Unveiling the NHL’s Most Shocking Breakout Stars of 2025-26 – Prepare to Be Amazed!

Every NHL season gifts us with a thrilling narrative: the rise of players who, for one reason or another, suddenly explode onto the scene. It’s not just the preseason hype train’s touted names lighting up scoreboards – no, it’s those under-the-radar gems who ignite the ice, catching fans and pundits alike off guard. Watching a scrappy acquisition evolve into a team’s cornerstone, or a sleeper pick morph into a relentless scorer, is what makes hockey’s journey so captivating year after year.

Now, before we dive in, there’s a few ground rules I set to keep this list sharp: rookies don’t make the cut here; they’ve got their own exciting stories to tell down the line. And while it’s tempting to include the heavyweights who’ve upped their game — think of the big stars getting even better — I’ve filtered those out too. This list aims to spotlight those unexpected surges from players not yet etched into that top-tier echelon, and it also leaves out the comeback kids who are currently finding their footing again. Narrowing it down was no walk in the park — tons of worthy contenders — but here’s my take on the most improved players lighting up the 2025-26 season, in no particular order.

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One of the best parts of every NHL season is tracking which players take off. It doesn’t matter how many skaters are labeled as can’t-miss breakout picks in September — there are always surprise performances that nobody saw coming, whether it’s a young piece blossoming into a franchise star, a spare part forcing his way into the team’s core or anything in between.

There were a few important caveats in making this “most improved” list. For starters, we won’t be including rookies.

Second, because there are so many breakout campaigns to choose from, we filtered out already-established star players who have leveled up, such as Macklin Celebrini, Connor Bedard, Moritz Seider, Cole Caufield and others. Yes, they all took a significant step, but everyone already knew them as marquee players and producers.

Third, we’re excluding established players in the middle of bounce-back years such as Trevor Zegras, Mika Zibanejad, Mattias Samuelsson, Charlie Coyle and Andre Burakovsky, among others.

There are so many deserving candidates and whittling this list down was very hard. It definitely isn’t perfect. But here’s my best attempt at capturing the league’s most improved players in 2025-26, presented in no particular order.

Morgan Geekie, RW, Boston Bruins

This might not be the perfect moment to spotlight Geekie because he’s mired in a one-goal-in-13-games slump, but his dramatic transformation over the last couple of years from bottom-six utility player into a premier goal scorer has to be celebrated.

When Geekie signed with Boston in the summer of 2023, he didn’t have a single double-digit goal season on his resume. Since then, he scored 17 goals in 2023-24, 33 goals last year, and is now on pace for 43, which has him tied for fifth in the league. Geekie potted 50 goals in 84 games during the calendar year of 2025, which ranked second-best behind only Nathan MacKinnon.

How did this wild, multi-year breakout happen? Interestingly, there were signs under the hood that Geekie had untapped offensive upside before even arriving in Boston.

During his final year with the Kraken in 2022-23, Geekie scored 2.47 points per 60 at five-on-five, which ranked 31st among all NHL players who played at least 500 minutes. His overall production (28 points in 69 games) didn’t jump off the page, but that’s only because he was buried on the fourth line, averaging just 10:27 per game. Seattle was facing a forward crunch at the time and decided not to make the then-24-year-old a qualifying offer, allowing him to hit free agency and eventually sign with Boston.

A massive chunk of Geekie’s breakout can be explained simply by getting a massive bump in ice time and power-play opportunity when he was still young enough to meaningfully break out.

David Pastrnak also deserves a ton of credit, as he’s recorded an assist on 33 of Geekie’s 59 goals (56 percent) since last season. The 29-year-old Czech superstar commands so much respect from the opposition that he’s opened up extra space for Geekie both at even strength and on the power play. Pastrnak’s evolution into an elite playmaker rather than just a pure sniper — he’s fourth among all NHL players in assists since 2023-24 — isn’t talked about enough nationally. Geekie wouldn’t be nearly as dangerous if he had to operate as a solo offensive threat.

Geekie’s signature trait is his rocket of a shot; he ranks in the 99th percentile for shot attempts clocked at 90 miles per hour or faster this season. His shot is such a weapon that the Bruins’ power play has parked Geekie at the left circle in Pastrnak’s old spot for one-timers, and moved Pastrnak to the right circle. He has the rare ability to overpower goaltenders from medium to long distances.

MORGAN. FREAKIN. GEEKIE. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/KIdUgGabNJ

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) November 22, 2025

Geekie is riding a red-hot 22.8 percent shooting clip that will likely regress (we’re already seeing signs of that with his slow start to 2026) and he doesn’t generate shots at a particularly high volume. I’d be surprised if he becomes a perennial 40-goal scorer, but becoming an established 30+ goal producer seems like a very reasonable outlook, considering his elite shot, so long as he continues getting plenty of reps with Pastrnak as his setup man.

