Every NHL season, relatively unknown players shed that label and announce themselves as breakout stars.
Here are five young players who are well-positioned to have big years:
Justus Annunen, Nashville Predators goaltender
Juuse Saros has owned the Predators' crease for the past five seasons, starting a league-high 311 of Nashville’s 410 games (75.9 per cent). But Saros’ stranglehold on the starting job could loosen this season.
Predators coach Andrew Brunette called on Annunen to start several critical games last season as the team made a late playoff push, and the 26-year-old dazzled. Annunen saved a whopping 20.3 goals above expected (2.06 per 60 minutes) over his final 10 starts — third most after the Olympic break behind St. Louis’ Joel Hofer (21.7) and Montreal’s Jakub Dobes (20.5). He ranked second in goals-against average (1.83) and save percentage (.938) among the 42 goaltenders who started at least 10 games following the Olympic break.
This could be a make-or-break season for Saros, who has declined from his peak over the past few years. All expectations are that Annunen will have an opportunity to close the gap between them.
Denton Mateychuk, Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman
Norris Trophy winner Zach Werenski commands the headlines in Columbus, but the Blue Jackets have another defenceman who deserves some attention. Mateychuk, 22, shared the ice with Werenski for more than 350 minutes at five-on-five last season, and Columbus generated 52.8 per cent of the expected goals (xGF%). Werenski and Mateychuk are expected to start the season as the team’s top pair.
Mateychuk’s production last season — 13 goals and 31 points in 75 games — is made even more impressive by the fact that he recorded just three points on the power play. His 12 goals and 27 points at five-on-five ranked tied for fifth and tied for 28th among defencemen, respectively.
There could be some regression coming for Mateychuk, whose 7.1 goals scored above expected at five-on-five led all defencemen last season. But the Blue Jackets are expecting big things from Mateychuk as he enters his third season.
“He’s one of the young guys I keep (saying) we need more from,” Blue Jackets coach Rick Bowness told reporters. “If you want more from him, you’ve got to give him the opportunity. He didn’t see any power-play time last season. He will see power-play time.”
Michael Misa, San Jose Sharks forward
The time has come for the Sharks to take the next step. New captain (and soon-to-be $94-million man) Macklin Celebrini will lead the charge, but the rest of San Jose’s young core must do its part. That includes the 19-year-old Misa, who will anchor the Sharks’ second line behind Celebrini.
Misa, who had 21 points in 45 games as a rookie, is tenacious on pucks. He was 20th in loose-puck recoveries and 25th in puck-battle wins per 20 minutes out of 411 forwards who played at least 40 games.
When Misa is on the attack, he does not hang around the outskirts of the offensive zone. Eight of his nine goals last season came from the inner slot, where he took 36 per cent of his total shot attempts — well above the league average of 25.9 per cent for forwards.
Simon Nemec, Calgary Flames defenceman
After three up-and-down seasons in New Jersey, it was clear that Nemec needed a change of scenery. No longer in Luke Hughes’ and Dougie Hamilton’s shadows, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 draft is expected to receive top billing on the Flames’ back end. Nemec is slated to skate on Calgary’s top pair alongside Kevin Bahl.
Nemec, 22, has displayed his offensive talent throughout his young career. Last season, he finished 25th and 32nd, respectively, in controlled entries and offence-generating plays per 20 minutes out of 201 qualified defencemen (minimum 40 games played).
It stands to reason that Nemec, who ranked 97th in average ice time among qualified defencemen, will see a spike in his point total (career-high 26 points last season) with more playing time. A role on the Flames’ No. 1 power-play unit would certainly help Nemec in that regard, but he and fellow defenceman Zayne Parekh are competing for that spot.
Nemec’s primary focus, however, is on becoming a more well-rounded player. The Devils lost the territorial battle (47.7 xGF%) and were outscored 63-47 during Nemec’s minutes at five-on-five last season.
“I don’t really measure (success) with the points because we know that Calgary’s going to be in the rebuild,” Nemec told The Athletic. “I just want to play my game and be more consistent and just improve my defensive game more. I think I can do that and they can help me.”
Jimmy Snuggerud, St. Louis Blues forward
The 22-year-old Snuggerud earned a spot on the league’s All-Rookie team last season by finishing strong; his 11 goals and 27 points in 25 post-Olympic games led all first-year players. Snuggerud’s emergence played a role in the Blues’ second-half surge toward a playoff spot (17-5-3) that fell just short.
“I was so impressed with his mindset — the way he plays the game and the way he was able to jump into the NHL the way he did,” Blues general manager Alexander Steen told The Athletic. “It takes a really special (player) to have that ability to just jump in and play his game like that.”
St. Louis will put Snuggerud in position to exceed the 51 points he recorded last season. He will play alongside Dylan Holloway and Robert Thomas on the Blues’ top line, which dominated the opposition down the stretch last season. The Blues outscored opponents 22-6 and generated 62 per cent of the expected goals at five-on-five after the Olympic break. Only Montreal’s top line — Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky — matched the goal production of Holloway, Thomas and Snuggerud over that span.
Snuggerud, who will also man the net-front on the Blues’ No. 1 power-play unit, can let it rip. His 65 one-timer attempts were tied for 52nd at the forward position and led to nine of his 21 goals.
