Fantasy hockey rankings 2024-25: Sleepers, breakouts and busts from proven NHL model

Snuggerud is a responsible defensive player which is impressive for a winger with so much offensive potential. Tom Willander is a high end skater, which allows him to carry the puck out of his own zone and lets him take some risks offensively while still recovering quickly enough on the back-check. His skating is so strong and his motor runs high enough that even in games where he’s quiet offensively, he still provides a ton of value on the defensive end. I liked what I saw from Willander in the NCAA last season, and I think he’s going to be a very talented two-way defender for the Canucks. After a solid showing at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in the summer of 2022, Quentin Musty was considered by many to be the best U.S. born prospect in this draft class. After an up and down draft year, Musty has silenced many doubts after he tore up the OHL last season.

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If he can, he will likely jump back up this list, but he has fallen a bit over these last two years. This remains one of the least talented rosters in the conference and it’s also not a very old one either, skewing heavily towards freshmen/sophomores like PSU. A recent Ontario kids’ hockey game between seven and eight-year-olds was halted after parents and at least one coach started brawling in the stands. The violence broke out at the season-opening tournament for the Klevr League, which attracts some of Ontario’s best young players.

• At 23, he took it one step further, winning the Rocket Richard with a 48-goal, 95-point outburst, and earning the first Hart Trophy votes of his career, too.
• He can charge through soft spots, deke through defenders to make space, or draw tons of attention before passing to a teammate who is wide open.
• The 6-foot-5 defender is adept at using his size to get what he wants on the ice, against junior players as well as seasoned pros.
• He has hit over a point-per-game in each of the last three seasons, including two 99+ seasons.
• The Panthers will throw the kitchen sink at him, but McDavid is just operating on another level right now.

Dylan Larkin, C, Detroit Red Wings

The LA Kings have built their defensive structure around him for well over a decade, and he is still a crucial part of their team. After getting his first full season under his belt, Byfield’s 55 points and his superstar projections earned him a big contract that will allow the LA Kings to plan ahead and have him as a staple in their top-six group. Byfield is still young at just 22 years old, and he has proven that he has the skills to take a big jump in production and could use his size as an advantage. He isn’t a physical player, but with his 6-foot-5 frame, he will learn to use it better when carrying and protecting the puck.

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• The Minnesota Wild have clearly identified Faber as their top defenseman, and moving forward they will be happy to have him there and build around him.
• He is a force on offense but don’t let that fool you, he is a hard-working defender who makes a lot of stops despite his 5-foot-11 frame.
• Entering the series, Reinhart leads the team with eight goals, including netting the overtime winner in Game 4 against the New York Rangers when the Panthers desperately needed a win.
• There are still some issues he’ll need to smooth out a bit, mainly in his decision making which can lead to turnovers under pressure and weak lackadaisical defensive positioning.
• With a 60-goal season under his belt, he has shown that he can be among the best in the league.
• Panarin hasn’t completely lived up to his monster contract, but that says more about his mega-deal rather than his production.
• Mateychuk’s production and confidence have only grown since his draft year and he’s been absolutely torching the WHL since then, and should find himself in the NHL next season with the Blue Jackets.

Once viewed as a questionable pick in the 2020 NHL draft, Shakir Mukhamadullin’s stock has consistently risen ever since. He possesses great physical qualities, but his game was very raw and needed to be refined. At 6-foot-4, 194 pounds, he’s extremely mobile and has a very smooth stride in transition, not to mention he can make a strong breakout pass to start a play. Mukhamadullin joined the San Jose Barracuda in the AHL last year and has been an excellent two-way player, one who looks more than capable of cracking the Sharks’ lineup very soon.

