NHL Team Roster Age Rankings, 2026-27

NHL's Youngest and Oldest Rosters for 2026-27: Full Team-by-Team Age Rankings

Montreal fields the league's youngest roster, Pittsburgh its oldest, as a nearly four-year gap separates the two ends of the NHL's age spectrum entering training camp.

As NHL training camps open across the league, a review of every team's roster as listed on NHL.com shows just how wide the age gap has become between hockey's youngest and oldest clubs. The Montreal Canadiens, deep into a multi-year rebuild, carry the youngest average roster age in the league at 25.61 years old as of September 29 -- a full 3.72 years younger than the Pittsburgh Penguins, who check in oldest at 29.33 on the strength of a roster still built around 39-year-old captain Sidney Crosby.

The Anaheim Ducks (25.74) and Chicago Blackhawks (26.00) sit right behind Montreal, rounding out a top three defined by high draft picks logging significant roles: Ivan Demidov, Lane Hutson and Juraj Slafkovsky in Montreal; Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier in Anaheim; and Connor Bedard anchoring a Chicago core still adding young talent around him. Calgary (26.09) and Buffalo (26.19) complete a youngest-five that reads like a who's-who of teams in active retools.

Data Study

NHL Team Roster Age Rankings, 2026-27

Ages were calculated from each player's listed date of birth on their team's official NHL.com roster page, measured against September 29, 2026. Team averages are a simple mean across every player listed — forwards, defensemen, and goalies. Rosters were pulled September 24, 2026, roughly two weeks before opening night, so totals reflect full training-camp rosters rather than the trimmed active roster — expect numbers to skew a bit younger than the eventual regular-season group, especially for teams carrying the largest camp groups.

32

Teams Ranked

25.61

Youngest — Montréal Canadiens

29.33

Oldest — Pittsburgh Penguins

27.48

League Avg. Age

All 32 TeamsEastern Conference (16)Western Conference (16)

Young Core (<26.50)Balanced (26.50–27.79)Veteran-Heavy (27.80+)

RkTmNHL Team / DivisionAvg. AgeTier

1MTLMontréal CanadiensAtlantic Division25.61Young Core

2ANAAnaheim DucksPacific Division25.74Young Core

3CHIChicago BlackhawksCentral Division26.00Young Core

4CGYCalgary FlamesPacific Division26.09Young Core

5BUFBuffalo SabresAtlantic Division26.19Young Core

6DETDetroit Red WingsAtlantic Division26.42Young Core

7SJSSan Jose SharksPacific Division26.48Young Core

8PHIPhiladelphia FlyersMetropolitan Division26.56Balanced

9NYRNew York RangersMetropolitan Division26.86Balanced

10STLSt. Louis BluesCentral Division26.93Balanced

11VANVancouver CanucksPacific Division27.00Balanced

12NJDNew Jersey DevilsMetropolitan Division27.10Balanced

13TBLTampa Bay LightningAtlantic Division27.26Balanced

14CARCarolina HurricanesMetropolitan Division27.26Balanced

15BOSBoston BruinsAtlantic Division27.27Balanced

16WPGWinnipeg JetsCentral Division27.64Balanced

17NSHNashville PredatorsCentral Division27.72Balanced

18OTTOttawa SenatorsAtlantic Division27.74Balanced

19EDMEdmonton OilersPacific Division27.80Veteran-Heavy

20DALDallas StarsCentral Division27.86Veteran-Heavy

21NYINew York IslandersMetropolitan Division27.90Veteran-Heavy

22CBJColumbus Blue JacketsMetropolitan Division27.93Veteran-Heavy

23FLAFlorida PanthersAtlantic Division28.01Veteran-Heavy

24TORToronto Maple LeafsAtlantic Division28.30Veteran-Heavy

25SEASeattle KrakenPacific Division28.33Veteran-Heavy

26UTAUtah MammothCentral Division28.44Veteran-Heavy

27MINMinnesota WildCentral Division28.47Veteran-Heavy

28WSHWashington CapitalsMetropolitan Division28.49Veteran-Heavy

29COLColorado AvalancheCentral Division28.55Veteran-Heavy

30LAKLos Angeles KingsPacific Division28.66Veteran-Heavy

31VGKVegas Golden KnightsPacific Division29.31Veteran-Heavy

32PITPittsburgh PenguinsMetropolitan Division29.33Veteran-Heavy

RkTmNHL Team / DivisionAvg. AgeTier

1MTLMontréal CanadiensAtlantic Division25.61Young Core

5BUFBuffalo SabresAtlantic Division26.19Young Core

6DETDetroit Red WingsAtlantic Division26.42Young Core

8PHIPhiladelphia FlyersMetropolitan Division26.56Balanced

9NYRNew York RangersMetropolitan Division26.86Balanced

12NJDNew Jersey DevilsMetropolitan Division27.10Balanced

13TBLTampa Bay LightningAtlantic Division27.26Balanced

14CARCarolina HurricanesMetropolitan Division27.26Balanced

15BOSBoston BruinsAtlantic Division27.27Balanced

18OTTOttawa SenatorsAtlantic Division27.74Balanced

21NYINew York IslandersMetropolitan Division27.90Veteran-Heavy

22CBJColumbus Blue JacketsMetropolitan Division27.93Veteran-Heavy

23FLAFlorida PanthersAtlantic Division28.01Veteran-Heavy

24TORToronto Maple LeafsAtlantic Division28.30Veteran-Heavy

28WSHWashington CapitalsMetropolitan Division28.49Veteran-Heavy

32PITPittsburgh PenguinsMetropolitan Division29.33Veteran-Heavy

RkTmNHL Team / DivisionAvg. AgeTier

2ANAAnaheim DucksPacific Division25.74Young Core

3CHIChicago BlackhawksCentral Division26.00Young Core

4CGYCalgary FlamesPacific Division26.09Young Core

7SJSSan Jose SharksPacific Division26.48Young Core

10STLSt. Louis BluesCentral Division26.93Balanced

11VANVancouver CanucksPacific Division27.00Balanced

16WPGWinnipeg JetsCentral Division27.64Balanced

17NSHNashville PredatorsCentral Division27.72Balanced

19EDMEdmonton OilersPacific Division27.80Veteran-Heavy

20DALDallas StarsCentral Division27.86Veteran-Heavy

25SEASeattle KrakenPacific Division28.33Veteran-Heavy

26UTAUtah MammothCentral Division28.44Veteran-Heavy

27MINMinnesota WildCentral Division28.47Veteran-Heavy

29COLColorado AvalancheCentral Division28.55Veteran-Heavy

30LAKLos Angeles KingsPacific Division28.66Veteran-Heavy

31VGKVegas Golden KnightsPacific Division29.31Veteran-Heavy

Data: NHL.com official rosters, pulled Sep 24, 2026. Methodology: simple mean age (forwards, defensemen, goalies) vs. Sep 29, 2026. Reflects full training-camp rosters, not trimmed active rosters. Updated: Sep 2026.

The Oldest Rosters Skew Toward Contenders

At the opposite end, the story is less about rebuilding and more about win-now rosters built on proven veterans. Pittsburgh's 29.33 average is the product of a roster still carrying Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang alongside a wave of veteran depth signings. Vegas (29.31) isn't far behind, having again loaded up on established players. 

The Los Angeles Kings (28.66), Colorado Avalanche (28.55) and Washington Capitals (28.49, still fronted by 41-year-old Alex Ovechkin) round out the oldest five.

Notably, two of the league's biggest stars don't top the oldest list: Connor McDavid's Edmonton Oilers rank a middling 19th at 27.80, and Auston Matthews' Toronto Maple Leafs check in at 28.30 (24th) -- both dragged toward the middle of the pack by younger complementary pieces around their veteran cores.

Methodology

Ages were calculated for every player listed on each team's official roster page at NHL.com (nhl.com/[team]/roster), using each player's listed date of birth measured against September 29, 2026. Team averages are a simple mean of every player listed -- forwards, defensemen and goaltenders alike.

Rosters were pulled September 24, roughly two weeks before opening night, so they reflect full training-camp bodies rather than the trimmed 23-man active roster. Team totals used here range from 23 players (Pittsburgh, Seattle) up to 45 (Tampa Bay, Florida), meaning clubs still carrying a deep pool of camp invites and entry-level prospects skew a bit younger in this data than they will once final cuts are made in early October.

Full Rankings: All 32 Teams