2024-25 Michigan Hockey Season Preview Part 4: Opponents, Predictions, and Wrap

He has emerged into a 40+ goal and 90+ point center on the Lightning since taking over the top-line role from Steven Stamkos. Not only can he produce, but he has also received votes for the Lady Byng and Selke Trophies throughout his young career. Like Reinhart, a big breakout year from Hyman in terms of goal-scoring shot him up this list pretty high. Now that he has 90 goals and 160 points over the past two seasons, he has proven that he is a perfect fit with the big names on the Oilers like McDavid and Draisaitl, and compliments their game very well. After a very long and successful career with the Lightning, Steven Stamkos has moved on and joined the Predators. He was one of the best goal-scorers for the last decade and a half, one of the best leaders in the game, and still brings a ton of offense every night.

Aleksander Barkov, C, Panthers

He was among the best defensemen in the league when healthy, but to continue climbing this list, he needs to show he can do it over a full season. He is a very strong two-way defenseman and is neck-and-neck with Alex Pietrangelo for the true top defender for the Vegas Golden Knights. A career-high in goals and points led Travis Konecny to a big eight-year extension, and his importance to the team is very clearly on display.

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Throw him on the left wing, or the right, or down the middle — regardless, Rantanen’s proven able to get to his game and inflict his offensive will . And yet, plying his trade in the shadow of two superstars in Colorado, you could argue he’s flown under the radar relative to what he’s done in this league. Players like these two don’t come around often, and where Brady thrives is in the physicality department. He provides strong offense, and set a new career-high in goals last season, but took a bit of a step back in point production after some nagging injuries throughout the season.

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He didn’t last very long and didn’t leave the biggest impact, but he’s still just 19 so every bit of pro experience and guidance he soaked up in those weeks was time well spent. Your votes will help highlight the athletes who are making the biggest impact this season, showcasing the talent and dedication of the best players in the league. Join us in recognizing the exceptional performances of these hockey heroes and contributing to the ongoing excitement of the NHL. Last season, Makar became the second-fastest defenseman to reach 300 career points, and he did so in just 280 games.

Jake Oettinger, G, Dallas Stars

A towering defender at 6-foot-4, 190 pounds, William Wallinder was drafted 32nd overall in 2020. He’s extremely mobile and has a smooth skating stride and a very strong puck carrier. He has put in a lot of work on his defensive game to round out his strengths, but his offensive instincts are what will make him a very good option for the Detroit Red Wings on defense. Wallinder was one of the best young players in Sweden last season https://gambibet.org/bet/ and has made the switch to North America this year with the Grand Rapids Griffins. The transition hasn’t been the smoothest and the offensive production hasn’t really arrived yet, but his size and skating sure have, making him a solid defensive player from the jump. Jagger Firkus had a phenomenal final season at the junior level, leading the entire CHL in scoring (goals and points), and being named MVP of the WHL and CHL.

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• He’s great at identifying the open lanes and attacking with force to take advantage of an opportunity.
• His tools make him very well suited as a center at the next level with good size, a coveted right-handed shot, good defensive habits (kills penalties quite well), and solid faceoff results.
• His defensive impacts are impeccable, and he has started to elevate his offensive game lately as well.
• Ullmark’s play was a big reason the Bruins broke the regular-season records for most points and wins last year.
• During the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Barkov had some of the toughest matchups possible and did an excellent job shutting down the top players on all of the teams he faced on the path to winning the Stanley Cup.
• He has had a rather slow start to this year production-wise, but his skill set looks well designed for the pro game with the ability to make strong plays and smart decisions at a higher pace than most teenagers.

Matthews has also greatly improved defensively and in the faceoff dot, forming into an all-around star for Toronto. With the graduation of guys like Leo Carlsson, Adam Fantilli, and Connor Bedard, Matvei Michov is clearly at least a top-three best prospect in the NHL with an incredible ability to manipulate opposing defenses. He has a great shot, but more often than not he scores goals because he slipped his defender and managed to find the space and time necessary to score a goal. While Bedard scores by shooting a wrister as hard as possible, trying to punch a hole through the goalie, Michkov will outsmart the defense and score by finding holes in coverage. Will Smith is an incredibly shifty playmaker who can create high danger plays at will (pun intended) by threading passes through traffic, stickhandling around pressure, or taking a shot of his own.

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A fault can lead the referee to inflict a green card (two-minute suspension), yellow (five-minute suspension) or red (ejection) to the player concerned. The Panthers, on the other hand, are a team that prides themselves on playing suffocating defense from top to bottom. Captain Aleksander Barkov and defenseman Gustav Forsling will be asked to contain McDavid as much as possible while Matthew Tkachuk leads a punishing forecheck for the Panthers in the offensive zone. Verhaeghe is already in the NHL history books, as his five career overtime playoff goals are tied for the third-most of all-time. He’s been the hero once in 2014, which came in the first round against the Lightning — one of two OT wins this postseason for Florida. In total, Verhaeghe has nine goals heading into the Stanley Cup Final, which puts him in a tie for fourth out of all skaters.

