For an eighth straight season, welcome back to The Athletic’s annual look at the NHL’s incoming rookie class.
This year, Scott Wheeler and Harman Dayal will again team up for a quarterly Calder Trophy ranking beginning with this preseason look at the top 20 rookies (plus honorable mentions) for the 2025-26 NHL season.
This list differs from Wheeler’s twice-a-year drafted prospects rankings in that it focuses not on projecting the long-term upside of these players but entirely on predicting their rookie years. While their talent and profiles remain an obvious factor, external factors — from depth charts to potential linemates, power-play opportunities, roles and usage — are also uniquely relevant in handicapping the Calder Trophy race.
This ranking is also designed as a bit of a tutor for fantasy hockey managers, helping to fill in the gaps that Dom Luszczyszyn and Shayna Goldman’s fantasy projections find difficult to model for new players.
Note: The NHL’s Calder Trophy criteria for rookie status says that “a player cannot have played more than 25 games in any single preceding season nor in six or more games in each of any two preceding seasons” and “must not have attained his 26th birthday by Sept. 15 of the season in which he is eligible.”
1. Ivan Demidov (F, Montreal Canadiens)
Demidov broke the all-time KHL under-20 scoring record by notching 49 points in 65 games last season, leapfrogging ahead of Kirill Kaprizov, Matvei Michkov and Evgeny Kuznetsov, among others. The most impressive part of that record-setting feat is that he accomplished it while averaging less than 14 minutes of ice time per game. Demidov is the most purely skilled forward in this Calder class, and it’s not particularly close. He’s an outrageously creative and talented puckhandler, remarkably elusive on his edges and has game-breaking offensive vision. He should play with talented players and get first-unit power-play reps, which is key because a top-of-the-lineup role/opportunity is just as critical as talent in building a Calder-worthy season. — Harman Dayal
2. Zeev Buium (D, Minnesota Wild)
I didn’t think Buium looked like himself in both his NHL games and at men’s worlds last spring, but he was also coming off a grueling college season where he was the focus of opposing teams, and he was jumping right into a playoff race. This year, there’s a real chance he plays second-pairing minutes and takes over PP1 in Minnesota. I know he’s talented enough to take that opportunity and run with it, and if he does, and he plays his confident and involved style, he should be one of the more impactful rookies in his class. — Scott Wheeler
3. Zayne Parekh (D, Calgary Flames)
Parekh is still OHL and World Juniors eligible. As a result, he’s not guaranteed to play the full season for the Flames, and a rough patch could mean going to Minneapolis for Boxing Day to join Team Canada, and then Saginaw for the second half (sort of like Brandt Clarke did). He had a tough camp a year ago, and if he were to have another, there’s no saying he doesn’t go back to junior for the full year, too. Because those things loom as options, some might slot him a little lower here in the preseason. But after scoring in his debut and participating with the Canadian men’s teams at worlds, the expectation (both Parekh’s and the consensus among those I’ve talked to around him and around the league) seems to be that he’ll start the year in Calgary. With all due respect to Jake Bean, Joel Henley and Brayden Pachal, there isn’t a murderer’s row standing in his way on that blue line, either. If he does stick, he’s going to play PP1 because that’s why he’s on your team, too, even if that means sharing it with MacKenzie Weegar so that Rasmus Andersson can still run PP2. And the points — which rightly or wrongly drive voting — will follow. His offensive upside is even higher than Buium’s if he sticks around for all 82 games. — Wheeler
4. Alexander Nikishin (D, Carolina Hurricanes)
Nikishin probably has one of the highest floors of all the players in this rookie class. He has already played six KHL seasons and is physically advanced at 6-foot-4, which should help him hit the ground running. He also has a clear top-four opportunity waiting for him with Dmitry Orlov’s offseason departure creating a second-pair, left-side vacancy. It certainly doesn’t hurt that he’ll be playing in a favorable environment/system where defensemen usually succeed as well.
