Entering the 2023-24 season, players from the ages of 18 through 40 will be represented in the NHL. Which player is the best for each individual age?
18 Years Old: Connor Bedard, Forward
Unlike most seasons, we could actually see quite a few 18-year-old players have their debuts in the NHL in 2023-24. It is pretty clear that Connor Bedard stands above them all, however.
Drafted first overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2023 NHL Draft, Bedard should be on his way to superstar status. At just 18 years of age, this season will likely be him at his worst. If he produces at a first-line level despite being so early in his career, he will likely dominate the league for years to come. His shot is already one of the best in the NHL today.
Honorable Mentions: Adam Fantilli, Leo Carlsson
19 Years Old: Logan Cooley, Forward
Again, there aren’t too many 19-year-old players to choose from to represent the best player for the age group. While a few have already played in the NHL, there is a lot of hope for Logan Cooley. These high hopes are warranted.
The American centerman could be exactly what the Arizona Coyotes need to get their team moved in the right direction. His skill is obvious, and he has the hockey IQ to be a gifted NHL player as soon as this season. After finishing as a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award for the best player in college hockey, he could make some magic happen at the professional level.
Honorable Mentions: Shane Wright, Juraj Slafkovsky
20 Years Old: Matty Beniers, Forward
Matty Beniers might not be the most dynamic offensive talent at this stage of his career, but he is already one of the more well-rounded players in the league. Winning the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s best rookie last season, there is still room for growth in the young forward.
The second-overall selection of the 2021 NHL Draft is already doing wonders for the Seattle Kraken. He is one of the better two-way players in the game and could certainly improve on his 57-point showing in his most recent campaign. There is significant potential for him to become a consistent star player in the NHL.
Honorable Mentions: Mason McTavish, Wyatt Johnston
21 Years Old: Tim Stutzle, Forward
Despite being so young, Tim Stutzle is one of the most exciting players to watch in the entirety of the NHL. His speed, poise, hands, and shot are all among the league’s best. He might be headed for his best season yet in 2023-24.
After scoring 39 goals and 51 assists last season, Stutzle could be due for more. He has done nothing but improve as his NHL career has progressed, so he could take the jump into superstardom. If his Ottawa Senators fancy themselves as contenders, they might need him to take that step.
Honorable Mentions: Jake Sanderson, Dawson Mercer
22 Years Old: Jack Hughes, Forward
Jack Hughes, much like Stutzle, is a speedy centerman who has deadly skill. With how he performed last season for the New Jersey Devils, he might be one of the faces of the NHL for years to come.
For the first time, Hughes proved over the course of a full season why he deserved to be selected with the first-overall pick in the 2019 NHL draft. After a disappointing first two seasons, it would have been easy to write him off. Since then, he has been one of the best players in the league.
In his 2021-22 campaign, he missed nearly half of his season due to injury, but he was starting to show that he was a star. With 56 points in 49 games, he was showing signs of improvement. In 2022-23, his 99 points in 78 games put him among the top scorers in the league. In 2023-24, he might have potential for more.
Honorable Mentions: Moritz Seider, Cole Caufield
23 Years Old: Rasmus Dahlin, Defenseman
At just 23 years of age, Rasmus Dahlin is one of the best defensemen in the entire NHL. Though he finished just eighth in Norris Trophy voting last season, there is an argument to be made that he should have been a finalist for the award or perhaps even the winner. Regardless, there is still room for him to grow entering his sixth season in the league.
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Now that Dahlin and the Buffalo Sabres have legitimate playoff expectations entering 2023-24, there might be even more expected out of him. With him being elite in his own end and coupling that with 73 points in 78 games, it’s not unrealistic for him to win a Norris Trophy sometime soon.
Honorable Mentions: Quinn Hughes, Andrei Svechnikov
24 Years Old: Cale Makar, Defenseman
Cale Makar’s status around the league might have dropped a bit following him missing a quarter of his season due to mounting injuries, but he is still the most electric defenseman in hockey and one of the best players, too. If he can stay healthy, he is sure to have an impact.
Winning both the Norris Trophy and the Conn Smythe Trophy in the 2021-22 season, Makar already has a Hall of Fame resumé. In each of the four seasons of his career, he has finished in the top 10 in Norris Trophy voting and is a three-time all-star.
Makar is the best defenseman of the 2017 NHL draft class by a decent margin. By the end of his career, he could go down as one of the best defensemen of all time.
Honorable Mentions: Elias Pettersson, Jason Robertson
25 Years Old: Matthew Tkachuk, Forward
Following a 104-point season with the Calgary Flames, Matthew Tkachuk did it again in a completely different situation. Backing up his tremendous season with an even better 109-point campaign in the regular season and a Stanley Cup Final appearance to boot with the Florida Panthers, there should be no doubt that he is one of the best players in the league.
