Ranking the 2021-22 Upper Deck Series 2 Young Guns

My rankings of the newest crop of 50 Young Guns for your chasing jollies. I’d say this group is pretty deep – a lot of the players in the top half of this list should at least stick in the NHL and several should turn into stars.

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1. Moritz Seider • D • Detroit Red Wings
   Seider exceeded all expectations in a fantastic 2021-22 season and is the favorite to win the Calder Trophy. Corey Pronman at The Athletic calls him “a true two-way force” and “a potential cornerstone defenseman.” His 43 assists led all rookies.
2. Anton Lundell • C • Florida Panthers
   Lundell quietly had an impressive rookie campaign in which he put up 18 goals and 16 assists. Byron Bader’s model at Hockey Prospecting loves Lundell and rates him as having a very high probability of turning into a star. Justin Perez at Puck Prose compares Lundell to Florida teammate Alexsander Barkov, writing, “Contribution on the power play, killing penalties, possessing a slick shot, playing physical, and using their stick well on defense are all qualities that they share.”
3. Lucas Raymond • W • Detroit Red Wings
   As a 19 year-old playing for the first time in the league, Raymond was tasked with carrying a heavy load for Detroit, leading all Red Wings forwards in total ice time. He was up to the challenge and dented the twine 23 times. Pronman writes, “(Raymond’s) skill and vision are exceptional and allow him to create a lot of chances.”
4. Quinton Byfield • C • Los Angeles Kings
   With his combination of mobility and size, Byfield has long been considered one of hockey’s top prospects. That hasn’t changed, but Byfield did not exactly blow anyone away in 2021-22, putting up just five goals and five assists in 40 games. The Kings didn’t rush him, deploying him for just 12 minutes per game, and his ceiling remains high.
5. Cole Sillinger • C • Columbus Blue Jackets
   Sillinger is the youngest of the Young Guns in this crop. Playing all year in the NHL just a few months after being drafted, he gathered 16 goals and 15 assists as an 18 year-old. 10 of those points came in the final 14 games of the season. Sillinger draws praise for his release, relentlessness, and tenacity.
6. Dawson Mercer • W • New Jersey Devils
   20 year-old Mercer was a bright spot in a difficult year for New Jersey. He was the only Devil to play all 82 games, in which he contributed 42 points. Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald said after the season, “(Mercer) showed he was pushing to play every single game, and it was a hard decision for our coaches. They couldn’t take him out of the lineup.”
7. Cole Perfetti • C/W • Winnipeg Jets
   Perfetti had a somewhat abbreviated 2021-22 season, getting into his first 18 NHL games as well as skating in 17 AHL tilts and 10 World Cup contests. Pronman writes, “With the puck on his stick (Perfetti)’s a threat due to his skill and vision, showing the ability to make high-quality plays at a high rate.” Perfetti’s offensive upside is evidenced by the 111 points he registered in 61 games in juniors in 2019-20.
8. William Eklund • C/W • San Jose Sharks
   Eklund dipped his toe into the NHL for nine games at the beginning of the season before returning to Sweden to play in the SHL. Peter Baracchini at The Hockey Writers is high on the 19 year-old, writing that the Sharks have “struck gold” with Eklund, and describing him as “a 200-foot player with high-end skill and IQ.” Pronman rates Eklund’s skating as “high-end.”
9. Philip Tomasino • C/W • Nashville Predators
   After collecting 32 points in 29 AHL games in 2020-21, Tomasino played well enough to stick with the Predators for all of the 2021-22 season and managed to chip in 11 goals and 21 assists while playing limited minutes. His skating is a strength.
10. Moritz Seider/Lucas Raymond checklist
11. Alex Newhook • C/W • Colorado Avalanche
    Newhook stuck on a loaded Avalanche roster for 71 games this year and contributed 13 goals and 20 assists. Hockey Prospecting gives him a high chance to stick in the NHL but a low chance at becoming a star.
12. Mason McTavish • C • Anaheim Ducks
13. Nils Lundkvist • D • New York Rangers
14. Yegor Chinakhov • W • Columbus Blue Jackets
15. Vasily Podkolzin • W • Vancouver Canucks
16. Jan Jenik • C/W • Arizona Coyotes
17. Ivan Prosvetov • G • Arizona Coyotes
18. Hendrix Lapierre • C • Washington Capitals
19. Grigori Denisenko • W • Florida Panthers
20. Jake Neighbours • W • St. Louis Blues
21. Jacob Bernard-Docker • D • Ottawa Senators
22. Pavel Dorofeyev • W • Vegas Golden Knights
23. Adam Ruzicka • C • Calgary Flames
24. Benoit-Olivier Groulx • C/W • Anaheim Ducks
25. David Farrance • D • Nashville Predators
26. Sampo Ranta • W • Colorado Avalanche
27. Matthew Phillips • W • Calgary Flames
28. Jonathan Dahlen • W • San Jose Sharks
29. Taylor Raddysh • W • Tampa Bay Lightning
30. Jacob Peterson • C • Dallas Stars
31. Jonas Rondbjerg • W • Vegas Golden Knights
32. Karel Vejmelka • G • Arizona Coyotes
33. Maksim Sushko • W • Philadelphia Flyers
34. Jake Leschyshyn • C • Vegas Golden Knights
35. Jesse Ylonen • W • Montreal Canadiens
36. Brandon Duhaime • W • Minnesota Wild
37. Dysin Mayo • D • Arizona Coyotes
38. Jasper Weatherby • C • San Jose Sharks
39. Thomas Novak • C • Nashville Predators
40. Boris Katchouk • W • Tampa Bay Lightning
41. Maxwell Wilman • C • Philadelphia Flyers
42. Jonah Gadjovich • W • San Jose Sharks
43. Mason Geertsen • D/W • New Jersey Devils
44. Gregory Hofmann • C • Columbus Blue Jackets
45. Oskar Steen • C • Boston Bruins
46. Brett Murray • W • Buffalo Sabres
47. William Lockwood • W • Vancouver Canucks
48. Vladimir Tkachev • F • Los Angeles Kings
49. Justin Richards • C • New York Rangers
50. Frederic Allard • D • Nashville Predators

These rankings are based primarily on my interpretation of data and articles from Hockey Prospecting, The Hockey Writers, The Athletic, and various other media sites, as well as performance to date, player age (the younger the better), and draft position.