Since 2022, the “Rookie of the Year” award has become an integral part of the HLTV Awards ceremony. A moment of recognition, dedicated to the young phenoms in their respective debut years on the Tier 1 scene. Over the years many of today’s top players have seen their names on the ballot but only the select few of like Ilya ‘m0NESY’ Osipov (2022), Guy ‘NertZ’ Iluz (2023), Danil ‘donk’ Kryshkovets (2024), and Danil ‘molodoy’ Golubenko (2025) have earned the privilege of being called the best youngsters in a scene, dominated by youth and individual prowess.
However, these are all the names of either AWP or rifle stars. As statistics are such a vital parameter, and oftentimes young phenoms get to play some of the most skill-based positions, it’s very rare that we see In-game-leaders fall under the spotlight. The second season of 2026 might’ve just begun, but there already seems to be a pretty clear idea on who the best rookies of the year have been, at least up until now. In this article we’ll be taking a look at two of the best young captains who have taken the Tier 1 scene by storm in 2026, and in their own way – all deserve the award, or at least a motivational tap on the shoulder.
As a small disclaimer, it must be clarified that this article will be focused solely on IGL’s who have not played Tier 1 CS in other roles previously either, as Team Spirit’s captain – magixx, is technically a rookie IGL, but not a newbie when in comes down to the highest level of competition.
Aulon “Krabeni” Fazlija
The role of an In-game-leader is usually a pretty tricky one to excel at. Unlike other players like the AWP-er, the support, or even the star rifler, it’s almost impossible for a teenager to come out of nowhere and become one of the best captains in the game. Developing as a leader takes years, many attempts, failures, lessons. Even legendary players like Finn ‘karrigan’ Andersen had to wait up until the age of 32 in order to finally lift a Major trophy. Some others like Marco ‘Snappi’ Pfeiffer had to wait until they were over 30 to just get that big opportunity/ But you get the idea – IGL’s are late bloomers, so it’s pretty rare the scene gets introduced to a young phenom, who is already going toe-to-toe with some of the world’s best and contending for trophies as a captain.
Bar Kamil ‘siuhy’ Szkaradek, there hasn’t been many young captains to break into the Tier 1 scene by force without getting a proper Tier 2/3 period with a number of various teams, building knowledge, consistency, and gradually becoming better leaders. In that case, the exception is one of the most exciting tacticians the game has seen in a long time, partially because of how unconventional, yet genius, he is.
The person in question is, of course, FUT Esports’ very own Aulon ‘Krabeni’ Fazlija. This article is not another wall of text about the 21-year-old Kosovian’s career and life, as we’ve already been through that in another article, but about how a humble young man, who wasn’t even the one pursuing being an IGL, took the scene by storm in 2026.
2026 is FUT’s debut year in Tier 1 CS, with the team lifting their first big trophy after dismantling Astralis in the Grand Finals of PGL Bucharest 2026, and taking part in events such as IEM Krakow, PGL Cluj-Napoca, ESL Pro League, and even the IEM Cologne Major 2026, where FUT was only one win away from completing a 0-2 Stage 3 comeback, into reaching the playoffs. Moreover, as of the moment of writing this article, FUT has just finished second at the Esports World Cup, a $2,000,000 event, by taking magic, MOUZ, and FURIA down. Sadly, the young stars ended up losing the Grand Final against team Spirit in a 1-3 fashion, but with two of the maps they lost going into overtime, the game was definitely not one-sided, and FUT and Krabeni put a great fight against one of the best teams in the world.
Throughout 2026, Krabeni has redefined how individually skilled an IGL could be, and his style of calling exudes confidence. As much as his character and skillset as a player should probably be given over to his coach coolio, Krabni has shown a rather refreshing amount of fearlessness, but in a controlled way. He is simply a breath of fresh air – his style of play is the definition of the idiom “leading by example”, with how much space he creates, and how much initiative he takes for his teammates.
Krabeni is the type of IGL to lift his teammates up not just by words, but also by actions. Even as an IGL, the Kosovian’s still his team’s second entry on T-sides, as well as the main initiator on CT, with a +30% entry attempt rate on LAN with a 54.1% success rate. He is not afraid to make moves, and in reality – shouldn’t be, considering how remarkably mechanically skilled he is for an IGL.
