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Welcome to the NHL Star Power Index: A weekly gauge of the players who are controlling substantial buzz around the league. When a player is included on this list it may not be a good thing -- it means that they are capturing a large amount of the hockey world's attention.
These players are in no particular order when it comes to the amount of buzz that they're creating. We'll revisit the Star Power Index every week throughout the regular season.
San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini has put together a strong rookie campaign, but the rookie had the most impressive performance of the season this week when he recorded his first hat trick in a 8-7 overtime loss against the Minnesota Wild.
Celebrini scored three times and added two assists in the high-scoring affair. The Sharks star became the first 18-year-old in franchise history to accomplish the feat and the NHL's third over the past eight seasons as he joined Anaheim Ducks forward Leo Carlsson and Columbus Blue Jackets center Cole Sillinger.
This marked the fourth multi-goal performance for Celebrini during his rookie season.
Celebrini started things off at the 7:29 mark of the opening period when he was the beneficiary of some tremendous puck movement. Fellow rookie forward Will Smith was able to slide the puck out to the blue line to defenseman Jack Thompson. Thompson was then able to get the puck towards the slot where Celebrini was waiting. Celebrini quickly corralled it and swept it past Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.
Midway through the third period, Smith was able to race down the ice and come up with a loose puck. After circling behind the net, Smith found Celebrini cutting towards the goal, and Celebrini was able to roof a shot that a sprawling Fleury wasn't able to slide across to stop for his third of the game.
HIS FIRST NHL HATTY! 🔥#Calderbrini pic.twitter.com/7cwXvsJJ0V
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) April 10, 2025
Celebrini had somewhat of a slow start to his rookie campaign, but he has really picked up his level of play over the last two months. The Sharks rookie has tallied six goals and 14 assists since the beginning of March.
He trails Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson by just two points for the rookie points lead. Despite missing time early in the season, Celebrini still has been one of the most impressive rookies this year.
It may be a down season for the Boston Bruins, but that hasn't stopped star winger David Pastrnak from putting on an offensive clinic.
In Tuesday's 7-2 win against the New Jersey Devils, Pastrnak registered a goal and two assists to reach the 100-point mark for the third consecutive season. Pastrnak actually became the first Czech-born player in NHL history to accomplish that feat.
Earlier in the week, Pastrnak made even more history as he recorded his first career natural hat trick in a 5-1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Bruins star factored in on all five tallies for the team in that one with a pair of assists to boot. It also clinched his fourth straight season of at least 40 goals and fifth overall in his career to match Rick Middleton (5) for the second-most in team history.
In Saturday's game against the Hurricanes, Pastrnak really made his mark over the final 30 minutes of the contest.
Midway through the second period, Pastrnak provided a goal from an impossible angle. Bruins forward Elias Lindholm was able to flip the puck in front of the net before Pastrnak was holding court. Pastrnak ended up kicking the puck to himself, and once he got control, he fired a side-angle shot past Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen for the goal.
That was pretty, Pasta. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/T0XNnJ9FSd
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 6, 2025
At the 15:18 mark of the contest, the Bruins star showcased his spectacular stick-handling skills. Teammate Morgan Geekie brought the puck into the Hurricanes zone, surveyed landscape, and found Pastrnak wide-open in the face-off circle. Pastrnak then was able to skate in on Andersen and deke his way to a goal.
The 🍝 is HOT 🧢🔥🧢🔥🧢 pic.twitter.com/L7HiKjSbeE
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 6, 2025
Pastrnak is having a week for the ages as he's tallied five goals and eight assists in his last four games. Dating back even further, the Bruins winger has scored seven goals in his last six contests, and clearly isn't slowing down despite Boston missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season.
Since breaking into the NHL back in 2022, Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson has made significant strides in each of his three seasons. As the regular season winds down, Sanderson is having the best season of his professional career from an offensive standpoint.
Sanderson has tallied 54 points and his 43 assists rank second on the team behind only forward Tim Stutzle (51).
The Senators blue-liner has logged three goals and two assists across his last five games, and registered a point in four of those contests. Sanderson recorded a goal and an assist in a 3-0 win against the Florida Panthers this past Saturday.
At the 11:21 mark of the first period against Florida, Sanderson found himself at the right place at the right place. After teammate Shane Pinto scooped the puck up behind the Panthers net, Sanderson was positioned in the face-off circle and Pinto slid over a perfect pass for a scorching goal via a one-timer.
🐍👉 👈😛 #GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/1s9L5omub6
— X - Ottawa Senators (@Senators) April 5, 2025
Sanderson also added a secondary assist on a Drake Batherson power-play goal just three minutes later to extend Ottawa's advantage to 2-0.
Sanderson has been a big part of Ottawa's success this season as the franchise will be playing postseason hockey for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign. He provides a stabilizing presence on the back end, while possessing the offensive skillset that gives the Senators an added boost.
Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill has been a constant source of stability in the crease since he was acquired by the team during its Stanley Cup-winning season in 2022-23. Finally getting his chance as a franchise netminder, Hill continues to excel for a team that wants to return to glory.
Hill has tallied a 31-13-5 record in addition to a 2.46 goals-against-average and a .908 save percentage this season. Over his last two starts, the veteran goalie has produced back-to-back victories to go along with a 1.50 goals-against-average and a .935 save percentage.
Most recently, Hill turned aside 24 of the 25 shots that he faced in a 2-1 win against the Seattle Kraken on Thursday. He ended up stopping 11 shots in the third period to keep the Kraken from tying the game.
Hill has also allowed one goal or less in four of his last nine outings, and has been a force down the stretch.
The Golden Knights are on the verge of clinching the top playoff spot in the Pacific Division with just a few games remaining in the regular season. Once the Stanley Cup Playoffs roll around, Hill will be heavily counted on to keep some of the Western Conference's elite teams off the scoreboard as the team attempts to make another Stanley Cup run.