• He grew up in Saskatchewan, played his junior hockey there (in Moose Jaw), and will likely make the jump straight to the NHL after one final year in the WHL.
• He has always been among the most productive wingers around the league, but took a huge step this season scoring 49 goals and shattering his career-high of 31 goals before that.
• There are still several things that need to be addressed before he reaches that level, mainly his hockey sense and decision making, but he’s already come a long way and I expect he’ll make it.
• Draisaitl trails only McDavid for the most points in the playoffs with 28 in 18 games.
• Although the clear star of the show in San Jose will be Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith will be one of the most important players for the San Jose Sharks this season and their franchise going forward.

Jason Robertson, LW, Stars

He plays well in all situations, including dominating on the power play and shutting things down on the penalty kill. Sebastian Aho has quietly crept his way into the superstar-caliber player conversation. He is one of the most underrated players in the game and has a huge impact on the team each night. He has developed into a perennial Sekle Trophy candidate while also being a 70-point center.

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There is no denying that the Wild have become immensely more fun to watch since Kaprizov came over from Russia. The slippery winger dealt with injuries last year that kept him out of 15 games, but he still managed to record 40 goals and 75 points. Kaprizov has incredible vision and hands, and he has been the engine behind the Wild offense. There is very little that separates the three, so Isles fans, don’t read into it too much. Some will argue that Sorokin deserved the Vezina last year over Linus Ullmark, but it’s only a matter of when, not if, the New York goaltender earns the honor.

Zach Hyman, F, Edmonton Oilers

Infamously, he seems to be injured right around the trade deadline each year, giving the Golden Knights more cap space to add, and then he returns to the playoffs. Regardless, his defensive impacts are outstanding, and is a regular 60-point player even without playing a full season. On top of that, he has had some incredible playoff performances with Vegas, including a hat-trick in the Stanley Cup-clinching game as the captain. Since joining the Maple Leafs, John Tavares has played some of the best defensive hockey of his career.

Moritz Seider, Detroit Red Wings

The combination of his skating, shot, and quick hands makes him a really fun offensive weapon. He is agile enough that I expect he’ll be very successful on zone entries in the NHL some day, giving the Blackhawks a chance to control play in the offensive zone every time he touches the puck. He produced solid offense as a freshman in the NCAA last season, but only time will tell if he can handle a top-six workload in the NHL or if he’ll be better suited as a third-line center. Dalibor Dvorsky was very impressive in his draft year against men, playing in HockeyAllsvenskan, the second-tier Swedish professional league. He has made the move to North America and absolutely schooled the OHL last season with the Sudbury Wolves.

• The Seattle Kraken are putting in work trying to build a high-end prospect pool from scratch, and drafting Jani Nyman in the second round of the 2022 Draft was a big step in the right direction.
• Calum Ritchie has great puck skills and sometimes it looks like he’s glued the puck to his stick while carving through defenders or when he’s on a breakaway.
• In the half-decade since, he’s collected the second-most points in the league from the blue line, Roman Josi earning a pair more, albeit in far more games.
• With many awards finalists and proven playoff performers in the mix this spring, who comes out on top?
• There is still a bit more to hope for out of Eichel, but after his injuries and struggles, some time to get back on his feet was earned, and he is still an elite center.
• This season, Clarke has been the best offensive defender in the entire AHL, earning himself a callup to the NHL in January.

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Brandt Clarke boasts some of the best offensive smarts and decision-making with the puck as a defenseman in the world. Selected eighth overall in 2021, Clarke can take control of a shift or lead a rush chance whenever he’s on the ice with his skating and speed. He’s great at identifying the open lanes and attacking with force to take advantage of an opportunity.

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The New Jersey Devils and Tampa Bay Lightning lead the charge with six players each in the top 100, while the Anaheim Ducks and Philadelphia Flyers failed to get anyone on our list. Positionally, centers continue to dominate, with 34 of 100 slots and six of the top 10. Defensemen accounted for 28 of 100 spots, while nine goalies made the top 100 (and only one in the top 25). As for the wings, left wings win this round, with 18 in the top 100 compared to 11 right wings. Ullmark’s play was a big reason the Bruins broke the regular-season records for most points and wins last year. The Boston goaltender was sensational in net, leading the league in wins (48), GAA (1.89) and SV% (.938) en route to his first Vezina win.