Josh Doan, LW/RW, Buffalo Sabres

Doan, acquired as the secondary piece alongside Michael Kesselring in the JJ Peterka trade, has been a wonderful revelation for the Sabres. The 23-year-old winger has exploded for 35 points in 49 games, a 58-point pace, but the offensive production only scratches the surface of his all-around on-ice impact.

Doan is a smart, hard-working, heavy winger with arguably the best two-way impact of all Buffalo forwards this season. The details of his game are immaculate: he’s a beast along the boards, using his strength, relentless energy and expert stickwork to dominate opponents in puck battles; he’s a ferocious, disruptive back checker; and he extends plays in the offensive zone by recovering rebounds and winning loose pucks down low. Doan has helped Buffalo earn a dominant 57 percent share of expected goals during his five-on-five shifts, which is by far the best mark among the team’s forwards.

Lately, he’s hitting another level by adding some flashy offensive skills to his arsenal as well. Buoyed by the confidence of his breakout, Doan has surprised me with some of the high-end dekes and slick hands he’s shown in high-traffic areas. He appears more dynamic as an offensive creator in recent games, which is a tantalizing thought for his long-term potential, because he’ll be a top-line force if he can graft high-end skill onto a game that’s already built on excellent fundamentals. Watch how terrific Doan’s in-tight finish on a recent power-play goal is as one example.

THIS GUY IS GOOD… pic.twitter.com/SVBtUZiaIk

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) January 16, 2026

J.J. Moser, LHD, Tampa Bay Lightning

Moser may not have the flashy point totals that Darren Raddysh (more on him later) can boast, but his monster all-around impact has made him Tampa Bay’s best defenseman this year. Since early November, when Tampa’s blue line was decimated with injuries — Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh both got injured on Nov. 8 and Erik Cernak was hurt just a couple of weeks later — Moser has been the glue that’s held the Lightning together.

The 25-year-old Swiss defenseman has been the anchor for Tampa’s top pair, dueling against opposing top lines and averaging 22 minutes per game. He isn’t just holding his own in this heavy usage or narrowly winning those minutes; he’s destroying his competition. During his five-on-five shifts, Moser has earned a remarkable 61.2 percent of scoring chances (fourth-best among NHL defensemen) and outscored opponents by a ludicrous 45-15 margin.

One factor that may be driving this breakout is Moser’s shift back to playing his natural left side. In the past, he’s had to play his off side to partner with Hedman, and while they were an effective duo together, Moser has clearly reached another level now that he’s shifted back.

There isn’t a lot of dynamic flash to Moser’s game, but his two-way IQ is elite, he’s always in the right position to break up dangerous passes and protect the inside defensively, and he makes smart, efficient decisions with the puck. He’s a defensive safety blanket and makes everyone around him better, even if he won’t be the one to make the highlight-reel plays.

Leo Carlsson, C, Anaheim Ducks

This breakout isn’t surprising.

Carlsson already flashed a lot of the elite tools you look for in a future face-of-the-franchise center: He’s got a powerful 6-foot-3 frame, buttery smooth stickhandling/dekes, and elite playmaking vision. His skill set has been unleashed by new head coach Joel Quenneville’s run-and-gun system, which heavily promotes rush attacking and full offensive freedom. That change in the team’s playing style and identity is a complete 180 from former bench boss Greg Cronin’s suffocating, defense-first emphasis.

Last year, Carlsson’s production (45 points in 76 games) and ice time (16:14 per game) were second-line level; now he leads the team with 44 points in 44 games. The 21-year-old has added a bull-rushing element to his offensive game and a surprisingly lethal shot on top of his already top-notch hands and playmaking. He’s seen a significant improvement in his offensive play-driving numbers (2.94 expected goals per 60 at five-on-five, compared to 2.4 last year) and a major bump in his power-play production as well.

LEO CARLSSON! 🔥

He extends his point streak to NINE GAMES! pic.twitter.com/mseu4uMy0c

— NHL (@NHL) November 9, 2025

Opponents have begun scouting and adjusting to Carlsson and the Ducks’ new tendencies. It hasn’t been as easy for him to find open ice in recent games, as he scored just one goal and two assists in his last 11 games before going down with an injury that still has him sidelined. However, Carlsson has so many offensive weapons in his toolkit that he’ll be sure to adapt — he isn’t going to be a one-trick pony, and has undeniably arrived as a bona fide No. 1 center.

Darren Raddysh, RHD, Tampa Bay Lightning

It’s rare that you see a player go from healthy scratch to elite-level producer, yet that’s exactly what Raddysh has accomplished this season.

