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Identifying fantasy hockey breakout candidates on draft day is an excellent way to find value in the later rounds and win fantasy league championships. For the 2025-26 season, I decided to narrow the scope by excluding first- and second-year skaters from the equation. Still, there will be plenty of youth on display, as they are poised to take the next step after gaining some valuable NHL experience.

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They find themselves in favourable positions to receive increased roles in the upcoming campaign and should make significant impacts. 

Logan Cooley: Key Fantasy Asset for Utah Mammoth

Cooley made plenty of progress in his sophomore season, earning 25 goals and 40 assists in 75 appearances after collecting 44 points across 82 outings in his rookie campaign. He is already well on his way toward becoming a star, and he should find another gear in 2025-26. After spending most of the first half of the year on the second line, he performed exceptionally well alongside Clayton Keller on the top combination in the second half of 2024-25.

The 21-year-old Cooley will likely lock down the team's No. 1 center role this season, and the increase in responsibilities, including more minutes in power-play situations, should improve his statistics. He has 30-goal upside and should comfortably surpass the 70-point plateau.  

Matthew Knies: Rising Star for Toronto Maple Leafs

Following his promotion to the top line, Knies made significant strides in the 2024-25 season. He compiled 29 goals, 58 points, 153 shots on net and 182 hits in 78 matches. While his 19.1 shooting percentage may seem high, it is realistically sustainable. The majority of his chances were high-danger ones around the front of the goal, and he will get plenty of opportunities in the 2025-26 campaign with linemate Auston Matthews funnelling pucks toward opposing goaltenders. The 22-year-old Knies plays a physical game, which enhances his value in banger leagues. He will log big minutes and could flirt with the 70-point mark.  

Leo Carlsson: Promising Talent for Anaheim Ducks

After being brought along slowly during his rookie year, Carlsson became a regular in the lineup in the 2024-25 campaign. His scoring rates improved despite reductions in shots per 60 minutes and average ice time per contest. However, he should remedy those concerns this season. He will likely see playing time in all situations for the Ducks. He stands a good chance of cementing himself as a go-to producer, whether he skates alongside veterans Chris Kreider, Alex Killorn and Troy Terry, or plays with fellow emerging talents like Cutter Gauthier and Mason McTavish. The 20-year-old Carlsson supplied 20 goals, 45 points and 114 shots on target across 76 appearances last season. The No. 2 selection in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft has the potential to jump over the 60-point mark this campaign. 

William Eklund: Emerging Playmaker for San Jose Sharks

Eklund registered a team-high 41 assists and ranked second on the Sharks with 58 points and 16 power-play points in 77 appearances last season. His 2024-25 performance marked a significant leap forward after he had 45 points across 80 contests in the 2023-24 campaign. He got a lift from having rookie sensation Macklin Celebrini and Tyler Toffoli, the latter of which joined the team via free agency in July of 2024. The 22-year-old Eklund still has room to grow further, and a 20-goal and 60-plus point effort is well within his reach. He still has one more season remaining on his entry-level contract, but after signing a three-year, $16.8 million contract in the summer, he will be part of the team's exciting young core for the foreseeable future.  

Adam Fantilli: A Top Fantasy Prospect in Columbus

In his sophomore season last year, Fantilli tied for the team lead with 31 goals and ranked third on the Blue Jackets with 48 even-strength points. When Sean Monahan went down with a wrist injury, Fantilli moved up to the top line and racked up 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists) in 28 games.

The 20-year-old Fantilli remained hot down the stretch, netting 10 goals on 35 shots and adding two assists in 13 outings. While he's unlikely to maintain that level of shooting prowess over the course of a full season, he has considerable fantasy appeal going into his third NHL season. He is a valuable top-six forward on a Columbus team that tied for seventh in the league in goals per game (3.26) last campaign. He also earned 113 hits, making him a burgeoning banger-league keeper. If he gets an increased role on the man advantage this campaign, he could cross into the 60-point plateau. 

Cole Perfetti: Rising Stock in Fantasy Leagues

Perfetti posted career highs in 2024-25, racking up 32 assists, 50 points, 143 shots on goal and 71 hits across all 82 regular-season contests. He also clocked a personal-best average ice time of 15:11 per game, which seems likely to climb even higher in 2025-26 after Nikolaj Ehlers departed for the Carolina Hurricanes via free agency. Perfetti's five-on-five production will be interesting to monitor, especially if he plays alongside newcomers Jonathan Toews and Gustav Nyquist. Still, there is a great deal to like about Perfetti's fantasy upside this campaign, especially if he secures a spot on the top power-play combination. He could be within the 60-70 point range. 

