Is forward Sandis Vilmanis (#23) poised for a great season with Florida after stepping up for Latvia at the 2026 IIHF World Championship?
photo: PHOTO: © INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION / ANDRE RINGUETTE
Let’s face it: nobody will be shocked to see Macklin Celebrini have a stellar 2026-27 NHL season after what he did at the 2026 IIHF World Championship
The 20-year-old San Jose Sharks superstar got more than 40 percent of the votes en route to being named the 2026 IIHF Male Player of the Year. A big part of that was Celebrini’s 14-point performance in Switzerland in May, capping off an all-star-worthy run with 115 NHL points and 10 points at the Milan Olympics to help Canada claim the silver medal.
Celebrini’s inability to come home with the gold medals he wanted should only fuel his fire on NHL ice. It’s similar for Roman Josi and Nico Hischier, who captain the Nashville Predators and New Jersey Devils respectively, as both missed out on gold once again in the 2026 IIHF World Championship final with a 1-0 overtime loss to Finland.
However, Celebrini, Josi, and Hischier are all well-established names at this point. In a different but similar vein, players like Canada’s Porter Martone and Finland’s Konsta Helenius (the golden goal-scorer) who competed in the 2026 WM have already been widely heralded as potential Calder Memorial Trophy candidates.
How about up-and-coming NHL prospects? There are plenty who shone in Zurich and Fribourg and could parlay their IIHF playing time, confidence, and production into NHL success this season – the classic “springboard effect.” Let’s take a quick look at five different examples.
Sandis Vilmanis
The Florida Panthers – Stanley Cup champions in 2024 and 2025 – are poised for a big bounceback this season after missing the playoffs last year. Getting back a healthy Aleksander Barkov, who captained Finland to gold in May after missing the regular season with a knee injury, is a huge plus. Ditto for adding ex-Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk.
And if Sandis Vilmanis can blossom into a meaningful NHL contributor after his excellent 11-point outing at the Worlds, that will only elevate Florida’s hopes.
The 22-year-old Latvian winger was a force in all situations as the Baltic nation defied the experts to finish sixth. He’s surely capable of handling more ice time than the 10:23 he averaged nightly under Panthers coach Paul Maurice in 19 NHL games last year. Vilmanis – also a 2026 Olympian –led all men’s Worlds forwards in minutes per game (23:17)
Ivar Stenberg
In January, Ivar Stenberg left no doubt about his U20 dominance, notching three points in Sweden’s 4-2 World Junior gold-medal victory over Czechia. In May, he underlined the fact he’s ready to compete against men.
Having already scored 33 points in 43 SHL games with Frolunda, the slick and savvy two-way winger added a point per game at the Men’s Worlds before Tre Kronor bowed out versus host Switzerland in the quarter-finals.
The 20-year-old San Jose Sharks superstar got more than 40 percent of the votes en route to being named the 2026 IIHF Male Player of the Year. A big part of that was Celebrini’s 14-point performance in Switzerland in May, capping off an all-star-worthy run with 115 NHL points and 10 points at the Milan Olympics to help Canada claim the silver medal.
Celebrini’s inability to come home with the gold medals he wanted should only fuel his fire on NHL ice. It’s similar for Roman Josi and Nico Hischier, who captain the Nashville Predators and New Jersey Devils respectively, as both missed out on gold once again in the 2026 IIHF World Championship final with a 1-0 overtime loss to Finland.
However, Celebrini, Josi, and Hischier are all well-established names at this point. In a different but similar vein, players like Canada’s Porter Martone and Finland’s Konsta Helenius (the golden goal-scorer) who competed in the 2026 WM have already been widely heralded as potential Calder Memorial Trophy candidates.
How about up-and-coming NHL prospects? There are plenty who shone in Zurich and Fribourg and could parlay their IIHF playing time, confidence, and production into NHL success this season – the classic “springboard effect.” Let’s take a quick look at five different examples.
Sandis Vilmanis
The Florida Panthers – Stanley Cup champions in 2024 and 2025 – are poised for a big bounceback this season after missing the playoffs last year. Getting back a healthy Aleksander Barkov, who captained Finland to gold in May after missing the regular season with a knee injury, is a huge plus. Ditto for adding ex-Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk.
And if Sandis Vilmanis can blossom into a meaningful NHL contributor after his excellent 11-point outing at the Worlds, that will only elevate Florida’s hopes.
The 22-year-old Latvian winger was a force in all situations as the Baltic nation defied the experts to finish sixth. He’s surely capable of handling more ice time than the 10:23 he averaged nightly under Panthers coach Paul Maurice in 19 NHL games last year. Vilmanis – also a 2026 Olympian –led all men’s Worlds forwards in minutes per game (23:17)
Ivar Stenberg
In January, Ivar Stenberg left no doubt about his U20 dominance, notching three points in Sweden’s 4-2 World Junior gold-medal victory over Czechia. In May, he underlined the fact he’s ready to compete against men.
