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2026 Top 100 Prospects - Feb. 27 2026 - Vol. 79 Issue 8 - Brian Costello

IT’S ONLY THROUGH THE assistance of NHL head scouts, directors of player personnel and GMs that The Hockey News is able to provide readers a comprehensive list of the top 10 prospects within each organization and a ranking of the top 100 from that large collection of 320 prospects.

Team scouts offer us guidance on NHL-affiliated prospects who have the highest forecasted ceilings five to 10 years out. We then ask a panel of these scouts to rank the top 60 from a list of the 32 top 10s. The scouts’ rankings are added up to form the overall top 100, and, in some cases, a team’s top-10 list is adjusted based on the data from the top 100.

As you would expect, rebuilding teams often have far more than the average 3.13 prospects per team within the top 100, and current contenders typically only have one or two – or even none.

We start this project in mid-January after the World Junior Championship while NHL teams are in the midst of their winter scouting meetings. At that point, we draw a line in the sand about who’s a prospect and who’s an NHLer. In some cases, those scenarios change. That’s why names such as Sam Rinzel, Isaac Howard, Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Gabe Perreault, Nick Lardis and Hunter Brzustewicz are listed as prospects, even though they’ve broken through as NHLers over the past month or two. Meanwhile, Michael Misa (San Jose) and Zayne Parekh (Calgary) haven’t played in the junior ranks all season (other than the WJC), but we decided early on that they should be listed as prospects since injuries kept them from establishing themselves as NHLers the first few months of the season.

Each player’s top-100 rank from last year is in parentheses, while unranked players are denoted as “NR.” Prospects drafted in 2025 are denoted as “NEW.”

1

C

CHICAGO

(NEW)

Djurgarden (SHL)

ANTON FRONDELL

2

C

SAN JOSE

(NEW)

San Jose (NHL)

MICHAEL MISA

3

C

BOSTON

(NEW)

Boston College (HE)

JAMES HAGENS

4

RW

PHILADELPHIA

(NEW)

Michigan State (Big Ten)

PORTER MARTONE

5

D

CALGARY

(6)

Calgary (NHL)

ZAYNE PAREKH

6

D

UTAH

(20)

Tucson (AHL)

DMITRI SIMASHEV

7

C

NASHVILLE

(NEW)

Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)

BRADY MARTIN

8

C

UTAH

(10)

Kelowna (WHL)

TIJ IGINLA

9

C

MONTREAL

(42)

Michigan (Big Ten)

MICHAEL HAGE

10

C

ANAHEIM

(NEW)

Providence (HE)

ROGER MCQUEEN

11

C

UTAH

(NEW)

Moncton (QMJHL)

CALEB DESNOYERS

12

C

BUFFALO

(15)

Rochester (AHL)

KONSTA HELENIUS

13

C

DETROIT

(31)

Grand Rapids (AHL)

NATE DANIELSON

14

D

ST. LOUIS

(39)

Brantford (OHL)

ADAM JIRICEK

15

D

BUFFALO

(NEW)

Seattle (WHL)

RADIM MRTKA

16

C

WASHINGTON

(NR)

Hershey (AHL)

ILYA PROTAS

17

D

WASHINGTON

(62)

Boston University (HE)

COLE HUTSON

18

LW

SAN JOSE

(72)

San Jose (AHL)

IGOR CHERNYSHOV

19

D

OTTAWA

(11)

Belleville (AHL)

CARTER YAKEMCHUK

20

C

CALGARY

(NEW)

North Dakota (NCHC)

COLE RESCHNY

21

D

MONTREAL

(17)

Laval (AHL)

DAVID REINBACHER

22

C

SEATTLE

(NEW)

Brantford (OHL)

JAKE O’BRIEN

23

RW

MONTREAL

(NEW)

Ufa (KHL)

ALEXANDER ZHAROVSKY

24

C

COLUMBUS

(30)

Michigan State (Big Ten)

CAYDEN LINDSTROM

25

D

ANAHEIM

(84)

San Diego (AHL)

STIAN SOLBERG

26

D

PITTSBURGH

(71)

Kamloops (WHL)

HARRISON BRUNICKE

27

D

CHICAGO

(52)

Rockford (AHL)