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• Draisaitl could be the No. 1 guy on many teams around the NHL, but in Edmonton he has Connor McDavid as a teammate.
• After winning his second Art Ross Trophy, Nikita Kucherov is well deserving of a spot this high on the list.
• Mukhamadullin joined the San Jose Barracuda in the AHL last year and has been an excellent two-way player, one who looks more than capable of cracking the Sharks’ lineup very soon.
• It won’t be a huge surprise if Barkov makes his presence known at many points during the series.
• Sandin Pellikka had a great showing for Sweden at the World Juniors in his draft year, improving his draft stock considerably.
• He uses his speed and skill to blow by defenders in the neutral zone and pressure in-zone defenders who struggle to anticipate his next move.

He was loaned to a different KHL club this year where he had to prove himself once again. Khusnutdinov joined the Wild for a stretch at the end of the season, playing his first 16 NHL games, scoring four points. Connor McDavid, known for his breathtaking speed and impeccable puck-handling abilities, remains a standout. His ability to change the course of a game single-handedly makes him one of the most electrifying players to watch. Nathan MacKinnon, with his powerful skating and scoring prowess, consistently shows why he is one of the league’s top forwards, leading his team with intensity and precision.

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If one of their two goalies pans out, I expect ND to be annoying and defensively sound enough to scrape towards .500. Either way I don’t really see an NCAA path here because this roster looks even more questionable than the one that wasn’t close to the tourney last year. Your Lucius and Whitelaw types are out the door and are replaced with old, experienced college hockey transfers from Minnesota State-esque schools. From RIT they snagged the likely goalie for this season (Tommy Scarfone) and 1st Team All-AHA forward Cody Laskosky.

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The combination of his skating, shot, and quick hands makes him a really fun offensive weapon. He is agile enough that I expect he’ll be very successful on zone entries in the NHL some day, giving the Blackhawks a chance to control play in the offensive zone every time he touches the puck. He produced solid offense as a freshman in the NCAA last season, but only time will tell if he can handle a top-six workload in the NHL or if he’ll be better suited as a third-line center. Dalibor Dvorsky was very impressive in his draft year against men, playing in HockeyAllsvenskan, the second-tier Swedish professional league. He has made the move to North America and absolutely schooled the OHL last season with the Sudbury Wolves.

The knock on the Maple Leafs is their playoff performances, but with Nylander, he has been one of the best players for them come the post-season. Scoring goals, going into the tough spots of the ice, and playing well defensively are all the highlights of an average game by Chris Kreider. He is the heartbeat of the forward group on the Rangers and provides leadership on and off the ice. Kreider is seventh in goals over the last three seasons, including his one and only 50-goal campaign. A big offensive step forward for Lucas Raymond has him relatively high on this list. Having a strong top-six, like Caufield, will help Raymond take an even bigger step this season.

He plays well in all situations, including dominating on the power play and shutting things down on the penalty kill. Sebastian Aho has quietly crept his way into the superstar-caliber player conversation. He is one of the most underrated players in the game and has a huge impact on the team each night. He has developed into a perennial Sekle Trophy candidate while also being a 70-point center.

• The second half of Edmonton’s dynamic duo is a top-five player in the league himself, regarded as one of the premier passers and goal scorers in the NHL.
• No, for Pastrnak, it was never a question of how high he might reach — it was simply whether his success was a product of his environment or whether that environment was a product of him.
• The few freshmen in line to play on this team are touted players, a first round pick in Michael Hage, a late round pick/USNTDP guy in Christian Humphreys, and a possible first round pick in Dakoda Rhéaume-Mullen.
• Goyette reads opposing defenses very well which allows him to attack in a wide variety of ways.
• Filip Bystedt is a prospect who would likely rise up the 2022 Draft if it was re-done today.
• It’s impressive to see teenaged players competing at the professional level against grown men, even just for a couple of games.

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The veteran netminder also thrived during the regular season with a 2.37 goals-against-average and .915 save percentage. However, this is likely the most lethal offense that he has faced throughout the postseason. Considering Bobrovsky’s track record, it’s possible that Bobrovsky will be one of the top x-factors that will determine how this series plays out.

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He led the Giants in points per game during his draft year and was among the top scorers in the WHL at large before suffering an injury at the 2023 WJC with Slovakia. Honzek has played and succeeded on both special teams and his size and strength have made him too much for opposing defenders to handle on more than a few occasions. He is a great skater, which makes him a pest on the forecheck where he does a lot of damage both with his high motor and his large frame. Scott Morrow plays a high-octane style and he’s always quick and decisive in transition.

Jake Guentzel, LW, Pittsburgh Penguins

• Conor Geekie caught plenty of NHL scouts’ attention during his draft year as a 6-foot-4 center with a respectable two-way game in the WHL.
• Last season was a positive one for Lambert who looked like a top young player in the AHL.
• He joined Sweden again for this past World Juniors as well, and was named the tournament’s top defender thanks to some timely goals in the knockout rounds.
• He became one of the best goalscorers in the entire CHL in his final seasons there and was excellent for Team Canada at the World Juniors, winning two Gold medals.
• Shesterkin came back to Earth a bit after winning the Vezina in 2022, but the Rangers goaltender is one of the best in the crease.

Early returns have been good as Mesar has had back-to-back great showings at the World Juniors over the past 12 months and has already shown a ton of improvement in two seasons in the OHL. Few OHL defenders are capable of slowing him down in transition where his quick weight shifts and deceptive posture can be incredibly difficult to read. Mesar will be a fascinating player to watch in the AHL next season as he moves back to the pro level. That’s been the case from the very beginning, as he came back season after season with some skill tweaked, some ability enhanced.

Marco Kasper, C, Detroit Red Wings

• Lamoureux looks like a future NHLer to me at this point, though his offensive play at the pro level will likely decide his ultimate ceiling.
• He is the heartbeat of the forward group on the Rangers and provides leadership on and off the ice.
• Hunter Brzustewicz is an offensive defender who skates incredibly well and has a lot to give offensively.
• He missed 22 games last year with injury, but still managed to finish top-10 in defensemen scoring (66 points) and one of only two blue liners to put up a point-per-game (1.10).

Even though he didn’t record as many goals last season as the two before, he is still a high-end player for them and is a prime candidate to get back to 35+ goals. He has been a consistent 60-point player who plays with a ton of speed and can be good defensively, but he never gets the high-end minutes he seems to deserve and often doesn’t get top power play unit time. Both are fantastic two-way options and while Theodore produced more offense, Pietrangelo specializes in the defensive department. He blocks a ton of shots, plays excellent defense, and is one of the strongest leaders and mentors in the league. After a bit of a production dip in his sophomore season, Seth Jarvis came into his third season and took huge strides offensively scoring 67 points. He has become an important part of the Carolina Hurricanes’ top-six, and has been an excellent playoff performer for the team, who has struggled to score in the postseason over the last few years.

Over the last three years, Stamkos has been one of the top point producers and had drug his team into battle every night. The Stars have taken a lot of pride in their defensive game as an entire team, but the biggest anchor for their success comes from Miro Heiskanen. He is one of the best two-way defenders in the game and has had great offensive numbers over the past two seasons. A big step back in production last season prevented Tim Stutzle from being higher on this list.

Edstrom didn’t have the strongest showing at last year’s World Juniors but he’s eligible to return next year where I expect him to be one of the better players in the whole tourney. After being sent to Nasvhille in the Yaroslav Askarov trade, I think Edstrom can realistically project into the Pred’s third-line center slot in due time. Gabe Perrault looks like someone who could be a power play specialist at the next level with great skill and smarts in the offensive zone.

The Winnipeg goaltender was in trade rumors this offseason after the two sides could not come together to a contract extension, but he’s still their starting goaltender entering this year. The tall UMass Lowell product has been a workhorse for years, and it was no different last year, leading the league in starts while finishing third in Vezina voting. The days of being a perennial MVP candidate may be in the rearview mirror, but the Great 8 is still as entertaining as ever at age 38. He lit the lamp 42 times last season, passing Wayne Gretzky for the most 40-goal season in NHL history with 13. After moving into second on the all-time goal list last year, Ovechkin remains on the hunt for Gretzky’s record. Aho’s rise among the NHL elite took a bit of a bump last year, as he regressed from 81 points to 67.

The combination of speed, hands and stick handling makes him an offensive catalyst and he maintains offensive zone possession extremely well. Savoie has excellent vision to spot a lane to engage or find his teammates with a perfectly executed pass and he’s a dynamic skater as well. He got his first taste of pro hockey last Fall and was one of the best players in the WHL last year in his final year of junior play. Stian Solberg is a big, physical defender who skates well for his size and made a big splash as a top player for Norway at the recent Men’s World Championship.

He is the best player they have, one of the longest-tenured players with the Utah/Coyotes team, and provides great leadership. Keller has been scoring nearly a point per game over three seasons, during which time the Coyotes have struggled a lot. He has proven himself as one of the top-scoring wingers in the league and is starting to get recognition for it. They lost last year’s #2 goalscorer Ryan Kirwan to the transfer portal (ASU), and #3 goalscorer Jacques Bouquot graduated. PSU rolls over Aiden Fink, Matt DiMarsico, and Reese Laubach, all of whom were freshmen last year and they seem like a solid group to build a team around.

He can jump up in the rush to provide offense, he can find breakout passes into the neutral zone, and he is exceptional with his stick defensively, either breaking up plays or blocking passing lanes. Forsling has four goals and 11 points in these playoffs, more than both Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour, two of his teammates considered to be extra offensive-minded. The Finnish center played an integral part in Florida’s run to the Stanley Cup Final, leading all players in faceoff wins. His 78 points in 68 games in the regular season marked the third consecutive point-per-game season and fourth in the last five. Marner has always been dynamic on offense, but over the last couple of seasons, the winger has developed into a legitimate defensive threat. For the first time in his career, the Maple Leafs star was a finalist for the Selke, finishing third in voting behind Patrice Bergeron and Nico Hischier.