8 NHL Players Making the Biggest Leaps This Season
Every NHL season sees several players whose performances significantly improve compared to their previous campaigns. This one is no different, as a handful have elevated their play to a higher level.
Some, like Seattle Kraken forward Shane Wright, are young players getting the chance to prove themselves.
Others, like Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson, are making the most of an opportunity with a new club to establish themselves as important players.
Wright and Thompson are among eight players we believe have made the biggest leaps with their play this season. Their efforts this season could foreshadow what could be more productive years ahead of them.
Rookies and established players over 30 are excluded from our listing. We're interested in players who have some time already in the NHL but still have enough runway ahead of them for a long career.
Pavel Dorofeyev, Vegas Golden Knights
1 of 8
Sitting atop the Pacific Division, the Vegas Golden Knights remain among the best teams in the Western Conference. Led by forwards Jack Eichel, Mark Stone and Tomáš Hertl, their scoring punch has played a key role in their ongoing success.
Skating alongside those veteran stars, Pavel Dorofeyev has been overlooked by fans who don't follow the Golden Knights. Nevertheless, the 24-year-old left wing has improved significantly in his second full NHL season.
Limited to 20 games through 2021-22 and 2022-23, Dorofeyev netted a respectable 13 goals and 24 points in 47 games last season despite missing 14 games with an upper-body injury. With 30 goals and 46 points in 70 games, he's second to Hertl among Vegas' goal scorers.
Selected in the third round of the 2019 draft, Dorofeyev is a rare homegrown talent for a club that has stocked up with established stars through trades and free agency. Jack Williams of the Las Vegas Sun cited his confidence, maturity and growing confidence with the puck as factors behind the young winger's improvement.
Dylan Holloway, St. Louis Blues
2 of 8
The St. Louis Blues made a bold move last summer, signing Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg from the Edmonton Oilers with offer sheets. Both have played significant roles for the retooling Blues as they jockey for a wild-card berth in the Western Conference.
Holloway has made the most significant strides of the pair. A versatile, swift-skating forward who can play center or wing, he saw limited playing time during his two seasons with the Oilers, totaling nine goals and 18 points, but showed flashes of his potential during their run to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.
That potential prompted Blues general manager Doug Armstrong to sign Holloway. The 23-year-old forward hasn't disappointed, tallying 26 goals and 36 assists for 62 points in 74 games playing top-six minutes, sitting tied for second with Jordan Kyrou among their leading scorers.
Holloway and Broberg give the Blues two young players who've not only had an immediate positive effect on their roster but could accelerate their retooling process. It also leaves Oilers fans fuming over their club letting those promising youngsters slip away.
Jackson LaCombe, Anaheim Ducks
3 of 8
Jackson LaCombe was chosen by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft. An NCAA All-Star with the University of Minnesota, he made his Ducks debut last season, netting 17 points in 71 games while averaging 19:43 of ice time per game.
LaCombe, 24, has seen more responsibility and ice time this season with the rebuilding Ducks, especially after they traded Cam Fowler to the St. Louis Blues last December. The play of LaCombe and fellow young blueliners Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger prompted the Ducks to move Fowler.
Rising to the occasion, the puck-moving LaCombe has seen significant improvement this season. Skating on their top defense pairing, he's reached new highs with 13 goals and 26 assists for 39 points in 64 games, leading all Ducks blueliners and sitting tied for fourth with Ryan Strome among the club's leading scorers.
The Ducks will miss the playoffs again this season, but they've shown plenty of development that could signal a breakout performance for 2025-26. LaCombe has played a big role in their progression and should continue doing so as their top defenseman.
.jpg?w=256)
Kirill Marchenko, Columbus Blue Jackets
4 of 8
The Columbus Blue Jackets have been the NHL's feel-good story this season. Despite offseason changes in the front office and behind the bench, and the heartbreaking sudden death of star forward Johnny Gaudreau last August, they rallied to jockey for a playoff position in the Eastern Conference.
Kirill Marchenko's ongoing development into a reliable scoring forward has played a big part in that story. He garnered attention for his 21-goal rookie performance in 2022-23 (with only four assists), followed by a promising 23-goal, 42-point sophomore campaign last season.
