The National Hockey League is made up of hundreds of players of varying ages. Some, however, are quite a bit younger than the so-called grizzled vets who have played more than a few seasons. Over 200 players are selected in the NHL draft each year, bringing tons of fresh faces to the league. How young, then, are the youngest of the professional hockey bunch? Read on to find out.
Baby-Faced Rooks
Ottawa Senators left winger Alex Formenton is the youngest player in the NHL at 18 years old. Formenton took the ice for the first time during the 2017-18 season after being selected forty-seventh overall in the draft. Filip Chytil is the second youngest NHL player, also 18 years old. The center was picked in the first round (twenty-first overall) during the 2017 draft by the Broadway Blueshirts (aka the New York Rangers).
No. 3 on the list is Owen Tippett, 18-year-old rookie for this Florida Panthers. Fourth on the list is the 2017 No. 1 draft pick, 19-year-old Nico Hischier, center for the New Jersey Devils. Edmonton Oilers right wing Kailer Yamamoto is the fifth youngest, followed by Nolan Patrick of the Philadelphia Flyers. Clayton Keller (19 years old) is no. 7 on the list and was selected in the 1st round (seventh overall) of the 2016 draft by the Arizona Coyotes.
No. 8 is Mikhail Sergachev, also 19, who plays for the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was actually drafted in 2016 by the Canadiens, so he’s not only a non-rookie, but he’ll also be taking the ice for a second season this year. The last of the top 10 players include Victor Mete (Montreal Canadiens), and Samuel Girard (Nashville Predators), all age 19.
Youthful All-Stars
The NHL All-Star game is divided into three 20-minute games and takes star players from each NHL division to make up the four All-Star teams: Pacific, Central, Atlantic, and Metropolitan. It’s a single-elimination, 3-on-3 tournament, which is relatively new to the league.
For the 2016-17 season, we found the youngest player on each All-Star team. In the Atlantic Division, Dylan Larkin was the youngest player. The Detroit Red Wings center is 21 years old, and expectations for him are quite high in Detroit. In addition to his All-Star selection, Larkin was rookie of the month in November of the 2015-16 season.
In the Central Division, Tyler Seguin was the youngest player on his respective All-Star team. Seguin is a relative oldster when compared to the other youngest players, coming in at age 25. He was drafted second overall in 2010 by the Boston Bruins and now plays for the Dallas Stars.
Brandon Saad, age 24, is the youngest All-Star player for the Metropolitan Division team. He currently plays for the Chicago Blackhawks, but previously played a couple of seasons for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
From the Pacific Division, 24-year-old Calgary Flames player Johnny Gaudreau was the youngest All-Star select last year. Gaudreau has made the All-Star team for three consecutive seasons and made the 2014-15 NHL All-Rookie team.
Youth Movement in the Rink
Several of the top 10 youngest hockey players in the NHL made their presence known last season, and hope to continue blading their way to glory. In addition to the top 10 youngest overall, we researched each team’s youngest player and found the youth movement in the NHL is strong – not one of the youngest players from each team is older than 23.
Included are players like Matthew Tkachuk (Calgary Flames, 19), Dylan Larkin (Detroit Red Wings, 21), Alex Tuch (Minnesota Wild last year, now with the new expansion team, Las Vegas Golden Nights, 21), Brock Boeser (Vancouver Canucks, 20), and Olli Maatta (Pittsburgh Penguins, 23).
Hit the Ice
OK, while you may not be ready to take on the pros, if you’re headed to the rink this NHL season, make sure you’ve glanced at Fanatics.com because there are a ton of authentic NHL fan gear that would make any ice hockey fan proud.
Top 10 Youngest Players in the NHL
- Alex Formenton (18) Ottawa Senators
- Filip Chytil (18) New York Rangers
- Nico Hischier (19) New Jersey Devils
- Kailer Yamamoto (19) Edmonton Oilers
- Nolan Patrick (19) Philadelphia Flyers
- Clayton Keller (19) Arizona Coyotes
- Mikhail Sergachev (19) Tampa Bay Lightning
- Victor Mete (19) Montreal Canadiens
- Samuel Girard (19) Nashville Predators
- Patrik Laine (19) Winnipeg Jets
Sources
- http://www.nhl.com/ice/draftsearch.htm?year=2017&team=&position=&round=
- https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/l/lainepa01.html
- https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/t/tkachma01.html
- https://www.nhl.com/news/tampa-bay-to-host-2018-nhl-all-star-game/c-289629596
- https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/l/larkidy01.html
- https://www.wingingitinmotown.com/2017/9/9/16131378/red-wings-top-25-under-25-dylan-larkin-is-1
- https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/s/seguity01.html
- https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/s/saadbr01.html
- https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/c/chytifi01.html
- https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/f/formeal01.html
- https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/h/hischni01.html
- https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/s/sergami01.html
- https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/k/kellecl01.html
- https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/y/yamamka01.html
