Top 23-and-under goalies in NHL in 3 seasons ranked

NHL Network continues a nine-part series Sunday (6 p.m. ET) looking at the best players in the League right now. The fourth installment will rank the top 20 goalies. To add to that conversation, we asked 10 NHL.com writers to rank the 23-and-under goalies they think will be the best in the NHL in three seasons, with each voter awarding 10 points to the player ranked No. 1, nine for No. 2, and so on. Below are the top 5.

The NHL has as a great group of young goalies who either are starting to emerge or will soon.

But who are the best of the bunch?

NHL.com tried to answer that question by looking at those goalies who have yet to turn 24 and trying to project how they will rank against each other in three seasons.

None have had lenghty opportunities in the League yet, but in small sample sizes in the NHL and/or American Hockey League, they're showing they could become great players in relatively short order.

Here is the NHL.com list of the 23-and-under goalies who could be the best in the NHL in three seasons:

Devon Levi, Buffalo Sabres (31 points): The 21-year-old made his NHL debut last season, when he went 5-2-0 with a 2.94 goals-against average and .905 save percentage in seven games. Prior to joining the Sabres, Levi went 17-12 with five ties, a 2.24 GAA, .933 save percentage and six shutouts in 34 games with Northeastern. His save percentage was the best in the NCAA for the second consecutive season and Levi won the Mike Richter Award as the top goalie in men's collegiate hockey, the first two-time winner since the award's inception in 2014. Not bad credentials for the goalie Buffalo hopes will be a big part of its future, after acquiring him in a trade with the Florida Panthers on July 24, 2021. He's off to a good start.

Yaroslav Askarov , Nashville Predators (27): Askarov played one game for the Predators last season, making 31 saves in a a 4-3 loss at the Montreal Canadiens on Jan. 12, but made a big impression with Milwaukee, Nashville's AHL affiliate. The 21-year-old went 26-16-5 with a 2.69 GAA, .911 save percentage and three shutouts in 48 regular-season games and 6-6 with a 2.70 GAA and .903 save percentage in the Calder Cup playoffs for Milwaukee, which lost to Coachella Valley in the Western Conference Final. Clearly the transition to North American ice didn't bother the No. 11 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft very much, and if he keeps on that trajectory, Nashville will be in good hands down the road.

Dustin Wolf, Calgary Flames (22): A native of Gilroy, California, Wolf had a strong NHL debut, making 23 saves in a 3-1 win against the San Jose Sharks, who he grew up watching, on April 12. Not a bad outing for Wolf, who turned 22 four days after that game. He was just as good on a larger scale for Calgary, the Flames' AHL affiliate, where he went 42-10-2 and led the league in wins, GAA (2.09), save percentage (.932) and shutouts (seven). Selected in the seventh round (No. 214) of the 2019 NHL Draft, Wolf also was 5-4-0 with a 2.67 GAA, .912 save percentage and one shutout in nine Calder Cup playoff games. Not surprisingly, he won the Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL's top goalie for the second consecutive season. Wolf should challenge for the backup role behind Flames starter Jacob Markstrom and should make a big impact with them in the future.

Spencer Knight, Florida Panthers (19): The 22-year-old participated in Panthers development camp in July and will look to once again be the backup to Sergei Bobrovsky. Knight went 9-8-3 with a 3.18 GAA, .901 save percentage and one shutout in 21 games (19 starts) for Florida last season before he entered the NHL/NHL Players' Association player assistance program on Feb. 24. The No. 13 pick in the 2019 draft made his League debut in 2020-21, playing four regular-season games and then starting two Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Panthers, going 1-1 with a 2.06 GAA and .933 save percentage. He immediately showed what he could do for Florida, and he'll get another opportunity now to become more of a fixture.

Jesper Wallstedt, Minnesota Wild (18): The 20-year-old Sweden-born goalie made his professional debut last season with Iowa, Minnesota's AHL affiliate, going 18-15-5 with a 2.68 GAA, .908 save percentage and one shutout in 38 games. The No. 20 selection by the Wild in the 2021 NHL Draft, Wallstedt went 3-2-0 with a 1.62 GAA and .940 save percentage to help Sweden win bronze at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship. Wallstedt is expected to play for Iowa again this season, since Filip Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury make up Minnesota's current tandem. More time in the AHL should help Wallstedt be fully prepared when the Wild do come calling.