Luke Littler’s extraordinary run to the 2024 World Darts Championship final was not a surprise to those in the weeds of the game.
The Nuke had been a promising name on the PDC Youth Tour and was firmly a one to watch for a couple of years before he set the Alexandra Palace stage alight in 2023.
Luke Littler is just one of many young talents on the tour who have the potential to change the face of darts forever.
Back at the 2021 Grand Slam of Darts, Sky Sports pundit Wayne Mardle named three other players alongside Littler who could go on to have exciting careers.
Wayne Mardle names three stars who could emulate Luke Littler
The 2021 Grand Slam of Darts featured breakout performances from Bradley Brooks and Nathan Rafferty, both of whom made it out of their groups at the Wolverhampton event.
It led many fans and pundits to ponder who the next big stars of the future would be and Mardle namechecked the 2025 World Darts Champion by name, but he wasn’t the only name he mentioned.
Speaking to Sky Sports at the 2021 Grand Slam of Darts, Mardle said: “There are some away from these big events. There is Connor Scutt. Leighton Bennett has put in a few great performances.
“Luke Littler as well – 14 years of age and is going to be in the [WDF] World Championships. There is Fabian Schmutzler, who is 16.”
Littler won the 2024 Grand Slam of Darts by defeating Martin Lukeman, Gary Anderson, and Mike De Decker in the knockout stages.
Where are Connor Scutt, Leighton Bennett, and Fabian Schmutzler now?
Those three players tipped by Mardle have had very different careers so far as they look to barge into the PDC elite at such a young age.
Scutt lost his PDC Tour Card heading into 2024 but regained it thanks to his performances in the Challenge Tour circuit.
The Sniper reached the last 64 of the 2025 World Darts Championship and the quarterfinals of the 2024 Players Championship Finals.
Schmutzler has not qualified for a major PDC tournament since 2022 when he made it to the first round of the World Darts Championship and the UK Open.
Bennett, meanwhile, was banned from DRA and PDC events for ‘suspicious betting patterns’ and will not be able to play darts for eight years.