If there’s one thing that’s much different in today’s game, it’s how willing most NHL teams are to bring in the new wave of talent. The league has never been younger than it currently is. It’s all about the future.

When you look at the most recent top two picks, there’s so much to love about both players. Somehow, Macklin Celebrini and Matthew Schaefer have outshined Connor Bedard. The good news is that Bedard is starting to figure it out. The Blackhawks 2023 first overall pick is still only 20. He hasn’t scored as many goals, but he’s starting to pile up assists on a more promising team that also features 22-year-old sidekick Frank Nazar and 20-year-old defenseman Artyom Levshunov. They’re headed in the right direction.

Celebrini has continued to light it up in his second year for the Sharks. The 19-year-old center is up to seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points in the first 13 games. After an inauspicious start, the Sharks are 4-2-1 over their last seven. That included beating the Devils 5-2 in a rematch at SAP Center at San Jose. In the win, Celebrini found Will Smith for a big goal late in the second period. Their chemistry is undeniable. Smith is a former Boston College standout who the Sharks grabbed with the fourth pick in 2023. The 20-year-old forward ranks second in team scoring with 11 points (4-7-11).

San Jose followed that up with a 3-2 overtime victory at home over the Avalanche. Celebrini had a goal. Free agent pickup Philipp Kurashev scored twice, including the overtime winner. In a 3-2 shootout loss to the Red Wings last night, 19-year-old defenseman Sam Dickinson scored his first career goal late in regulation to get the Sharks a point. He’s the future of the blue line. Yaroslav Askarov is who they’re counting on in net. The 23-year-old is still trying to find some consistency. He made some good saves in the Sharks’ win over the Devils. Right now, he’s sharing the net with Alex Nedeljkovic.

What makes Celebrini special is his elite skating and playmaking skills. He spent a year preparing for the NHL by playing for Boston University in 2023-24. He put up 32 goals and 32 assists for 64 points to win the Hobey Baker as a freshman. If not for the remarkable rookie season that Lane Hutson had with the Canadiens along with the strong campaign from Flames’ netminder Dustin Wolf, he would’ve won the Calder Trophy. In 70 games, Celebrini paced the Sharks with 63 points (25-38-63). Even though he finished a minus-31 on one of the NHL’s worst teams, he learned plenty.

In Year 2, he isn’t only over a point-per-game. He also is winning 50.6 percent of faceoffs (123-and-120). A well-rounded player, Celebrini certainly plays with a lot of passion. After getting cross-checked by Red Wings defenseman Mo Seider to draw a penalty, he went right back at the bigger Seider during a scrum. Seider wound up with the extra.

Due to where the Sharks are in their rebuild, Celebrini has played a lot in his end so far. His 41.1 CF is way down from the 48.7 CF he posted in 2024-25. San Jose head coach David Warsofsky has continued to use Celebrini very similar to last year. He’s started 51.5 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone while starting 48.5 percent in the defensive zone. His zone starts in his rookie season were 52.0 on offense and 48.0 on defense.

What that means is that Warsofsky trusts Celebrini enough to play him in the defensive zone. His most common line mates are Smith and Tyler Toffoli. They’ve logged over 104 minutes together while posting a 46.35 CF, and outscoring opponents 7-2 according to Natural Stat Trick. A big improvement from when he played with other players. The Sharks next play tomorrow night at the Kraken.

If Celebrini is the brightest young star, then Schaefer is right behind him. The Islanders lucked into the 18-year-old defenseman by winning the NHL Draft Lottery last spring. The consensus top pick has been nothing short of special since arriving on Long Island.

An extremely fast skater who possesses elite skills to become one of the best players at his position, Schaefer has already established himself as a teenager. The six-foot-two, 186-pound Islanders defenseman has five goals and five assists for 10 points in his first dozen games.

In a dramatic 3-2 comeback win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on home ice, Schaefer recorded the first two-goal game of his career. With the Islanders trailing the Blue Jackets by a goal late in regulation with David Rittich pulled for an extra skater, Schaefer managed to tie the game at two with 1:07 left. Earlier in the contest, he also scored on the power play. Just 29 seconds later, Simon Holmstrom beat Elvis Merzlikins at 19:22 to give the Islanders the thrilling win at UBS Arena.

Afterward, an emotional Schaefer gave another exciting interview on the Islanders bench. Before it concluded, he screamed, “Let’s Go!!!” to cheers from the crowd. It’s his unique personality that’s really a big part of his character.

To think that he didn’t turn 18 until Sept. 5. The Hamilton, Ontario native is unlike anything the league has seen in decades. A top pick who’s already making a big impact as a first-year defenseman. Not even two-time Norris winner Cale Makar or Quinn Hughes came right to the NHL without playing a year in college. Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Pronger is one of the few former players who graduated right to the NHL after getting selected second overall by the Hartford Whalers. The only difference is he was a year older than Schaefer – turning 19 on Oct. 10, 1993.

So far, Schaefer leads all rookies in ice time (21:56 TOI) and is tied in both goals (5) and points (10) entering Tuesday night’s home game against the Boston Bruins. Speaking to how polished he is, Schaefer has a 51.8 CF at five-on-five and 52.9 CF at even strength.

Even though he plays for the enemy, it’s impossible not to love this kid. He has more charisma than Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon combined. It would be wise if the NHL actually decided to market Schaefer. He has that kind of appeal.

Fans will definitely enjoy watching Schaefer as he leads the Islanders back to respectability. They bring a 6-5-1 record into tonight’s action. If there’s a game to look forward to, it comes this Saturday in the Big Apple when the Islanders visit the New York Rangers. That’ll mark Schaefer’s debut at Madison Square Garden. He’ll get to go up against Adam Fox. Along with frontrunner Makar, both are early Norris candidates. The game is at 7 PM on Nov. 8.

With the league’s three recent top picks all front and center, hockey is in great shape moving forward.