Now that the star-studded 2025 Hockey Hall of Fame Class has been announced, attention turns to the Class of 2026.

Here’s a look at some of the newly eligible players and several holdovers who could be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2026:

Newly Eligible Candidates

Patrice Bergeron

The long-time Boston Bruins forward is a near lock to be inducted in his first year of eligibility. Bergeron played 19 seasons with the Boston Bruins, winning the Stanley Cup in 2010-11.

The L'Ancienne-Lorette, Que., native was named the 20th captain of the Original Six club in 2021 and wore the “C” for three seasons until his retirement following the 2022-23 season.

Bergeron won the Selke Trophy as best defensive forward a record six times in his career. He also won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, given to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice, in 2012-13, and the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2020-21.

Bergeron is a member of the NHL Triple Gold Club, comprised of players who have won a Stanley Cup, an Olympic gold medal, and gold at the World Championship.

Originally drafted by the Bruins in the second round (45th overall) in the 2003 NHL Draft, Bergeron scored 427 goals and 1,040 points in 1,294 career games, adding 128 points in 170 playoff games. The three-time All-Star is the fourth Bruins player to reach the 1,000-point plateau, joining Ray Bourque, Johnny Bucyk, and Phil Esposito, becoming the 41st player to reach 1,000 points with one team.

Phil Kessel

The heralded goal scorer was selected fifth overall by the Bruins in the 2006 NHL Draft and went on to score 413 goals and 992 points in 1,286 career games.

He spent three years with the Bruins before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he tallied 30 or more goals in four of his six seasons with the club and led the team in goals five times.

The Madison, Wis., native was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins prior to the 2015-16 season and helped power the Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cups, scoring 18 goals across the two Cup runs. He won the third Stanley Cup of his career with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2022-23, in what was the final season of his career. Kessel totalled 34 goals and 83 points in 100 career playoff games.

Kessel holds the NHL record with 1,064 consecutive games played. The three-time All-Star also won a silver medal with the U.S. at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Eric Staal

Staal was selected second overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2003 and spent 12 of his 18 NHL seasons with the club and was a part of the franchise's only Stanley Cup victory in 2005-06. He served as the Hurricanes’ captain for seven seasons from 2009-16 and retired as the franchise's leader in games (909), goals (322), assists (453), and points (775). He became the sixth member of the Hurricanes Hall of Fame and had his number retired on Jan. 12, 2025

Overall, the Thunder Bay, Ont., native recorded 455 goals and 1,063 points in 1,356 NHL games with the Hurricanes, New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, and Florida Panthers. He tallied 25 goal and 64 points in 104 postseason games.

Stall is a six-time NHL All-Star and represented Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing as captain.

Recently eligible players

Carey Price

Price is one of the most decorated goaltenders of his generation after a 15-year career spent entirely with the Montreal Canadiens.

He had a career season in 2014-15, posting 44 wins, a .933 save percentage and 1.96 goals-against average, sweeping the NHL awards with the Hart Trophy, Vezina Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award and the William M. Jennings Trophy. He also took home the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 2022. 

Drafted fifth overall by Montreal in 2005, Price was a seven-time All-Star and had a career 361-261-79 record with a 2.51 GAA and .917 save percentage.

Price also helped lead the Canadiens to a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2021, going 13-9 with a 2.28 GAA and .924 save percentage before they bowed out to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

On the international stage, he backstopped Canada to gold at the 2007 World Juniors, winning tournament MVP and best goaltender honours. He also led Canada to gold at the 2014 Winter Olympics and the World Cup of Hockey in 2016. 

Patrick Marleau

Marleau enters his third year of eligibility and could get the call in 2026.

The long-time San Jose Shark is the NHL’s all-time leader in regular-season games played with 1,779. He surpassed the record previously held by Gordie Howe (1,768) on April 19, 2021. Marleau became the youngest player to reach the 1,300 (35) and 1,400 game milestones (36).

The Aneroid, Sask., native was originally selected second overall by the Sharks in the 1997 NHL Draft and spent the majority of his career with the franchise, becoming the club’s all-time leader in games (1,607), goals (522), and points (1,111).

Marleau played 23 NHL seasons with the Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Pittsburgh Penguins, scoring 566 goals and 1,197 points. The three-time All-Star retired in 2022.

Henrik Zetterberg

Zetterberg could join long-time Detroit Red Wings running mate Pavel Datsyuk, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2024.

Like Bergeron, Zetterberg is a member of the Triple Gold Club, winning a pair of gold medals at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino and the World Championship in Latvia. The Njurunda, Sweden native won the Stanley Cup in 2007-08 and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy after scoring 13 goals and 27 points in 22 games en route to the Cup.

Zetterberg was drafted in the seventh round (210th overall) in the 1999 NHL Draft and went on the play 1,082 games with the Red Wings, scoring 337 goals and 960 points, adding 120 points (57 goals, 63 assists) in 137 playoff games. He played his 1,000th game on April 9, 2017 and recorded a goal and an assist in what was the final game played at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena.

Zetterberg was captain of the Red Wings for six seasons beginning in the 2012-13 season, following the retirement of Hall of Famer Nicklas Lidstrom.

Ryan Getzlaf

Getzlaf was drafted in the first round of the 20003 NHL Draft by the Anaheim Ducks and spent his entire 17-year career with the team before his retirement in 2022.

He led the Ducks to the franchise’s only Stanley Cup championship in 2007, as he led the club with 17 points in 21 games.

The Regina, Sask., native was named captain at the start of the 2010-11 season and served for 12 seasons. Getzlaf was a three-time All-Star who finished second in Hart Trophy voting in 2013-14, losing out the Sidney Crosby.

Getzlaf is the Ducks' all-time leader in games played (1,157), points (1,019), and assists (737) and fourth in goals (282) behind Teemu Selanne (457), Corey Perry (372), and Paul Kariya (300). He is the only Duck to surpass 1,000 career points and appear in at least 1,000 games with the team.

Getzlaf represented Canada multiple times on the international stage, winning gold medals at both the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

Others with eligibility

  • Rod Brind’Amour
  • Sergei Gonchar
  • Jason Spezza
  • Curtis Joseph
  • Keith Tkachuk
  • Ryan Miller