The best NHL player at every age, from 18 to 40

The NHL has never had more young talent breaking through. And somehow, several legends in their late 30s are still going strong.

The gap between the league’s oldest and youngest impact players has rarely felt wider — or more entertaining. On one end, teenagers fresh out of junior and college hockey are already producing at a near-elite level. On the other, players well into their 30s are still winning trophies and carrying franchises, showing no signs of slowing down. In between, there’s a stacked group of former No. 1 picks, Norris and Hart Trophy winners, and rising stars all fighting for the title of best in their age bracket.

Here, The Hockey Beast lists the best player at every age, from 18 to 40, as of September 2nd, 2026.

The best NHL players by age

18: Gavin McKenna, Toronto Maple Leafs
McKenna went No. 1 overall in the 2026 NHL Draft, and it’s easy to see why. His vision and hockey IQ are already considered elite, even though he had some inconsistent stretches during his draft season playing college hockey at Penn State. Long term, few expect that to matter much — his ceiling is considered the highest in his draft class.

19: Matthew Schaefer, New York Islanders
Schaefer’s rookie season was one for the history books — he became just the third September-born player ever to hit 50 points at age 18, joining Nathan MacKinnon and Brian Bellows in that club. His offensive game nearly carried the Islanders to a playoff spot on its own. Some regression in the goal column may be coming, but he’s the clear top talent in his age group.

20: Macklin Celebrini, San Jose Sharks
Celebrini’s 115 points in 82 games came with some help from unsustainable finishing around him. But his overall impact on the ice is on another level regardless. San Jose spent the offseason adding veteran defensemen like Jacob Trouba and Darnell Nurse specifically to take some defensive pressure off their young core, which should let Celebrini focus even more on driving the offense.

21: Connor Bedard, Chicago Blackhawks
Bedard broke out in a major way last season, hitting 30 goals and 75 points in just 69 games despite missing time with a shoulder injury — a scoring pace well ahead of anyone else his age. It capped off his three-year entry-level contract, and he signed a five-year, $75 million extension on the back of it, taking on a bigger leadership role in Chicago after being named an alternate captain. The Blackhawks are still a ways off from contending, but Bedard’s individual trajectory is unmistakable.

22: Lane Hutson, Montreal Canadiens
Hutson tied the rookie record for assists by a defenseman two years ago, and last season he somehow got even better — 78 points in 82 games, plus a defensive game that went from a weakness to a genuine strength. He finished sixth in Norris Trophy voting, and plenty of people think he deserved more. Montreal has a true building block on its hands.

23: Wyatt Johnston, Dallas Stars
Johnston led the entire NHL in power-play goals last season with 27, making him arguably the league’s most dangerous man-advantage weapon at any age. His even-strength game slipped a bit, which is the one thing keeping other 23-year-olds in the conversation. Still, his track record makes him the clear choice here.

24: Jake Sanderson, Ottawa Senators
Sanderson is already one of the best two-way defensemen in hockey, and he’s only getting started. He finished 10th in Norris Trophy voting last season with 54 points and a plus-16 rating, despite missing 15 games. Staying healthy is the only thing standing between him and a real Norris campaign.

25: Moritz Seider, Detroit Red Wings
The numbers behind Seider’s performance last season are staggering — Detroit was a plus-18 in goal differential with him on the ice at even strength, and a minus-42 when he sat. He added 60 points on top of arguably being the league’s best shutdown defenseman. It’s a controversial pick for the spot, but the results speak for themselves.

26: Quinn Hughes, Minnesota Wild
Hughes struggled early in Vancouver before a trade to Minnesota completely reset his season. Once he arrived, he was back to Norris-caliber form, posting 53 points in just 48 games while logging nearly 28 minutes a night. Having him on the roster alongside Kirill Kaprizov gave the Wild arguably the league’s best top-of-the-lineup one-two punch.

27: Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
Makar remains the gold standard for offensive defensemen in the modern NHL, blending elite skating with the kind of shot and vision that make him a threat every time he touches the puck. He signed a record-setting eight-year, $163.2 million extension this offseason — not just the richest deal ever for a defenseman, but the highest-paid contract for any player in NHL history, period. Colorado’s entire structure is built around letting him do what he does best.

