Super 16: Johnston, Schmid, Zegras highlight surprises in power rankings

Surprise, surprise.

No, it's not surprising that we have another Super 16. The power rankings are a weekly staple on NHL.com.

It's not surprising either that the Colorado Avalanche are No. 1 and the Dallas Stars are No. 2. It could be that way for a while.

But what is the biggest surprise for each of the 16 teams ranked this week? And how has that biggest surprise helped land the team in the Super 16?

This NHL season is now more than two months old and things are happening that the great preseason prognosticators did not see coming.

We examine those surprises this week.

As always, to come up with the Super 16, the 14 voters this week first put together their own version of what they think the rankings should look like and a point total is assigned to each, with the team selected first given 16 points, second 15, third 14, and so on.

And with that, we have the surprise edition of the Super 16:

1. Colorado Avalanche (21-2-7)

Total points: 224

Last week: No. 1

"There are two big surprises with the team that has been the best in the NHL all season. 1) Scott Wedgewood. Until a back injury sidelined the goalie, Wedgewood was playing like an elite No. 1 and putting himself in the conversation to make Team Canada for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. He is 13-1-4 with a 2.11 goals-against average, .919 save percentage and one shutout in 20 games. Wedgewood, a career backup, took over as Colorado's starting goalie. Though he returned after missing three games to make 26 saves in a 4-3 shootout loss at the Nashville Predators on Tuesday, he was pulled after making a save on Steven Stamkos in the third round to be evaluated for a concussion. As long as his back and health allows him to play again soon, he'll remain in the Olympic conversation and push Mackenzie Blackwood as Colorado's No. 1. 2) The Avalanche have been as good as they've been this season with a mediocre power play that's operating at 16.3 percent. They'll figure that out. There's too much talent with Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Martin Necas not to figure out the power play, but the fact that they've been this good in spite of the power play shows how elite they are at 5-on-5. Now imagine the power play starts clicking too. Scary." -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

2. Dallas Stars (21-5-5)

Total points: 210

Last week: No. 2

"There are lots of surprises on this team, which is battling the Avalanche for status as best in the League. The fact they hit their stride so quickly under new coach Glen Gulutzan could be the answer here, but I'm going with Wyatt Johnston's power-play prowess. Yes, Johnston scored 11 power-play goals last season, so he has some skill on the man-advantage, but the 22-year-old center is the primary trigger man on a veteran-laden team. Not expected at all. He already has 12 power-play goals this season. Nobody else in the NHL had more than eight entering Wednesday. Nobody expected that. Nobody. It's not just the Stars' biggest surprise of the season, it's one of the biggest surprises across the League." -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

3. Carolina Hurricanes (18-9-2)

Total points: 179

Last week: No. 3

"The Hurricanes claimed goalie Brandon Bussi off waivers from the Florida Panthers on Oct. 5. He had zero NHL experience. Bussi instead was a regular for Providence in the American Hockey League the past three seasons, including a short stint with Maine of the ECHL in 2022-23. He was never taken in the NHL Draft, but today, at 27 years old, Bussi is coming off a 23-save performance in a 4-1 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. He is 9-1-0 with a 2.09 GAA, .909 save percentage and one shutout in 10 games for the Hurricanes. He was supposed to be, at best, a No. 3 goalie after Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov, but, as is typical with Carolina, an injury forced a test of the goaltending depth. Bussi has been easily the Hurricanes' biggest and most pleasant surprise." -- Rosen

4. Washington Capitals (18-9-3)

Total points: 175

Last week: No. 8

"Rookie forward Justin Sourdif has been the Capitals' biggest surprise so far. Acquired in a trade with the Panthers on June 26, Sourdif began this season at right wing on the fourth line. After Pierre-Luc Dubois was sidelined following surgery to repair abdominal and adductor muscle injuries, the 23-year-old eventually became his unlikely replacement at center on the second line between Aliaksei Protas and Tom Wilson. Sourdif's five points (one goal, four assists) in 11 games since moving into that role in mid-November don't nearly tell the story of his impact. Often matched against opponent's top centers, he's held his own defensively and improved greatly on face-offs, winning a team-best (minimum 10 taken) 53.8 percent in his past eight games." -- Tom Gulitti, senior writer

5. Anaheim Ducks (19-10-1)

Total points: 168

Last week: No. 6

"Overall, the Ducks are a surprise to me this season, but I'll focus on defenseman Jackson LaCombe and forward Beckett Sennecke. Coach Joel Quenneville singled out LaCombe when we talked in October, and it's easy to see why. The 24-year-old leads their defensemen with 17 points (four goals, 13 assists) and the Ducks with 24:57 of time on ice per game. Sennecke, 19, the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft leads NHL rookies with 26 points (10 goals, 16 assists). The Ducks are thriving again, and these guys are two reasons why." -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

6. Vegas Golden Knights (14-6-9)

Total points: 152

Last week: No. 9

"The biggest surprise is how seamlessly Akira Schmid stepped into the No. 1 goalie role in mid-October. When Adin Hill went down with a lower body injury, many assumed the Golden Knights would tread water until he returned. Instead, Schmid grabbed the reins and is 10-2-4 with a 2.35 GAA, .903 save percentage and two shutouts, most recently a 3-0 win at the New Jersey Devils on Dec. 5. He set a new NHL career high in wins three weeks before Christmas. Now that's a surprise." -- Paul Strizhevsky, staff writer

7. Minnesota Wild (16-9-5)

Total points: 146

Last week: No. 5

"Rookie goalie Jesper Wallstedt is making an unexpected contribution, going 8-1-2 with a 1.95 GAA, .936 save percentage and an NHL-high four shutouts, but forward Marcus Johansson has been an even bigger surprise. The 35-year-old is on pace for his best offensive season in the League with 21 points (nine goals, 12 assists) in 30 games, playing in a top-six role. Johansson had 34 points (11 goals, 23 assists) in 72 games for the Wild last season and 30 points (11 goals, 19 assists) in 78 games in 2023-24. He is in his 16th NHL season, and has played 1,013 games for the Capitals, Devils, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Seattle Kraken and Wild. His most productive season was with Washington in 2016-17, when he had 58 points (24 goals, 34 assists) in 82 games. Johansson has been impressive and is on pace to challenge his NHL career high. He has helped Minnesota settle into third in the Central Division behind the Stars and Avalanche." -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer

8. Tampa Bay Lightning (17-11-2)

Total points: 119

Last week: No. 4

"Given the rash of injuries the Lightning have had, the outburst of offense supplied by defenseman Darren Raddysh has come as a welcome surprise. The 29-year-old set NHL career highs in assists (31) and points (37) last season but has taken the next step in 2025-26. He has 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) in 24 games and has provided much needed production from the blue line, especially with how banged up captain Victor Hedman has been. If you can have a breakout season when you're already on the cusp of 30, then this is it." -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

9. New York Islanders (17-11-3)

Total points: 97

Last week: No. 13

"In the long run, landing two first-round picks (Victor Eklund, Kashawn Aitcheson) from the Montreal Canadiens for defenseman Noah Dobson may end up being a bigger deal, but Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche and the front office deserve a lot of credit for also acquiring forward Emil Heineman, who has emerged as a top-six forward. Not only has Heineman brought speed, he plays in all situations and is tied for fifth in team scoring with 16 points (10 goals, six assists) in 31 games. His 10 goals already match the output he had in 62 games with the Canadiens last season. Heineman only turned 24 last month, so it will be interesting to see the trajectory of his career from here." -- Brian Compton, managing editor

10. Pittsburgh Penguins (14-7-7)

Total points: 90

Last week: No. 11

"The biggest surprise is that the Penguins are in the Super 16, let alone ranked in the top 10, on Dec. 11. They were not supposed to be here at any point this season. They were supposed to be near the bottom of the League, a tough team to play against because Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson would make them so, but not good enough to be competing for a Stanley Cup Playoff berth. Yet here they are. They've had 18-year-old rookie forward Ben Kindel in the lineup for 25 of 28 games and he has 10 points (three goals, seven assists). Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs has held his own, going 4-4-5 with a 2.98 GAA, .900 save percentage and one shutout. Even coach Dan Muse is technically a rookie at his position, a first-time NHL head coach, and he's been able to keep the Penguins playing consistently competitive hockey, rolling four lines, balancing ice time, keeping everybody fresh. Where it goes from here remains to be seen, especially with Malkin now out week to week with an upper-body injury, but No. 10 in our Super 16 in the second week of December was not on my Bingo card for the Penguins this season." -- Rosen

11. Philadelphia Flyers (16-9-3)

Total points: 83

Last week: No. 12

"Trevor Zegras was a wild card when the Flyers acquired him in a trade with the Ducks on June 23. Could he get back to the 60-point player he was in his first full NHL season of 2021-22? Or would the injuries and inconsistencies that plagued him the past two seasons follow him from the West Coast? He didn't need long to show how big the change of scenery was for him, with 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in his first 11 games. He leads the Flyers with 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists) in 28 games, and his unique energy and enthusiasm has spread positively throughout the dressing room." -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

12. Los Angeles Kings (14-8-7)

Total points: 80

Last week: No. 10

"Corey Perry has been everything the Kings could have hoped for, and more. The 40-year-old forward missed the beginning of the season with a knee injury, but had seven goals -- tied for third on the Kings -- and 14 points in 23 games before playing Wednesday. Not to mention his plus-7 rating. He's on pace for his first 20-goal season since 2015-16 and has been playing better than some players half his age. Perry's contributions have been key, especially with Anze Kopitar and Phillip Danault surprisingly underproducing on offense." -- David Satriano, staff writer

13. Boston Bruins (18-13-0)

Total points: 52

Last week: Not ranked

"I'd say the surprise of the season is the Bruins themselves. They were a team widely expected to be closer to the bottom of the Eastern Conference than the top, given the bodies they shipped out before the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline. Instead, the Bruins have been consistently good and consistently hard to play against, taking coach Marco Sturm's tutelage to heart. Do they play the most exciting brand of hockey? No, certainly not, but they're also tied for the conference lead in wins with 18. They've been tracking to make the playoffs all season in a very tight conference, and doing it all while being the only team in the NHL without an overtime loss." -- Amalie Benjamin, senior writer

14. Detroit Red Wings (16-11-3)

Total points: 47

Last week: Not ranked

"How many seventh-round picks make the NHL? How many make it at age 20? Well, Emmitt Finnie has. After impressing in training camp, Finnie, the No. 201 selection of the 2023 NHL Draft, was a surprise addition to the Red Wings roster. The 20-year-old forward made an immediate impact with eight points (four goals, four assists) in his first nine games, and had 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in 30 games, sixth on Detroit and tied for seventh among NHL rookies through Wednesday." -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

15. New Jersey Devils (17-12-1)

Total points: 37

Last week: No. 7

"The Devils knew they had something special in Arseny Gritsyuk, but the rookie right wing has exceeded the expectations of coach Sheldon Keefe. Gritsyuk, whose best asset is his tremendous shot coming down the wing, has 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) and is averaging 14:56 of ice time in a top-nine role. His play away from the puck and in the defensive zone has given Keefe the confidence to have him on the ice in key moments and against key opponents." -- Mike G. Morreale, senior draft writer

16. Montreal Canadiens (15-11-3)

Total points: 10

Last week: No. 15

"The Canadiens have some surprises on the negative side, like Sam Montembeault's struggles in net (5-6-1, 3.65 GAA, .857 save percentage), but in the spirit of positivity, let's instead look at what Oliver Kapanen is doing in his rookie season. Kapanen has 15 points (nine goals, six assists) in 29 games and he's playing primarily as Montreal's No. 2 center, not an easy job for the 22-year-old from Finland who had no goals and just two assists in 18 games with the Canadiens last season. Kapanen is thriving offensively in large part because of his ability to defend well. The Canadiens rely on Kapanen because his game is simple and his hockey IQ seems to be high. He's in the right place often and reading plays well. The more he plays, the more we see that Montreal might have a future Selke Trophy candidate." -- Rosen

Dropped out from last week: Ottawa Senators (No. 14), Seattle Kraken (No. 16)

Others receiving points: Edmonton Oilers 9, Florida Panthers 9, Toronto Maple Leafs 9, New York Rangers 8

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM

AMALIE BENJAMIN

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Anaheim Ducks; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. Minnesota Wild; 7. Tampa Bay Lightning; 8. Pittsburgh Penguins; 9. Washington Capitals; 10. New York Islanders; 11. Los Angeles Kings; 12. New Jersey Devils; 13. Detroit Red Wings; 14. Boston Bruins; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. Montreal Canadiens

JEAN-FRANCOIS CHAUMONT

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Anaheim Ducks; 5. Minnesota Wild; 6. Tampa Bay Lightning; 7. Washington Capitals; 8. New York Islanders; 9. Vegas Golden Knights; 10. Detroit Red Wings; 11. Boston Bruins; 12. Philadelphia Flyers; 13. Pittsburgh Penguins; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. New Jersey Devils; 16. Los Angeles Kings

BRIAN COMPTON

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Washington Capitals; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Anaheim Ducks; 6. Philadelphia Flyers; 7. Vegas Golden Knights; 8. Minnesota Wild; 9. Pittsburgh Penguins; 10. Los Angeles Kings; 11. New York Islanders; 12. Tampa Bay Lightning; 13. Boston Bruins; 14. Detroit Red Wings; 15. Toronto Maple Leafs; 16. New Jersey Devils

NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Washington Capitals; 5. Anaheim Ducks; 6. Vegas Golden Knights; 7. Pittsburgh Penguins; 8. Philadelphia Flyers; 9. Minnesota Wild; 10. Los Angeles Kings; 11. Tampa Bay Lightning; 12. New York Islanders; 13. New Jersey Devils; 14. Detroit Red Wings; 15. Boston Bruins; 16. Montreal Canadiens

TOM GULITTI

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Washington Capitals; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Anaheim Ducks; 6. Vegas Golden Knights; 7. Minnesota Wild; 8. Tampa Bay Lightning; 9. Pittsburgh Penguins; 10. Philadelphia Flyers; 11. Los Angeles Kings; 12. New York Islanders; 13. Detroit Red Wings; 14. New Jersey Devils; 15. Boston Bruins; 16. Florida Panthers

ADAM KIMELMAN

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Tampa Bay Lightning; 4. Washington Capitals; 5. Anaheim Ducks; 6. Carolina Hurricanes; 7. Vegas Golden Knights; 8. Minnesota Wild; 9. Philadelphia Flyers; 10. New York Islanders; 11. Boston Bruins; 12. Pittsburgh Penguins; 13. Detroit Red Wings; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Montreal Canadiens; 16. Los Angeles Kings

MIKE G. MORREALE

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Anaheim Ducks; 5. Minnesota Wild; 6. Washington Capitals; 7. New York Islanders; 8. Vegas Golden Knights; 9. Los Angeles Kings; 10. Tampa Bay Lightning; 11. Florida Panthers; 12. New York Rangers; 13. Boston Bruins; 14. Philadelphia Flyers; 15. New Jersey Devils; 16. Toronto Maple Leafs

TRACEY MYERS

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Washington Capitals; 4. Anaheim Ducks; 5. Carolina Hurricanes; 6. Vegas Golden Knights; 7. Minnesota Wild; 8. Tampa Bay Lightning; 9. Pittsburgh Penguins; 10. Philadelphia Flyers; 11. Los Angeles Kings; 12. New York Islanders; 13. New Jersey Devils; 14. Detroit Red Wings; 15. Boston Bruins; 16. Edmonton Oilers

SHAWN P. ROARKE

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Vegas Golden Knights; 5. Minnesota Wild; 6. Tampa Bay Lightning; 7. Washington Capitals; 8. Anaheim Ducks; 9. New Jersey Devils; 10. Los Angeles Kings; 11. New York Islanders; 12. Boston Bruins; 13. Pittsburgh Penguins; 14. Philadelphia Flyers; 15. Florida Panthers; 16. Detroit Red Wings

DAN ROSEN

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Washington Capitals; 4. Anaheim Ducks; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. Carolina Hurricanes; 7. Minnesota Wild; 8. New York Islanders; 9. Pittsburgh Penguins; 10. Tampa Bay Lightning; 11. Los Angeles Kings; 12. Philadelphia Flyers; 13. Toronto Maple Leafs; 14. Boston Bruins; 15. Detroit Red Wings; 16. New Jersey Devils

DAVID SATRIANO

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Washington Capitals; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Anaheim Ducks; 6. Minnesota Wild; 7. New York Islanders; 8. Vegas Golden Knights; 9. Tampa Bay Lightning; 10. Philadelphia Flyers; 11. Boston Bruins; 12. Pittsburgh Penguins; 13. New Jersey Devils; 14. Los Angeles Kings; 15. Toronto Maple Leafs; 16. New York Rangers

PAUL STRIZHEVSKY

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Washington Capitals; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Anaheim Ducks; 6. Vegas Golden Knights; 7. Philadelphia Flyers; 8. Pittsburgh Penguins; 9. Minnesota Wild; 10. Tampa Bay Lightning; 11. Los Angeles Kings; 12. Detroit Red Wings; 13. New York Islanders; 14. Boston Bruins; 15. Montreal Canadiens; 16. New Jersey Devils

DEREK VAN DIEST

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Washington Capitals; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. Anaheim Ducks; 6. Vegas Golden Knights; 7. Carolina Hurricanes; 8. Los Angeles Kings; 9. New York Islanders; 10. Detroit Red Wings; 11. Tampa Bay Lightning; 12. Boston Bruins; 13. Pittsburgh Penguins; 14. Philadelphia Flyers; 15. New York Rangers; 16. Montreal Canadiens

MIKE ZEISBERGER

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Washington Capitals; 6. Minnesota Wild; 7. Anaheim Ducks; 8. Tampa Bay Lightning; 9. Pittsburgh Penguins; 10. Los Angeles Kings; 11. New York Islanders; 12. Philadelphia Flyers; 13. Detroit Red Wings; 14. Montreal Canadiens; 15. New Jersey Devils; 16. Boston Bruins