Welcome to the NHL Star Power Index: a weekly assessment of players generating significant excitement in the league. Inclusion in this list signifies capturing considerable attention in the hockey world.
The players are listed without ranking based on buzz. The Star Power Index will be updated weekly throughout the regular season.
San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini is having a remarkable rookie season, highlighted this week by his first NHL hat trick. He achieved this in an 8-7 overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild.
Celebrini scored three goals and provided two assists in this high-scoring game. He became the youngest player in Sharks history to score a hat trick at 18 years old, and only the third 18-year-old in the NHL in the last eight seasons, joining Leo Carlsson of the Anaheim Ducks and Cole Sillinger of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
This was Celebrini`s fourth game with multiple goals in his rookie year.
Celebrini`s first goal came at 7:29 of the first period, thanks to excellent puck movement. Rookie teammate Will Smith passed to defenseman Jack Thompson at the blue line. Thompson then got the puck to Celebrini in the slot, who quickly shot it past Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.
Midway through the third period, Smith chased down a loose puck and circled behind the net. He then found Celebrini moving towards the goal, and Celebrini lifted a shot over Fleury for his hat trick.
Despite a slow start to his rookie season, Celebrini has significantly improved his play in the last two months. Since the start of March, he has scored six goals and 14 assists.
He is now only two points behind Lane Hutson of the Montreal Canadiens for the rookie points lead. Despite missing some time early in the season, Celebrini remains one of the most impressive rookies this year.
Despite a challenging season for the Boston Bruins, star winger David Pastrnak continues to excel offensively.
In Tuesday`s 7-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils, Pastrnak scored a goal and two assists, reaching the 100-point mark for the third consecutive season. He is the first Czech-born player in NHL history to achieve this milestone.
Earlier in the week, Pastrnak made history again by recording his first career natural hat trick in a 5-1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes. He was involved in all five of the team`s goals, also adding two assists. This hat trick secured his fourth straight 40-goal season, and fifth overall, tying Rick Middleton for the second-most in Bruins history.
Pastrnak dominated the final 30 minutes of the game against the Hurricanes.
Midway through the second period, Pastrnak scored from a sharp angle. Elias Lindholm passed the puck in front of the net to Pastrnak, who controlled it with his skate, then fired a shot past Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen.
At 15:18, Pastrnak displayed impressive stick-handling. Morgan Geekie brought the puck into the zone and found Pastrnak open in the face-off circle. Pastrnak skated towards Andersen and deked his way to another goal.
Pastrnak is having an exceptional week with five goals and eight assists in his last four games. Over his last six games, he has scored seven goals and shows no signs of slowing down, even though the Bruins will miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season.
Since joining the NHL in 2022, Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson has shown consistent improvement each season. As the regular season nears its end, Sanderson is having his most productive offensive season.
Sanderson has 54 points, and his 43 assists are second on the team, only behind forward Tim Stutzle (51).
In his last five games, Sanderson has three goals and two assists, recording points in four of those games. He had a goal and an assist in a 3-0 win against the Florida Panthers last Saturday.
At 11:21 of the first period against Florida, Sanderson was perfectly positioned. Shane Pinto retrieved the puck behind the Panthers net and passed to Sanderson in the face-off circle for a powerful one-timer goal.
Sanderson also earned a secondary assist on a Drake Batherson power-play goal just three minutes later, extending Ottawa`s lead to 2-0.
Sanderson has been crucial to Ottawa`s success this season as they aim to make the postseason for the first time since 2016-17. He provides defensive stability and offensive skill, boosting the Senators.
Vegas Golden Knights goalie Adin Hill has been a reliable presence in net since joining the team during their Stanley Cup victory in 2022-23. Now a starting goalie, Hill continues to perform well for a team aiming for another championship.
Hill has a 31-13-5 record with a 2.46 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage this season. In his last two starts, he has consecutive wins, with a 1.50 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage.
Recently, Hill stopped 24 of 25 shots in a 2-1 win against the Seattle Kraken on Thursday, including 11 saves in the third period to prevent the Kraken from tying the game.
Hill has allowed one or fewer goals in four of his last nine games and has been strong down the stretch.
The Golden Knights are close to securing the top playoff spot in the Pacific Division with only a few games remaining in the regular season. In the upcoming Stanley Cup Playoffs, Hill will be crucial in keeping Western Conference`s top teams from scoring as the team aims for another Stanley Cup.