Nikishin has all the makings of a stellar two-way defenseman. He led all KHL defensemen in scoring in 2022-23 and 2023-24, with his shot arguably being his standout offensive tool (he had 17 goals in just 61 games last season). He’s also very dependable defensively because of his size, reach and anticipation. Nikishin seems more likely to start on PP2 because the Canes have Shayne Gostisbehere as a power-play specialist, so we’ll see if that hinders his ability to put up the gaudy point totals that are usually required to win the Calder. — Dayal
5. Sam Rinzel (D, Chicago Blackhawks)
Rinzel really impressed people in Chicago and around the league with his play in his first nine NHL games in the spring (he registered five points, finished with a plus rating on one of the league’s worst goal differential teams and played 20-27 minutes in every single game). So much so that the belief is that he’s going to be given big minutes again and that he, and not Artyom Levshunov, is going to start the season running PP1 for them. We’re still talking about a 21-year-old rookie D here, though, so it’s also reasonable to couch in a slump or the likelihood that they at least try Levshunov on that unit for a stretch of the season. There’s no guarantee that his rookie year goes as smoothly as his introduction did, and there are going to be some hard nights. But the talent is there, and if he’s playing big minutes and making an impact offensively, he’s got a real chance to push for the Calder. He doesn’t have the offense of Lane Hutson or the defensive polish of Brock Faber, but could he have a season similar to the one that Owen Power had (33 points in big minutes to positive results) or Luke Hughes had (47 points with more mixed results)? It’s conceivable if it goes really well. And those guys finished third in Calder voting in their years. — Wheeler
6. Jimmy Snuggerud (F, St. Louis Blues)
The Blues have left one of their top-six jobs open for this season. It’s a right-wing job, and it looks like they’ve held it for Snuggerud, and his play last year indicated he was ready for it (eight points in his first 14 combined regular-season and playoff games is a really strong start and a 47-point pace). If he’s playing with one of Robert Thomas or Brayden Schenn at center, and one of Pavel Buchnevich or Dylan Holloway on the opposite wing, he’s going to have a solid year. If he holds on to PP1 as well, he could be in the Calder mix.
I think 20-25 goals is a very realistic expectation for Snuggerud’s rookie season. Does he have the 30-goal or 60-point upside right away that is needed to win the thing? Probably not. Could he end up on a bunch of ballots after a really respectable season? Most definitely. — Wheeler
7. Yaroslav Askarov (G, San Jose Sharks)
Askarov proved he’s ready to take the next step after a season where he dominated in the AHL (.923 save percentage) and flashed high-end potential during his 13 NHL games. And crucially, there’s a clear path for him to win the starting job if he’s ready, because Alex Nedeljkovic, the Sharks’ other goalie, has been a 1B goaltender for most of his career. With all that said, it’s going to be tough for him to put up the kind of save percentage and win totals that will attract Calder attention because of the team/defensive play in front of him. The Sharks’ blue line has improved this offseason, and the team should be more competitive overall, but they still aren’t going to defend tightly and are most likely destined for another bottom-five finish. If all goes perfectly, Askarov could replicate something close to what Dustin Wolf did last year, but it would require everything going right for not only him but the team as a whole. — Dayal
8. Ryan Leonard (F, Washington Capitals)
It’s impossible not to love Leonard’s game. He’s fast, aggressive, in your face on the forecheck and combines that relentless speed/motor with hard-nosed skill. Leonard was an elite producer in the NCAA and led all American forwards in scoring at last year’s World Juniors.
Leonard turned pro at the end of last season and was immediately effective for the Capitals because of his physical, high-energy playing style. The points didn’t come right away — he only scored two in 17 games combined between the regular season and playoffs — but he was already driving play like a bona fide top-nine forward, and his underlying numbers show that he was completely snakebitten offensively.
