6 Young NHL Players Who Ended the 2025–26 Season On a Hot Streak
These youngsters elevated their game at the end of the season.
The 2025–26 NHL regular season has come and gone. In the final stretch of the campaign, a few young players ended strongly, inspiring confidence for the future. Let’s break it down.
Zach Benson
Zach Benson, who doesn’t turn 21 years old until May 12, had somewhat of a breakout in 2025–26. On the campaign, the 2023 first-round draft pick recorded 13 goals and 30 assists in 65 games—a full-season pace of 54 points. He also had a plus-27 rating and did so on 15:53 of average ice time.
More recently, however, Benson has hit another gear. He has 14 points in his last 14 games with a solid 53.09% expected goal share at 5-on-5.
During this span, Benson ranks 16th in points per 60 among skaters with 100 minutes of total ice time. Across the entire campaign, he’s 104th among skaters with 500 minutes—solid production for a young player.
Benson is quickly evolving into the two-way top-six force that the Buffalo Sabres envisioned when they drafted him. Better yet, he’s making an impact on one of the top contenders in the Eastern Conference.
Adam Fantilli
Adam Fantilli’s excellence spans back even further—around the time head coach Rick Bowness was hired. From Jan. 24 until the season ended, the 21-year-old center recorded 12 goals and 17 assists in 32 games. His 29 points tied for 43rd in the league.
Furthermore, Fantilli ranked 64th in points per 60 among skaters with at least 250 minutes of ice time. That edged out plenty of established top-six forwards. He effectively operated as a high-end 2C for two and a half months.
Averaging 18:54 of ice time this season, Fantilli has emerged as the Columbus Blue Jackets’ top center. His 59 points in 82 games are solid, and his more recent play has been even better.
Across these 32 games, Fantilli recorded a 52.56% expected goal share at 5-on-5. Columbus was excellent during this stretch, so that was actually a below-average mark among forwards, but considering the intensity of his role, that’s encouraging.
The hope for Fantilli is that he can become a franchise center in Columbus. With another season or two getting the minutes he is, the likelihood of that should be clearer.
Porter Martone
Porter Martone’s NHL career is only nine games old, but he certainly wouldn’t have you thinking it. The 19-year-old winger, drafted sixth overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2025, has four goals and six assists.