In his third season, Marchenko continues to improve, becoming an invaluable member of the Blue Jackets. The 24-year-old winger is enjoying a career-best performance of 26 goals and 37 assists for 63 points in 67 games, including returning to action sooner than expected from a broken jaw in February.
The Blue Jackets' recent losing skid has threatened their postseason hopes. Nevertheless, the fact they're still playing meaningful games down the stretch despite all that's happened to them suggests their much-anticipated breakthrough season could be at hand. Marchenko will continue to play a big role in their future.
Aliaksei Protas, Washington Capitals
5 of 8
The development of the Washington Capitals' young players has played a crucial part in their dominant performance this season. They include forwards Aliaksei Protas and Connor McMichael and defensemen Rasmus Sandin.
All three are having career-best performances this season, with Protas the standout. The 6'6”, 247-pound forward has made significant strides in his fourth NHL season, tallying 29 goals and 35 assists for 64 points in 72 games skating at right wing on the Capitals' top line.
Protas, 24, set the single-season scoring record for Belarusian NHL players. He's also sitting second among Capitals scorers in points and third in goals, and is their leader in plus/minus at plus-43. Protas also plays a responsible defensive game, averaging 1:33 of ice time per game on their penalty kill.
On March 12, The Hockey News' Sammi Silber reported that Protas is determined to build on his 2024-25 performance to prove it's not a fluke. If this season is any indication, he could become a vital part of the next generation of Capitals stars.
Marco Rossi, Minnesota Wild
6 of 8
Chosen ninth overall by the Minnesota Wild in the 2020 NHL Draft, Marco Rossi battled back from a potentially career-threatening COVID-related heart ailment that sidelined him for the 2020-21 season. He bounced back from demotion to the AHL in 2022-23 with 21 goals and 40 points in 82 games last season.
Nevertheless, Rossi was the subject of trade rumors that began last summer. Wild general manager Bill Guerin said last December that he wasn't shopping the 24-year-old center but speculation persisted as the Wild attempted to project where he fits within their lineup over the long term.
Rossi's performance this season could improve his chances of remaining in Minnesota. With a career-best 22 goals and 33 assists for 55 points in 73 games, he's second among the Wild's leading scorers and has filled in for the sidelined Joel Eriksson Ek centering their first line.
Completing his entry-level contract, Rossi is a restricted free agent lacking arbitration rights this summer. The Wild could offer him an affordable short-term bridge deal with the promise of a bigger payday down the road.
Logan Thompson, Washington Capitals
7 of 8
During the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas, Logan Thompson was traded by the Vegas Golden Knights to the Washington Capitals. The move came hours before he was due for an autograph session for Golden Knights fans, but he still showed up and made himself available to those who waited to see him.
Thompson spent four seasons with Vegas, including their 2023 Stanley Cup run. Despite putting up solid numbers with the Golden Knights, they opted to stick with Adin Hill as their starter, signing Ilya Samsonov as his backup on July 1.
Acquiring Thompson gave the Capitals a solid goaltending tandem with Charlie Lindgren. They've been a key factor in the club's dominant position atop the overall standings.
Thompson, 28, is having the best season of his NHL career. He's among this season's top goaltenders with 31 wins, a 2.32 goals-against average, and a .917 save percentage.
Shane Wright, Seattle Kraken
8 of 8
Shane Wright's road to the NHL was bumpier than expected. Projected to be the first-overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, he dropped to fourth, where the Seattle Kraken selected him. A longstanding transfer rule between the NHL and major junior hockey prevented his full-time debut by a year.
Wright struggled early last season with the Kraken, resulting in his demotion to their AHL affiliate in Coachella Valley. Despite the setbacks, he persevered and finally cracked their roster full-time this season, though he was ineligible for rookie status because he was drafted in 2022 and played 16 NHL games.
The Kraken have struggled this season and will miss the playoffs, but Wright has been among their bright spots. The 21-year-old center sits fifth among their leading scorers with a career-high 17 goals and 23 assists for 40 points in 70 games.
Wright will play a more significant role with the Kraken as they look to their younger players to lift their fortunes. He will be part of a promising core that includes Matty Beniers, Kaapo Kakko and Ryker Evans.
Stats and standings (as of March 28, 2025) via NHL.com.
.jpg?w=480)
.png?w=600 "New NBA Mock Draft 📝")
.jpg?w=600 "Offseason Moves for Every Team 👉")
