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2026-27 NHL first-season class cards: who's heating up

Trevor Connelly leads the 2026-27 NHL first-season class with a momentum score of 53: on his team's first power-play unit, a role he did not hold last season. 14 of the 28 players listed have something moving beyond their class this week. These are performance signals collectors watch, not card prices and not financial advice.

2026-27 NHL first-season class, top five this week
PlayerMain reasonScore
Trevor ConnellyOn his team's first power-play unit, a role he did not hold last season.53
Ivar StenbergOn his team's first power-play unit, a role he did not hold last season.45
Roman KantserovOn his team's first power-play unit, a role he did not hold last season.37
Anton Frondell1st among first-season skaters in points (6 in 7 games).35
Frederic BrunetOn his team's first power-play unit, a role he did not hold last season.35

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The 2026-27 NHL first-season class, ranked

Every member we hold, highest momentum first, with each signal and its points. 2026-27 skater totals and ice time from the NHL's own reports, against 2025-26. Skaters only.

  1. 1
    Trevor ConnellyVGK LWRookie
    • Role change +20: On his team's first power-play unit, a role he did not hold last season.
    • Leaders and award races +18: 2nd among first-season skaters in points (5 in 8 games).
    • Rookie or second year +15: First full NHL season (0 games last season).
    Shop Trevor Connelly cards on eBay
    53momentum
  2. 2
    Ivar StenbergSJS LWRookie
    • Role change +20: On his team's first power-play unit, a role he did not hold last season.
    • Rookie or second year +15: First full NHL season (0 games last season).
    • Leaders and award races +10: 6th among first-season skaters in points (4 in 6 games).
    Shop Ivar Stenberg cards on eBay
    45momentum
  3. 3
    Roman KantserovCHI RWRookie
    • Role change +20: On his team's first power-play unit, a role he did not hold last season.
    • Rookie or second year +15: First full NHL season (0 games last season).
    • Leaders and award races +2: 10th among first-season skaters in points (3 in 7 games).
    Shop Roman Kantserov cards on eBay
    37momentum
  4. 4
    Anton FrondellCHI CRookie
    • Leaders and award races +20: 1st among first-season skaters in points (6 in 7 games).
    • Rookie or second year +15: First full NHL season (12 games last season).
    Shop Anton Frondell cards on eBay
    35momentum
  5. 5
    Frederic BrunetBOS DRookie
    • Role change +20: On his team's first power-play unit, a role he did not hold last season.
    • Rookie or second year +15: First full NHL season (0 games last season).
    Shop Frederic Brunet cards on eBay
    35momentum
  6. 6
    Gavin McKennaTOR LWRookie
    • Leaders and award races +18: 2nd among first-season skaters in points (5 in 7 games).
    • Rookie or second year +15: First full NHL season (0 games last season).
    Shop Gavin McKenna cards on eBay
    33momentum
  7. 7
    Jonathan LekkerimakiVAN RWRookie
    • Leaders and award races +18: 2nd among first-season skaters in points (5 in 8 games).
    • Rookie or second year +15: First full NHL season (13 games last season).
    Shop Jonathan Lekkerimaki cards on eBay
    33momentum
  8. 8
    Michael Brandsegg-NygårdDET RWRookie
    • Leaders and award races +18: 2nd among first-season skaters in points (5 in 6 games).
    • Rookie or second year +15: First full NHL season (14 games last season).
    Shop Michael Brandsegg-Nygård cards on eBay
    33momentum
  9. 9
    Cole HutsonWSH DRookie
    • Rookie or second year +15: First full NHL season (14 games last season).
    • Leaders and award races +10: 6th among first-season skaters in points (4 in 7 games).
    Shop Cole Hutson cards on eBay
    25momentum
  10. 10
    Ilya ProtasWSH LWRookie
    • Rookie or second year +15: First full NHL season (4 games last season).
    • Leaders and award races +10: 6th among first-season skaters in points (4 in 7 games).
    Shop Ilya Protas cards on eBay
    25momentum
  11. 11
    James HagensBOS CRookie
    • Rookie or second year +15: First full NHL season (2 games last season).
    • Leaders and award races +10: 6th among first-season skaters in points (4 in 7 games).
    Shop James Hagens cards on eBay
    25momentum
  12. 12
    Aydar SunievCGY LWRookie
