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NHL.com identifies the top 10 fantasy hockey breakout candidates for the 2024-25 season. For more coverage, visit NHL.com/Fantasy.

NOTES: Breakout candidates, usually 25-and-under players, have already had some success in the NHL but can reach the upper echelon of their positions and far exceed their fantasy average draft position (ADP) this season.

Players excluded from the breakouts list are last season’s Calder Trophy finalists (Connor Bedard, Brock Faber, Luke Hughes), No. 1 or 2 picks from their respective NHL Draft (e.g. Jack Hughes, Juraj Slafkovsky, Alexis Lafreniere, Andrei Svechnikov, Quinton Byfield, Leo Carlsson, Owen Power, Simon Nemec) and this season’s rookie class (e.g. Logan Stankoven, Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Matvei Michkov, Cutter Gauthier).

Full-fledged breakout candidates (e.g. Jeremy Swayman, Wyatt Johnston, Cole Caufield, Joseph Woll, Matt Boldy, Lucas Raymond, JJ Peterka, Jake Neighbours, Philipp Kurashev) and potential veteran breakouts (Nikolaj Ehlers, Gustav Forsling) should be prioritized in early and middle rounds but have also been excluded from this list.

1. Logan Cooley, F, UTA

NHL.com rank: 118

2. Pyotr Kochetkov, G, CAR

NHL.com rank: 136

3. Gabriel Vilardi, F, WPG

NHL.com rank: 147

4. Mason McTavish, F, ANA

NHL.com rank: 170

5. Thomas Harley, D, DAL

NHL.com rank: 173

6. Adam Fantilli, F, CBJ

NHL.com rank: 181

7. Bowen Byram, D, BUF

NHL.com rank: N/A

8. Jake Sanderson, D, OTT

NHL.com rank: N/A

9. Zach Benson, F, BUF

NHL.com rank: N/A

10. Arturs Silovs, G, VAN

NHL.com rank: N/A

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Other breakout candidates to consider in late fantasy rounds:

Cole Perfetti, F, WPG (rank: 188)
Dylan Guenther, F, UTA (rank: 196)
Jack Quinn, F, BUF (rank: N/A)
Marco Rossi, F, MIN (rank: N/A)
Tyson Foerster, F, PHI (rank: N/A)
Dmitri Voronkov, F, CBJ (rank: N/A)
Yegor Chinakhov, F, CBJ (rank: N/A)

Brandt Clarke, D, LAK (rank: N/A)
Pavel Mintyukov, D, ANA (rank: N/A)
Olen Zellweger, D, ANA (rank: N/A)
Jamie Drysdale, D, PHI (rank: N/A)

Devon Levi, G, BUF (rank: N/A)
Spencer Knight, G, FLA (rank: N/A)