Last but not least, he is a real leader. Following coolio’s footsteps, Krabeni has become a leader who is not afraid to raise their voice, if need be. Someone capable of encouraging his teammates, but also being blunt and harsh, if necessary. He’s already a surprisingly mature player for his age, which could be seen by the way FUT has started handling pressure moments, close games, and late rounds in important matches – something the team struggled with at the start of the year.
Just 8 months later, Krabeni looks decisive, confident, and sharper than ever. And the statistics might not be able to tell the full story, but this player is simply too good to be an IGL, but he still is. Remarkable.
Jack “Gizmy” von Spreckelsen
As we’re already on the topic of young IGL’s, it’s difficult to speak about rookies and captains without involving 2026’s UK Counter-Strike hero and pride – Jack ‘Gizmy’ von Spreckelsen. Unlike Krabeni, GIzmy hasn’t yet won his debut trophy from a big event, but the 2026 he’s had, and the potential he’s shown are definitely deserving of a couple of sentences.
As of today, Gizmy has played 8 LAN events throughout 2026, the majority of which while representing Monte. You could argue that, having spent such a large portion of this year by primarily competing in Tier 2 and Closed Qualifiers, Gizmy has not had a proper debut year in Tier 1 CS yet, but events like PGL Astana 2026 and the IEM Cologne Major 2026 allowed us to see how the British IGL can handle himself against some of the best teams in the world, and to be completely honest – he was great.
Gizmy’s individual level might not be as high as Krabeni’s, but his mechanics are still enough for him to hold his own in certain circumstances. However, what makes him one of the most impressive rookies of this year is his combinative thinking, great intuition, and potential of being one of the next karrigan-esque IGL’s – incredibly good at mid rounds and adapting on the fly.
At the start of the year, Gizmy led the, as I like to call it, “Rejects project” of Monte to a title at the Copenhagen Gaming Week Showdown, a second place at DraculaN S6, as well as a first place finish at the CCT Global Finals 2026. At this point and time, Monte had established itself as one of the best Tier 2/ Tier 1.5 teams in the world, and Gizmy’s proactive calling and capability of getting the most out of his players was at the heart of this project.
His Tier 1 debut, however, was anything but a Cinderella story. At PGL Astana 2026 Monte ended the Main Swiss stage with a 2-3 record, leaving the tournament right before the playoffs, as the Brit got a rude introduction to the highest level of opposition, getting 0-2’ed by FURIA, Falcons and G2, and taking down teams like magic and TheHuns.
Two of the most difficult things for a young IGL to learn are how to bounce back after a slow start, especially against top dogs, and how to close out tight maps, without allowing themselves and their teammates to take their feet off the gas. Gizmy got to learn these lessons pretty quickly and come the Cologne Major, he seemed a lot more composed and focused.
Monte reached Stage 3, where they took down PARIVISION, but unfortunately lost to TheMongolZ, Falcons and Aurora, regardless of the first two games being incredibly tight. What makes Gizmy such an exciting IGL prospect is one of the skills he showcased during the Major – adaptability. He’s got a very unique ability to read the game perfectly in real time, identify gaps in the enemy team’s defence, or attack, and exploit them on the fly, but a lot of it comes down to preparation too – something he was thoroughly involved in alongside kakafu.
And to topple the list, after speaking to kakafu himself, as well as players like Rainwaker, I’ve come to understand that one of Gizmy’s biggest strengths is also his ability to evaluate exactly how much resources he’s got, and use them in the best way possible. Understanding his players’ strengths and weaknesses is vital for any leader, in order to know how to get the most out of them and use them properly. A trait that is usually typical for much more experienced IGLs.
After joining 100 Thieves, the British tactician has already proven himself to be quite the asset, helping the team to qualify for the main event of the Esports World Cup 2026, and even eliminating Falcons from the online stage of the BLAST Bounty S2 before that. Funnily, he’s even the highest rated player of the team since his arrival, sitting at a 1.20 rating, and being the main aggressor/star player on the CT-side, once again emphasizing on his above-average mechanical ability for an IGL. A sharp mind, adaptive skills, people skills, and some pretty fire mechanics are making Gizmy another name for the future – an IGL that could definitely attempt to follow the steps of some of the most decorated British players in history, like Alex ‘ALEX’ McMeekin and William ‘mezii’ Merriman.
