It looked like this would be the spring of the past two No. 1 draft picks, Matthew Schaefer and Macklin Celebrini, making the NHL playoffs at 18 and 19 years old. Then Schaefer's New York Islanders and Celebrini's San Jose Sharks fell short.
There is plenty of youthful talent in the NHL postseason anyway, including rookies and players 21 and under getting their first taste of playoff hockey in the best league in the world.
Montreal’s Ivan Demidov, Pittsburgh’s
Ben Kindel, Boston’s Fraser Minten, Philadelphia’s duo of Porter Martone and Matvei Michkov, and Anaheim’s Bennett Sennecke and Leo Carlsson are among the young stars to watch in the chase for the Stanley Cup.
“(This will be about) showcasing some of these young players that are on the rise that maybe haven’t had that experience,” retired Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Pronger said. “Now they get a chance to kind of understand what it’s all about and what it means to play in the playoffs.”
Game 1 against Tampa Bay won't be Demidov's NHL playoff debut after he played in the first round a year ago against Washington. But the skilled, fast-puck-moving winger has gained some real experience since then; with 19 goals and 43 assists this season, he is a big reason Montreal is a legitimate contender.
“He’s just gotten better over the season at understanding the NHL game and understanding our systems and where he can be effective,” captain Nick Suzuki said. “He’s still a young kid in the league, and he’s going to keep getting better.”
Demidov, the fifth pick in the 2024 draft when Celebrini went first, is still only 20, and yet coach Martin St. Louis — himself a Hall of Famer — has entrusted him with an important top-six role.
“He’s really using his speed, using his skills and he creates a lot on the ice,” linemate Alex Newhook said. “Fun to play with. We play a fast game, and I think it suits his style a lot. He sees the ice really well. He plays fast himself. Sure, he can slow it down, but he fits that style and he’s built for what we’ve got going here.”
Schaefer making the leap to the NHL right away was expected. That was not necessarily the case for Kindel, whom Pittsburgh selected with the 12 pick in the draft. Kindel was so good in training camp that he gave the organization little choice but to keep him around.
"For him it was just continuing to check boxes," first-year coach Dan Muse said. “For a younger player, it’s just continuing to work with him and continuing to help his game evolve at the things that do go well and then over the course of the season, this is a game of mistakes. It’s also seeing how you adjust and how you adapt when maybe things don’t go as perfect.”
Kindel put up 35 points in 77 games. Game 1 on Saturday against Philadelphia comes two days before he turns 19.
“It's been a lot of fun,” Kindel said. “It’s been a whirlwind, but I love going out there and competing.”
Mintent is the top prospect Boston got for trading Brandon Carlo to Toronto at the trade deadline last year. He was not expected to make the team right away at 21, but the 6-foot-2 center forced the coaching staff to make a decision.
“It was more up to him, so I give him a lot of credit,” coach Marco Sturm said, adding that he has seen Minten's confidence grow in his rookie season. “When you have that, I think it automatically gives you more boost. It could be his skating. It could be his just calmness on the ice, playing a two-way game. He’s still growing. He’s still becoming a man and he’s just taking really good strides right now.”
Minten has played up and down the lineup and shown he can handle it.
“What impressed me is his ability to play in all three zones,” teammate Casey Mittelstadt said. “As a young guy, I had my troubles with that, so to see him do it is very impressive.”
This is Michkov's second season after Philadelphia got him out of his contract in the KHL a year after taking him with the seventh pick in the 2023 draft. Michkov's point total decreased, but he has become a better all-around player at 21.
“He’s really taken the information and applied it,” coach Rick Tocchet said. "He’s always been a team guy, but it’s just about the team. And then whatever we can do to help him, we’ll help him.”
Martone, 19, joined in March after his college season at Michigan State ended. He gives the Flyers a power forward to contrast with Michkov's offensive flashiness.
“They’re just a little bit different,” Tocchet said. "It’s good to have different flavors in your lineup.”
General manager Pat Verbeek and his staff took a little heat for drafting Carlsson second in 2023 ahead of Adam Fantilli and for taking Sennecke third, long before his projection, in 2024. They have made Anaheim’s scouting department look smart.
Sennecke could be a Calder Trophy finalist for rookie of the year, and Carlsson is the most important player for the Ducks as they've returned to the playoffs under coach Joel Quenneville.
Carlsson was nearly a point-a-game player with 67 points in 70 games around the injury that sidelined him before the Olympics. Sennecke’s 60 points were two shy of Demidov for the most among rookies.
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