The prospect camps are in the books, main camps have arrived, and the next generation of NHL mainstays now find themselves fighting for a chance to break into the big leagues full-time.
And for the best among that group, the 2025-26 campaign will bring more than just a chance at becoming an everyday NHLer. It will mark the first step towards stardom at the game’s highest level, beginning with the hunt for the Calder Trophy. Last year, it was Lane Hutson, Dustin Wolf and Macklin Celebrini vying for the trophy, the Montreal Canadiens defender flirting with history, Calgary’s young netminder silencing the doubters, and San Jose’s talisman giving his franchise reason to hope. A year before that, it was Connor Bedard, Brock Faber and Luke Hughes doing the same.
With only two weeks remaining until the puck drops on 2025-26, we’ll soon see which new talents are ready to make their own marks on the league. Before we get there, here’s a look at some early favourites and some early dark horses, hoping to add their names to the pile by the year’s end.
THE EARLY FAVOURITES
Ivan Demidov, Montreal Canadiens
There’s a good chance Montreal could house the Calder winner for the second straight year. After Lane Hutson dominated his rookie campaign to the tune of 66 points from the back end, 2025-26 should bring the first full season from his 19-year-old teammate Ivan Demidov. Debuting at the tail end of last season and getting some valuable experience in Montreal’s first-round tilt with the Washington Capitals, the teenage phenom will now have a chance to truly find his footing in the league. There’s no mystery here. Demidov’s potential has already come to the surface in glimpses at the NHL level — he’s exceptionally skilled, daring enough to use his creativity even against the game’s best defenders, and he should be a problem for Montreal in 2025-26.
Zayne Parekh, Calgary Flames
You need only look at what Zayne Parekh did in Saginaw to get a sense of why fans in Calgary enter the new season with such high hopes. Sixty-six goals and 203 points over the past two seasons, the first OHL defenceman to record back-to-back 30-goal campaigns. The 19-year-old flashed that elite offensive ability in his lone NHL game last season, scoring his first big-league goal with a deft deflection from the slot. He should get a chance to play his first full season in 2025-26, and given the make-up of Calgary’s blue line, it’s a good bet that Parekh will earn a significant role. Should he get a shot on the man-advantage with the likes of Nazem Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau, the young blue-liner has enough raw offensive ability to stack serious numbers.
Jimmy Snuggerud, St. Louis Blues
After an impressive run with the University of Minnesota, Jimmy Snuggerud joined the St. Louis Blues at the end of last season and wasted no time in making his presence known. Fresh off a 2024-25 campaign that saw him pot 24 goals and 51 points in 40 games for Minnesota, the 21-year-old showed a willingness to throw pucks on net in the big leagues, too, collecting his first NHL goal and a couple more in the playoffs. The key for Snuggerud in 2025-26 is the role he’s set to play — after a sterling showing last season, the rookie likely slots into the top-six in St. Louis, and has a shot at lining up alongside Robert Thomas on the Blues’ top line. He’ll get his chances, and he’ll have an opportunity to contribute — if he can flutter the twine like he did in college, he’ll be a difference-maker for Jim Montgomery’s squad this season.
Alexander Nikishin, Carolina Hurricanes
It’s something of a similar situation for Alexander Nikishin. The 23-year-old should get a key role in 2025-26, the defenceman looking likely to play meaningful minutes on the Hurricanes’ blue line. He’s already proven he can hang in the big leagues. Moving Stateside after a six-year run in the KHL, Nikishin made his NHL debut in as high-stakes an environment as could be found in the game — thrown into the playoff fire midway through the Canes’ second-round series with the Capitals. He didn’t look out of place, earning the trust of Rod Brind’Amour and getting another three post-season games as Carolina moved on to face the eventual Stanley Cup champs. Nikishin should have every opportunity to shine playing an important role for one of the league’s better teams, and after making his name as a quality two-way talent in Russia, he should have all he needs to make waves right away in a Canes sweater.
Zeev Buium, Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild’s own young rearguard talent, Zeev Buium, was similarly thrown into the playoff fire last season, making his big-league debut during the club’s first-round bout with the Vegas Golden Knights. The teenager was understandably comfortable navigating the pressure of the moment, though Buium is entering the NHL with a fair few experiences in high-stakes situations — over the past two seasons, the 19-year-old has won an NCAA title, two world juniors golds with Team USA, a world championship with the national team, and earned a slew of individual honours along the way. Like Nikishin, he’ll have a chance to play a fairly significant role for a good team in 2025-26, and he has enough offensive upside to put up the type of numbers that tend to sway Calder voters.
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Sam Rinzel, Chicago Blackhawks
The 2025-26 rookie class appears chalk full of talented young blue-liners — it still may be Demidov’s award to lose, but it’s worth noting three of the past six Calder winners plied their trade on the blue line (Cale Makar, 2020; Moritz Seider, 2022; and, of course, Lane Hutson, 2025). Chicago’s own promising rearguard, Sam Rinzel, got nine games of NHL action last season after an impressive run with the University of Minnesota, putting up five points in that span. He logged 20 minutes of ice in his debut, and stayed above that mark for each of those nine games, topping out at just under 27 minutes in an overtime tilt against Montreal. Rinzel figures to slot back into that role as a central piece of Chicago’s defence corps. And with his all-situations pedigree and his rangy size — he clocks in at six-foot-four, 177 pounds — the 21-year-old should be a key part of the solution as Chicago pushes to climb out of the league’s basement.