28: Adam Fox, New York Rangers
Fox isn’t flashy, and he doesn’t have blazing speed, but his results at both ends of the ice are as good as any defenseman in the league. A 27-game injury absence contributed to a miserable season in New York, one that ended with the Rangers missing the playoffs for a second straight year and finishing near the bottom of the entire league. That’s exactly why New York went aggressive this offseason, adding Pavel Dorofeyev, Sean Durzi, and Marcus Pettersson in hopes of building back around Fox and Igor Shesterkin.

29: Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
McDavid won his sixth career Art Ross Trophy last season, putting up 138 points on 48 goals and 90 assists across all 82 games. He also set a career high in average ice time, logging just under 23 minutes a night. With Mike Babcock now behind the bench, his usage could look a little different this season.

30: Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
Draisaitl finished second in Hart Trophy voting two seasons ago. His follow-up act was impressive, recording 35 goals and 62 assists in 65 games — only injuries stopped him from reaching greater heights. Few players in hockey can match his combination of size, hands, and playmaking vision.

31: Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
While he didn’t win any major awards aside from the mandatory Rocket Richard Trophy for leading the league in goals, MacKinnon had a case as the NHL’s best player last season. With 53 goals, 127 points, a plus-57 rating, and over 22 minutes a night, the production and workload were remarkable. It’s not the popular pick, but there’s a very good argument he’s the most valuable player in hockey.

32: Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning
Vasilevskiy led the league in wins for the sixth time in his career and brought home his second Vezina Trophy, finishing with 39 wins, a .911 save percentage, and a 2.31 goals-against average. There’s no sign of decline here — he remains one of the most athletic, technically sound goaltenders in the sport.

33: Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning
Kucherov started slow but exploded from mid-November on, finishing with 44 goals and 86 assists for 130 points, good enough for his second career Hart Trophy. He and Wayne Gretzky are the only players in history with four straight 80-assist seasons — and Gretzky did it in his 20s. What Kucherov is doing at 33 is genuinely unprecedented.

34: Mark Stone, Vegas Golden Knights
Even in an injury-shortened season, Stone was arguably the best two-way winger in hockey, putting up 73 points in just 60 games while grading out as an elite defensive forward. Vegas’ fortunes are tied directly to his health at this point. When he’s on the ice, few wingers in the league impact the game as completely.

35: Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
Hedman continues to be one of the most complete defensemen in hockey, combining size, mobility, and offensive instincts in a package few blueliners in league history have matched. He’s been the backbone of Tampa Bay’s defense for over a decade, with two Stanley Cup titles to show for it, and remains a legitimate Norris-caliber presence. His two-way impact and track record put him a level above other 35-year-olds in the league.

36: Erik Karlsson, Pittsburgh Penguins
At 36 years old, Erik Karlsson is one of the premier pure offensive defensemen in the NHL. He is extremely dangerous with the puck, and that showed in the points department, where he finished with 66 in 75 games. Karlsson’s defense improved enough to where he was able to finish ninth in Norris Trophy voting, and Pittsburgh relies on him heavily, giving him over 23 minutes a night.

37: Ryan McDonagh, Tampa Bay Lightning
McDonagh is exactly what a No. 4-5 defenseman should look like at this stage of a career — reliable, physical, and still capable of chipping in offensively. He posted 21 points and a plus-14 rating in 48 games last season, though his defensive numbers took a step back from the year before. His leadership and shot-blocking remain as valuable as ever.

38: Brad Marchand, Florida Panthers
Marchand’s game looked like it was starting to slow two seasons ago, right before he caught fire in the playoffs and won a Stanley Cup. Last season he brought that vintage scoring touch back to the regular season, putting up 27 goals and 27 assists in just 52 games. He isn’t the two-way force he once was, but as a pure offensive weapon, he’s still delivering at 38.

39: Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
It’s hard to believe Crosby is 39, but his game hasn’t lost much of its edge. He put up 74 points in 68 games last season and now sits at 1,960 combined regular-season and playoff points for his career — just 40 shy of the 2,000 mark, a milestone he should reach early in 2026-27 barring injury.

40: Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins
Malkin played a major role in getting the Penguins back into the postseason, putting up 61 points in 56 games with strong results at even strength and on the power play. His defensive game has slipped, as expected at this stage of a career, but his offensive instincts remain sharp. His run in Pittsburgh may not last much longer, but it’s been a legendary one.

Add The Hockey Beast to your Google News feed

The best NHL players by age

Recent