Macklin Celebrini sits at the top of this year's NHL under-23 player rankings, with Connor Bedard holding firm in the upper tier as well. The annual rankings, produced by Corey Pronman at The Athletic, cover every player on an NHL organization's reserve list who is 22 years old or younger as of Sept. 15, 2026.
The list spans the player pool primarily drawn from the 2022 through 2026 NHL drafts. Pronman ranks 156 players in total, placing them in tiers and assigning tool grades across six levels: poor, below-average, average, above-average, high-end and elite. Every projected NHL player receives grades in skating, puck skills, hockey sense and compete. Shot grades are added only when a player's shot is notably strong or weak.
The rankings are career-projection rankings, not a measure of who helps a fantasy lineup this weekend. A player graded highly here is one Pronman believes will produce the best NHL career.
Celebrini at No. 1 is the right call based on what the Sharks have in him. San Jose selected him first overall in the 2024 draft, and his early NHL play backed that selection up. Bedard, the 2023 first overall pick by Chicago, remains near the top of the list and anchors what is already a loaded Blackhawks system.
The Chicago Blackhawks ranked fourth among all 32 organizations in the pipeline version of these rankings, which Pronman released alongside the individual player list. Only the San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks and Montreal Canadiens ranked ahead of Chicago. For a franchise in a deliberate rebuild, landing fourth league-wide in under-23 talent is a concrete sign the process is working.
Matthew Schaefer and Celebrini were both highlighted as two of the best young players in the NHL in the framing of this year's rankings. Schaefer, a defenseman, projects as a cornerstone piece for whichever organization holds his rights.
The rankings include players outside the NHL — prospects still in junior, college or European leagues — as long as they are on an NHL team's reserve list. That makes this a true organizational snapshot, not just a look at who is already playing in the league.
The tool-grading system gives these rankings more analytical structure than a simple ordered list. When Pronman grades a player's skating or hockey sense as above-average, the baseline is NHL average, not amateur average. A player graded average in hockey sense projects to read the game at a league-typical level, which is a real positive.
For the Blackhawks, the combination of Bedard at the NHL level and a pipeline ranked fourth in the league puts Chicago in a position few rebuilding franchises reach this quickly. The franchise has draft capital, young NHL talent already in the lineup and a reserve list stocked with players Pronman grades highly enough to appear in a top-156 ranking.
The Sharks sit at the top of the team pipeline rankings, consistent with holding the No. 1 individual player in Celebrini. Anaheim's high ranking reflects years of drafting in the lottery, a run that has produced a deep group of forwards and defensemen who are still developing. Montreal's position in the top three is driven by the prospect depth the Canadiens have accumulated since their 2021 Stanley Cup Finals loss to Tampa Bay.
Pronman's list also serves as competitive intelligence for league front offices. Teams outside the top 10 in pipeline strength face a steeper climb to contention if their current rosters underperform. Organizations near the bottom of pipeline rankings with aging rosters have the least margin for error in free agency and trades.
The under-23 cutoff, set at Sept. 15, 2026, means players who turn 23 before that date are ineligible regardless of where they play. That rule keeps the focus on the youngest core of each organization and prevents established young NHLers from skewing the rankings against true prospects.
