NHL’s latest wave of rising stars

The NHL continues to see their top veteran stars dominate on the ice as the 2018-19 NHL seasons continues to march towards the playoffs.

These veterans include guys like Patrick Kane, Alex Ovechkin and Robin Lehner. While Kane sits currently second in points in the NHL (87), Ovechkin sits in first in goals scored (40) and Lehner sits first in fewest goals against (2.08), all three sit above the 28 year old mark.

Luckily for the NHL, the next wave of young stars has shown up and have put together solid starts to their career.

One of those young stars is Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers who was drafted first overall during the 2015 NHL draft. Currently McDavid sits third in the NHL in points scored (83) through the team’s first 57 games this season.

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After his rookie campaign (16 goals & 32 assists), McDavid has posted 100 points (30 goals & 70 assists) and 108 points (41 goals & 67 assists) in the previous two seasons while being on pace to top the mark for the third straight season.

As McDavid slowly becomes the face of the NHL, he is just one of the many young faces who are dominating on the ice. Here is a look at a few of the other young stars to watch in the league.

Mikko Rantanen, Right Winger – Colorado Avalanche

Much like McDavid, Rantanen is just 22-years-old and won’t turn 23 till October 29th. Entering Presidents Day, the Avalanches young star is currently fifth in the NHL in points scored (76) and is tied for fourth most in assists (52).

After a short appearance in 2015-16, Rantanen joined the Avalanche full time during the 2016-17 season. In that season, Rantanen posted 20 goals and 18 assists before taking a big stride last season finishing the season with 29 goals and 55 assists.

Brayden Point, Center – Tampa Bay Lightning

Point joins a long list of talented weapons in the NHL that are under 24-years-old, Point is just 22 but will turn 23 on March 13th.

Entering Presidents Day, Point has 33 goals and 42 assists on the season while currently sitting sixth in the NHL in points scored. In his rookie season in 2016-17, Point posted 18 goals and 22 assists while following that success up with 32 goals and 34 assists during the 2018-19 season.

David Pastrnak, Left Winger – Boston Bruins

While the 2018-19 season has been thrown into doubt due to a thumb injury, the Bruins 23-year-old was putting together a strong season prior to being injured. In the team’s first 56 games this season, Pastrnak has 31 goals and 35 assists while nearing his career high in both statistics.

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In 2014-15 NHL season, Pastrnak posted 10 goals and 17 assists in 46 games. Pastrnak followed that season up with 15 goals and 11 assists in 51 games during the 2015-16 season. Since that season, the Bruins winger has posted 70 points (34 goals & 36 assists) in 2016-17 and 80 points (35 goals and 45 assists) in 2017-18.

The future of the NHL looks promising as these young stars continue to make a name for themselves while they continue to dominate on the ice. A few of the other young stars to watch this season include Auston Matthews, Nathan MacKinnon and Patrick Laine.

Featured image: “Nashville Predators vs. St. Louis Blues” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by stephenyeargin