Show Notes
Happy Hobbyist Randy Litzinger shares the top young hockey players to come into the league since the pandemic, helping you improve your sports card collection.
If you want to find all the great rookie cards over the past 70-plus years, check out our article here, listing the Best NHL Rookie Cards Ever!
Counting Down the 11 Best NHL Rookie Cards To Own Since 2020!
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Just Missed the Top 11!
* 21. Adam Fantilli, C, Columbus (Canadian, Age: 21): (Canadian) 2023 Extended
* 20. Ilya Sorokin, G, N.Y. Islanders (Russian, 30) 2020 Series 2 Goalies are rarely as collectible as other positions, but Sorokin continues to be a top-5 netminder, and he led the league with seven shutouts this past year.
* 19. Moritz Seider, D, Detroit (German, 25): 2021 Series 2
* 18. Ivan Demidov, RW, Montreal (Russian, 20): 2025 Series 1
* 17. Jackson Blake, RW, Carolina (Canadian, 22): (Canadian) 2024 Series 2
* 16. Will Smith, C, San Jose (Canadian, 21): 2024 Extended
* 15. Juraj Slafkovsky, LW, Montreal (Slovak, 22): 2022 Series 2
* 14. Porter Martone, LW, Philadelphia (Canadian, 19): 2025 Extended Martone only played near the end of the NHL season, but he registered tons of shots every game and had 4 goals and 10 points in 9 games. As a big power forward in Philly, he reminds you of Flyers power forwards of the past, like Eric Lindros, Rick Tochett, and John LeClair.
* 13. Beckett Sennecke, RW, Anaheim (Canadian, 20): 2025 Extended
* 12. Leo Carlsson, C, Anaheim (Swiss, 21): 2023 Series 2
Here are Randy Litzinger‘s top NHL Young Guns from the past six years. The teams listed are their CURRENT NHL teams.
11. Tim Stutzle, C, Ottawa Senators (German, 24)
* 2020 Upper Deck Series 2 #482 - View prices on eBay!
Stutzle is underrated and goes unnoticed a lot since he plays for Ottawa in the NHL, and Germany in the Olympics and internationals play, but he’s a high-energy top young player and also throws lots of hits. In 2025-26, he had 34 goals and 83 points, and threw 126 hits, which is a lot for a skilled forward of average size (6-foot-0, 187 lbs.). He has 40-goal potential, with a chance of 100-pt/100-hit seasons.
10. Cutter Gauthier, LW, Anaheim Ducks (Swiss/American, Age 22)
* 2024 Upper Deck Series 1 #212 - View prices on eBay!
Gauthier shoots a lot, but he also scores a lot, à la Brett Hull and Alex Ovechkin. In 2025-26, Gauthier had 41 goals and 69 points in the regular season. Anaheim is loaded with young talent and could be a playoff fixture for the next 5-8 years, which gives Gauthier even more visibility.
9. Wyatt Johnston, C, Dallas Stars (Canadian, 22)
* 2022 Upper Deck Series 2 #459 - View prices on eBay!
Playing for Dallas, Johnston goes under the radar a bit on a national level, but he put up 45 goals and 86 points in 2025-26, and is following that up with solid playoff play. He followed that up with 4 goals and 6 points in six first-round playoff games this year.
8. Lane Hutson, D, Montreal Canadiens (American, 22)
* 2024 Upper Deck Series 1 #229 - View prices on eBay!
One of the four or five best offensive defensemen in the NHL right now. He’s only 5-foot-9 and 162 lbs., but his skating ability, passing, and decision making make up for his lack of size. In 2025-26 he scored 12 goals, and assisted on 66, for a total of 78 points.
Hutson helped Montreal pull off a first-round upset of Tampa Bay to move on. He plays for Montreal, an Original, large market Canadian team, which has a great core of talented young players right now. Even though he’s a defenseman, he’s an elite, offensive one and plays for a great hockey market.
7. Cole Caufield, LW, Montreal Canadiens (American, 25)
* 2021 Upper Deck Series 1 #201 - View prices on eBay!
Caufield is only 5-foot-8 and 175 lbs., but he’s a great goal scorer, potting 51 goals and 88 points this season. Plus, he’s clutch, always coming up big when the team needs him, scoring 12 game-winning goals in 2025-26.
Caufield’s 0.84 PPG will likely climb a little higher as he plays more years, but he’s more of a goal scorer than assists machine. If Auston Matthews or Jason Robertson don’t eventually break the U.S.-born goals scored record, Caufield or Jack Hughes will get close with long and healthy careers.