Leonard will be a solid top-nine winger for the Capitals this season, but he isn’t likely to get PP1 time or consistent top-six minutes, and isn’t as purely skilled as some of the players ahead of him on this list. It will be tough for him to score more than 35-40 points this season because of those factors. — Dayal
9. Ike Howard/Matt Savoie (F, Edmonton Oilers)
The “guy who might play with Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl” felt like it had to be its own category here. Howard, the reigning Hobey Baker Award winner, and Savoie, a top-10 pick in 2022, both have their own pedigree, but the reality is that neither would appear in the top 10 on this list if they played for another organization. The McDavid and Draisaitl factor is real, though, and maybe more so this season than ever before, because they didn’t have the money to try to sign a solution, leaving the door wide open for both of them to get a look. The most likely outcome is probably that one sticks and the other doesn’t and ends up on the third line or in the AHL for a spell. And while neither is likely to play on PP1 for more than injury fill, five-on-five with the best player in the world (or the second- or third-best one), PP2 is a pretty cushy setup to be productive. Voters will likely also hold the talent of their linemates against them, but if either can prove they can hang, that’s also a talent in and of itself. — Wheeler
10. Sam Dickinson (D, San Jose Sharks)
Dickinson, like Parekh, can return to the OHL and play at the World Juniors this year, which is something the Sharks will at least consider and means a little more caution in projecting his Calder odds before camps open. (I also believe the London Knights are prepared to name him captain and push for another run at the Memorial Cup if he gets sent back.) But I also fully expect Dickinson, like Parekh, to start the year with the Sharks, barring a horrible training camp. He dominated junior last year in all aspects and took some important steps in his decision-making and reads with the puck, particularly in the defensive zone. As in Calgary, there’s also opportunity for in San Jose, where the Sharks signed NHL D are Dmitry Orlov, Nick Leddy, John Klingberg, Mario Ferraro, Timothy Liljegren, Vincent Desharnais and a trio of unproven early-20s guys in Jack Thompson, Shakir Mukhamadullin and Luca Cagnoni. If Dickinson is playing, he should be playing a lot and running one of their power plays. — Wheeler
Matthew Schaefer was taken by the Islanders with the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft. (Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)11. Matthew Schaefer (D, New York Islanders)
Only one defenseman in the last 25 years (Aaron Ekblad) has won the Calder Trophy as an 18-year-old rookie in their draft-plus-one season. And Ekblad was a bit of a unique case because he was so physically mature for his age. Schaefer is at a further disadvantage because he was one of the youngest players drafted this summer — if he had been born two weeks later, he would have been part of the 2026 draft class.
All of that is to say that while Schaefer is an elite prospect with the potential to become a dominant No. 1 defenseman one day, the odds are stacked against him winning the Calder this season. Schaefer could make an NHL impact right away because of his elite skating and intelligent, well-rounded skill set. But the Isles will likely be careful about just how much they put on his plate right away, and with Tony DeAngelo the front-runner to quarterback PP1, Schaefer probably won’t have an opportunity to rack up the gaudy point totals necessary to win the Calder if he’s in the NHL. — Dayal
12. Rutger McGroarty/Ville Koivunen (F, Pittsburgh Penguins)
McGroarty and Koivunen both had quality AHL campaigns followed by promising, productive play in a small sample of NHL games down the stretch (three points in five games for McGroarty, seven points in eight games for Koivunen). They’re in a favorable position to win a substantial top-nine role — the Penguins are so thin enough on impact wingers that one of them could get a shot to play top-six minutes to begin the season. And that opportunity is before we account for the possibility that Rickard Rakell or Bryan Rust could get dealt at some point this season.
McGroarty is a heavy, well-rounded winger who can do offensive damage in high-traffic areas. He probably doesn’t have the foot speed or elite skill to put up monster point totals this season, though, especially when you consider that his AHL production (39 points in 60 games) was good but not elite.
Koivunen is the more dynamic of the two and scored nearly a point per game in the AHL last season. He probably has the upside to put up more points this season, though he’s undersized and not as polished as McGroarty defensively. — Dayal
13. Logan Mailloux (D, St. Louis Blues)
The question isn’t whether Mailloux can put up points. The expectation seems to be that the Blues are going to give him a look on their third pair and atop one of their power-play units, and I have little doubt that he’ll pound that shot of his and produce offensively. He already had five points in his first eight NHL games. The question has always been whether he’ll make too many mistakes and offset that offense with some headaches defensively. I think about Mason Lohrei in Boston, who has all of the physical tools and talent, had 33 points in 77 games last year, but gave just as much back the other way. I think Mailloux’s got a higher ceiling than Lohrei, and that’s why he is where he is on this list, but there’s going to be some learning this year as well. — Wheeler
14. Gabe Perreault (F, New York Rangers)
There were flashes, but Gabe Perreault’s first five games with the Rangers last season were a mixed bag; he’s got some doubters, and there’s a chance he spends some time in the AHL this season. The Rangers also need an injection of skill in their lineup, though, and I’m a huge believer that with his offensive smarts and gifts, they need to put him with good players and spread out the roster a little better. If they do, I’d bet he shows he can play with their best and help their power play.
