It’s been two months since the beginning of the NHL season, and some players have been stepping up. Here is a list of my favorite players this NHL season.
David Pastrnak from the Boston Bruins, Morgan Geekie from the Boston Bruins, Connor Bedard from the Chicago Blackhawks, Connor McDavid from the Edmonton Oilers, and Brad Marchand from the Florida Panthers are fantastic players, always putting in effort, which is ultimately why they are my favorite players.
David Pastrnak creates plays to elevate his linemates. Going into the 2025 NHL season, I did not expect him to be as great a leader as he is right now. Each game he plays, it seems like he is playing to win, and it is shown through his playmaking ability this year. Some of his best plays have come from knowing where everyone is on the ice and giving them scoring opportunities. It’s always exciting to see what he can do to generate scoring opportunities every shift.
Morgan Geekie had a slow start last year, but after settling in, he had a career high in goals. This year, he has improved to be among the top five goal scorers in the league. If he continues to score at the same pace he has been scoring at, he is projected to shatter his career high in goals by nearly double the amount. Geekie gives me thrills whenever he is on the ice, and it is exciting to see him playing at the best of his abilities.
Connor Bedard, being one of the younger players in the league at age 20, has been fantastic this season. In 2023, he was drafted as the first overall pick. Going into this season, people were labeling him as a “bust,” but that is in fact not the case. Bedard has been fantastic this season, ultimately being the reason why the Blackhawks have been good. Even before this season, there have been flashes of him as a good player with an incredible shot. Seeing a player this young be so great on the ice is exciting to see.
Each year, Connor McDavid is the best player in the league by a landslide. After strong pushes to the Stanley Cup, he had two seasons below 100 points. This year, based on his stats, he is projected to have a season of 120 points. If he is able to have a season with that many points as well as win the Stanley Cup this year, he could solidify himself as a top 5 forward of all time, given how many individual awards he has gotten. McDavid is truly a generational player.
Brad Marchand always grinds it out every game. Every time he is on the ice, the opposing team hates playing against him because of the effort he puts into the game. Having the most points on Florida, he has been the reason why his team is still able to compete in a tough division. With a lot of injured players, Marachand has stepped up and been a leader on this team, using his past leadership in Boston to help Florida compete.
These players put in effort every game and opportunity they have, making hockey exciting to watch.