Three Former No. 1 Picks on Rookie Deals Are Shaking Up the NHL

A youth movement is quickly taking over the National Hockey League, as the last three No. 1 draft picks are each starring this season and reshaping the face of the sport. 

The Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard, the No. 1 pick in 2023, is currently tied for second in the league in scoring with 25 points, while last year’s top pick, the Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini, is fourth with 24. Before a five-point outburst Sunday night by the Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon, the current league leader, the 20-year-old Bedard and 19-year-old Celebrini ranked first and second, respectively, marking the first pair of players in NHL history that young to lead in scoring this late in the season.

Not to be outdone, 18-year-old Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer, the No. 1 draft pick this past June, already has 11 points in 15 games and ranks 10th in the NHL in defenseman scoring.

It’s hardly a surprise that No. 1 picks in the NHL go on to stardom, as a decorated prior lineage at that spot includes future Hockey Hall of Fame–level talents such as Oilers superstar Connor McDavid, MacKinnon, the Capitals’ Alexander Ovechkin, and the Penguins’ Sidney Crosby. The latest crop of stars, however, is showing a particularly high level of precociousness.

The early stardom of the young trio positions the NHL well from a marketing perspective, as veteran stars such as Ovechkin and Crosby draw closer to retirement. All three young phenoms have also powered an extensive series of ticket, viewership, and merchandise sales boosts for their respective teams. 

The recent exploits of Bedard and Celebrini have additionally put both players in strong contention to make the Canadian team for the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. 

“It was great to watch them,” Team Canada GM Doug Armstrong said of Bedard and Celebrini after a preseason orientation camp. “They were both at the World Championships, Bedard last year, Celebrini this year. I think just getting them associated with this level of players, Crosby and MacKinnon were there for Celebrini this year, that’s the next generation.”

Salary Matters

Adding to the initial impact of Bedard, Celebrini, and Schaefer is the trio still playing on rookie-level contracts that are far below what their on-ice performance would represent in market value.

Bedard is in the final season of a three-year, $2.85 million base contract. Performance incentives, however, can add as much as $3.5 million annually to that haul, and his hot start this year puts him well in line to achieve many of them. He is eligible to become a restricted free agent in July, but there have been talks with the Blackhawks about a contract extension. Chicago could also return to the playoffs for the first time since 2020 as a rebuilding effort based around Bedard is taking hold. 

Celebrini is in the second season of a three-year, $2.93 million base contract, but he, too, has performance bonuses that can add $3.5 million per year. Like Bedard, his scoring this year is well ahead of last year’s pace, and he could surpass his 2024–25 tally of 63 points by midseason.

Schaefer’s deal mirrors Celebrini’s in nearly all respects, as the NHL entry-level maximum did not change for this season.