The top 100 hockey players aged 21-and-under feature some current NHLers and top prospects ranked 61st to 80th.
The Hockey News' Prospects Unlimited issue's annual ranking of hockey's youngest talent is compiled by Ryan Kennedy, and while he uses our Future Watch rankings as a resource, this is a completely independent compilation.
Future Watch is based on a survey of NHL scouts, while the PU Top 100 is cobbled together by Kennedy based on his projections of what the players will be once they hit their primes.
Since different positions have different prime years, take that to mean we are projecting how good these forwards will be when they are 23 or 24 years old, the defensemen when they are 24 or 25 and the goalies when they are 25 or 26.
The birth year cutoff for this year’s list is 2004. Ages noted are as of Oct. 1.
As we share the top 100 list on TheHockeyNews.com, you can see the full list with player bios and draft information for each of them right now by being a subscriber to The Hockey News and accessing the Archive or by opening the magazine if you've already received it in your mailbox.
Catch up on the players ranked 81st to 100th. Here's the next batch.
80. Matthew Wood, LW, 20 years old, Nashville Predators
Nashville (NHL)
79. Carter Bear, LW, 18, Detroit Red Wings
Everett (WHL)
78. Liam Greentree, RW, 19, Los Angeles Kings
Windsor (OHL)
77. Jani Nyman, RW, 21, Seattle Kraken
Seattle (NHL)
76. Carter Yakemchuk, D, 20, Ottawa Senators
Belleville (AHL)
75. Caleb Malhotra, C, 17, Brantford Bulldogs (OHL)
NHL Draft: 2026
74. Joshua Ravensbergen, G, 18, San Jose Sharks
Prince George (WHL)
73. Sacha Boisvert, C, 19, Chicago Blackhawks
Boston University (HE)
72. Joakim Kemell, RW, 21, Nashville Predators
Milwaukee (AHL)
71. Daxon Rudolph, D, 17, Prince Albert Raiders
NHL Draft: 2026
A student of the game on and off the ice, Daxon Rudolph is always eager to learn and hone his craft. With the trajectory he is on right now, it may not be long before he’s schooling NHL opponents. Go to the full feature on Rudolph by clicking here.
70. Bradly Nadeau, LW, 20, Carolina Hurricanes
Chicago (AHL)
69. Kashawn Aitcheson, D, 19, New York Islanders
Barrie (OHL)
68. Jaako Wycisk, C, 16, Guelph Storm (OHL)
NHL Draft: 2027
67. Matt Savoie, C, 21, Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton (NHL)
66. Shane Wright, C, 21, Seattle Kraken
Seattle (NHL)
65. Tom Willander, D, 20, Vancouver Canucks
Abbotsford (AHL)
64. Braeden Cootes, C, 18, Vancouver Canucks
Seattle (WHL)
63. Michael Hage, C, 19, Montreal Canadiens
Michigan (Big Ten)
62. Cole Eiserman, LW, 19, New York Islanders
Boston Univ. (Big Ten)
61. Viggo Bjorck, C, 17, Djurgarden IF (Swe.)
NHL Draft: 2026
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