Fantasy: 2025 year in review by the numbers

NHL.com's fantasy staff identifies five players who led the way in fantasy hockey in the 2025 calendar year.

Nathan MacKinnon, F, Colorado Avalanche

MacKinnon led the entire NHL in points (125), goals (52). even-strength points (89) and shots on goal (352) in 80 games in 2025. MacKinnon provided fantasy managers with a League-best 4.4 shots per game and ranked first in fantasy points (1037.8) during the calendar year, 137.9 more points than the next-closest skater (David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins with 899.3). MacKinnon also finished among the NHL leaders in assists (73; third) and power-play points (36; tied for seventh).

MacKinnon finished first in three-point games (16) and was tied for the most multipoint games (37), four-point games (five) and five-point games (two) in 2025. MacKinnon, who had points in 39 of his 41 home games in 2025, had four times as many three-point games (nine) as he had zero-point games (two) on home ice during the calendar year.

MacKinnon also led the NHL in points (143), even-strength points (100) and shots on goal (391) in 83 games during the 2024 calendar year. He become the fifth player in NHL history to lead the League in regular season points in three straight calendar years. The others: Wayne Gretzky (8 from 1980-1987), Phil Esposito (6 from 1969-1974), Guy Lafleur (4 from 1975-1978) and Gordie Howe (4 from 1950-1953).

Connor McDavid, F, Edmonton Oilers

McDavid, who ranked fourth in fantasy points (870.3) in 2025, finished third in points with 116 in 74 games during the calendar year, but led the League in points per game (1.57). McDavid also led the NHL in points per game at home (1.87) as he had 56 points (16 goals, 40 assists) in 30 home games. McDavid was tied his Oilers teammate, Leon Draisaitl, for the most power-play points (45) in 2025. Draisaitl ranked fifth in both points (107) and fantasy points (851.6) in the calendar year.

McDavid had an assist on all five of the Oilers’ goals in their 5-1 win against the Calgary Flames on Dec. 23 and led the NHL in assists (81) in 2025. McDavid ranked second behind Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning (52) in primary assists (51) this year. Kucherov ranked second in both points (118 in 81 games) and assists (80), finished fourth in power-play points (38) and third in fantasy points (890.8) in 2025.

McDavid, who has 34 points (13 goals, 21 assists) during his current 14-game point streak, is tied with MacKinnon for first in points in the 2025-26 NHL season with 70 points (24 goals, 46 assists) in 41 games. His 67 points were the most points by Dec. 25 by any player since 1995-96; Mario Lemieux (76 points in 29 games) and Jaromir Jagr (68 points in 33 games).

Morgan Geekie, F, Boston Bruins

Geekie finished second behind MacKinnon in goals (50) in the 2025 calendar year and was first in even-strength goals (40) in 84 games for the Boston Bruins. Geekie, who went undrafted in most fantasy hockey leagues prior to the 2024-25 season, was the only player in 2025 to have at least 30 goals and a shooting percentage higher than 22.2 (28.2).

The 27-year-old was tied for 11th in even-strength points (65) in 2025 and found chemistry on a line with Pastrnak, who ranked fourth in points (110) and was tied for second in even-strength points (80) in the calendar year. Geekie is tied for second in both goals (25) and even-strength goals (18) in 41 games in the 2025-26 season.

Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars, who had 100 more shots on goal than Geekie in 2025, ranked third with 49 goals in 86 games and finished sixth in fantasy points (848.3).

Cale Makar, D, Colorado Avalanche

Makar led defensemen in 2025 in points (91; tied for ninth in the entire NHL), goals (31) and plus-minus (plus-51) in 80 games. He finished tied for first at his position in power-play goals (eight) and ranked among the defenseman leaders in assists (60; third), even-strength points (59; second), even-strength goals (22; second), power-play points (30; third), game-winning goals (four; tied for second) and shots on goal (239; fourth).

Makar, who led defensemen in fantasy points (843.1; seventh among all players) in 2025, leads his position in points (45), even-strength points (31) and plus-minus (plus-34) and is tied for first in assists (33) during the 2025-26 season.

It’s worth noting that Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets ranked second to Makar in points (82), goals (26) and fantasy points (791.5) among defensemen in 2025. Werenski led the position in the calendar year in even-strength goals (24), even-strength points (62) and shots on goal (285) and was first in the entire NHL in ice time per game (26:56).

Darcy Kuemper, G, Los Angeles Kings

Among goalies with 17 games in 2025, Kuemper led his position in save percentage (.924) and goals-against average (1.96). He was tied for fifth in wins (32) and tied for second in shutouts (six) in 56 games. Kuemper returned value in fantasy leagues as he ranked third among goalies in fantasy points (648.4) and finished third in voting for the Vezina Trophy in the 2024-25 season.

Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning, led all goalies in fantasy points (742.2) and wins (37) in 2025. Vasilevskiy also ranked highly at his position in save percentage (.922; second), goals-against average (2.15; third) and shutouts (five; tied for sixth) in 60 games.

On the scene

-- Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks, who finished eighth in fantasy points (816.4) in 2025, was tied for sixth in the NHL with 98 points (35 goals, 63 assists) in 82 games and finished tied for third all-time for the most points in a calendar year by a teenager in NHL history, behind Gretzky (140 points in 1980) and Sidney Crosby (118 points in 2006). In the 2025-26 NHL season, Celebrini (39 GP) became the second-fastest teenager in NHL history to record 10 three-point performances in a single season, behind only Gretzky (38 GP in 1980-81).

-- Nick Suzuki of the Montreal Canadiens finished eighth in the NHL with 97 points (32 goals, 65 assists) in 84 games in 2025.

-- Lane Hutson of the Montreal Canadiens led all defensemen in assists (69; fourth in NHL) and was third at his position in points (78 in 84 games) in 2025.

-- Dylan Guenther of the Utah Mammoth was tied for first with Steven Stamkos of the Nashville Predators in game-winning goals (11) in 2025. Guenther led all players in overtime goals (five) and all forwards in slap shot goals (10).

-- Wyatt Johnston of the Dallas Stars led the NHL in power-play goals (23), ranked third in power-play points (41), was tied for seventh in goals (44) and was tied for ninth in points (91 in 86 games) in 2025.

-- Karel Vejmelka of the Utah Mammoth, who is tied for third in wins (16) in the 2025-26 season, finished the 2025 calendar year with 34 wins (third) and 540.6 fantasy points (10th at position).

-- Jesper Wallstedt of the Minnesota Wild led all goalies with a .928 save percentage and ranked fourth in goals-against average (2.21) and was tied for eighth in shutouts (four) among goalies with at least 16 games played.