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

NHL Network continued a nine-part series Sunday looking at the best players in the League right now. The second installment ranked the top 20 wings. To add to that conversation, we asked 10 NHL.com writers to rank the 23-and-under wings 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.

The NHL boasts a crop of young, exciting wings who are redefining the capabilities of the position. More such players are on the way after being selected in the past few NHL Drafts.

But who are the best of these up-and-coming wings?

NHL.com attempted to answer that question by looking at the group of wings who have yet to turn 24 and trying to project how they will rank against each other in three seasons as they continue to mature.

Some, like Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators and Andrei Svechnikov of the Carolina Hurricanes, have already made a huge impact in the League. Others, like Juraj Slafkovsky, the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft by the Montreal Canadiens, and William Eklund, selected No. 7 by the San Jose Sharks in the 2021 NHL Draft, are on the cusp of becoming full-time NHLers.

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

Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators (99 voting points): Entering his sixth season, Tkachuk has developed into an elite power forward. The 23-year-old took a major step last season, averaging more than a point per game for the first time in his NHL career when he had 83 points (35 goals, 48 assists) in 82 games. His scoring touch has improved each season, and his goal total last season was an NHL career high by five, suggesting he is on the brink of becoming a perennial 40-goal scorer. Brother Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers is on the top 20 list of overall wings, and it shouldn't be long before another Tkachuk joins it.

Andrei Svechnikov, Carolina Hurricanes (88): The 23-year-old has scored 20 or more goals in four of his first five seasons and had an NHL career-high 30 two seasons ago. His game is still rounding into form, but he has 124 points (53 goals, 71 assists) in his past 142 regular-season games. He has also shown an ability to score when the going gets tough, with 13 goals in 40 Stanley Cup Playoff games. Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho will be the go-to players for years to come for a Hurricanes team that should be an Eastern Conference contender for the foreseeable future.

Cole Caufield, Montreal Canadiens (72): The rough start to Caulfield's career is in the rear-view mirror as the 22-year-old has become one of the most exciting young scorers in the NHL. He finished with an NHL career-high 26 goals in 46 games in 2022-23, his third season in the League. Caufield and Slafkovsky are expected to be the driving forces for the offense as the Canadiens begin to accelerate their rebuild with an infusion of young talent. With three NHL seasons under his belt, Caulfield will be one of the leaders of that group.

Matt Boldy, Minnesota Wild (59):The 22-year-old power forward is entering his third NHL season but has already established himself as a force with 102 points (46 goals, 56 assists) in his first 128 games. The forward had 63 points (31 goals, 32 assists) in 81 games last season, finishing third in scoring for the Wild behind Kirill Kaprizov (75 points) and Mats Zuccarello (67). On a team that has trouble generating offense after Kaprizov, Boldy's profile should continue to rise exponentially in the next few seasons.

Lucas Raymond, Detroit Red Wings (52): The 21-year-old is entering his third NHL season, and his future is quite bright. The No. 4 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft had 45 points (17 goals, 28 assists) in 74 regular-season games last season, a slight step back from the 57 points (23 goals, 34 assists) he had in 82 games as a rookie in 2021-22. But now that Detroit has added veteran talent up front for the second straight offseason, it's expected that Raymond's game will start to grow considerably.

Matias Maccelli, Arizona Coyotes (48): The 22-year-old took the NHL by surprise after parlaying a strong run with Arizona in 2021-22 into a full-time job with the Coyotes. He had 49 points (11 goals, 38 assists) in 64 games last season while also displaying acumen on defense. He was third on Arizona in scoring behind Clayton Keller (86 points) and Nick Schmaltz (58) but could challenge Keller for team points supremacy sooner than later.

Juraj Slafkovsky, Montreal Canadiens (32): The 19-year-old did not have the rookie season expected of a No. 1 pick with 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 39 games in 2022-23, but there were flashes of what attracted the Canadiens to him. As he continues to grow into his body (6-foot-3, 238 pounds), it's expected that his production will increase and he'll become the power forward that he's projected to be.