Will Cuylle: Fantasy Potential with the New York Rangers

Cuylle made a name for himself in fantasy formats that favor physical play by ranking fourth in the NHL with 301 hits last season. He also generated 20 goals, 45 points, 152 shots on net and 50 blocked shots in 82 games. After collecting nine goals and 18 points in 21 contests during a hot start to the 2024-25 campaign, he slowed down drastically amid the Rangers' struggles. However, he managed to provide 12 points, including nine helpers, in 20 outings to conclude the year. He logged most of his playing time down the stretch with J.T. Miller, Mika Zibanejad, Vincent Trocheck and Artemi Panarin. With Kreider out of the picture, Cuylle has a chance to establish himself as a top-six forward for the Rangers in 2025-26. The 23-year-old Cuylle will be a valuable source of hits, and his offensive game is expected to continue improving. 

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Mock drafts are already in full swing, training camps will be opening soon and before you know it, the 2025-26 fantasy hockey season will be upon us. The following tiers aren't an order for drafting, but they can still serve as a tool to find value and player types to address roster needs. 

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Tier 1 NHL Forwards: McDavid, Draisaitl, MacKinnon, Kucherov

Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Nathan MacKinnon, Nikita Kucherov

Fantasy managers selecting in the top four of drafts have four outstanding options. A strong case can be made for any one of them going first overall because of the offensive potency they bring to the table. McDavid (385), Kucherov (378), MacKinnon (367) and Draisaitl (340) are the leading scorers over the last three seasons, and they are the top four contributors on the power play during that span. All four of them are comfortable bets to surpass the 100-point plateau while racking up shots on goal.  

Tier 2 - Elite Building Blocks for Your 2025-26 Fantasy NHL Draft

David Pastrnak, Kirill Kaprizov, Mikko Rantanen, Auston Matthews, Kyle Connor

There are some question marks here. Can Pastrnak stay dominant with the Bruins trending downward? Can Kaprizov and Matthews stay healthy? Can Rantanen retain his offensive value with fewer minutes in Dallas? Can Connor push higher after a career year in 2024-25?

While Pastrnak may seem like the safest bet to answer his query positively, the other members of this category possess tremendous upside, particularly when it comes to goal scoring, and could all be in the conversation for 100 points if everything breaks their way.  

Tier 3 - High-End Fantasy Options: Crosby, Eichel, Hughes, Marner

Sidney Crosby, Jack Eichel, Jack Hughes, Mitch Marner, Sam Reinhart, William Nylander, Artemi Panarin

The offensive upside is a bit lower here than the previous assortment, but it isn't by that much. Still, all the players in this grouping have 90-point upside. Eichel achieved that mark in 2024-25 after injuries held him back in previous seasons, and Hughes has the potential to return to that pace, and possibly exceed it, if he avoids extended absences. In a contract year, Marner topped 100 points for the first time at the NHL level last campaign. However, joining Vegas in the offseason could bring his totals down a peg. Crosby, 38, has topped 90 points in three straight seasons and could hold off Father Time for at least one more year. Reinhart and Panarin came back down to earth last season after personal best performances in 2023-24, but there is still plenty to like about their chances to be better this campaign. Nylander had the second-most goals (45) in the league last year and could flirt with 100 points if he receives an increased role in 2025-26.  

Tier 4 - Value Picks Beyond the Upper Echelon in Fantasy Hockey

Mark Scheifele, Nick Suzuki, Martin Necas, Brayden Point, Tim Stutzle, Jason Robertson, Aleksander Barkov, Jake Guentzel, Matt Boldy, Clayton Keller, Robert Thomas, Elias Pettersson

There are some great winger options here between Guentzel, Boldy, Necas, Keller and Robertson, though you'll probably notice that plenty of productive centers are available in this section. The majority of fantasy managers know that depth down the middle is easy to find on draft day, and this tier highlights that notion.

Stutzle has solid category coverage, but he needs to gain back the trust of poolies after failing to reach the 80-point mark in two consecutive campaigns. Scheifele, Barkov, Point and Thomas shouldn't have any issues reaching that threshold. Pettersson is a solid rebound candidate after being hindered by injuries in 2024-25, and his category coverage could make him a steal on draft day.  

