Cale Makar is the standard-bearer for the NHL’s younger generation.
Makar is No. 1 in Craig Button’s ranking of the Top 50 U-24 NHL-affiliated players and prospects who were 23 or younger as of the start of the NHL season Oct. 11.
Since then, the Colorado superstar has turned 24 and reached 200 career points faster than any defenceman in NHL history.
Makar, who plays the game at breakneck speed, reached the milestone in 195 games, 12 fewer than any other blueliner.
Teammate Nathan MacKinnon has famously said Makar could develop into the greatest defenceman ever.
Button doesn’t share that perspective but sees Makar ending up as one of the all-time greatest by career’s end.
“Makar has a brilliant future ahead of him,” says Button. “I think he could eventually be the third best defenceman behind Bobby Orr and Nicklas Lidstrom.”
Orr won eight consecutive Norris Trophies and Lidstrom won a total of seven best defenceman honours. Makar won his first last year and doubled down by winning the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP with the Stanley Cup champions.
Makar (6-20-26) is one of three players who earned AAA superstar status in Button’s grading – placing ahead of No. 2 Dallas left winger Jason Robertson (23-20-43) and No. 3 New Jersey centre Jack Hughes (16-19-35).
Robertson and Hughes lead a dazzling group of young Americans, with six of Button’s top 11 representing the stars and stripes. The others: No. 7 Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger, No. 9 Vancouver defenceman Quinn Hughes, No. 10 Ottawa left winger Brady Tkachuk and No. 11 Anaheim centre Trevor Zegras
Montreal centre Nick Suzuki is No. 4 and the highest-ranked player from a Canadian team. The Canadiens and Ottawa Senators each have four players in the top 50, most among Canada-based clubs.
The Canadiens are Suzuki, No. 15 left winger Cole Caufield, No. 28 defenceman Kaiden Guhle and No. 39 left winger Juraj Slafkovsky.
The Senators are Tkachuk, No. 17 centre Tim Stutzle, No. 26 defenceman Jake Sanderson and No. 27 centre Josh Norris.
Dallas has three representatives in the top 10: Robertson, Oettinger, and No. 8 defenceman Miro Heiskanen. Button ranked Dallas’s collection of U-24 players as best in the league.
Ten countries are represented in Button’s ranking. Canada, USA, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Russia, Switzerland, Czechia, Slovakia, and Austria.
Three members of the Top 50 have turned 24 since season’s start: Makar, No. 6 Vancouver centre Elias Pettersson and No. 45 Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner.
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Rank Player Nationality NHL affiliation
1 Cale Makar Cda Colorado
2 Jason Robertson USA Dallas
3 Jack Hughes USA New Jersey
4 Nick Suzuki Cda Montreal
5 Rasmus Dahlin Swe Buffalo
6 Elias Pettersson Swe Vancouver
7 Jake Oettinger USA Dallas
8 Miro Heiskanen Fin Dallas
9 Quinn Hughes USA Vancouver
10 Brady Tkachuk USA Ottawa
11 Trevor Zegras USA Anaheim
12 Moritz Seider Ger Detroit
13 Bowen Byram Cda Colorado
14 Owen Power Cda Buffalo
15 Cole Caufield USA Montreal
16 Andrei Svechnikov Rus Carolina
17 Tim Stutzle Ger Ottawa
18 Lucas Raymond Swe Detroit
19 Nico Hischier Swi New Jersey
20 Martin Necas Cze Carolina
21 Matt Boldy USA Minnesota
22 Matty Beniers USA Seattle
23 Robert Thomas Cda St. Louis
24 Noah Dobson Cda Islanders
25 Spencer Knight USA Florida
26 Jake Sanderson USA Ottawa
27 Josh Norris USA Ottawa
28 Jamie Drysdale Cda Anaheim
29 Kaiden Guhle Cda Montreal
30 Cole Perfetti Cda Winnipeg
31 Wyatt Johnston Cda Dallas
32 Mason McTavish Cda Anaheim
33 Kent Johnson Cda Columbus
34 Simon Edvinsson Swe Detroit
35 Jesper Wallstedt Swe Minnesota
36 Sebastian Cossa Cda Detroit
37 Dylan Guenther Cda Arizona
38 Juraj Slafkovsky Svk Montreal
39 Pavel Mintyukov Rus Anaheim
40 Luke Hughes USA New Jersey
41 Dylan Cozens Cda Buffalo
42 Marco Kasper Aut Detroit
43 Shane Wright Cda Seattle
44 David Jiricek Cze Columbus
45 Stuart Skinner Cda Edmonton
46 Logan Cooley USA Arizona
47 Zach Bolduc Cda St. Louis
48 Brandt Clarke Cda Los Angeles
49 Jimmy Snuggerud USA St. Louis
50 Yaroslav Askarov RUS Nashville
