Who is the best NHL player born in 1997?

Generational scorers headline this 1997 class, yet a few grinders wearing championship rings could steal some votes.

1. 1
   Connor McDavid

   Edmonton Oilers captain born in 1997 who has won the Hart Trophy three times and the 2024 Conn Smythe Trophy.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Auston Matthews

   American centre born in 1997, the 2016 first overall pick, who won the 2022 Hart Trophy with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
   661pts
3. 3
   Ilya Samsonov

   Russian goaltender born in 1997 who played for Washington and backstopped Toronto's 2023 first-round playoff series win.
   535pts
4. 4
   Troy Terry

   Anaheim Ducks winger born in 1997 who scored 37 goals in 2021-22.
   535pts
5. 5
   Jack Roslovic

   American centre born in 1997, a 2015 first-round pick, who played for Winnipeg and his hometown Columbus Blue Jackets.
   535pts
6. 6
   Travis Konecny

   Philadelphia Flyers winger born in 1997, a 2015 first-round pick, who has spent his whole NHL career in Philadelphia.
   480pts
7. 7
   Ivan Provorov

   Russian defenceman born in 1997, the 2015 seventh overall pick, who logged seven seasons with Philadelphia before moving to Columbus.
   480pts
8. 8
   Dylan Strome

   Centre born in 1997, the 2015 third overall pick, who found his scoring touch with Chicago and Washington.
   480pts
9. 9
   Erik Černák

   Slovak defenceman born in 1997 who won Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021.
   480pts
10. 10
    Mitch Marner

    Winger born in 1997 who spent nine seasons with his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs before joining Vegas in 2025.
    416pts
11. 11
    Kirill Kaprizov

    Russian winger born in 1997 who won the 2021 Calder Trophy and has scored 40 or more goals for the Minnesota Wild.
    416pts
12. 12
    Joel Eriksson Ek

    Swedish centre born in 1997 a 2015 first-round pick who has spent his whole NHL career with the Minnesota Wild.
    416pts
13. 13
    Anthony Beauvillier

    Winger born in 1997 who scored the overtime winner for the New York Islanders in Game 6 of the 2021 Stanley Cup semifinal.
    416pts
14. 14
    Zach Werenski

    Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman born in 1997 who won the 2026 Norris Trophy a year after an 82-point season.
    341pts
15. 15
    Sebastian Aho

    Finnish centre born in 1997 who has led the Carolina Hurricanes in scoring in several seasons since his 2016 debut.
    341pts
16. 16
    Lawson Crouse

    Power forward born in 1997, the 2015 eleventh overall pick, who has spent most of his career with the Arizona Coyotes and Utah.
    341pts
17. 17
    Nicolas Roy

    Centre born in 1997 who won the 2023 Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights.
    341pts
18. 18
    Pavel Zacha

    Czech centre born in 1997, the 2015 sixth overall pick, who played for New Jersey before joining Boston in 2022.
    341pts
19. 19
    Logan Thompson

    Goaltender born in 1997 who was a 2023 All-Star with Vegas and became the Washington Capitals' starter in 2024.
    341pts
20. 20
    Thomas Chabot

    Ottawa Senators defenceman born in 1997 who was a 2015 first-round pick and has played over 500 games for Ottawa.
    250pts
21. 21
    Matthew Tkachuk

    American winger born in 1997 who won Stanley Cups with the Florida Panthers in 2024 and 2025 after starting his career in Calgary.
    250pts
22. 22
    Mathew Barzal

    New York Islanders centre born in 1997 who won the 2018 Calder Trophy after an 85-point rookie season.
    250pts
23. 23
    Charlie McAvoy

    Boston Bruins defenceman born in 1997, the 14th overall pick in 2016, who has played his whole NHL career in Boston.
    250pts
24. 24
    Alex DeBrincat

    American winger born in 1997 who scored 41 goals for Chicago in both 2018-19 and 2021-22.
    250pts
25. 25
    Tage Thompson

    Buffalo Sabres centre born in 1997 who scored 47 goals in 2022-23 and five goals in one game in December 2022.
    250pts
26. 26
    Anthony Cirelli

    Tampa Bay Lightning centre born in 1997 who won Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021.
    250pts
27. 27
    Brock Boeser

    Vancouver Canucks winger born in 1997 who was MVP of the 2018 All-Star Game as a rookie and scored 40 goals in 2023-24.
    0pts
28. 28
    Noah Hanifin

    American defenceman born in 1997, the 2015 fifth overall pick, who played for Carolina and Calgary before joining Vegas.
    0pts
29. 29
    Filip Hronek

    Czech defenceman born in 1997 who played for Detroit before a 2023 trade to Vancouver.
    0pts

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