Welcome to the NHL Star Power Index: A weekly gauge of the players who are generating significant buzz around the league. Inclusion in this list signifies a player is capturing considerable attention in the hockey world.
The players are listed without any specific order regarding the amount of buzz they are creating. The Star Power Index will be updated weekly throughout the regular season.
San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini has had a remarkable rookie season, highlighted this week by his first hat trick in an 8-7 overtime defeat to the Minnesota Wild.
Celebrini scored three goals and contributed two assists in the high-scoring game. He became the first 18-year-old in Sharks history to achieve this and the NHL`s third in the last eight seasons, joining Leo Carlsson of the Anaheim Ducks and Cole Sillinger of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
This was Celebrini`s fourth multi-goal game in his rookie year.
Celebrini`s first goal came at 7:29 of the first period, capitalizing on excellent puck movement. Rookie teammate Will Smith passed to defenseman Jack Thompson at the blue line, who then moved the puck to Celebrini in the slot. Celebrini quickly controlled it and shot it past Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.
Midway through the third period, Smith retrieved a loose puck and circled behind the net before finding Celebrini heading to the goal. Celebrini then lifted a shot that Fleury couldn`t reach, completing his hat trick.
Despite a slow start to his rookie campaign, Celebrini has elevated his play in the past two months, recording six goals and 14 assists since March. He is just two points behind Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson for the rookie points lead. Even with missed games early in the season, Celebrini remains one of the most impressive rookies this year.
Despite a challenging season for the Boston Bruins, star winger David Pastrnak continues to deliver offensively.
In Tuesday`s 7-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils, Pastrnak scored a goal and two assists, reaching the 100-point mark for the third straight season. He is the first Czech-born player in NHL history to achieve this milestone.
Earlier in the week, Pastrnak also made history by scoring his first career natural hat trick in a 5-1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes. He was involved in all five of the team`s goals, adding two assists. This also marked his fourth consecutive 40-goal season and fifth overall, tying Rick Middleton for the second-most in Bruins history.
Pastrnak significantly impacted Saturday`s game against the Hurricanes in the final 30 minutes.
Midway through the second period, Pastrnak scored from a sharp angle after receiving a pass from Elias Lindholm. Pastrnak controlled the puck with his skate, regained possession, and fired a shot past Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen.
At 15:18, Pastrnak displayed his exceptional stick-handling. Morgan Geekie entered the Hurricanes zone and found Pastrnak open in the face-off circle. Pastrnak skated in on Andersen and deked his way to another goal.
Pastrnak is having an exceptional week, with five goals and eight assists in his last four games. Over his last six games, he has scored seven goals and shows no signs of slowing down, even though the Bruins will miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season.
Since entering the NHL in 2022, Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson has progressively improved each season. As the regular season nears its end, Sanderson is enjoying his best offensive season yet.
Sanderson has accumulated 54 points, with his 43 assists ranking second on the team, only behind Tim Stutzle`s 51.
The Senators defenseman has recorded three goals and two assists in his last five games, scoring points in four of those. Notably, Sanderson had a goal and an assist in a 3-0 victory against the Florida Panthers last Saturday.
At 11:21 in the first period against Florida, Sanderson was perfectly positioned. Shane Pinto retrieved the puck behind the Panthers net and passed it to Sanderson in the face-off circle, who scored with a powerful one-timer.
Sanderson also earned a secondary assist on a Drake Batherson power-play goal just three minutes later, extending Ottawa`s lead to 2-0.
Sanderson has been crucial to Ottawa`s success this season, as the team is set to make its first postseason appearance since 2016-17. He provides defensive stability and offensive skill, boosting the Senators.
Vegas Golden Knights goalie Adin Hill has been a consistent and reliable presence in net since joining the team during their Stanley Cup victory in 2022-23. Now a franchise goalie, Hill continues to excel for a team aiming for another championship.
Hill has a 31-13-5 record with a 2.46 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage this season. In his last two starts, he has secured back-to-back wins with a 1.50 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage.
Most recently, Hill saved 24 of 25 shots in a 2-1 win against the Seattle Kraken on Thursday, including 11 saves in the third period to prevent the Kraken from tying the score.
Hill has allowed one goal or fewer in four of his last nine appearances and has been strong down the stretch.
The Golden Knights are close to securing the top playoff spot in the Pacific Division with only a few regular-season games remaining. In the upcoming Stanley Cup Playoffs, Hill will be crucial in containing the Western Conference`s top teams as the Golden Knights pursue another Stanley Cup.