Having already scored 33 points in 43 SHL games with Frolunda, the slick and savvy two-way winger added a point per game at the Men’s Worlds before Tre Kronor bowed out versus host Switzerland in the quarter-finals.
Sweden's Ivar Stenberg (#41) had eight points in eight games at the 2026 IIHF World Championship in Switzerland.
photo: © INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION / MATT ZAMBONIN
As the second overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, Stenberg is expected to step into San Jose’s lineup and take some of the pressure off Celebrini. Especially with the way he thinks the game and handles pressure, the Stenungsund native could soon became a Bay Area favourite.
Lukas Reichel
Lukas Reichel falls into a different category. The 24-year-old German forward, a 2020 first-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks, has struggled to meet expectations in three NHL stops so far. While Reichel had just three points in 10 games with the Boston Bruins after being acquired from the Vancouver Canucks last year, Bruins GM Don Sweeney gave him a one-year deal for 2026-27.
Boston fans have increased reason for optimism since Reichel stepped up with eight points for Germany at the Men’s Worlds – his best personal result ever in five Worlds appearances. The challenge will be for him to set a consistent pace through the NHL’s just-expanded 84-game schedule.
Aatu Raty
Amazing fact: Aatu Raty begins the 2026-27 season as the active leader among all NHLers in faceoff percentage (with a minimum of 1000 career draws) at 59.18 percent. And the 23-year-old Canucks centre’s dominance at the dot helped his native Finland win the gold medal at this year’s Men’s Worlds.
Raty had the second-best faceoff percentage (64.3) among all skaters (with a minimum of 100 tournament draws), trailing only Finnish captain Aleksander Barkov (65.7).
Totalling seven points in 10 games in Zurich also offers a nice confidence boost for the Oulu native. There should be opportunities for him to grow under new Canucks coach Manny Malhotra (a fellow faceoff guru), given that the club finished last overall in the league in 2025-26.
Noah Steen
Norwegian hockey history was made when Noah Steen tallied the overtime winner on a 2-on-1 rush to shock Canada 3-2 in the 2026 IIHF World Championship bronze medal game. This was the first IIHF medal the Polar Bears have ever won.
Lukas Reichel
Lukas Reichel falls into a different category. The 24-year-old German forward, a 2020 first-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks, has struggled to meet expectations in three NHL stops so far. While Reichel had just three points in 10 games with the Boston Bruins after being acquired from the Vancouver Canucks last year, Bruins GM Don Sweeney gave him a one-year deal for 2026-27.
Boston fans have increased reason for optimism since Reichel stepped up with eight points for Germany at the Men’s Worlds – his best personal result ever in five Worlds appearances. The challenge will be for him to set a consistent pace through the NHL’s just-expanded 84-game schedule.
Aatu Raty
Amazing fact: Aatu Raty begins the 2026-27 season as the active leader among all NHLers in faceoff percentage (with a minimum of 1000 career draws) at 59.18 percent. And the 23-year-old Canucks centre’s dominance at the dot helped his native Finland win the gold medal at this year’s Men’s Worlds.
Raty had the second-best faceoff percentage (64.3) among all skaters (with a minimum of 100 tournament draws), trailing only Finnish captain Aleksander Barkov (65.7).
Totalling seven points in 10 games in Zurich also offers a nice confidence boost for the Oulu native. There should be opportunities for him to grow under new Canucks coach Manny Malhotra (a fellow faceoff guru), given that the club finished last overall in the league in 2025-26.
Noah Steen
Norwegian hockey history was made when Noah Steen tallied the overtime winner on a 2-on-1 rush to shock Canada 3-2 in the 2026 IIHF World Championship bronze medal game. This was the first IIHF medal the Polar Bears have ever won.
Norway's Noah Steen slides on his knees in celebration after scoring the sudden-death winner against powerhouse Canada in the 2026 IIHF World Championship bronze medal game.
photo: © INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION / ANDRE RINGUETTE
Realistically, Steen’s chances – as a 2024 seventh-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning – of seeing significant NHL ice time in 2026-27 are slimmer than those of anyone else in this article. But the 22-year-old winger’s OT winner versus Canada wasn’t his only shining moment at the Worlds.
In fact, Steen tied Latvian captain Rudolfs Balcers for the goal-scoring lead (seven). He is tabbed to start the season with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, but if he continues to play with energy, determination and focus, he could end up making an impact with the Bolts sooner than expected.
In fact, Steen tied Latvian captain Rudolfs Balcers for the goal-scoring lead (seven). He is tabbed to start the season with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, but if he continues to play with energy, determination and focus, he could end up making an impact with the Bolts sooner than expected.