Raddysh, an undrafted No. 4/5 defender with a couple of 30-point seasons on his resume, was a healthy scratch at times in October. However, he was forced into higher-leverage minutes when injuries to Hedman, McDonagh and Cernak struck. Improbably, Raddysh didn’t just tread water; he’s hit a level nobody could have seen coming.

Since Nov. 9 (the day after Hedman and McDonagh both got injured), Raddysh has scored a blistering 39 points in 33 games, which is the second-most points among all NHL defensemen in that span. He’s one of only four defensemen who are scoring at a point-per-game clip this season — Cale Makar, Zach Werenski and Lane Hutson are the other three. Raddysh isn’t just producing points at an elite level; he’s also averaged over 24 minutes per game in this span and has decisively won his two-way matchups on the top pair alongside Moser.

Raddysh boasts a bomb of a shot from the point. He’s recorded 48 shot attempts that have cleared at least 90 miles per hour this season, which ranks in the 99th percentile of all NHL defenders. 18 of the 37 points he’s scored with a goalie in the net have originated from Raddysh’s shooting, whether it be a goal or an assist from a tipped/redirected shot. The threat of Raddysh’s shot now has a gravitational pull, opening up passing lanes for him to set others up.

Raddysh has other quality offensive tools — he’s a skilled passer and sees the ice well — but he doesn’t have a flashy skill set besides his booming shot. He isn’t a dynamic, elite skating playmaker who transports the puck and drives offense single-handedly, but rather a high-end supporting/complementary attacker.

The Nikita Kucherov effect is a massive factor, too. Raddysh has scored 34 points in the 376 minutes that he’s shared the ice with Kucherov, compared to eight points in the 550 minutes he’s played away from Kucherov.

It’s difficult to project Raddysh’s future value as a player, which is notable because he’s a pending unrestricted free agent. Raddysh is putting up outrageous, star-level numbers, but the sample size is small, he’s been elevated by elite forward talent, and he’s operating in a defensive system that’s been firing on all cylinders since mid-November.

Regardless, Raddysh’s breakout is a terrific underdog story and will earn him the first big payday of his NHL career this summer, even if it’s not from Tampa Bay.

Sam Malinski, RHD, Colorado Avalanche

Initially signed as an undrafted college free agent in 2023, Malinski has established himself as an indispensable middle-of-the-lineup piece on Colorado’s blue line. It’s taken time for Jared Bednar to fully trust Malinski because of his undersized 5-foot-11 frame, but his play has been so strong that he’s emerging as one of the most underrated defensemen in the league.

Malinski is a dynamic, smooth-skating puck mover. He leads zone exits with ease and is a skilled enough puck carrier to also lead impressive plays through the neutral zone, which is a perfect fit for the speedy, high-octane way the Avs like to attack. He’s breaking out offensively, on pace for 42 points despite receiving no power-play time. Malinski is tied with Jakob Chychrun for the 10th-most five-on-five points among defensemen this season. His two-way metrics are elite, and his average Game Score, according to Dom Luszczyszyn’s model, rates him as one of this season’s top 20 defensemen.

It may be tempting for outsiders to downplay Malinski’s success as a product of playing with MacKinnon and on the best team in the NHL. However, only a small fraction of Malinski’s ice time overlaps with MacKinnon. And if you specifically dive into Malinski’s 539 five-on-five minutes away from MacKinnon, you’ll realize he’s crushing those assignments as he’s earned nearly 60 percent of scoring chances and outscored opponents 23-14 away from No. 29.

With Devon Toews sidelined with injury lately, Malinski has capably played his off side next to Cale Makar on the top pair. The 27-year-old pending UFA has performed so well that there’s a compelling argument for Colorado to extend Malinski in the summer and then trade Sam Girard, who is a bit redundant as an undersized puck-mover on a sizable $5 million cap hit, ahead of next season.

Cutter Gauthier, LW, Anaheim Ducks

Gauthier has followed a similar arc to Carlsson, despite their different skill sets and playing on different lines (Gauthier’s mostly played on the second line with Mason McTavish up until the last couple of weeks). Both had slow first halves in 2024-25, both went on heaters down the stretch last season, both have flourished in Quenneville’s system and both have also cooled off in the last several weeks, coinciding with Anaheim’s fall in the standings.

The 22-year-old sniper is on pace for 38 goals, which is nearly double what he scored as a rookie last season. He’s a lethal one-shot scorer from a variety of situations, whether it be catch-and-release, rush attacks or one-timer situations on the power play. Gauthier’s release is very unique because what looks like a casual, effortless flick of the wrist will explode off his stick at a violent velocity; his average shot speed this season ranks in the 97th percentile of NHL forwards. Watch this Gauthier goal from earlier this week as one example; it’s incredible to see how much force he generates off such a smooth, easy-looking shot.