Tkachuk proved that his 2021-22 season was no fluke. Since the start of the new year on Jan. 1, 2023, he has had more points in the regular season and postseason combined than anyone other than the next player on this list. Tkachuk’s consistency makes him the best player aged 25, and he is still going strong.
Honorable Mentions: Adam Fox, Tage Thompson
26 Years Old: Connor McDavid, Forward
In what should be a surprise to no one, Connor McDavid is the best 26-year-old player in the NHL. He has helped transform a lowly Edmonton Oilers organization into one of the best teams in the league almost by himself. It’s certainly early, but there could be a real case for him being the best player in NHL history by the time he chooses to hang up the skates.
McDavid’s accolades are some of the most impressive ever. In eight seasons in the NHL, he has led the league in scoring five times, won the Hart Trophy three times, won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy once, and led the playoffs in scoring once despite never winning a game in the Western Conference Final in his entire career. In addition, he put up the first 150-point season since Mario Lemieux did it in 1995-96.
McDavid is poised to win a championship at some point, and it could be soon. He is the main reason why the Oilers will have a shot.
Honorable Mentions: Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner
27 Years Old: Leon Draisaitl, Forward
McDavid’s teammate, Leon Draisaitl, also happens to be one of the best players in the NHL. Perhaps he gets overlooked since he plays on McDavid’s team, because his 128-point finish in 2022-23 is tied for the most the league has seen in the 21st century.
His regular season was terrific, but the playoffs were where the German forward was at his best. In just 12 games, he accumulated 13 goals and 18 points. His domination of the Los Angeles Kings in the first round helped cement him as one of the top players in the game. That play should continue, and he will be a key to the Oilers’ success in 2023-24.
Honorable Mentions: David Pastrnak, Igor Shesterkin
28 Years Old: Nathan MacKinnon, Forward
Nathan MacKinnon, coming off his best season in terms of points, has consistently been one of the top players in the NHL over the course of the 2020s. The superstar already has a Stanley Cup to his name and is one of the most explosive players in the league currently.
With 111 points in 71 games, MacKinnon finished the 2022-23 season ranked fifth in terms of scoring. He has helped change the culture around the Colorado Avalanche from where it was not too long ago.
Honorable Mentions: Juuse Saros, Ilya Sorokin
29 Years Old: Andrei Vasilevskiy, Goaltender
Andrei Vasilevskiy, who has two Stanley Cups, a Vezina Trophy, and a Conn Smythe to his name, all before reaching the age of 30, has some of the most accolades out of any goaltender in the league. He is still one of the league’s best.
Of the analytics era, Vasilevskiy has been the best goaltender in the NHL. In terms of goals saved above expected (GSAx), which started being tracked in 2008-09, he is the best netminder in the stat. With a GSAx of 150.1 so far in his career, he still has quite some time to expand his lead before his play drops.
Honorable Mentions: Devon Toews, Hampus Lindholm
30 Years Old: Nikita Kucherov, Forward
After a wild 83-assist season in 2022-23, Nikita Kucherov is clearly the best 30-year-old athlete in the NHL. With 580 points in his last six seasons, totaling just 433 games, he is still at his best.
Kucherov missed the entirety of the 2020-21 season, then went on to dominate the playoffs that year and finish with a league-high 32 points en route to his second Stanley Cup. Not even injuries can stop him, and he seems to be getting healthier, playing in every single game last season.
Honorable Mentions: Linus Ullmark, Connor Hellebuyck
31 Years Old: Artemi Panarin, Forward
In his time with the New York Rangers over the last four seasons, Artemi Panarin has unlocked his potential. With 341 points in his 268 games with the team, he has been a fantastic offensive producer every season.
His 113-point pace in each of his first two seasons as a Ranger might not be a realistic possibility anymore, but he is still producing. He is dynamic as ever and worth every penny of the seven-year, $81.5 million mega-deal he earned in the 2018-19 offseason.
Honorable Mentions: Zach Hyman, Jeff Skinner
32 Years Old: Victor Hedman, Defenseman
Victor Hedman might be exiting his prime shortly, but he is still the best 32-year-old in the NHL. The first-pairing defender has been a steady force for the Lightning for several years and has time to continue to be so.
For his standards, Hedman’s 2022-23 season was not truly the best he was capable of. You’d have to go back to 2015-16 to find a point pace lower than what he had last season, and he wasn’t necessarily at his peak in the defensive end, either. With a new year ahead of him, he should be great once again.
