In the modern league, the NHL has a firm cap on how young its youngest players can be.
This is due to the introduction of the NHL Draft in 1963 and the implementation of age brackets for draft eligibility.
As such, the youngest players in NHL history hail from the pre-draft era, with most of them bunched into one decade in particular.
Still, while this page will recap the outright youngest players in NHL history, it’ll also highlight one of the present youngest players in the NHL and their record-breaking season.
Youngest Players in NHL History
The outright youngest player to ever feature in an NHL game remains Armand “Bep” Guidolin, who made his NHL debut at age 16 years and 11 months for the Boston Bruins in 1942.
Closing in on his 17th birthday, Guidolin also set another record. Aged 16 years and 350 days, he scored his first goal to become the youngest player in NHL history to score a goal – a title he still holds.
Clocking in as the other youngest players to feature in the NHL are as follows:
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Bep Guidolin, 16 years and 11 months, Boston Bruins (1942/43)
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Teeder Kennedy, 17 years and 2 months, Toronto Maple Leafs (1942/43)
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Don Raleigh, 17 years and 4 months, New York Rangers (1943/44)
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Don Gallinger, 17 years, 6 months, and 22 days, Boston Bruins (1942/43)
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Ross Johnstone, 17 years, 6 months, and 23 days, Toronto Maple Leafs (1943/44)
The uniting factor between the skaters who rank as the youngest players in NHL history is that they all debuted between 1942 and 1943, while many teams were deprived of their usual starters due to World War II.
Those were the days of the Original Six, half of which are favoured in the NHL odds to win the Stanley Cup again. The Rangers, Bruins, and Maple Leafs remain marquee franchises.
Which Modern NHL Young Players Hold Records?
In the modern NHL, the youngest a player can be is 18 years old on or before September 15. So, while 17 year olds can be drafted in the summer, they’re only eligible if they turn 18 before that September.
Connor Bedard took to NHL competition with ease in 2023-24, seemingly making good on the generational talent he showcased prior to the 2023 NHL Draft.
It took Bedard just under four periods of play to score his first goal, making him the Chicago Blackhawks’ third-youngest goalscorer ever at 18 years and 86 days of age – trailing only Grant Mulvey (18 years, 32 days) and Eddie Olczyk (18 years, 56 days).
The young center also did enough in the opening half of the season to be named to the NHL’s All-Star Game, which made him the youngest-ever All-Star pick in NHL history at 18 years and 201 days old on the day of the competition.
Bedard put up 61 points his rookie season. He won the Calder Memorial Trophy.
The latest sport betting markets price Macklin Celebrini as the overwhelming favourite for Rookie of the Year in 2024-25. Celebrini has seamlessly adapted to the NHL as an 18-year-old.
Jordan Staal holds the record for the youngest player to score an NHL hat-trick. Staal put up three goals against the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 10, 2007, aged just 18 years and 153 days old while playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Of course, it will take a monstrous effort from any prospect to beat the rookie record for scoring, which belongs to Teemu Selänne’s incredible 76-goal, 132-point haul in 1992/93. That said, the Finn was 22-years-old on debut.
The youngest player in NHL history is Bep Guidolin at 16-years-old, and it seems unlikely that the record will ever be beaten with safety at the forefront of the sport these days.
*Credit for all images in this article belongs to Alamy*
*Credit for all images in this article belongs to Alamy*