Cutter Gauthier puts the Ducks up by two ✌️ pic.twitter.com/RQAQttFCBp

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 20, 2026

Gauthier’s offensive breakout feels very sustainable because it’s driven by elite shot volume rather than an unsustainably high finishing efficiency. He ranks third in the NHL behind only Brady Tkachuk and Nathan MacKinnon for shots per 60, with a very modest 12.2 shooting percentage. With all that in mind, expect Gauthier to be one of the best pure scorers in the Western Conference for the next decade.

Juraj Slafkovský, LW, Montreal Canadiens

It’s been a treat to watch Slafkovský grow into a budding star this season. The uptick in his production is significant — he’s now on pace for 31 goals and has 31 points in his last 30 games — but it’s the way he’s blending his size/athleticism with enhanced playmaking skill and offensive creativity that makes you feel like you’re watching a different player compared to last season.

Slafkovský has evolved into a more dynamic driver now that he’s had the opportunity to play on the second line with Ivan Demidov. Previously, when he played on the top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, his role was more complementary as a big body expected to win puck battles. On the second line, Slafkovský has now been able to play a more skilled game by holding onto the puck, driving zone entries and initiating give-and-go sequences with Demidov.

Juraj Slafkovský double l’avance du CH! 🚨#AllTogetherAllIn c. #GoHabsGo sur RDS 📺 pic.twitter.com/Z8Bbdkv6iO

— RDS (@RDSca) January 13, 2026

Slafkovský and Demidov have been the Canadiens’ most dangerous even-strength forwards over the last several weeks. They’ve manufactured a ludicrous 4.52 goals for per 60 in nearly 300 five-on-five minutes together. Is there room for that line to improve defensively? Yes, the underlying numbers would reflect that. However, this line’s puck movement is magical together and can single-handedly break games wide open.

Luke Evangelista, RW, Nashville Predators

Evangelista had a lot to prove to the Predators after an underwhelming sophomore campaign, where he regressed to 10 goals and 32 points in 68 games. It was always clear he had dynamic skill, but the coaching staff didn’t seem to fully trust him as an everyday top-six option (he averaged just 13:52 last season) and the organization didn’t make a long-term bet on him, signing him to a modest two-year, $3 million AAV extension ahead of this season.

The 23-year-old winger has had the kind of breakout that should cement him as a full-time top-six player and core piece for the Predators, even if he won’t necessarily become a star. Evangelista is on pace to hit 60 points and has developed into a fixture on the top line with Ryan O’Reilly.

He’s bought into being a more complete, well-rounded player, and the stellar two-way results speak volumes: Evangelista’s earned 60.6 percent of scoring chances and a plus-13 goal differential at five-on-five, which is especially impressive because he’s accomplishing this as the top of Nashville’s lineup in difficult matchups, not just in sheltered middle-six usage. It’s helped, of course, to have O’Reilly’s savvy, high-end two-way ability as a stabilizer on the line, but Evangelista’s pace, slick hands and creativity have been an important factor in that line’s success. Evangelista’s finishing leaves a bit to be desired (it’s clear that he’s never going to be a high-end goal scorer) but he does everything else well and has a bright future as a marquee top-six playmaking winger.

Spencer Knight, G, Chicago Blackhawks

The Seth Jones trade has been a massive win-win for both sides. Jones, who requested a trade out of Chicago, was a workhorse for the Panthers during their second consecutive Stanley Cup win last spring. Knight, meanwhile, has blossomed into the high-end starting goalie the Blackhawks hoped for (not to mention the extra first-round pick they received).

Knight is probably the biggest reason, besides Connor Bedard’s breakout, that the Blackhawks have been more competitive this season. He’s amassed a solid 14-13-6 record and has saved 29.9 goals saved above expected according to Evolving-Hockey’s model, which ranks third-best among NHL goalies this season. Knight has singlehandedly kept the Blackhawks in games where they’ve otherwise been outshot and outchanced by wide margins.

“Knight has always had a strong technical and tactical game, and a mindset that seemed well-suited for long-term success, but the results were always a bit up and down, which might come in part from going straight from college to the NHL,” said Kevin Woodley of InGoal Magazine. “So this feels like the numbers finally catching up to the eye test.”

Honorable mentions: Shane Pinto, Brandon Bussi, Kiefer Sherwood, Tyler Bertuzzi, Justin Brazeau, Drake Batherson, Brandt Clarke, Charle-Edouard D’Astous, Pontus Holmberg, Parker Wotherspoon, Jet Greaves, Dan Vladar, Devin Cooley, Nick Blankenburg, Ethen Frank