SAM RINZEL

28

RW

NY RANGERS

(19)

Hartford (AHL)

GABE PERREAULT

29

RW

ST. LOUIS

(NEW)

Blainville-Bois. (QMJHL)

JUSTIN CARBONNEAU

30

LW

CAROLINA

(40)

Chicago (AHL)

BRADLY NADEAU

31

G

SAN JOSE

(NEW)

Prince George (WHL)

JOSHUA RAVENSBERGEN

32

C

VANCOUVER

(NEW)

Prince Albert (WHL)

BRAEDEN COOTES

33

RW

DETROIT

(48)

Grand Rapids (AHL)

MICHAEL BRANDSEGG-NYGARD

34

D

NY ISLANDERS

(NEW)

Barrie (OHL)

KASHAWN AITCHESON

35

D

COLUMBUS

(NEW)

Penn State (Big Ten)

JACKSON SMITH

36

RW

NY ISLANDERS

(NEW)

Djurgarden (SHL)

VICTOR EKLUND

37

G

DETROIT

(46)

Michigan State (Big Ten)

TREY AUGUSTINE

38

D

PHILADELPHIA

(34)

Lehigh Valley (AHL)

OLIVER BONK

39

RW

VANCOUVER

(22)

Abbotsford (AHL)

JONATHAN LEKKERIMAKI

40

LW

NY RANGERS

(47)

Windsor (OHL)

LIAM GREENTREE

41

LW

DETROIT

(NEW)

Everett (WHL)

CARTER BEAR

42

C

MINNESOTA

(NR)

Michigan State (Big Ten)

CHARLIE STRAMEL

43

D

NEW JERSEY

(24)

Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)

ANTON SILAYEV

44

C

TAMPA BAY

(NHL)

Syracuse (AHL)

CONOR GEEKIE

45

C

(75)

Boston College (HE)

DEAN LETOURNEAU

46

C

NASHVILLE

(NR)

Yaroslavl (KHL)

EGOR SURIN

47

D

UTAH

(56)

Tucson (AHL)

MAVERIC LAMOUREUX

48

C

PHILADELPHIA

(NEW)

Windsor (OHL)

JACK NESBITT

49

C

PHILADELPHIA

(16)

Brantford (OHL)

JETT LUCHANKO

50

LW

WASHINGTON

(43)

Hershey (AHL)

IVAN MIROSHNICHENKO

51

DAVID JIRICEK

D, Iowa (AHL)

52

ROMAN KANTSEROV

RW, Magnitogorsk (KHL)

53

JANI NYMAN

RW, Coachella Valley (AHL)

54

SASCHA BOUMEDIENNE

D, Boston University (HE)

55

TREVOR CONNELLY

LW, Henderson (AHL)

56

MATVEI GRIDIN

RW, Calgary (AHL)

57

BRAYDEN YAGER

C, Manitoba (AHL)

58

COLE BEAUDOIN

C, Barrie (OHL)

59

TANNER MOLENDYK

D, Milwaukee (AHL)

60

OSCAR FISKER MOLGAARD

C, Coachella Valley (AHL)

61

SACHA BOISVERT

C, Boston University (HE)

62

OTTO STENBERG

C, Springfield (AHL)

63

WILL HORCOFF

LW, Michigan (Big Ten)

64

QUENTIN MUSTY

LW, San Jose (AHL)

65

CULLEN POTTER

C, Arizona State (NCHC)

66

SAM O’REILLY

C, Kitchener (OHL)

67

JACOB FOWLER

G, Laval (AHL)

68

MAREK VANACKER

LW, Brantford (OHL)

69

CAMERON REID

D, Kitchener (OHL)

70

RYKER LEE

RW, Michigan State (Big Ten)

71

JOAKIM KEMELL

RW, Milwaukee (AHL)

72

HUNTER BRZUSTEWICZ

D, Calgary (AHL)

73

EGOR ZAVRAGIN

G, St. Petersburg (KHL)

74

SEMYON FROLOV

G, Spartak Moscow Jr. (Rus.)

