On Sunday, NHL Network launched a nine-part series examining the league’s top players at the moment. The top 20 centers were ranked in the first part. To further the discussion, we asked 10 writers from NHL.com to rank the 23-and-under centers they believe will be the best in the league in three seasons. Each voter gave the player placed first 10 points, the player ranked second nine points, and so on.
Each season, a wave of young, outstanding centers joins the NHL, joining a crop of players who are already well-known at a dynamic position that takes center stage in directing offensive play.
But which of these emerging centers is the most intriguing?
We made an effort to respond to that query by examining the current crop of centers that have not yet turned 24 and attempting to predict where they will stand in comparison to one another in three seasons as they continue to develop.
Regardless of age, some, like Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils, were already ranked among the top 20 centers in the NHL. Others, such as Leo Carlsson, the No. 2 pick in that draft by the Anaheim Ducks, and Connor Bedard, the No. 1 pick by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2023 NHL Draft, have not yet compiled an NHL résumé.
Here is the list of the 23-and-under centers who could be the best in the NHL in three seasons:
Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils (99 voting points): Hughes is no longer a good center as he enters his sixth season. Regardless of age, the 22-year-old center is a top-tier player. After starting off on a promising note after being chosen first overall in the 2019 NHL Draft, Hughes exploded in 2022–23, setting a Devils record with 99 points (43 goals, 56 assists) in 78 games and guiding the team to the Stanley Cup Playoffs’ second round for the first time since 2012.
Connor Bedard, Chicago Blackhawks (82): The 18-year-old is anticipated to be a generational talent for the Blackhawks, who are currently in the process of rebuilding. With 143 points (71 goals, 72 assists) in 57 games while playing for Regina in the Western Hockey League, Bedard was named the WHL and Canadian Hockey Player of the Year. At the World Junior Championship, he represented Canada and contributed to their gold-medal victory with 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists) in seven games. Bedard’s emergence as an elite center in the NHL seems to be a matter of when, not if.
Tim Stutzle, Ottawa Senators (73): The left winger, 21, has improved every year he has played in the NHL, rising from 29 points (12 goals, 17 assists) in 53 games as a rookie in 2020–21 to 58 points (22 goals, 36 assists) in 79 games in 2021–22 to 90 points (39 goals, 51 assists) in 78 games last season. Stutzle is aiming for 100 points, which would put him in even more exclusive company than he is now.
Matty Beniers, Seattle Kraken (70): The most recent franchise to join the League was immediately impacted with the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. Beniers, who has established himself as the No. 1 center, recorded 57 points (24 goals, 33 assists) in 80 games last season and was named the NHL’s top rookie, winning the Calder Trophy. The 20-year-old also assisted the Kraken in their second NHL season’s playoff run to the second round and first-round shock of the defending champion Colorado Avalanche.
Trevor Zegras, Anaheim Ducks (55): Zegras quickly made a name for himself as a serious 20-goal threat. with each of the previous two seasons, the 22-year-old scored 23 goals, and with his 65 points last season, he set an NHL record. Zegras is on a path to become an exceptional player at both the position and the wing as Anaheim fills its pipeline with more top-tier centers.