Top young centers entering this season discussed by NHL.com

Who are the best centers in the NHL entering the 2024-25 season?

That is a question NHL Network will answer on Wednesday when its panel of producers and analysts reveal the top 20 centers in the League right now during the third of a nine-part series.

As an appetizer to the unveiling of that list, a panel of NHL.com writers indentified some centers under the age of 24, in alphabetical order, who have a chance of cracking the top 20 in the next three seasons.

To note: Our writers did not select Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils, Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks, or Tim Stutzle of the Ottawa Senators because they already made the list by NHL Network.

Leo Carlsson, Anaheim Ducks

When looking at Carlsson, who has the size (6-foot-3, 194 pounds), reach, 200-foot game, hockey sense, and want to attack the middle of the ice, to be a play driver, it begs the question I am struggling to answer. What can’t he do? The 19-year-old got his feet wet in the NHL last season with 29 points (12 goals, 17 assists) in 55 games. Carlsson missed time early in the season because of planned scratches, in December because of a sprained MCL in his right knee, and in March because of a concussion. But what we saw in 55 games from Carlsson, who was the No. 2 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, was enough to convince me that he has it all, that he might be the next Anze Kopitar in the NHL. He’s big and plays every inch of the ice. He’s smart with his reads, strong on his skates and quick in transition. He plays on the power play and has the ability to do so on the penalty kill. He scores, distributes and can hit. Maybe he can’t stop the puck like John Gibson, but that’s about it. He’s a future star, and his future is now. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

Macklin Celebrini, San Jose Sharks

The No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft has yet to play a game for the Sharks, but it's not a gamble to believe that the 18-year-old will be an elite center before he reaches his 24th birthday. Every metric suggests he will be a franchise player for the Sharks, and sooner rather than later. This season, he became the youngest player to win the Hobey Baker Award, earning it after he had 64 points (32 goals, 32 assists) in 38 games as a freshman at Boston University. In fact, he is just the fourth freshman to win the Hobey Baker Award, joining Paul Kariya (1993), Jack Eichel (2015) and Adam Fantilli (2023). Celebrini, who is from North Vancouver, British Columbia, also played for Canada at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, getting eight points (four goals, four assists) in five games. He is the player the Sharks are building their future around and, as such, he should join the list of elite centers in short order. -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

Logan Cooley, Utah Hockey Club

As far as rookie seasons go, the 20-year-old had a very good one. Cooley, who the Arizona Coyotes selected with the No. 3 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, had 44 points (20 goals, 24 assists) in 82 games last season, including 13 power-play points (three power-play goals). A native of Pittsburgh, Cooley participated in the first season of Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby’s Little Penguins Learn to Play Hockey program in 2008. Not a bad start, really. There’s a lot of excitement heading into this season for Utah, and Cooley is a big part of the group that’s looking to give its new fans a whole lot to cheer about. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

Kirby Dach, Montreal Canadiens

Dach seemed destined for big things last season, his second with the Canadiens, after getting 38 points (14 goals, 24 assists) in 58 games in 2022-23. However, after getting two assists in the season opener, Dach tore the MCL and ACL in his right knee in the first period of Montreal's home opener, causing him to miss the rest of the season. It was a big blow for him and the Canadiens, but I expect he will bounce back this year, especially considering the young talent on Montreal's roster have another season of experience under their belt. Remember, Dach, who will turn 24 in January, has already played 212 regular-season games with the Canadiens and Blackhawks. I’m not sure when he will make the list of best centers in the NHL, but this season he could take a big step toward making that happen. -- Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief

Adam Fantilli, Columbus Blue Jackets

The 19-year-old looks ready to build on an impressive rookie season that was limited to 49 games because of a calf laceration he sustained on Jan. 28. Fantilli had 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists), averaged 15:43 of ice time, averaged 0.98 goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5, which was second among NHL rookies (minimum 40 games), and 2.05 points per 60 at 5-on-5, which was fourth, last season. The arrival of center Sean Monahan, who signed a five-year contract with Columbus on July 1, should take some of the pressure off of Fantilli. Combine that with better health, physical maturation and a firmer understanding of what life is like in the NHL, and it's easy to see Fantilli as the Blue Jackets' leading scorer this season. -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

Seth Jarvis, Carolina Hurricanes

The 22-year-old might not be the most glitzy name on this list, but he’s certainly trending in the right direction. Only Hughes (74) and Stutzle (70) had more points than Jarvis (67) among centers under the age of 24 last season. Then in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he led the Hurricanes in power-play points (four) despite playing with an injured shoulder and broken finger. Jarvis, who is currently a restricted free agent, will be relied upon even more this season to supply offense after Jake Guentzel was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning and Teuvo Teravainen signed as a free agent with the Blackhawks. However, he’s already shown thus far he can handle whatever is presented to him. -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

Wyatt Johnston, Dallas Stars

It will be fun to see what the 21-year-old can accomplish this season considering the progress he’s made in his first two seasons in the NHL. Johnston had 65 points (32 goals, 33 assists) in 82 games last season after getting 41 points (24 goals, 17 assists) in 82 games as a rookie in 2022-23. He then led the Stars in goals (10) and tied for the team lead in points (16) in 19 games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, helping them reach the Western Conference Final for the second straight season before losing to the Edmonton Oilers in six games. A proven big-game performer, he has four game-winning goals in 38 NHL playoff games, Johnston will benefit from that experience as he continues to establish himself as one of the best young players in the NHL. -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer