NHL unveils 2030 top‑30 list, Finnish Miro Heiskanen only Finn

Daily Faceoff applied a statistical model that weighs age, point production and advanced metrics to rank the 30 best NHL players for the 2030 season. The final elite group comprises four goaltenders, nine defensemen and 17 forwards. Only one Finnish player appears: defenseman Miro Heiskanen, projected to be 31 in the fall of 2030 and ranked 23rd. No Finnish goalie or forward made the list, and veteran Aleksander Barkov (35) received only an honorable mention. The top three spots go to Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini, Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer and Colorado defenseman Cale Makar, with other spots filled by Canadian and American talent. The list is dominated by United States players (13), followed by Canadians (9), Swedes (3) and two each from Russia and Germany.