Honorable Mentions: Chris Kreider, Jonathan Marchessault
33 Years Old: Roman Josi, Defenseman
Even though he missed some time due to injury, Roman Josi is still the same defenseman as he always was. A superstar offensively and still very solid defensively, he is still very valuable to the Nashville Predators.
After a 96-point season in 2021-22, don’t be fooled by his 59-point campaign last season in 67 games. He is still driving offense, and he is one of the best offensive defensemen in the entire league. He is still very well-rounded, and thus is the best 33-year-old player in a very competitive race.
Honorable Mentions: Erik Karlsson, Steven Stamkos
34 Years Old: Jamie Benn, Forward
For the Dallas Stars, the progression of Jamie Benn last season virtually came out of nowhere. He went from a fine producer with one of the NHL’s worst contracts, earning $9.5 million annually against his team’s salary cap, to one of the most efficient players in the league in just one season.
Benn had 78 points last season, even though he was averaging just 15:47 of ice time on the year. Limiting his time might be key to his success in the future, but this limits his ceiling, as well. On a team as talented from top to bottom as the Stars, he still has a chance to win a Stanley Cup despite a hefty contract.
Honorable Mentions: Logan Couture, Mikael Backlund
35 Years Old: Brad Marchand, Forward
Solely judging based on last season, it could be argued that Marchand falls out of the number one spot here. Ultimately, a down year offensively should not be held against him.
Marchand’s game is one that has aged like a fine wine. He was at his peak by the time he entered his 30s, and has been one of the best players in the league each year since. His 2022-23 season was rough offensively to his standards, but 67 points in 73 games is still terrific, especially for his age. Now the captain of the Boston Bruins, he should be motivated to show why he got it in the first place.
Honorable Mentions: Claude Giroux, Sergei Bobrovsky
36 Years Old: Sidney Crosby, Forward
Sidney Crosby’s game has aged incredibly well over the course of his career, which started when he was just 18. “Sid the Kid” might have a career that is winding down, but he is still just as dominant.
Crosby has done virtually everything in the NHL. He has won several awards, won multiple Stanley Cups, has led the league in goals, assists, and points at one point or another, and has never had a season below point per game pace. He is one of the NHL’s greatest players ever.
Honorable Mentions: Anze Kopitar, Kris Letang
37 Years Old: Evgeni Malkin, Forward
With only two other 37-year-old players in the NHL today, Evgeni Malkin is still the best player in his age group. Last season, he played the first full season of his career since 2008-09, showing that he could definitely stick around for quite some time.
Malkin scored 83 points last season and is not slowing down much at all. He might have spent a lot of his career in Crosby’s shadow, but the Penguin will surely go down as one of the best ever in team history.
Honorable Mention: Blake Wheeler, Jonathan Quick
38 Years Old: Alexander Ovechkin, Forward
At the age of 38, Alexander Ovechkin is still scoring like he has throughout his entire career. Entering 2023-24 just 72 goals shy of Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894 in a career, he should break the all-time record in two seasons’ time. Today, he is legendary, but he could soon advance his status.
Ovechkin has spent almost all of his career being compared to Crosby. It is natural to compare the two greatest stars of a generation, but that is an unfair battle. The captain of the Washington Capitals will go down as perhaps the best goal scorer in NHL history. That will be his legacy.
Honorable Mentions: Brent Burns, Marc-Andre Fleury
39 Years Old: Joe Pavelski, Forward
Joe Pavelski is the second-oldest active player in the NHL, yet he is still arguably at his very best. He has aged incredibly well and has shown no signs of slowing down. A first-line player on a championship contender in the Stars, his career projection is admirable.
Pavelski is the same two-way goal scorer as he always was. They might have slowed down a little bit from where they were when he was younger, but he actually put up his two best campaigns in terms of assists in 2021-22 and in 2022-23, with 54 and 49 in each year. Receiving Selke Trophy votes for the best defensive forward in the NHL in each of his last three seasons, he is a top player in the league and the only one who is 39 years of age.
40 Years Old: Mark Giordano, Defenseman
It might come as a bit of a surprise, but Mark Giordano is the oldest active player in the NHL, so he gets sole rights for this spot. He’s not a terrible choice for it either, as his game has aged rather well.
Giordano, who won the Norris Trophy in 2018-19, might not be at that level anymore, but he is still on a bargain contract with the final year of his two-year, $1.6 million deal. He has had a strange career in terms of where his best years came, as all of his award consideration came when he was in his 30s. For a player his age, he is still a very useful defenseman. Yearning for a Stanley Cup to cap off his long career, he is on a team equipped to get one.
Hockey is a hard sport to predict sometimes, with players young and old having breakout seasons seemingly out of nowhere. A surprising amount of longevity exists in the sport, and some players are able to hold their age group hostage their entire career as the best players of that age.
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