashov is set to make his NHL debut against the Kings. LA should do whatever they can to pepper the rookie goalie with high quality shots in order to get out of their mini goal scoring slump. A victory today will get the team back on track as they begin a six-game road trip.

Kings Projected Lineup

Warren Foegele makes his return to the Kings lineup after being activated off of injured reserve. Foegele will slot in for Jeff Malott on the fourth line. The rest of the lineup will remain the same as the previous game against the Panthers. Darcy Kuemper is expected to make his 11th start of the season. 

*Indicates Leading Scorer

Forwards

1st Line:  Joel Armia - Anze Kopitar - Adrian Kempe*

2nd Line: Kevin Fiala - Quinton Byfield - Alex Laferriere

3rd Line: Andrei Kuzmenko - Phillip Danault - Trevor Moore

4th Line: Warren Foegele - Alex Turcotte - Corey Perry

Defense

1st Pair: Mikey Anderson - Drew Doughty

2nd Pair: Joel Edmundson - Brandt Clarke

3rd Pair:  Brian Dumoulin - Cody Ceci

Goaltender: Darcy Kuemper (Expected) - Anton Forsberg (Backup)

Penguins Projected Lineup

The Penguins are dealing with a plethora of injuries including Rickard Rakell, Justin Brazeau, Rutger McGroarty, and Tristan Jarry. Kevin Hayes is appearing in his second game of the season after missing the start of the year due to injury. As mentioned above, 21-year-old Sergei Murahsov will make his NHL debut.

*Indicates Leading Scorer

Forwards

1st Line:  Bryan Rust - Sidney Crosby* - Ben Kindel

2nd Line: Tommy Novak - Evgeni Malkin - Anthony Martha

3rd Line: Joona Koppanen - Kevin Hayes - Ville Koivunen

4th Line: Danton Heinen - Blake Lizotte - Connor Dewar

Defense

1st Pair: Parker Wotherspoon - Erik Karlsson

2nd Pair: JRyan Shea - Kris Letting

3rd Pair:  Ryan Graves - Connor Clifton

Goaltender: Sergei Murashov (Confirmed) - Arturs Silovs (Backup)

History and Facts

• The Kings and Penguins have done battle 171 times in the regular season.
• In those games LA is 81-64-26 while PIT is 72-77-22
• The Kings have won five of the last 10 meetings between these two
• PIT has won the last three meetings against LA

• A win over the Devils Saturday night would be the Kings first victory over an Eastern Conference foe this season. Currently 0-2-2 against the East, including a 4-2 loss to Pittsburgh earlier this year.

• Kings are 5-1-2 on the road this season.
• Adrian Kempe is currently on a seven game point streak away from home
• Kempe has scored nine goals in his last six games against Pittsburgh

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been dealing with several lineup issues this season. Their goaltending has struggled due to Joseph Woll’s leave of absence. It's forced Anthony Stolarz into a heavy workload, and their blueline has played shorthanded due to shutdown defenseman Chris Tanev suffering a pair of concussions. Conversely, the issues up front have lingered since the summer, when the club added a trio of depth forwards via trades.

But conversely, the issues up front have lingered since the summer, when the club added a trio of depth forwards via trades.

The Leafs were unable to find a top-six replacement for departed free agent Mitch Marner, but bolstered their bottom six, acquiring Nicolas Roy from Vegas in the Marner sign-and-trade, Dakota Joshua in a swap with Vancouver, and Matias Maccelli in a deal with Utah. Both the Joshua and Maccelli deals involved a trade of draft picks and created a logjam up front. 

Veterans David Kampf, Calle Jarnkrok, and youngster Nick Robertson were all on uncertain footing going into the off-season. Kampf played only 59 games last season under new head coach Craig Berube after being an everyday starter under Sheldon Keefe. Jarnkrok missed nearly all of last season due to injury and played a fourth-line role in the playoffs, while Robertson scored 15 goals in limited ice time during the regular season and played only three of the club’s 13 playoff games.

Toronto let the buyout window prior to free agency pass without clearing out Kampf’s remaining two years or Jarnkrok's final year, because both had deals with heavy signing bonuses that would have provided little cap relief, and the Leafs avoided arbitration with Robertson. GM Brad Treliving was rumored to have pursued trade scenarios with all three, but Kampf’s remaining term and Jarnkrok’s injury history may have factored into his ability to pull something off. 

The group became even more crowded when winger Sammy Blais (who played for Berube in St. Louis) was claimed off waivers from Montreal, and rookie Easton Cowan earned his way onto the roster with an excellent training camp. 

Robertson reportedly was offered to Columbus for winger Yegor Chinakhov over the summer, but there wasn't any interest from the Blue Jackets. The issue with the 24-year-old forward has not been his talent and scoring ability, but his fit in the Leafs' lineup as a bottom-six winger. In Saturday’s 5-3 loss to Boston, Robertson scored his fourth goal of the season, but was -2 on the night in just under 16 minutes of ice time.

Kampf was placed on waivers at the end of training camp and, after clearing waivers, played four games for the AHL Toronto Marlies before leaving the club to contemplate his future. According to numerous reports, the 30-year-old Czech is contemplating terminating his contract to become an unrestricted free agent, but Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Saturday that a possible hangup is that Kampf would have to return a portion of the $1.325 million signing bonus the Leafs paid him in July.  

Jarnkrok and Blais have both played well as rotational players in and out of the lineup, and Cowan did not seem out of place in the NHL in 10 games this season, scoring his first NHL goal in Philadelphia last week. But the 20-year-old was demoted to the Marlies with the return of Scott Laughton on Wednesday against Utah. That return lasted exactly five periods, as Laughton was hit by Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov on Saturday and will not play against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday. 

One of the contributing factors to the Leafs' inconsistent start has been Berube’s constant stirring of his forward lines, searching for a replacement for Marner in the top six. Through 15 games, Toronto has used Maccelli, Max Domi, Cowan, and have fallen back on putting William Nylander with Matthews and Matthew Knies on an overloaded top line. Treliving has reportedly been on a search for a top-six remedy since the summer, and will likely continue that quest between now and the trade deadline. Until then, the Leafs will continue to search for answers from within.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.