75

JACK BERGLUND

C, Farjestad (SHL)

76

MIKHAIL YEGOROV

G, Boston University (HE)

77

PYOTR ANDREYANOV

G, K.A. Moscow Jr. (KHL)

78

DMITRY GAMZIN

G, CSKA Moscow (KHL)

79

ADAM KLEBER

D, Minnesota-Duluth (NCHC)

80

KEVIN KORCHINSKI

D, Rockford (AHL)

81

ISAK ROSEN

RW, Rochester (AHL)

82

MIKHAIL GULYAYEV

D, Omsk (KHL)

83

VACLAV NESTRASIL

RW, UMass (HE)

84

LYNDEN LAKOVIC

LW, Moose Jaw (WHL)

85

BEN DANFORD

D, Brantford (OHL)

86

ISAAC HOWARD

LW, Bakersfield (AHL)

87

SEBASTIAN COSSA

G, Grand Rapids (AHL)

88

TRISTAN LUNEAU

D, San Diego (AHL)

89

EDDIE GENBORG

RW, Timra (SHL)

90

LENNI HAMEENAHO

RW, Utica (AHL)

91

DAVID EDSTROM

C, Milwaukee (AHL)

92

CHARLIE CERRATO

C, Penn State (Big Ten)

93

BRAD LAMBERT

C, Manitoba (AHL)

94

ERIC NILSON

C, Michigan State (Big Ten)

95

DANNY NELSON

C, Notre Dame (Big Ten)

96

BLAKE FIDDLER

D, Edmonton (WHL)

97

EMIL HEMMING

RW, Barrie (OHL)

98

HENRY BRZUSTEWICZ

D, London (OHL)

99

OWEN BECK

C, Laval (AHL)

100

HAMPTON SLUKYNSKY

G, Western Michigan (NCHC) 

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The Countdown - Apr. 17 2026 - Vol. 79 Issue 10 - Jared Clinton

JUST AS TIME MAKES fools of us all, so, too, has Macklin Celebrini.

When the now-San Jose Sharks star was in his pre-draft season, the skinny on the then-Boston University center was that he was a talented player with an exceptional, but not elite, ceiling. Comparisons were drawn to top-line, team-leading pivots rather than true superstars. No one, truly, was using the ‘G’ word – generational – when it came to Celebrini. In The Hockey News’ 2024 Draft Preview, for instance, the comparison used was Elias Pettersson.

Yes, yes. Yuck it up. But the fact of the matter is, there is perhaps no player who has flipped any perceived notion of his upside on its head quite as quickly as Celebrini, who has gone from being mentioned as a franchise centerpiece to an MVP-caliber talent. That his name is floating around the Hart Trophy debate this very season is proof positive of his impact.

What makes Celebrini’s surge to stardom all the more incredible, though, is that he’s done it before he’s even old enough to order an adult beverage. In fact, his 19-year-old season ranks up there with the best ever.

Where does Celebrini’s output rank among the NHL’s greatest baby-faced sensations? In this edition of Countdown, we flip through the history books to find the greatest teen scorers in each NHL franchise’s history.

*All ages are as of Jan. 31 in the corresponding season, as per Hockey-Reference.

1 EDMONTON OILERS

WAYNE GRETZKY, 19 – 137 PTS (1979-80)

Who else? Gretzky’s output is double that of the closest Oilers teen, Jason Arnott, who had 68 points in 1993-94.

2 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

SIDNEY CROSBY, 19 – 120 PTS (2006-07)

Shockingly, both of Crosby’s teen seasons exceed Mario Lemieux’s 100-point best. At 19, ‘Sid the Kid’ won the Hart.

3 LOS ANGELES KINGS

JIMMY CARSON, 19 – 107 PTS (1987-88)

Carson’s great year made him the centerpiece of the infamous Gretzky trade. Sadly, he was out of the NHL by 27.

4 SAN JOSE SHARKS

MACKLIN CELEBRINI, 19 – 115 PTS (2025-26)

Celebrini is smashing a record that he already held. He surpassed Pat Falloon’s 59-point teen total as a rookie.

5 NEW YORK ISLANDERS

BRYAN TROTTIER, 19 – 95 PTS (1975-76)

OK, Trottier has the team record. But Matthew Schaefer is the fifth-highest-scoring teenage blueliner in NHL history.

6 TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

STEVEN STAMKOS, 19 – 95 PTS (2009-10)

In 2008, then-Bolts coach Barry Melrose said rookie Stamkos wasn’t ready. The next year, ‘Stammer’ potted 51 goals.