Tier 5 - Solid Producers for Fantasy Hockey Success

Filip Forsberg, Jesper Bratt, Brandon Hagel, Tage Thompson, Sebastian Aho, John Tavares, Adrian Kempe, J.T. Miller, Lucas Raymond, Brady Tkachuk, Dylan Larkin

Despite dropping to 55 points last season, Tkachuk's fantasy value will remain high in leagues that value his penalty minutes, shots and hits. He remains the best blend of offensive contributions along with those statistics, and his point production stands a good chance of improving in 2025-26. Forsberg, Bratt and Kempe offer a good blend of hits, points and shots, though Bratt had an off-year when it came to getting pucks on net in 2024-25. Raymond will be a good source of points, especially with the man advantage. He tied for the third-most power-play points (37) last season. Thompson, Aho, Larkin, Miller and Tavares are reliable offensive producers who will likely register high shot totals.  

Tier 6 - Unlocking Potential of Emerging NHL Stars

Connor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini, Logan Cooley, Matthew Knies, Dylan Guenther, Matvei Michkov, Dylan Holloway, Kirill Marchenko, Adam Fantilli, Quinton Byfield, Leo Carlsson

First overall picks Bedard (2023) and Celebrini (2024) have impressed early in their NHL careers, but they are barely scratching the surface of what they are capable of accomplishing. While the supporting cast around both players remains an issue, it won't be long before they are knocking on the door of 80-point efforts.

Cooley, Knies, Michkov and Guenther displayed immense potential in 2024-25, and they will likely continue to trend upward this campaign. Fantilli, Byfield and Carlsson are also solid bets to improve. Marchenko and Holloway should be valuable contributors, even if they take slight steps backward following breakout showings in the 2024-25 season.  

Tier 7 - Outstanding Depth to Boost Your Fantasy Roster

Nico Hischier, Alex Ovechkin, Nikolaj Ehlers, Wyatt Johnston, Travis Konecny, Seth Jarvis, Cole Caufield, Roope Hintz, Jordan Kyrou, Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome, Mark Stone

There is still plenty of offensive upside here, as the majority of the group should be near or over the 70-point plateau in the 2025-26 campaign. Ovechkin will be 40 years of age and won't have the motivation of catching Wayne Gretzky this time around, which could hurt his fantasy value, but he will probably still be productive. Ehlers could receive a boost with the likelihood that he lands an increased role during his first season with the Hurricanes.   

Tier 8 - Strategic Adds for Rounding Out Your NHL Fantasy Team 

Tomas Hertl, Nazem Kadri, Drake Batherson, Valeri Nichushkin, JJ Peterka, Gabriel Landeskog, Kevin Fiala, Carter Verhaeghe, Zach Hyman, Bryan Rust, Sean Monahan, Matt Duchene, Joel Eriksson Ek, Morgan Geekie, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Alex Tuch, Gabriel Vilardi, Mathew Barzal, Mika Zibanejad, Steven Stamkos, Anze Kopitar

Fantasy managers could land a diamond in the rough in this spot, but most should be 60-plus-point performers. After being traded to the Mammoth in the offseason, Peterka could have more upside if he continues to gain steam. Landeskog is an interesting high-risk, high-reward option following a challenging recovery from a knee injury that saw him return to action from a three-season absence in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Eriksson Ek, Zibanejad, Stamkos, Nichushkin and Barzal have plenty of bounce-back appeal in the 2025-26 campaign.  

Tier 9 - Banger-League Bruisers for Maximizing Hits and Penalty Minutes  

Tom Wilson, Sam Bennett, Kiefer Sherwood, Will Cuylle, Timo Meier, Evander Kane, Andrei Svechnikov, Vincent Trocheck, Mathieu Olivier

They will chip in offensively during the 2025-26 campaign, but the crux of their fantasy appeal is racking up hits and minutes in the sin bin. Wilson broke out offensively in the regular season, and Bennett was a standout performer during the playoffs en route to a Conn Smythe Trophy, but drops in production should be expected from prospective fantasy managers. Meier, Svechnikov, Trocheck, Kane and Cuylle have the talent to improve offensively in 2025-26, which would make them more valuable in multi-category formats. Sherwood led the league with a record-setting 462 hits last season, while Olivier was the top heavyweight with 15 majors.  

Tier 10 - Rookies to Watch for Breakout Potential in 2025-26 NHL Fantasy 

Ivan Demidov, Michael Misa, Jimmy Snuggerud, Ryan Leonard, Gabe Perreault, Isaac Howard, Ville Koivunen, Maxim Shabanov

Demidov, Misa, Snuggerud and Howard could be impactful performers in standard fantasy leagues if they secure top-six roles in the 2025-26 season. Koivunen might be in the conversation for a spot on one of the Penguins' top two lines. Leonard, Perreault and Shabanov may play slightly lower in the lineup, which could hurt their fantasy appeal outside of keeper leagues.