# Who is the best NHL player born in 1989?

> Norris winners, Cup-clinching heroes and steady shutdown defenders all arrived in 1989, and their careers took wildly different shapes.

*By YPB Team · Published November 11, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/who-is-the-best-nhl-player-born-in-1989*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Drew Doughty** — score 1000/1000
   Los Angeles Kings defenceman born in 1989 who won Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014 and the 2016 Norris Trophy.
2. **Ian Cole** — score 733/1000
   American defenceman born in 1989 who won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017.
3. **James van Riemsdyk** — score 732/1000
   American winger born in 1989, the 2007 second overall pick, who scored 36 goals for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2017-18.
4. **Mikael Backlund** — score 639/1000
   Swedish centre born in 1989 who has played his whole NHL career with the Calgary Flames and became their captain in 2023.
5. **Josh Bailey** — score 639/1000
   Winger born in 1989, the 2008 ninth overall pick, who played over 1,000 games for the New York Islanders.
6. **Cam Atkinson** — score 639/1000
   American winger born in 1989 who scored 41 goals for the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2018-19.
7. **Kevin Shattenkirk** — score 639/1000
   American defenceman born in 1989 who played for St. Louis and others and won the 2020 Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay.
8. **Antti Raanta** — score 523/1000
   Finnish goaltender born in 1989 who played for Chicago, the Rangers, Arizona and Carolina and shared the 2022 Jennings Trophy.
9. **Logan Couture** — score 523/1000
   San Jose Sharks centre and captain born in 1989 who led the 2016 playoffs in scoring as the Sharks reached the Stanley Cup Final.
10. **Braden Holtby** — score 523/1000
   Washington Capitals goaltender born in 1989 who won the 2016 Vezina Trophy and the 2018 Stanley Cup.
11. **Jared Spurgeon** — score 523/1000
   Minnesota Wild defenceman and captain born in 1989, a sixth-round pick who has played over 1,000 NHL games.
12. **Jake Muzzin** — score 523/1000
   Defenceman born in 1989 who won the 2014 Stanley Cup with the Los Angeles Kings and later played for Toronto.
13. **Sam Gagner** — score 523/1000
   Centre born in 1989, the 2007 sixth overall pick, who played over 1,000 NHL games starting with Edmonton.
14. **Kyle Turris** — score 523/1000
   Centre born in 1989, the 2007 third overall pick, who had his best seasons with the Ottawa Senators.
15. **Gustav Nyquist** — score 0/1000
   Swedish winger born in 1989 who broke out with the Detroit Red Wings and later played for Columbus, Nashville and Minnesota.
16. **Mike Hoffman** — score 0/1000
   Winger born in 1989 who scored at least 20 goals in several seasons for the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers.
17. **Jamie Benn** — score 0/1000
   Dallas Stars captain born in 1989 who won the 2014-15 Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's top scorer.
18. **Jakub Voráček** — score 0/1000
   Czech winger born in 1989 who spent most of his career with the Philadelphia Flyers and topped 800 career NHL points.
19. **P. K. Subban** — score 0/1000
   Defenceman born in 1989 who won the 2013 Norris Trophy with the Montreal Canadiens and later played for Nashville and New Jersey.
20. **Frederik Andersen** — score 0/1000
   Danish goaltender born in 1989 who has won more than 300 NHL games with Anaheim, Toronto and Carolina.
21. **Ryan McDonagh** — score 0/1000
   American defenceman born in 1989 who captained the New York Rangers and won Stanley Cups with Tampa Bay in 2020 and 2021.
22. **Alex Killorn** — score 0/1000
   Winger born in 1989 who won Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021.
23. **Craig Smith** — score 0/1000
   American winger born in 1989 who played nine seasons for the Nashville Predators before stints with Boston and others.
24. **Lars Eller** — score 0/1000
   Danish centre born in 1989 who scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal for the Washington Capitals in 2018.
25. **Evgenii Dadonov** — score 0/1000
   Russian winger born in 1989 who scored 28 goals for the Florida Panthers in both 2017-18 and 2018-19.
26. **Luke Schenn** — score 0/1000
   Defenceman born in 1989, the 2008 fifth overall pick, who won Stanley Cups with Tampa Bay in 2020 and 2021.
27. **Chris Tanev** — score 0/1000
   Defenceman born in 1989 who went undrafted, played a decade for Vancouver and later anchored the Calgary, Dallas and Toronto blue lines.

Tags: sports, hockey, players, nhl, 1989