Celebrini, Bedard and Schaefer headline TSN’s Top 50 U-24 Players

Call it a natural hat trick.

Three straight No. 1 picks sit atop the 2025-26 edition of the TSN annual ranking of the NHL’s best U-24 players.

First is 2024 first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks.

Second is 2023 first-overall pick Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Third is 2025 first-overall pick Matthew Schaefer of the New York Islanders.

They are connected by draft status and nationality. O Canada.

Each has his own unique story.

Celebrini, 19, has blossomed into a virtual lock for Canada’s 2026 Olympic team in only his second season.

“He’s a lower-case Sidney Crosby in both his game and his impact,” says TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button.

Bedard, 20, has fashioned a comeback story in only his third season – bouncing back brilliantly after a sluggish sophomore season.

“I think Bedard has most looked like the player we thought he could be this season and it’s a huge credit to him,” says FloHockey’s NHL Draft & Prospect Analyst Chris Peters. “He’s stronger and quicker this year, which has led to better results.”

Celerbrini (13-17-30) and Bedard (13-16-29) are third and fourth, respectively, in NHL scoring and are both averaging a point-and-a-half per game.

Schaefer, 18, has been the biggest shock of all, making a seismic impact on the blueline after injury and illness limited him to just 21 games in his draft year.

“When you pick someone No. 1, you hope that he transforms your franchise,” Button says. “He has done this in 20 games.”

Schaefer leads all NHL defencemen with seven goals, including an OT marker against Utah on Nov. 14 to become the youngest blueliner in NHL history to score in extra time.

Button and Peters ranked the top 50 players as part of TSN’s annual U-24 project, which assesses players 23 or younger as of season’s start (Oct. 7) from a team and individual perspective.

Celebrini, Bedard and Schaefer may be listed, in order, 1-2-3 now but who’s to say what the order will look like in years to come.

The Celebrini story has caught everyone’s attention this season with a blend of talent and tenaciousness.

“He’s the new hot thing,” says Florida forward Brad Marchand. “You hear a lot about him. He’s playing incredible hockey right now. He’s obviously very skilled.

“What I like about his game is the intensity. He’s a dog. He hounds the puck. He plays hard. He’s not shy. You know he’ll go into the corners; he’ll go to the front of the net. He’s not one of those guys that waits for the power play. He plays all night long.”

Celebrini succeeds Jack Hughes (2024-25), Bedard (2023-24) and Cale Makar (2022-23) as TSN’s top-rated U-24 player.Button and Peters labeled U-24 players AAA (superstar), AA (elite), A (No. 1 goalie, top-pair defenceman, first-line forward) or B (tandem goalie, top-four defenceman, top-six forward) or C (backup goalie, depth defenceman, bottom-six forward).

Filling out the top six players this year – all of them earning AAA status - are:

- No. 4 Leo Carlsson, the 20-year-old Anaheim centre who is on a 100-point scoring pace, more than twice as high as his previous best 45.

- No. 5 Lane Hutson, the 21-year-old Montreal left defenceman and Calder Trophy winner who is trending toward a second straight 60-assist season.

- No. 6 Ivan Demidov, the 19-year-old Montreal right winger who is just scratching the surface of his offensive potential.

The Top 50 U-24 Players

(2024 ranking in parentheses)