    • Rookie or second year +15: First full NHL season (6 games last season).
    • Leaders and award races +2: 10th among first-season skaters in points (3 in 3 games).
    Shop Aydar Suniev cards on eBay
    17momentum
  13. 13
    Matthew PoitrasBOS CRookie
    • Rookie or second year +15: First full NHL season (3 games last season).
    • Leaders and award races +2: 10th among first-season skaters in points (3 in 4 games).
    Shop Matthew Poitras cards on eBay
    17momentum
  14. 14
    Noah WarrenANA DRookie
    • Rookie or second year +15: First full NHL season (0 games last season).
    • Leaders and award races +2: 10th among first-season skaters in points (3 in 6 games).
    Shop Noah Warren cards on eBay
    17momentum
  15. 15
    Adam JiricekSTL DRookie
    • Rookie or second year +15: First full NHL season (0 games last season).
    Shop Adam Jiricek cards on eBay
    15momentum
  16. 16
    Alex BumpPHI LWRookie
    • Rookie or second year +15: First full NHL season (17 games last season).
    Shop Alex Bump cards on eBay
    15momentum
  17. 17
    Amadeus LombardiNJD CRookie
    • Rookie or second year +15: First full NHL season (0 games last season).
    Shop Amadeus Lombardi cards on eBay
    15momentum
  18. 18
    Carter YakemchukOTT DRookie
    • Rookie or second year +15: First full NHL season (4 games last season).
    Shop Carter Yakemchuk cards on eBay
    15momentum
  19. 19
    Cole BeaudoinNYR CRookie
    • Rookie or second year +15: First full NHL season (0 games last season).
    Shop Cole Beaudoin cards on eBay
    15momentum
  20. 20
    Conor GeekieTBL CRookie
    • Rookie or second year +15: First full NHL season (14 games last season).
    Shop Conor Geekie cards on eBay
    15momentum
  21. 21
    Jiri KulichBUF CRookie
    • Rookie or second year +15: First full NHL season (12 games last season).
    Shop Jiri Kulich cards on eBay
    15momentum
  22. 22
    Jonathan CastagnaCGY CRookie
    • Rookie or second year +15: First full NHL season (0 games last season).
    Shop Jonathan Castagna cards on eBay
    15momentum
  23. 23
    Konsta HeleniusBUF CRookie
    • Rookie or second year +15: First full NHL season (9 games last season).
    Shop Konsta Helenius cards on eBay
    15momentum
  24. 24
    Luca CagnoniSJS DRookie
    • Rookie or second year +15: First full NHL season (3 games last season).
    Shop Luca Cagnoni cards on eBay
    15momentum
  25. 25
    Porter MartonePHI RWRookie
    • Rookie or second year +15: First full NHL season (9 games last season).
    Shop Porter Martone cards on eBay
    15momentum
  26. 26
    Rieger LorenzMIN LWRookie
    • Rookie or second year +15: First full NHL season (0 games last season).
    Shop Rieger Lorenz cards on eBay
    15momentum
  27. 27
    Sandis VilmanisFLA LWRookie
    • Rookie or second year +15: First full NHL season (19 games last season).
    Shop Sandis Vilmanis cards on eBay
    15momentum
  28. 28
    Victor EklundNYI RWRookie
    • Rookie or second year +15: First full NHL season (1 games last season).
    Shop Victor Eklund cards on eBay
    15momentum

How the momentum score works

Six signals, each with its own cap, added up and capped at 100. A player is listed at 20 or more, and only when something other than his rookie status is moving. Every number comes from data Parlae already stores; no card price is read or shown.

SignalRuleMax
Usage trendShare-based roles (snap share): 1 point per percentage point gained. Minutes, ice time and form: 1 point per 2 percent gained over his own earlier level. A gain counts from 8 points of share or 15 percent.30
Search demand2 points per extra Google reader on his Parlae player page this week against last week, from 3 readers this week.25
Role changeA promotion this week: top of his team's depth chart by snaps or minutes, or a first power-play unit he did not hold last season.20
Leaders and award racesRank 1 in his rookie class or at his position earns 20, then 2 fewer per rank, down to rank 10.20
Rookie or second year15 for a rookie, 8 for a second-year player, counted only alongside another signal.15
Injury returnBack in the lineup this week after missing at least one of his team's games.10

These are performance signals collectors watch, not card prices and not financial advice.

By the Parlae deskCard data updated Oct 15, 2026 at 3:22 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number