Ranking Youngest NHL Players in 2022-23

Success can come at any age, but for some, it happens sooner rather than later. The average age of active players across the NHL in 2022-23 is 27 years, with the league’s youngest player, Juraj Slafkovsky of the Montreal Canadiens, already on the ice at 18.

The youngest player in league history is Armand “Bep” Guidolin, who debuted in the NHL for the Boston Bruins on Nov. 12, 1942, at 16 years of age. While his early selection was the exception rather than the rule, there are plenty of young players in the NHL, proving that sometimes youth works in athletes’ favor.

*Note, all ages are as of the 2022-23 season opener.

Ranking Youngest NHL Players in 2022-23

Juraj Slafkovsky — 18 years old

Eighteen active NHL players are still too young to buy a beer in America, but at just 18 years old, Slafkovsky is the youngest of the lot. 

Slafkovsky was selected first overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens, making him the highest-drafted Slovak player in league history. He made his NHL debut on Oct. 12, 2022.

Juraj Slafkovsky capitalizes on Markstrom's shaky decision to open the scoring 13 seconds in!#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/OK2dP12JaH

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) December 2, 2022

The Canadiens are unlikely to advance to the postseason this year — their record of 12-10-1 as of Dec. 2 sees them with NHL playoff odds of +25000 — but Slafkovsky is likely to have a long career ahead of him to contend. 

The young left winger won’t celebrate his 19th birthday until March 30, 2023.