The knock on the Maple Leafs is their playoff performances, but with Nylander, he has been one of the best players for them come the post-season. Scoring goals, going into the tough spots of the ice, and playing well defensively are all the highlights of an average game by Chris Kreider. He is the heartbeat of the forward group on the Rangers and provides leadership on and off the ice. Kreider is seventh in goals over the last three seasons, including his one and only 50-goal campaign. A big offensive step forward for Lucas Raymond has him relatively high on this list. Having a strong top-six, like Caufield, will help Raymond take an even bigger step this season.

Adding Nicklas Andrews from Colorado College, a veteran defensive defenseman in an elite conference, should help. As could adding All-USHL 2nd team/4th round pick Vladislav Lukashevich as a recruit. Although the clear star of the show in San Jose will be Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith will be one of the most important players for the San Jose Sharks this season and their franchise going forward. Expect him to dazzle and impress to make the Sharks a much more fun team this season.

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He’s a very responsible defender who shuts down tons of rush attempts with an active stick and stellar positioning. He finished the season as the second highest scoring U20 player in the league behind only Leo Carlsson and was a net-positive player even as a teenager in a very difficult professional league. Kasper then made the move to the AHL with the Grand Rapids Griffins last season, and while the transition wasn’t the smoothest, his play and production picked up significantly in the new year. Fraser Minten has developed very well since being drafted 38th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs back in the 2022 Draft.

While some will look just at the point total and question if he he reaches the level of a strong first-line center, his defensive impacts are his biggest strength. Since being acquired by the Colorado Avalanche, Devon Toews has developed into an excellent defenseman to support all of the superstars on the team. He has had impressive point totals, and incredible defending, and has earned Norris Trophy votes in three straight seasons before last season.

There may be an adjustment upsizing to a starter’s workload if they want him to play 35 games but I like that get for the Nittanys. PSU’s high-event, high-scoring style really rests on having a good goalie so if they can get this right, that’s a huge boost. Glass, but certainly not least (especially with the other Sharks on this list), we have the newest addition to the Sharks in Yaroslav Askarov. Following the theme of young prospects who want out of their current situations, Askarov asked to be traded out of Nashville after Jose Saros’ extension was signed this offseason. He proved that last season in the AHL for the Milwaukee Admirals and has the power and reaction speed to command his crease at a high level. He will undoubtedly be fighting for the starting job against Vitek Vanecek and Mackenzie Blackwood, but his ceiling as a goalie is one of the best out there.

• Minten’s first WHL season after being drafted was a great showcase for his shot and his compete level, with Minten becoming a very important forechecker and defensive forward for the Kamloops Blazers.
• As the team pushed closer to making the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons, Larkin was injured and the team fell apart in his absence.
• Luchanko reads plays really well and has that knack for timing and finding openings in defensive coverage that is difficult to teach.
• After he was acquired by the Panthers last summer, he emerged as the face of the franchise, posting his second consecutive 100-point season.

William Wallinder, LD, Detroit Red Wings

He has all the talent and the résumé to prove he can have a breakout year and become a core piece of the Flames’ future. Throughout Florida’s Stanley Cup run in 2023, Matthew Tkachuk constantly rose to the occasion, and nothing has changed this time around. Tkachuk currently leads the Panthers in points (19) during the Stanley Cup Playoffs with five goals and a team-high 14 assists. The veteran forward has thrived on the power-play throughout the postseason with a team-high six power-play assists thus far. Tkachuk plays with an ample amount of physicality, and will likely do his best to get under the skin of the opposition. He also has no problem making his living around the net on the offensive end of the ice.

