Last year, Nikita Soshnikov had the largest rise up our Top 25 Under 25 list, from 18th in 2015 to 10th in 2016. That meteoric rise came on the back of a fantastic debuted with the Marlies, where his physical play, shot blocking, and general pest behaviour on the ice led him to 28 points in 52 games, followed by another 7 points in 11 playoff games.
I ranked him the highest in last year’s Top 25 Under 25 at #7, thoroughly impressed with what I saw on the ice with the Marlies, and in his brief time playing for the Maple Leafs.