THE EARLY DARK HORSES
Ike Howard/Matt Savoie, Edmonton Oilers
With the puck yet to drop on the campaign, any rookie on this list has as good a chance of popping early and looking like the favourite by the time we get to the season’s midway point. Ike Howard might not seem as much of a Calder favourite as Montreal’s star winger, but the path to a quality first season from the Oilers’ up-and-comer is clear. The key, of course, is where Howard figures to slot into the Oilers lineup. Coming off back-to-back trips to the Stanley Cup Final and back-to-back losses to the same eventual champ, the Oil head into the new season looking for some type of change, some type of progress. Howard — acquired from Tampa Bay in July after a sterling run at Michigan State — represents one of the most notable roster additions heading into a crucial year. Should he manage to land alongside Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl, he’ll have the playmaking service to put up the type of numbers that turn voters’ heads. The same goes for young Matt Savoie, who figures to make the jump this season after a 19-goal, 54-point effort as one of AHL Bakersfield’s leading scorers in 2024-25.
Yaroslav Askarov, San Jose Sharks
It’s been nearly two decades since a goaltender claimed the Calder, so the odds aren’t exactly in Yaroslav Askarov’s favour. And the fact that he’ll be manning the cage for a woeful San Jose Sharks squad — one that allowed the second-most shots in the league last season — won’t make things any easier for him. Still, Askarov’s coming off a sterling AHL campaign that made clear his potential. The 23-year-old put up a .923 save percentage and four shutouts in 22 games for the San Jose Barracuda in 2024-25, proving he’s got bona fide No. 1 potential. Now, he should have a real chance to snag starting duties for the Sharks in 2025-26, competing with Alex Nedeljkovic for the role. Still, if we learned anything from Dustin Wolf’s efforts last season, it’s that plenty has to break right for a young netminder to have a realistic shot at the top-rookie trophy.
Ryan Leonard, Washington Capitals
There might not be a better mentor for Ryan Leonard than the captain of his club. While the Hobey Baker finalist doesn’t have Alex Ovechkin’s all-world scoring touch, the young winger plays with the much the same type of aggression that’s defined The Great Eight’s game. Leonard put that determined approach on display during his nine-game big-league stint last season, when he potted his first NHL goal — the tally came on an empty net, but it was earned by Leonard jumping up off a face-off and stealing the puck from an opposing defender at his own blue line, pushing by another as he streaked up the wing, before he tucked it home. He likely won’t slot into the Caps lineup high enough to have the type of impact Demidov or Snuggerud are expected to, but Leonard’s potential is clear, and he’ll have a full season to soak up all the knowledge No. 8 is willing to pass down.
Gabe Perreault, New York Rangers
The biggest knock against Gabe Perreault’s chances at the moment is the fact that an opening-night roster spot doesn’t seem a sure thing. There’s no questioning the 20-year-old’s potential — his two-year run at Boston College was evidence enough of Perreault’s offensive promise. But his five-game stint with the New York Rangers last season seemed to show that the transition to the big leagues won’t be seamless. He brings plenty of skill and vision to the table, and he joins a unique Rangers team — still stocked with all-world talents, but also navigating a tumultuous period of transition after a two-year stretch that saw New York win the Presidents’ Trophy and then miss the playoffs. Perreault could crack the lineup out of camp, earn a key role, and take off. But there’s also every chance it takes time for him to find his footing at the NHL level.
Rutger McGroarty/Ville Koivunen, Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are in a somewhat similar spot. The club still has some elite talent dotted throughout the lineup, but after three tumultuous seasons outside the playoff picture, they’re desperate to find a way back. In that sense, rookies Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen could have all the opportunity in the world to make an impact. McGroarty enters the campaign with the bigger spotlight, the 2022 14th-overall pick making headlines when he forced a trade from Winnipeg that landed him in Pittsburgh. The University of Michigan product collected his first NHL goal and a pair of helpers in an eight-game stint with the big club before turning in a solid AHL campaign last season. Koivunen arrived with less fanfare, but the 22-year-old — who was a key piece of the return in the Jake Guentzel trade — put up seven points in eight NHL games last season, before leading the AHL Penguins in scoring. If either can land in the top six alongside Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, a shot at a quality offensive campaign will be there.
Matthew Schaefer, New York Islanders
The reigning first-overall pick is always looked to by fans as a potential Calder candidate, and Matthew Schaefer has enough promise to take a run at the award if all breaks right for him. But there’s also reason to wonder if it’ll take some time for the New York Islanders’ new talisman. The 2025 No. 1 pick turned 18 just this month and doesn’t necessarily have the type of imposing size that could help him to hit the ground running in the big leagues. He has all the skill and vision and dynamism to be an exceptional defenceman for the Isles down the line, and there’s a good chance he’ll earn a spot on the club’s opening-night roster this season, but with the organization surely looking to avoid rushing their star prospect, or pushing him into too big a role too soon, Year 1 may be more about getting acclimated at the NHL level than challenging for hardware.