7 CAROLINA HURRICANES

RON FRANCIS, 19 – 90 PTS (1982-83)

Francis has the team’s teen point record, but Sylvain Turgeon set the standard for young-gun goals (40) the following year.

8 DETROIT RED WINGS

STEVE YZERMAN, 19 – 89 PTS (1984-85)

After debuting with a 39-goal, 87-point campaign, ‘Stevie Y’ staked claim as the Wings’ future with sophomore year.

9 BUFFALO SABRES

PIERRE TURGEON, 19 – 88 PTS (1988-89)

Sure, Turgeon takes the cake, but 19-year-old Phil Housley’s 77-point 1983-84 campaign was an all-timer.

10 DALLAS STARS

BRIAN BELLOWS, 19 – 83 PTS (1983-84)

Bellows’ 41 goals are the same as Wyatt Johnston’s rookie point total, which was most by a Stars teenager since 1990.

11 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

EDDIE OLCZYK, 19 – 79 PTS (1985-86)

A dream for hometown hero ‘Eddie O,’ surpassing both 28-goal and 75-point bests by Denis Savard in 1980-81.

12 PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

ERIC LINDROS, 19 – 75 PTS (1992-93)

Since Lindros’ 41-goal season as a 19-year-old, only four other teens have managed to reach the 40-goal plateau.

13 COLORADO AVALANCHE

OWEN NOLAN, 19 – 73 PTS (1991-92)

The 1990 draft’s No. 1 pick had just three goals and 13 points as a rookie before exploding for 42 goals as a sophomore.

14 WINNIPEG JETS

PATRIK LAINE, 19 – 70 PTS (2017-18)

Laine’s 44 goals are fifth most by a teen. Coincidentally, Jets 1.0 icon Dale Hawerchuk netted 45 at 18 in 1981-82.

15 TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

AUSTON MATTHEWS, 19 – 69 PTS (2016-17)

Prior to Matthews’ brilliant season, Ted Kennedy’s 49-game Original Six Era 54-point mark had stood for 72 years.

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

16 WASHINGTON CAPITALS

BOBBY CARPENTER, 19 – 69 PTS (1982-83)

An asterisk for Carpenter? The lockout delayed Alex Ovechkin’s NHL debut. At 20, he posted 106 points as a rookie.

17 MINNESOTA WILD

MARIAN GABORIK, 19 – 67 PTS (2001-02)

Gaborik set the benchmark at 18 and surpassed it the next campaign. No teen has scored for Wild since 2013.

18 NEW JERSEY DEVILS

KIRK MULLER, 19 – 66 PTS (1985-86)

Muller was a star upon his NHL arrival. He spent seven years as a Devil but remains franchise’s fourth-highest scorer.

19 BOSTON BRUINS

RAY BOURQUE, 19 – 65 PTS (1979-80)

Bourque won Calder and finished fourth in Norris voting after brilliant debut. He’d go on to win the Norris five times.

20 NEW YORK RANGERS

MIKE ALLISON, 19 – 64 PTS (1980-81)

Only teens to score 30 points for Rangers since Allison: Alex Kovalev (1992-93) and Michael Del Zotto (2009-10).

21 ST. LOUIS BLUES

ROD BRIND’AMOUR, 19 – 61 PTS (1989-90)

Best known as a Cane, Brind’Amour has high-water mark in St. Louis and third-best Blues rookie year ever.

22 VANCOUVER CANUCKS

TREVOR LINDEN, 18 – 59 PTS (1988-89)

Ultimately, Linden’s 30-goal, 59-point rookie year wound up as the sixth-highest-scoring season of his NHL career.

23 CALGARY FLAMES

DAN QUINN, 19 – 58 PTS (1984-85)

Thanks to Quinn and Sean Monahan, Flames legend Jarome Iginla has neither the team’s teen goal nor point record.

24 COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

RICK NASH, 19 – 57 PTS (2003-04)

Most lopsided production ever? Nash was first player since 1918 with more than 40 goals and fewer than 20 assists.

25 OTTAWA SENATORS

ALEXANDRE DAIGLE, 18 – 51 PTS (1993-94)

Make your jokes, but Daigle was a threat for Ottawa. He was second in Sens scoring behind Alexei Yashin in 1993-94.