6. Kirill Kaprizov, LW, Minnesota Wild (Russian, 29)
* 2020 Upper Deck Series 2 #451 - View prices on eBay!
Elite skater, elite hands, elite scorer. If he can keep his elite career points per game at 1.20 or higher, that will put him in the top-15 all-time for PPG.
Minnesota’s addition of a top offensive defenseman in Quinn Hughes could make Kaprizov’s PPG total climb higher, which could mean the Wild will be in the playoffs for the next 5 years as well.
On the other hand, he’s now 29 years old and could start to lose some speed and production in the coming years. He hasn’t slowed yet, however, as evidenced by his red-hot 2026 playoff production, with four goals and 14 points in his first nine playoff games this year.
5. Jason Robertson, LW, Dallas Stars (American, 26)
* 2020 Upper Deck Series 1 #235 - View prices on eBay!
Robertson and Caufield not getting picked for the USA Olympic team this year will give them both extra “fire in the belly” and drive them both for the rest of their careers.
The U.S. born player career goals and points records are really big deals, and with Auston Matthews’ falloff and durability issues, the next most likely player to break both in the future is Robertson.
Robertson’s elite 1.07 PPG for his career already puts him on track as a top U.S.-born player, higher than Mike Modano’s 0.92 PPG, Joey Mullen’s 1.00 PPG, and current U.S.-born points record holder Patrick Kane’s 1.02 career PPG.
4. Matt Boldy, LW, Minnesota Wild (American, 25)
* 2022 Upper Deck Series 1 #201 - View prices on eBay!
Anyone who didn’t know him, saw him on display during the 2026 Olympics where he scored a highlight goal in the Gold Medal Game for Team USA. Boldy has already won a Gold Medal at 25 years old, and in 2025-26, he scored 42 goals and 85 points. His regular season .091 PPG is likely to go up closer to a point per game, over the next several years. His 7 goals in 9 playoff games is tied for best this postseason.
3. Connor Bedard, C, Chicago Blackhawks (Canadian, 20)
* 2023 Upper Deck Series 2 #451 - View prices on eBay!
With one of the quickest shots in the NHL, Bedard is a great goal scorer. He plays for an Original 6 Team in Chicago, one of the best hockey market in the U.S.
He’s a couple inches shorter than Macklin Celebrini, isn’t as physical, and lacks several of the intangibles that the Sharks superstar has. Bedard’s smaller frame has given him durability issues (he has missed 26 games due to a broken jaw and shoulder labrum tear).
The pressure on Bedard to be great was a lot more than what was placed on Celebrini, and it appears to have weighed heavily on his shoulders.
BONUS: 2.5. Gavin McKenna 18 yrs (Canadian) TOR? - C (2026 Series 2?)
2. Matthew Schaefer, D, N.Y. Islanders (Canadian, 18)
* 2025 Upper Deck Series 2 #451 - View prices on eBay!
Already one of the best skaters in the NHL as an 18 year old, Schaefer will likely be one of the top-three offensive defensemen for many years to come along with Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes. Schaefer could pass Hughes eventually and be on just Makar’s level.
In 2025-26, as an 18 year old, Schaefer broke the NHL records for most goals and points by an 18- or 19-year-old defensemen with 23 goals and 59 points, passing names like Ray Bourque, Rasmus Dahlin, Phil Housely, and Bobby Orr.
Let that sink in.
1. Macklin Celebrini, C, San Jose Sharks (Canadian, 19)
* 2024 Upper Deck Series 2 #451 - View prices on eBay!
Celebrini’s got the smile and personality, along with the drive to win loose pucks all over the ice. He has a lightning quick shot, and he shows great decision making. His drive and determination have resembled a young Sidney Crosby during his first two seasons.
Celebrini’s 45 goals and 115 points as only a 19-year-old skater, ranks third all-time in the NHL, with only Crosby (120) and Wayne Gretzky (137) higher!
We can already call Celebrini a generational player right now. He will be one of the faces of the NHL for years to come after Sid and Ovi retire.
We want to hear from you — which great NHL player’s rookie card (from 2020 on) should’ve been on this list?
If you enjoyed this post about great hockey cards, check out these posts you might have missed:
🏆 BEST ROOKIE CARDS FROM EVERY YEAR! 🏆
We list the best rookie cards from each flagship release in all four major sports since the 1950s.
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