Five Breakout Stars Lighting Up the NHL Playoffs

You don’t have to be an NHL fan to enjoy feel-good stories about young hockey players who are showing they have what it takes to shine on the sport’s biggest stage - the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

During the first round, several players are showing they have that breakout star potential. We’re talking about those with little to no playoff experience who are stepping up by scoring the game-winning goal, ranking among the league’s postseason points leaders, or picking up wins in net. Sorry, Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby fans, established NHL superstars are not eligible. Keep in mind this is a subjective list, so debating which players belong is optional.

This post takes a closer look at five players who aren’t just breakout performers, but they're impacting the best-of-seven series.

What Defines A Playoff Breakout Performer? 

When reading about the players below, you'll notice we didn't simply pick the top five playoff goal leaders or goaltenders with the lowest goals against averages. We weighed several different factors, including:

• Overall production
• Clutch playoff performances
• Team impact 
• Series impact
• Player’s role 

Five Breakout Players From 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The five players listed below are in no particular order, as the first round provides a small sampling. The impact becomes much more significant if the team goes on a deep playoff run, especially if the end result is a Stanley Cup Championship. 

Porter Martone, RW - Philadelphia Flyers 

Porter Martone is the perfect example of a young prospect making a grand arrival. He spent the majority of the 2025-26 season playing ice hockey for Michigan State, where he was the first freshman in program history to earn a first-team All-American honor. The Philadelphia Flyers drafted Martone, who is only 19, sixth overall in June. 

Martone joined the Flyers in April and has wasted no time showing his breakout star potential. All he has done in his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut is score the game-winning goals in the first two games against the Pittsburgh Penguins. His rising star status is quickly catching on with NHL fans, as Martone has the NHL’s highest-selling jersey since the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

Logan Stankoven, C - Carolina Hurricanes

Logan Stankoven plays center on the Hurricanes' second line next to Taylor Hall and Jackson Blake. The former first-round pick of the Dallas Stars was acquired via trade during the 2024-25 season, and it’s a move that is truly paying off this postseason. He has scored a goal in all four postseason games so far as Carolina completed the 4-0 sweep of the Ottawa Senators. 

This is Stankoven’s second postseason stint with the Hurricanes, and his production is picking up. Last season, in 15 playoff games, he had five goals and three assists with a -1 rating compared to a +3 rating this time around. Stankoven, 23, is building on the momentum from his most productive regular season yet with 44 points and a career high 21 goals. 

Juraj Slafkovsky, LW - Montreal Canadiens

Juraj Slafkovsky is the most experienced NHL player out of this group, as this is his fourth season, and second in the playoffs. Playing left wing on the Canadiens top line, Slafkovsky accomplished more in one postseason game this year than the five games he played last time around. In Game 1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the 22-year-old was one of the difference makers as his hat trick, including the game-winning overtime goal, helped Montreal jump out to a 1-0 series advantage. All three scores came on the power play. 

For comparison purposes, Slafkovsky only had two postseason goals through five games last season. The Canadiens were concerned that Slatkovsky might be sidelined after leaving Game 4 early following a heavy hit. He returned in the third quarter, easing any fears. Slafkovsky finished the regular season ranked second on the team with 30 goals.

Jackson LaCombe, D - Anaheim Ducks 

The Anaheim Ducks aren't just in the playoffs for the first time since 2018, they’re showing they belong with a commanding 3-1 series lead over the defending Western Conference Champion Edmonton Oilers. The Ducks are doing it with a solid young core that includes defenseman Jackson LaCombe, 25, who is making his NHL Playoff debut.

Through the Ducks' first five playoff games, LaCombe’s eight points (seven assists and eight points) rank him among the league leaders. Three of those assists came in Game 3, which Anaheim won 6-4. Call it a strong continuation of a strong regular season in which he finished with 58 points - the highest of his four-year career. 

Jesper Wallstedt, G - Minnesota Wild

Prior to the current Stanley Cup playoffs getting underway, Minnesota Wild goalie Jesper Wallstedt, 23,  had zero postseason experience. The Swede is still considered a rookie, having played a grand total of five NHL regular-season games before this season. Now, as the starting goalie, Wallstedt is making the most of his golden opportunity. This includes recording 43 saves in a 3-2 Game 4 overtime victory against the Dallas Stars.

Prior to that game, he told NHL.com, “I don't know if it's the right time to look back at it, but everything this year has been unexpected.” Besides starting Minnesota’s first five postseason games, Wallstedt played for Sweden in the Olympics and started 35 regular season games. Heading into Game 6 against the Stars, Wallstedt had a 3-2 record and .926 save percentage.  

 NHL youth movement 

One of the common denominators regarding this group of breakout stars is they're all on the early side of their NHL careers. LaCombe is the oldest, and he’s only 25. Then there’s Martone, who is only weeks into his pro hockey career. 

The current postseason will serve as a small sample size to a long career. It's hard predicting the unknowns such as injuries, trades, and team performance. The Ducks, at least for now, are one of the youngest NHL teams with an average age of 27.85. 

The Flyers, 27.30, and the Canadiens, 25.85, are even younger. 

Other NHL Breakout Stars To Watch

With 16 teams making the Stanley Cup Playoffs, there’s a long list of skaters definitely worthy of consideration. Here are two more players that we’ll put under honorable mention.

Dylan Guenther, RW, Utah Monmouth: Guenther, 23, fresh off a career-best 73-point regular season, is stepping up in his first postseason appearance with at least one point in Utah’s first three playoff games against the Vegas Golden Knights. This includes assisting on the game-winning Game 2 goal. 

Cutter Gauthier, LW, Anaheim Ducks: Gauthier, a former first-round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers, is another one of Anaheim’s young rising stars with three goals and two assists through five postseason games. The 22-year-old scored twice in Game 2 versus the Oilers, including the game-winner.