Mar 17, 2015; Newark, NJ, USA; New Jersey Devils defenseman Damon Severson (28) handles the puck as he is chased by Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) during the first period at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim O
NHL top 25 defenseman is the second installment in our under 25 rankings, the first was released yesterday in our top 50 forwards, which can be found here. Stay tuned for the last installment with our top 10 goalies under 25 years of age.
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The birth date cut-off for our NHL top 25 defenseman will be October 23rd, 1990. It’s important to remember that defenders can develop at much slower rates. In some cases, certain defenseman make their NHL debuts after their 25th birthday. For the young guys in this list, most of them won’t fully blossom until at least 25.
* Any stats were obtained from hockeydb.com
NHL Top 25 Defenseman Under 25 Honorable Mentions:
Dmitry Kulikov, Florida Panthers (24 years old)
Eats up big minutes and is a physical force who’s fairly responsible in his own-end. He also produced 22 points in 2014-15.
Eric Gelinas, New Jersey Devils (24 years old)
Slowly getting better on a weak Devils back-end. Could eventually develop into an important piece for New Jersey.
Oct 13, 2015; Raleigh, NC, USA; Florida Panthers defensemen Erik Gudbranson (44) skates with the puck against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena. The Florida Panthers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Erik Gudbranson, Florida Panthers (23 years old)
A responsible tough defenseman to play against, a bit of an unsung hero on the Panthers blue-line.
Ryan Murphy, Carolina Hurricanes (22 years old)
Up and down start to this young man’s career in Carolina, but we’ve seen glimpses of his offensive skill. He’s recently spent time alongside Hanifin in 2015-16 on the Canes third pairing.
Damon Severson, New Jersey Devils (21 years old)
Building off 17 points in 51 games in 2014-15, Severson is only going to get better in New Jersey. Severson could develop into a big producer on the back-end.
Rasmus Ristolainen, Buffalo Sabres (20 years old)
This young man has already become an important piece of the Sabres defense core, and still has room to grow in Buffalo. Three points in six games is a good start to the new season.
Next: 25-16