NHL 22 Player Ratings: Best Young Power Forwards

Essentially a jack-of-all-trades, the power forward can do a little bit of everything, though doesn’t usually do a whole lot spectacularly. Sometimes, stability is the answer.

In looking for that stability and sustained success, finding a solid power forward is crucial to accomplishing your goals.

Choosing NHL 22’s best young power forwards

This page will look at the best up-and-coming power forwards in NHL 22, with Quinton Byfield, Nolan Foote, and Serron Noel among the most notable names included.

Each player was chosen based on a mix of potential, age, and overall rating.

At the bottom of the page, you will find a list of the best young power forwards in NHL 22.

Quinton Byfield 78 OVR (Potential: Elite Med)

Team: Los Angeles Kings
Age: 19
Position: Center
Type: Power Forward
Shoots: Left
Contract: $0.895M, 3 Years Left, Two-Way
Best Attributes: 88 Balance, 88 Strength, 87 Slap Shot Power

The second overall pick in 2020, young Quinton Byfield is exactly what you want in a power forward to anchor your line for the future: solid all-around.

His skating skills are good with 88 in balance, 85 in acceleration, 84 in agility, and 83 in speed. His physical skills are better, with 88 in strength and 85 in aggressiveness, body checking, and durability.

Areas of improvement include a little on defence and offence. His stick checking is 82, but defensive awareness only an 80, with shot blocking even lower at 78. His shot accuracies are both 81, and his poise is only a 75. That should improve with more experience.

Byfield had a six-game stint with Los Angeles in the 2020-21 season, recording one assist in that time. In 32 games with the Ontario Reign, he had 12 assists and eight goals, and added 24 penalty minutes.

Mason McTavish 71 OVR (Potential: Top 6 F High)

Team: Anaheim Ducks
Age: 18
Position: Center
Type: Power Forward
Shoots: Left
Contract: $0.925M, 3 Years Left, Two-Way
Best Attributes: 85 Durability, 83 Slap Shot Power, 82 Wrist Shot Power

The third overall pick in the recent 2021 draft, Mason McTavish is the youngest featured player on this list, but is already a decent contributor with plenty of potential.

He has good durability (85) and shot power (slap shot 83, wrist shot 82), while his offensive awareness is good at 82, the same rating as his acceleration and speed. However, every other stat could use improvement.

Particularly for a power forward, it would behoove you to focus McTavish’s development on defence. His awareness is a 78, but stick checking is just 76 with shot blocking a meager 69. His puck skills also leave a lot to be desired with 78 in passing and puck control, 75 in deking, and 72 in hand-eye.

On loan to EHC Olten during the 2020-21 season, McTavish netted nine goals and two assists in 13 games, adding two goals and five assists in four playoff games. With the Peterborough Petes in 2019-20, he had 29 goals and 13 assists in 57 games, and also recorded 31 penalty minutes.

Vitali Kravtsov 79 OVR (Potential: Top 6 F Med)

Team: New York Rangers
Age: 21
Position: Right Wing
Type: Power Forward
Shoots: Left
Contract: $0.925M, 1 Year Left, Two-Way
Best Attributes: 88 Balance, 88 Slap Shot Power, 88 Strength

Vitali Kravtsov makes an appearance on this list thanks to a good skill set, though he may be closer to his ceiling than others.

His skating and physical skills are good. He has 88 in balance, 86 across the three speed categories, and 85 in endurance. Add to that an 88 in strength and 85 in aggressiveness, body checking, and durability, and he will stay on the ice and keep up with everyone except the fastest of players.

His shot blocking and poise are his lowest ratings – aside from faceoffs and fighting skill – so be sure to home in on those for some of his development as well.

In 20 games with the Rangers during the 2020-21 season, the former ninth overall pick had two goals and two assists. With Traktor Chelyabinsk on loan, he had 16 goals and eight assists in 49 games, and added two of each of those statistical categories during five playoff games.

Nolan Foote 75 OVR (Potential: Top 6 F Med)

Team: New Jersey Devils
Age: 20
Position: Left Wing
Type: Power Forward
Shoots: Left
Contract: $0.865M, 3 Years Left, Two-Way
Best Attributes: 85 Slap Shot Power, 85 Durability, 85 Strength

A late first round pick from 2019, Nolan Foote is solid in some areas while needing improvement in others.

Aside from 73 in endurance, he has good skating skills with 84 in speed, balance, and acceleration and 82 in agility. His durability and strength are good at 85, though his aggressiveness and body checking of 78 are lacking.

The 20-year-old’s shot blocking is a meager 70, an area in which a power forward should be better. He also has a 79 in defensive awareness and 75 in poise and discipline, which are other areas of needed focus.

In six games with New Jersey during 2020-21, Foote had one goal and one assist, while in 24 games with the Binghamton Devils, he had ten assists and seven goals.

Raphaël Lavoie 69 OVR (Potential: Top 6 F Med)

Team: Edmonton Oilers
Age: 20
Position: Right Wing/Center
Type: Power Forward
Shoots: Right
Contract: $0.870M, 3 Years Left, Two-Way
Best Attributes: 85 Durability, 84 Slap Shot Power, 83 Wrist Shot Power

The first person on this list drafted in the second round or beyond, Raphaël Lavoie is a long-term project whose acquisition could pay dividends if he is given the time and necessary development focus.

His durability of 85 will keep him uninjured for the most part, and his slap shot power of 84 and wrist shot power of 83 means that he will at least have a fast shot. His speed and agility are 82 with acceleration at 81, so while not fast, he is also no slouch.

Still, other categories need work. Lavoie’s stick checking is 78, which looks good compared to 75 in defensive awareness and 69 in shot blocking. His puck skills are decidedly average. He will also need to improve his physical skills to make an impact even without the puck.

Lavoie had five goals and five assists in 19 games with the Bakersfield Condors in 2020-21, adding one goal and three assists in six playoff games. On loan to Väsby IK, he had 23 goals and 22 assists in 51 games.

Serron Noel 68 OVR (Potential: Top 6 F Med)

Team: Florida Panthers
Age: 21
Position: Right Wing
Type: Power Forward
Shoots: Right
Contract: $0.895M, 2 Years Left, Two-Way
Best Attributes: 85 Balance, 85 Wrist Shot Power, 85 Durability

Another long-term project, Serron Noel may prove to be worth the risk with his 6’5” frame on your line.

He has good physical skills with durability of 85, strength of 84, and aggressiveness and body checking of 80, and also has a solid shot with both power ratings of 85. His skating is good as well, with 85 balance, 83 speed, and 82 acceleration and agility.

However, the Canadian’s defence and puck skills need marked improvement. His stick checking is a workable 77, but his awareness is 71 and shot blocking even worse at 69. His hand-eye is 75, deking 74, and passing and puck control 73.

He had three assists and a goal in eight games with the Syracuse Crunch during 2020-21. The year prior, he had 16 assists and 13 goals in 28 games for the Oshawa Generals, and 13 assists and five goals in 20 games with the Kitchener Rangers.

Egor Afanasyev 65 OVR (Potential: Top 6 F Low)

Team: Nashville Predators
Age: 20
Position: Left Wing
Type: Power Forward
Shoots: Left
Contract: $0.790, 3 Years Left, Two-Way
Best Attributes: 86 Slap Shot Power, 85 Wrist Shot Power, 85 Durability

Egor Afanasyev is the final featured player on this list, and is also its lowest-rated player.

The 45^th pick in 2019 does not excel in any one area, though he is adequate in a few. He has 86 in slap shot power, 85 in wrist shot power and durability, and 80 in speed and acceleration. These numbers mean that he can shoot a fast puck and will stay relatively uninjured, and he is not the slowest player on the ice.

However, he will take a lot of development to reach his potential. His stick checking is 73, defensive awareness 71, and shot blocking a paltry 65. His puck control and passing are 74, hand-eye 73, and deking 71. He also needs to improve a 74 in strength and 75 in endurance so that he can stay on the ice longer.

Afanasyev was on loan to three teams – all in Russia – during the 2020-21 season. With CSKA Moskva, he had four assists and two goals in 16 games, with no goals or assists in five playoff games. With Zvezda Moskva, he had no stats in two games, while with Krasnaya Armiya Moskva, he had five goals and an assist in four games, adding two goals in four playoff games.

All the best young power forwards in NHL 22

The below table includes all of the best young power forwards in NHL 22.

Your first line of the future could be anchored by one of the above names – so who will it be?