The NHL draft took place a couple of weeks ago, and GMs across the league made big decisions by selecting players they believe will help their respective teams in the future. However, plenty of players don’t get selected and go undrafted, and despite not getting drafted by an NHL team, their hockey career certainly isn’t over. Some pan out to be NHL all-stars, award winners and Stanley Cup champions. How can you tell if a player is NHL ready? Here’s a short list of some of the best active undrafted players in the NHL today. SERGEI BOBROVSKY, G, FLORIDA PANTHERS Sergei Bobrovsky is arguably the best, if not one of the best, goaltenders in the NHL right now. He’s coming off a second-straight Stanley Cup victory with the Florida Panthers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers]. Those two Cups put Bobrovsky on a path to potentially get into the Hockey Hall of Fame with him already owning two Vezina Trophies from 2013 and 2017. After two incredible seasons in the KHL playing for his hometown Novokuznetsk, Bobrovsky signed his three-year entry-level contract with the Philadelphia Flyers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers] in May 2010. The Russian netminder was a force right out of the gate. In his NHL debut, he led the Flyers to a win against their state rivals Pittsburgh Penguins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins]. He recorded a .935 save percentage and allowed just two goals in a 3-2 win. Fast forward 15 years later and Bobrovsky has the most career wins recorded by a Russian goalie in NHL history. In addition, he’s 10th on the all-time list for wins with a chance to climb the list next season in the final year of his contract. Matching last year’s 33 wins would take him up to sixth, surpassing Henrik Lundqvist’s 459 wins. ARTEMI PANARIN, LW, NEW YORK RANGERS One of the premier offensive talents in the NHL, Artemi Panarin, entered the league as a 24-year-old rookie. He signed a two-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks in April 2015 and took off from there. Panarin is one of the few players to win the Calder Trophy as an undrafted player. He scored 30 goals and 77 points in his first campaign, including a debut goal against the New York Rangers, the team he currently plays for. Artemi Panarin (Robert Edwards-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/ed6fe8a2-f4f2-434f-a6d5-3f7a872d7080.jpeg] Artemi Panarin (Robert Edwards-Imagn Images) Following two years in Chicago, he was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he would play another two seasons. After that, he signed a big ticket deal with the Rangers, inking a seven-year, $11.6-million per-season contract on July 1, 2019. With that contract, Panarin became the second-highest paid player in the NHL at the time by average annual value, only behind Connor McDavid. The 33-year-old proved his worth, recording four 90-point seasons in his six years in Manhattan, including a 120-point campaign in 2023-24. LOGAN THOMPSON, G, WASHINGTON CAPITALS Logan Thompson has played in several different leagues and divisions in his journey to becoming an NHL goaltender. Starting in the WHL, he played parts of four seasons for the Brandon Wheat Kings, and during those four years, he played 22 games for the Grande Prairie Storm of the AJHL. After his junior hockey career, Thompson played one season for Brock University in U Sports. Since then, he has played 40 ECHL games and 50 AHL games before he became an NHL regular in 2021-22 with the Vegas Golden Knights. Eventually, he was traded to the Washington Capitals in June 2024. Last season, Thompson stamped his name on the list of top goaltenders in the NHL. In 43 regular-season appearances, he recorded a 2.49 goals-against average and a .910 SP. During that campaign, he registered an incredible streak where he went unbeaten in regulation for 16 straight games. This run came shortly after he wasn’t listed on Canada’s roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off. Now, he’s one of the top goalies in the league and is within reach of representing Team Canada at the 2026 Olympics. HONORABLE MENTIONS Chris Tanev, D, Toronto Maple Leafs Neal Pionk, D, Winnipeg Jets Jonathan Marchessault, C, Nashville Predators Mats Zuccarello, RW, Minnesota Wild
