*Note: Stats courtesy of ESPN Fantasy Hockey

At the start of each campaign, expectations are placed on young players to have breakout seasons and blossom into the players they were drafted to be. Today, we are ranking those players who lived up to that expectation in 2025-26. Here are ten players who broke out into stars this past season. (Rookies were not included in this ranking.)

10. Josh Doan, RW, Buffalo Sabres

Josh Doan had big shoes to fill when he came to Buffalo after being a major piece coming back in the J.J Peterka deal. Shockingly, he managed to outproduce Peterka this season, making the Sabres the clear early winners of the trade. Doan's breakout season helped the Sabres clinch their first playoff berth since 2011.

9. Luke Evangelista, RW, Nashville Predators

Luke Evangelista came out of nowhere this season for Nashville. On a team that has been struggling for offense and lacks young talent, he quietly amassed 56 points during his breakout campaign. It's unclear in which direction the Predators will take moving forward, but you can expect Evangelista to be a big piece of the puzzle both now and in the future.

8. Leo Carlsson, C, Anaheim Ducks

Along with several other stars who will be mentioned later, Leo Carlsson was on a torrid start to his 2025-26 season. He verified the Ducks’ decision to draft him second overall, as he looks to be a dominant franchise centreman for years to come. Carlsson slowed down as the year went on, but this was largely due to injury. Expect him to continue to grow and develop alongside the rest of the team’s young core.

7. Cutter Gauthier, LW, Anaheim Ducks

After forcing his way out of Philadelphia, it was unclear what kind of player Cutter Gauthier would become for his new club in Anaheim. He had a solid rookie season, but his sophomore campaign was really his coming-out party. Nobody expected the 40 goals that he potted, which helped lead the Ducks to an equally surprising playoff berth.

6. Moritz Seider, D, Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider has been nothing short of steady during his time in Detroit. He isn't a top point producer compared to the likes of Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar, Lane Hutson, etc. However, Seider still managed to record 60 points from the backend. His defensive and physical play is what sets him apart from his peers, though. Seider's two-way game had him in Norris Trophy talks during a season where he was finally recognized as a premier defenceman in the game today. If the Red Wings are going to snap their playoff drought, it will be on the back of Moritz Seider.

5. Juraj Slafkovsky, LW, Montreal Canadiens

After being selected first overall over Shane Wright in 2022, expectations were always going to be high for Canadiens Juraj Slafkovsky. Thus far, he has delivered on those expectations. He had two consecutive seasons of 50 points before hitting 30 goals and 70 points this campaign. Alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky has formed one of the NHL's premier trios and looks to be one of the league’s most dominant power forwards for years to come.

4. Dylan Guenther, RW, Utah Mammoth

The young Utah Mammoth team qualified for the postseason for the first time in franchise history this past year. A large part of that was due to the play of Dylan Guenther, who set new career highs in both goals and points, hitting the 40-goal and 70-point marks for the first time. Utah has several young stars like Clayton Keller and Logan Cooley, but Guenther is looking like the franchise winger that the Arizona/Utah organization has been starving for.

3. Wyatt Johnston, C, Dallas Stars

On a loaded Dallas Stars squad, Wyatt Johnston has risen to the forefront of the team’s offense. After recording 33 goals in 2024-25, he set a new career-high with 45 this season. He was a major reason for the team’s dominant power play, setting a new franchise record for goals in a single season in that department. Wyatt Johnston has emerged as one of the league’s premier goal scorers, and he does it in many different fashions.

2. Connor Bedard, C, Chicago Blackhawks

Connor Bedard's first few years in the NHL have been solid but nowhere near the generational player that many people already had him tagged as before his draft. However, he has had little to no support during his tenure in Chicago thus far. Despite this, he was one of the league leaders in scoring before going down with an injury mid-season. He still managed to record 30 goals and 75 points in only 69 games. If healthy, expect him to be pushing the 100-point plateau next season.

1. Macklin Celebrini, C, San Jose Sharks

Was there ever a doubt? After a solid rookie season, Macklin Celebrini solidified himself as one of the league’s best players in year two. His 115-point season put the league on notice and garnered him some Hart Trophy consideration. Celebrini had a major impact for Team Canada at both the Olympics and Mens World Championships, earning the captaincy at the latter. As the Sharks team continues to grow and he gets a larger supporting cast around him, the sky is the limit for Macklin Celebrini.

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