Annunen, Mateychuk, Misa, Nemec and Snuggerud headline 2026‑27 NHL breakout candidates

With the 2026-27 NHL season about to begin, Sportsnet has spotlighted five young players who could make the jump from promising pieces to bona fide impact contributors. Goaltender Justus Annunen, defencemen Denton Mateychuk and Simon Nemec, and forwards Michael Misa and Jimmy Snuggerud are all flagged as strong breakout candidates based on usage, underlying numbers and team context.

Annunen challenges Saros, Mateychuk rises beside Werenski

In Nashville, Justus Annunen may be on the verge of turning the crease into more of a time share. Juuse Saros has carried one of the heaviest workloads in the league over the past five years, but head coach Andrew Brunette leaned on Annunen for several high‑leverage starts during last season’s late playoff push. Over his final 10 starts after the Olympic break, the 26-year-old posted more than 20 goals saved above expected and ranked among the best in the NHL in both goals-against average and save percentage for that stretch.

Those results raise questions about how firmly Saros still holds the No. 1 job and suggest Annunen will be given a real chance to cut into his share of starts. With Saros no longer at his absolute peak, this season could go a long way toward determining whether Annunen can stake a claim as Nashville’s goaltender of the future.

In Columbus, Denton Mateychuk has quietly emerged as a top-pairing partner for Norris Trophy winner Zach Werenski. Sportsnet notes that the Blue Jackets controlled the majority of expected goals at five-on-five when the duo shared the ice last season, across more than 350 minutes together. Mateychuk finished with 13 goals and 31 points in 75 games, despite producing only three of those points on the power play, underscoring how much damage he did at even strength.

At five-on-five, his goal and point totals slotted him near the top of the league among defencemen, and he also led the position in goals scored above expected. Head coach Rick Bowness has said he wants more from the 22-year-old and plans to give him his first real look on the power play, a clear signal that the Jackets expect another step offensively.

Misa central to Sharks’ next step, Nemec reset in Calgary

In San Jose, Michael Misa is a key part of the Sharks’ attempt to move out of the rebuild’s early phase. With new captain Macklin Celebrini driving the top line, Misa is expected to centre the second unit at just 19 years old. As a rookie, he produced 21 points in 45 games and ranked inside the top 25 among forwards in both loose-puck recoveries and puck-battle wins per 20 minutes, among players with at least 40 games played.

Misa’s attacking profile is built around getting to dangerous ice. Eight of his nine goals last season came from the inner slot, and more than a third of his total shot attempts originated from that area, well above the league average for forwards. On a team counting on its young core to drive the next phase of its evolution, that mix of forechecking and net‑drive gives him a strong platform for a statistical jump.

Simon Nemec arrives in Calgary looking for a fresh start after an uneven three-year run with the New Jersey Devils. No longer buried behind Luke Hughes and Dougie Hamilton, the 2022 second‑overall pick is projected to anchor the Flames’ blue line on the top pair with Kevin Bahl. Last season, Nemec ranked inside the top 30 among regular NHL defencemen in both controlled entries and offence‑generating plays per 20 minutes, highlighting his puck‑moving upside.

Despite that, he sat in the bottom half of the league in average ice time for defencemen who met the games-played threshold, and finished with a career‑high 26 points. A heavier workload alone should boost that total, and a spot on Calgary’s first power‑play unit — a role he is battling Zayne Parekh for — would only add to his ceiling. Nemec has emphasized, however, that his priority is rounding out his game, telling The Athletic he wants to be more consistent and improve defensively on a rebuilding team.

Snuggerud gets prime minutes on Blues’ top line

In St. Louis, Jimmy Snuggerud is coming off a late-season surge that earned him a place on the NHL’s All‑Rookie team. After the Olympic break, he led all freshmen with 11 goals and 27 points in 25 games, helping power a strong second‑half push that left the Blues just short of a playoff berth. That performance convinced management that he is ready for a bigger platform.

General manager Alexander Steen praised the way Snuggerud adjusted to the NHL and immediately imposed his game. The Blues now plan to deploy him on a top line with Dylan Holloway and Robert Thomas, a trio that overwhelmed opponents down the stretch. At five-on-five after the Olympic break, they outscored teams 22-6 and controlled roughly 62 per cent of expected goals, matching the goal output of Montreal’s top unit of Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky over the same period.

Snuggerud is also set to work the net‑front spot on St. Louis’s first power-play unit. His heavy one‑timer has already become a weapon — a large share of his 21 goals came off 65 such attempts last season. With prime linemates, top-unit power‑play time and a proven finishing touch, he rounds out Sportsnet’s group of young players poised to break through in 2026‑27.