26 MONTREAL CANADIENS

JURAJ SLAFKOVSKY, 19 – 50 PTS (2023-24)

When he netted point No. 41 in 2023-24, Slafkovsky surpassed a total set by Henri Richard nearly 70 years earlier.

27 NASHVILLE PREDATORS

SCOTT HARTNELL, 19 – 41 PTS (2001-02)

Forget chasing Hartnell. The Preds have had just one teenager with a double-digit point total in the 23 seasons since.

28 ANAHEIM DUCKS

CAM FOWLER, 19 – 40 PTS (2010-11)

Of the five best seasons by Ducks teens, three have been by defensemen: Fowler, Jamie Drysdale and Oleg Tverdovsky.

29 FLORIDA PANTHERS

RADEK DVORAK, 19 – 39 PTS (1996-97)

Dvorak gets the nod on points per game and goals, but an 18-year-old Aaron Ekblad also posted 39 points in 2014-15.

30 SEATTLE KRAKEN

MATTY BENIERS, 19 – 9 PTS (2021-22)

Post-college, Beniers burst onto the scene. But his offense has peaked with Calder-winning 57 points in 2022-23.

31 VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS

N/A – 0 PTS

The youngest Golden Knight to collect a point is Peyton Krebs – 20 years, three months and seven days. Just missed it.

32 UTAH MAMMOTH

N/A – 0 PTS

Logan Cooley’s 44-point season at 19 is in purgatory after the NHL quarantined Arizona’s statistical history.

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The Philadelphia Flyers are entering the off-season with some roster needs to address. One specific area that the Flyers could look to improve is their backup goaltender position.

If the Flyers end up wanting to bring in a new upgrade over Samuel Ersson for their backup spot, Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz stands out as an interesting potential option.

With the Maple Leafs having Joseph Woll as their starter and prospect Dennis Hildeby looking ready for the NHL, questions about Stolarz's future in Toronto have come up. If the Maple Leafs do end up making the 6-foot-6 netminder available, the Flyers should consider reuniting with him. 

Stolarz had a tough year for his standards in 2025-26 with Toronto, posting a 10-10-3 record, an .893 save percentage, and a 3.28 goals-against average in 26 appearances. Yet, when noting that he had the best save percentages in the NHL in 2023-24 (.925) and 2024-25 (.926), the possibility of him bouncing back in 2026-27 is certainly there. Therefore, he could be a good goalie for the Flyers to take a chance on.

If the Flyers brought back Stolarz, he would give them a new 1B goalie, and he could thrive in a tandem with Dan Vladar. This would have the potential to benefit a Flyers team that is looking to build off their successful 2025-26 season.

Stolarz was selected by the Flyers with the 45th overall pick of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. In 19 games with Philadelphia over two seasons, he had a 6-4-4 record, a .911 save percentage, and a 2.86 goals-against average.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone will miss Game 4 of their second-round playoff series against Anaheim on Sunday night with an undisclosed injury.

Coach John Tortorella said veteran Brandon Saad will draw in for Stone, who got hurt in the first period of Game 3 on Friday.

Stone attempted to return to the game, but couldn't do it after apparently injuring some part of his lower body while chasing down a puck in the first period of the Knights' 6-2 victory. Vegas leads the series 2-1.

Stone had picked up a first-period assist on Shea Theodore's opening goal in the rout, giving him three goals and four assists in nine playoff games this season.

The 33-year-old Stone scored 73 points in 60 games for Vegas during the regular season. The two-way forward has been a mainstay for the Golden Knights since late in the 2018-19 season, becoming the first captain in club history before leading Vegas to the 2023 Stanley Cup championship with a hat trick in the clinching victory.

Saad scored nine points in 49 games for Vegas during the regular season. Game 4 will be his first appearance in this postseason, but the well-traveled forward played in eight postseason games for the Golden Knights last spring.

“Playoff hockey is the best time of the year, so I'm excited to get in and help the team win,” Saad told reporters at the pregame skate.

Tortorella chose Saad over Reilly Smith, who played all six games of Vegas' first-round series victory over Utah before being scratched for every game against Anaheim.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL