Opening Night roster surprises include Laba of Rangers, Cootes of Canucks

The 2025-26 NHL season opens with a tripleheader Tuesday, but all 32 teams had to submit their Opening Night rosters.

Several young players made good impressions throughout training camp and earned themselves a spot with their respective teams.

Defenseman Matthew Schaefer, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft by the New York Islanders, and forward Michael Misa, the No. 2 pick by the San Jose Sharks, were expected to make their respective teams -- and did.

Still, there were other players who were not necessarily expected to make their team out of training camp.

Here are 12 who were surprise additions to the roster, according to NHL.com:

Nikita Chibrikov, RW, Winnipeg Jets

Injuries up front opened the door for Chibrikov to make the Jets roster, and the 22-year-old took advantage.

Chibrikov had two points (one goal, one assist) in four preseason games for Winnipeg. He signed a two-year contract Sunday with an average annual value of $875,000.

Selected by the Jets in the second round (No. 50) of the 2021 NHL Draft, Chibrikov had 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in 30 games with Manitoba of the American Hockey League last season before a knee injury ended his season.

“Great for [Chibrikov], real happy for him, get some security there, obviously,” coach Scott Arniel said Sunday. “One of the young prospects for us that has kind of got opportunities in the last couple of years here.

“The big injury, that was a tough injury, missed a lot of hockey. Not just the injury, but the rehab itself was hard, very, very hard. I got a chance to talk to him just after his surgery, I know that management talked to him and made the point of how it was going to be tough and how he needed to work to make sure that he came back in good shape.”

Braeden Cootes, C, Vancouver Canucks

Cootes will be the first 18-year-old to start the season with the Canucks since Petr Nedved in 1990. The forward had four points (two goals, two assists) in four preseason games with Vancouver. He was selected by the Canucks with the No. 15 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

“Obviously, he prepared himself really well this summer,” Vancouver general manager Patrik Allvin told Sportsnet on Monday. “And we were aware of his character and his drive and all the off-ice side stuff with him as a player. But I think he just dedicated himself. He just seemed to absorb (information) and kept getting better, learning how to practice and playing with pace, understanding how we want to play. And the coaches have been really impressed with his coachability. He definitely earned this.”

Cootes had 63 points (26 goals, 37 assists) in 69 games for Seattle of the Western Hockey League last season.

“I wouldn’t say I’d be surprised,” Cootes said of making the team. “Obviously I’m honored that I’m still here and very grateful, but I believed that I can do it and I’m just trying to work as hard as I can.”

Emmitt Finnie, C, Detroit Red Wings

Finnie is one of three 20-year-old rookies to make the Red Wings roster, along with forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka.

Finnie is considered the biggest surprise of the three because he was selected by Detroit in the seventh round (No. 201) of the 2023 NHL Draft and was not expected to progress as quickly. Brandsegg-Nygard was selected by Detroit at No. 15 in the 2024 NHL Draft and Sandin-Pellikka was selected No. 17 in the 2023 draft.

Finnie had four points (two goals, two assists) in seven preseason games for Detroit. Brandsegg-Nygard led the Red Wings in scoring during the preseason with seven points (four goals, three assists) in seven games.

“They’re great guys and for three of them to come in and win jobs and be so well-received in the locker room, it speaks to show how guys believe in them,” Red Wings coach Todd McLellan said. “I’m excited for them and for our team because of them.”

Nikita Grebenkin, RW, Philadelphia Flyers

Acquired in a trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 7, Grebenkin had two points (one goal, one assist) in six preseason games for Philadelphia.

The 22-year-old had 21 points (nine goals, 12 assists) in 39 games for Toronto of the AHL and seven points (three goals, four assists) in 11 games with Lehigh Valley of the AHL after the trade.

“He can play in front of the net,” Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said following a 4-3 preseason loss to the Islanders on Thursday “He’s a sticky guy, he comes up with loose pucks in the corner. You always need those corner guys that can come out with the pucks. If we can continue to teach him to play that way, he can be a real force out there, grab pucks, hang on to pucks. I think in the first period he almost split the [defense], that’s good stuff. We want that from him, so I hope he continues to do that.”

Matvei Gridin, RW, Calgary Flames

Gridin scored three goals in six preseason games and is one of two rookies, along with defenseman Zayne Parekh, to make the Flames roster.

Gridin, 19, was selected by Calgary at No. 28 in the 2024 NHL Draft and had 79 points (36 goals, 43 assists) in 56 games with Shawinigan of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League last season.

“It’s exciting for them for sure, I think both of them at different times had good camps for sure,” Flames coach Ryan Huska said. “Matvei was consistent all the way through. He’s got a special skill set and we’ve talked about his frame, even as a 19-year-old, he’s a bigger, heavier guy (6-foot-1, 182 pounds) that can handle it and we’ll see how he keeps going.”

Ben Kindel, C, Pittsburgh Penguins

Selected by Pittsburgh at No. 11 in the 2025 draft, Kindel had three points (one goal, two assists) in six preseason games. The 18-year-old had 99 points (35 goals, 64 assists) in 65 games for Calgary of the WHL last season.

Kindel will have to return to Calgary if he does not stay with the Penguins all season, but making the roster out of his first NHL training camp is impressive.

“I think just he has a lot of poise with the puck, a lot of speed,” Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby said. “Those two things probably stand out the most. He’s using his speed well, he’s finding guys, he distributes the puck really well and he seems like he’s confident. It doesn’t seem like it’s been too fast for him or anything to this point.

“He’s done a great job. Sometimes it takes time to adjust to all of that. It seems like with every game, he’s getting more and more comfortable.”

Noah Laba, C, New York Rangers

Selected by New York in the fourth round (No. 111) of the 2022 NHL Draft, the 22-year-old forward had six points (two goals, four assists) in six preseason games with the Rangers. This was his first NHL training camp.

Laba had 26 points (10 goals, 16 assists) in 29 games at Colorado College last season and five points (three goals, two assists) in 11 games with Hartford of the AHL.

“I think Noah has a 200-foot game. I think his offense is evolving,” Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said. “With each game that he plays, you could see more of the playmaking and just his vision, whether it be with the puck or without the puck on the offensive side, just his instincts.”

Shane Lachance, LW, New Jersey Devils

Lachance, 22, will look to make the jump from NCAA to the NHL this season and is off to a good start making the Devils roster.

The forward had two points (one goal, one assist) in two preseason games after sitting out part of training camp because of an injury. He had 30 points (12 goals, 18 assists) in 40 games for Boston University last season.

He was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the sixth round (No. 186) of the 2021 NHL Draft, then traded to New Jersey on March 2, 2025.

“It’s the NHL, it’s the best league in the world and I was just trying to come in here with a good mindset and everyday coming in, keeping your head down and working as hard as you can, which I think is the biggest thing,” Lachance said Friday. “There are no surprises yet, but you never know, take it day-by-day and always be ready for stuff to come at you.”

Brady Martin, C, Nashville Predators

The 18-year-old was selected by Nashville at No. 5 in the 2025 draft and played on the top line with veterans Filip Forsberg and Ryan O'Reilly in camp.

Martin had three points (two goals, one assist) in four preseason games for the Predators. He had 72 points (33 goals, 39 assists) in 57 games with Sault Ste. Marie of the Ontario Hockey League last season.

“I think he’s earned the opportunity to play, I think he’s had a great camp,” Predators coach Andrew Brunette said. “Obviously he’s a young player that we’re really excited for, and he came in and it was hard not to have him on that line and it was hard not to have him here today. We’ll reevaluate with him every day, but we’re super-excited, organizationally and all the coaching staff, to have him.”

Jani Nyman, RW, Seattle Kraken

The 21-year-old appears ready to make the full-time jump to the NHL after a strong season in Coachella Valley of the AHL, where he had 44 points (28 goals, 16 assists) in 58 games. He also had six points (three goals, three assists) in 12 games for the Kraken last season.

Nyman led Seattle with five points (four goals, one assist) in five preseason games. He was selected in the second round (No. 49) of the 2022 draft and is expected to play in a bottom-six role to start the season with the Kraken.

“You saw him last year and then this year in training camp, too. He’s got the size (6-foot-2, 212 pounds), and he’s got the shot,” Seattle GM Jason Botterill said of Nyman. “Those are attributes we are excited to add to our team.”

Alec Regula, D, Edmonton Oilers

A knee injury forced the 25-year-old defenseman to miss the 2024-25 season, but he bounced back in a big way as one of eight defensemen to make the roster.

He was selected by Detroit in the third round (No. 67) of the 2018 NHL Draft and traded to the Chicago Blackhawks, where he played 22 games, scoring one goal, in three seasons. Regula was traded to the Boston Bruins as part of the Taylor Hall trade June 26, 2023, and claimed by Edmonton off waivers Dec. 11, 2024.

“Alec Regula has played really well,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said Friday. “Obviously we had a lot of faith in him to claim him off waivers and thought he could be part of our future. When he got here, we found out his health status wasn’t what we thought, it took a lot longer for his rehab, but a lot of credit to him, because he stuck with it and never got away from it.

“For him not to play as long as he did, it can often deflate a guy, but he put in the time, he’s feeling healthy and this training camp, he’s played really well.”

Beckett Sennecke, RW, Anaheim Ducks

Selected by Anaheim at No. 3 in the 2024 draft, the 19-year-old forward had three points (two goals, one assist) in six preseason games for the Ducks and is expected to start the regular season in a fourth-line role.

“I see him being like a wild card where you can use him in all situations, and he can play with anybody,” Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said. “You’re sitting there if you’re playing in that role, in that line, you think that he’s not going to get enough ice time, but I still think he’s useful in other ways where he can play with top players and be a threat and be productive as well. He’s a good asset for us and I think the way he trained in training camp, he gave us a lot of options as a coach.”