His superb skating allows him to break down opposing defenses before making his move and charging to the middle or making a clever pass to an open teammate. Mateychuk’s production and confidence have only grown since his draft year and he’s been absolutely torching the WHL since then, and should find himself in the NHL next season with the Blue Jackets. Jett Luchanko is going to be a fan favorite in the NHL someday, with an impressive tenacity and work ethic. Luchanko has good skill with the puck and skates quite well, making him a dangerous player with the puck in transition. However, he’s always willing to give up some of the glory by making another pass and finding a better option if it’s there.

He can break up plays, make a brilliant break-out pass, carry the puck on his own, and work wonders in the offensive zone. There is an argument for the best defenseman behind Makar, but after the season he just had, having Hughes here makes sense. Adam Fox is one of the best defensemen in the game, and on top of his offensive skills, he has great defending skills as well.

Cale Makar, a defenseman with remarkable offensive talents, continues to impress with his vision and ability to control the game from the blue line, earning accolades and respect from fans and peers alike. The Edmonton blue liner’s 27 points only trail McDavid and Draisaitl out of all players, but it’s already the fifth-most points in a single playoff by a defenseman of all time. His six goals put him in a tie for the lead at his position in 2024, while his 21 assists rank second out of all skaters. Bouchard’s thunderous slap shot at the point makes him an exceptional weapon on the Edmonton power play, as he creates tons of offensive chances for the team. On top of all that, his 140 shot attempts are the most this postseason out of all skaters. He’s a center with a June birthday, meaning he’s one of the youngest players from the 2024 draft class, and will be just 18 years old for his entire rookie season in the NHL.

He was so good, in fact, that he has made the choice to enter the NCAA early, playing as a 17-year-old for Boston University last season. His play in the NCAA was wildly impressive, with him already establishing himself as the best player in all of college hockey. Celebrini’s performance for Team Canada at the 2024 World Juniors was borderline dominant, and he was their best player in the entire tournament despite being a double-underager. His first-touch passing has improved, making him a more dangerous puck carrier in his own end, and his defensive decision making has made him a serious threat on defense. Lamoureux looks like a future NHLer to me at this point, though his offensive play at the pro level will likely decide his ultimate ceiling. Thankfully, his treatment and recovery have been going well and he returned to play the following season.

The Winnipeg goaltender was in trade rumors this offseason after the two sides could not come together to a contract extension, but he’s still their starting goaltender entering this year. The tall UMass Lowell product has been a workhorse for years, and it was no different last year, leading the league in starts while finishing third in Vezina voting. The days of being a perennial MVP candidate may be in https://gambibet.org/ the rearview mirror, but the Great 8 is still as entertaining as ever at age 38. He lit the lamp 42 times last season, passing Wayne Gretzky for the most 40-goal season in NHL history with 13. After moving into second on the all-time goal list last year, Ovechkin remains on the hunt for Gretzky’s record. Aho’s rise among the NHL elite took a bit of a bump last year, as he regressed from 81 points to 67.

I do think he’s a solid defender when he’s properly engaged, cutting off passes and angling opponents toward the boards. Parekh is a remarkable talent, with Quinn Hughes-like offensive upside if things go well, but the defensive end is in need of some real work. He’s talented enough and looked strong enough defensively in the Memorial Cup  that I think he’ll figure it out in the NHL though, if given enough time. Shane Wright’s biggest obstacle since being drafted has been the NHL/CHL agreement but he was granted an exception last year so he could compete in the AHL despite not being officially eligible.

He has emerged into a 40+ goal and 90+ point center on the Lightning since taking over the top-line role from Steven Stamkos. Not only can he produce, but he has also received votes for the Lady Byng and Selke Trophies throughout his young career. Like Reinhart, a big breakout year from Hyman in terms of goal-scoring shot him up this list pretty high. Now that he has 90 goals and 160 points over the past two seasons, he has proven that he is a perfect fit with the big names on the Oilers like McDavid and Draisaitl, and compliments their game very well. After a very long and successful career with the Lightning, Steven Stamkos has moved on and joined the Predators. He was one of the best goal-scorers for the last decade and a half, one of the best leaders in the game, and still brings a ton of offense every night.

