Rising Stars: The Rookie Class Making Moves in 2025-26
- Mayline Ruiz
- 12 minutes ago
- 6 min read
With two months into the 2025-26 National Hockey League season, there have been numerous players who are bringing in new energy and skill across the league. As we start to head into the middle of the NHL season and the upcoming 2026 Olympics, let’s take a look at how these rookies have made their mark.
Ivan Demidov - Montreal Canadiens
Ivan Demidov, who was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round (fifth overall) at the 2024 NHL Draft, made his debut against the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2024-25 season, scoring his first NHL goal and recording his first assist, totaling two points in his debut. This is his first season with the Canadiens, and he has gotten off to a hot start. With 29 games played, Demidov has scored 6 goals and recorded 17 assists, totaling 23 points.
Before his NHL debut, Demidov played in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) for St. Petersburg SKA. During the 2024-25 KHL season, Demidov played in 65 games, where he scored 49 points from 19 goals and 30 assists.
With Demidov’s skill, he has been able to create plays in tight spaces and has generated a lot of offensive production. In fact, Demidov has a shooting percentage of 18.2. While the league has a mixture of younger players and veterans, Demidov has done a great job of playing against older and stronger competition.
Beckett Sennecke - Anaheim Ducks
Beckett Sennecke, who was also drafted in the 2024 NHL Draft, was drafted in Round One and was the third overall pick. Sennecke made his debut against the Seattle Kraken on Oct. 9, where he scored his first NHL goal, with an assist from Mason McTavish.
Prior to his NHL debut, Sennecke played in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) from 2022 to 2025 with the Oshawa Generals, where he played in 180 games, scored 83 goals, and had 126 assists for 209 points.
With 30 games in, Sennecke has scored 10 goals and has 16 assists for 26 points. Sennecke had a five-game point streak that started against the Vegas Golden Knights, where he got one assist a game, but it ended after playing against the St. Louis Blues. Standing at 6’3”, Sennecke is able to bring a strong physical presence, which allows him to maneuver the puck around competitors quickly. While Sennecke sustained a foot injury during the offseason, he didn’t miss a beat and immediately started showing his skills in the league.
Matthew Schaefer - New York Islanders
Matthew Schaefer has been on everyone’s minds following the 2025 NHL Draft after being the No.1 overall pick. Schaefer played two seasons in the OHL with the Erie Otters, where he played in 73 matches and received 39 points from 29 assists and 10 goals.
Schaefer immediately got to work and began playing with the Islanders this season, where he debuted against the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he got an assist. Schaefer also became the youngest defenseman to obtain a point during his debut in the NHL.
Since then, Schaefer has played in 31 games, where he has eight goals and 14 assists for 22 points. Currently, Schaefer has 74 shots on goal and averages 23:22 minutes on the ice. Schaefer has an agile puck-moving ability and has done an effective job at trying to get shots on goal.
Artyom Levshunov - Chicago Blackhawks
During the 2024 Draft, the Chicago Blackhawks drafted Artyom Levshunov in the first round as the second overall pick. Levshunov attended Michigan State University during 2024-25, where he played in 38 games and had nine goals and 26 assists, totaling 35 points. Levshunov signed his entry-level contract in 2024, where he made his debut on March 10 against the Colorado Avalanche, resulting in a 3-0 Blackhawks loss. Levshunov didn’t record his first point until five days later against the Vancouver Canucks where he got an assist off a goal from Wyatt Kaiser.
Levshunov spent the remainder of the 2024-25 season with the Blackhawks, AHL team, the Rockford IceHogs. Levshunov played in 52 games, where he obtained 22 points from five goals and 17 assists. He even had a playoff appearance during the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs, where he played in seven games and scored one goal. The IceHogs were eliminated in the Central Division Semifinals against the Milwaukee Admirals in a 3-2 series.
This season, Levshunov has played in 28 games and has one goal and 13 assists for 14 points. With his size, Levshunov has the ability to be a reliable defenseman. A few weeks following his draft, Levshunov signed a three-year entry-level contract. With playoff experience, it’ll be interesting to see how his style of play develops in the years to come, especially with the young players the Blackhawks have.
Oliver Kapanen - Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens drafted Oliver Kapanen in the 2021 Draft in the second round as pick 64. Following his draft, Kapanen spent time in Finland’s hockey league and played for Kalpa Kuopio, where he played in 106 games, obtaining 61 points from 35 assists and 26 goals.
Kapanen made his debut on Oct. 10 against the Boston Bruins during the 2024-25 season, where he recorded his first NHL point from an assist off a goal from Josh Anderson. Kapanen then went to the Swedish Hockey League, where he played for Timrå IK. While playing for Timrå IK, Kapanen recorded 35 points from 20 assists and 15 goals in 36 games. Following that, Kapanen went to the Canadiens ' AHL team, the Laval Rocket, where he got the chance to play in the Calder Cup Playoffs. In the 11 games he played, he recorded three goals and three assists for six points. The Rockets were swept by the Charlotte Checkers during the Eastern Conference Finals.
In the 2025-26 season opener, Kapanen scored a goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs. So far, Kapanen has 15 points in 29 games with nine goals and six assists. Kapanen has great offensive instincts, which have helped him get more comfortable on the ice. Playing in Sweden, Finland, and Canada, Kapanen has been allowed to develop and learn different ways to play against competitors.
Ryan Leonard - Washington Capitals
Ryan Leonard was drafted in the 2023 NHL Draft in the first round as the eighth overall pick. Leonard spent some time playing with the United States Hockey League (USHL), where he played in 50 games and scored 21 goals and had 14 assists for 35 points. He then decided to attend Boston College, where he got to play with his World Juniors teammates, Will Smith and Gabe Perreault.
During his time with Boston College, Leonard played in 78 games, where he received 109 points from 48 assists and 61 goals. Leonard also obtained six points during the NCAA Tournament to take BC to the national championship game. Information obtained from the NHL.
Leonard also played in the World Junior U-20 Championships, where the US took back-to-back gold medals at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Championship. Leonard was also a finalist for the 2025 Hobey Baker Memorial Award, competing against Zeev Buium and Isaac Howard.
Leonard made his debut with the Capitals in the 2024-25 season on April 1, against the Boston Bruins, where the Capitals won 4-3, and Ovechkin scored goal 891. In the nine games Leonard played in the 2024-25 season, he scored one goal; however, he was able to play against the Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs, where the Capitals won the series 4-1. In the second round, the Capitals were eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1.
This season, Leonard has played in 29 games, where he has gotten 18 points from seven goals and 11 assists. Leonard has a strong two-way game that makes him a physical player and produces a lot offensively. During the Capitals' game against the Anaheim Ducks, Leonard took a hit from Jacob Trouba, and he didn't return. Leonard was placed on the injured reserve before their game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday.
As the season continues to progress, there is no doubt that we will continue to see these rookies shine. Are there any rookies you’re keeping an eye out for? Let me know what you think!
Edited by Mary Merensky
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