There’s some risk it takes him a couple of years to figure it out at the NHL level (think Kent Johnson in Columbus), for sure, though. At this stage on the list, none of these guys are locks, though. — Wheeler
15. Berkly Catton (F, Seattle Kraken)
There may not be a team in the league that needs to inject a skill player more than the Kraken, and there may not be a prospect in junior who has less to prove in going back than Catton. With Matty Beniers, Chandler Stephenson and Shane Wright, the Kraken have their three centers pretty set in stone, but Catton could move to the wing, and there has been some talk about trying to find Wright a top-six spot. The addition of Mason Marchment also gives them a new winger, and Jani Nyman looked last season like he was ready to make the jump. Add in veterans like Jaden Schwartz, Jared McCann and Jordan Eberle, plus Kaapo Kakko, and there is a bit of a crowd vying for top-six minutes. But they have to prioritize doing right by Catton, and there’s definitely a scenario where he plays his way on in camp, wins a top-nine role and doesn’t look back because of his skill and skating. In that scenario, he’s a sneaky candidate. — Wheeler
16. Maxim Shabanov (F, New York Islanders)
Shabanov, an undrafted winger less than a month away from turning 25, broke out as one of the KHL’s top point producers last season. It’s always tough to predict whether an undrafted top KHL scorer in his mid-20s will be able to translate his skill set to the NHL, let alone a forward as tiny as Shabanov, who is listed at 5-foot-8, 156 pounds. I think it’s possible for him to succeed in a middle-six role, and the Islanders’ power play is so woeful that he could earn a PP1 opportunity, but it’s easy to foresee him experiencing highs and lows because of his size, too. — Dayal
17. Michael Misa (F, San Jose Sharks)
Misa will likely get a nine-game audition in the NHL, but it’s impossible to know whether he’ll actually stick in the big leagues full-time this season, or whether the Sharks will send him back to the OHL and let the first year of his entry-level contract (which still needs to be signed) slide. Misa will almost certainly be a star one day, but he’s closer to the level Will Smith was at as a prospect rather than Macklin Celebrini. Smith, the No. 4 pick in 2023, spent his draft-plus-one season tearing up the NCAA, and then had a respectable 45-point rookie campaign as a 19-year-old last year. Even if Misa does stick in the NHL full-time, he could wind up on PP2 because Celebrini, William Eklund, Smith and Tyler Toffoli could be ahead of him on the power-play pecking order. — Dayal
18. Artyom Levshunov (D, Chicago Blackhawks)
There’s a camp of people who believe Levshunov is still very much learning the game and that even if he plays a full 82 with the Blackhawks this year that it’s going to come with some highs and lows. The emergence of Rinzel also clouds his power-play opportunity (at least for now) a little bit. But he’s also toolsy enough and talented enough that it wouldn’t surprise anyone if he took a step and really shone. — Wheeler
19. Leevi Meriläinen (G, Ottawa Senators)
Meriläinen is a blue-chip goaltending prospect who had a strong AHL season and was excellent in the 12 NHL games he appeared in last season, notching a .925 save percentage. The Senators have evolved into a rock-solid defensive team under Travis Green, which should help their goaltenders put up good numbers, too. However, playing in a No. 2 role behind Linus Ullmark, Meriläinen isn’t going to play enough games to work his way into the Calder conversation unless there’s an injury that thrusts him into the starter’s role. — Dayal
20. Scott Morrow (D, New York Rangers)
Morrow’s offensive potential is tantalizing, and he’s already proven he can rack up points at the professional level (13 goals and 39 points in 52 AHL games and six points in 14 NHL regular-season games). The problem is that right-side defense minutes will be hard to come by with Adam Fox, Will Borgen and Braden Schneider already in the mix. Morrow’s defensive play can also be up and down, and a PP1 role will be nearly impossible to attain so long as Fox is healthy. However, if he does get a prominent blue-line role, he could pile up some points and make a bit of noise. — Dayal
Honorable mentions (sorted alphabetically)
Luca Cagnoni (D, San Jose Sharks)
Jonathan Lekkerimäki (F, Vancouver Canucks)
Jani Nyman (F, Seattle Kraken)
Calum Ritchie (F, New York Islanders)
(Photos of Ivan Demidov and Zeev Buium: David Kirouac and Matt Blewett / Imagn Images)