Hyman has turned himself into a net-front menace, and that hasn’t changed in the playoffs, no matter how hard other teams have tried to neutralize him. Hyman leads all playoff performers with 14 goals, and the Panthers better have an answer for him in the low slot, especially when Edmonton is on the man advantage. Sergei Bobrovsky really thrived throughout the Panthers’ series win against the Rangers. Bobrosvsky yielded two or fewer goals in five of his six starts in that series and compiled a 2.00 goals-against-average even after surrendering five goals in Game 3 against New York. According to Money Puck, Bobrovsky has registered a .960 save percentage when facing unblocked shots throughout the postseason.

But if they fade again in the second half, Hastings will be under the microscope again. Logan Stankoven wowed many NHL fans in the playoffs with his ability to step up and score immediately for the Dallas Stars. He has already demonstrated at the AHL level that he is one of the best players and is ready to jump to the NHL. A pure goal scorer by definition, he could easily notch 25 to 30 goals this season, playing in Dallas’s top-six forward group and their power play. He is surrounded by a ton of veteran talent that will put him in the best position to succeed while also being on an incredibly talented roster that could go deep into the playoffs. Oliver Moore was the best skater from the 2023 draft class with blazing speed and excellent agility.

Like the other elite, young blue-liners who’ve lit up the league over the past few seasons, it took only one night under the bright lights of the NHL for the hockey world to see that Makar was something special. He was quick and rangy and daring right from the start, scoring his first goal in his first game, in the post-season no less. In the half-decade since, he’s collected the second-most points in the league from the blue line, Roman Josi earning a pair more, albeit in far more games. On paper, it may be difficult to pull apart why exactly Makar stands out from the other new-school rovers in the league, the Hugheses and the Foxes.

Gavin Brindley is a 5-foot-9 forward who was excellent in the NCAA as an 18-year-old freshman in his draft year. Brindley’s combination of speed and effort will make him a very flexible player who can fill in whatever role is needed of him, which has earned him lots of ice time. He is a coach’s dream as a player with great skills on both sides of the puck and a never-quit mentality. Brindley was phenomenal at the 2024 World Juniors where he was often one of the best and hardest working American players each and every game. It’s impressive to see teenaged players competing at the professional level against grown men, even just for a couple of games.

I’m very excited to see this team on the ice, not necessarily because I think they’ll be better than recent years but because I do think they’ll be more interesting. After several years of having a gigantic talent advantage (especially at F) against nearly anyone they played, this Michigan team doesn’t have quite the same level of firepower. I am not sure we’ll have a 20-goal scorer on this team, as this one is less about the blue chip scoring talent and more about being able to build multiple scoring lines with a veteran defense behind them. Different than the mold we’re used to, which is why it should be a barometer of how adaptable this coaching staff is. The number one pick of the 2024 NHL entry draft, Macklin Celebrini, is already looking to be a huge favorite for the Calder trophy at the season’s end.

It’s what he did in the half-decade after that, when his Penguins era seemed to have run its course, the captain turning trade chatter into back-to-back Stanley Cups, and back-to-back Conn Smythe trophies. And over the past two campaigns, it’s what Crosby’s done again, putting up a pair of 90-point seasons — and the third-best goal-scoring effort of his career — as he approaches his 40s. He’s upped the ante even more of late, growing into peak form over the past two seasons with a pair of 100-point campaigns and 97 goals over that span, too. In that two-year stretch, only two wingers in the league have managed to outscore Rantanen, and only one’s managed to rack up more goals than the Colorado stalwart. Now, entering the final year of his contract, all eyes will be on whether the Avs and the veteran Finn can agree on a deal that keeps him in Denver long-term. There is a legitimate argument to have Auston Matthews as high as number two on this list.