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Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporter
Connor Bedard. Leo Carlsson. Logan Cooley. Adam Fantilli. Luke Hughes.
They’ve been talked about as promising prospects who’ve now come to the NHL as the latest wave of first-round picks that their respective teams firmly believe can guide them to long-term success.
They’re also part of a rookie class that’s seen a few of its members make an impression going into late November. Brock Faber and Marco Rossi are being used in top roles for the Minnesota Wild while Carlsson, Jackson Lacombe and Pavel Mintyukov have helped the Anaheim Ducks in their early season surge.
All this serves as a sign that this year’s rookie class has a chance to be memorable. It’s another reason why the race for the Calder Trophy and the places on the NHL All-Rookie Team might get rather competitive over the course of the regular season.
Exactly what does the rookie field look like at this stage of the season? Let’s find out.
Stats: 16 GP | 9 G | 6 A | 15 P
Why he’s here: Exactly how is the player widely considered to be the NHL’s next generational talent doing? Bedard is leading this year’s rookie class in goals, points, even-strength goals, even-strength points, shots and average ice time at 19:36 per game. His nine goals are tied for 17th in the NHL. In terms of the Blackhawks, Bedard leads them in a number of other offensive categories such as goals and points. If not for Seth Jones, Bedard would lead the Blackhawks in ice time.
Going forward: All but two of Bedard’s points have come in even-strength play which reinforces how the Blackhawks power play has struggled. As of Nov. 21, it was the fourth-worst unit in the NHL with an 11.3 percent success rate. Seeing what Bedard or anyone else can do to increase that percentage is one item to watch. Even with those struggles, Bedard has shown he can handle the early demands of being a top-line center. In fact, he already has more points through his first 16 games than last year’s Calder winner Matty Beniers.
Stats: 16 GP | 1 G | 9 A | 10 P
Why he’s here: With Hughes, it’s not just one item. It’s several. He’s tied for the lead in points among rookie defensemen and ranks third among all rookies in points. While he quarterbacks the NHL’s top-power play unit, he doesn’t need the extra-skater advantage to get points. Half of his points have come in even-strength play while the rest have come on the power-play. There’s also the fact that he’s fifth in ice time among rookies and that’s while largely playing as a third-pairing option on a team seeking to return to the playoffs.
Going forward: Can Hughes return and then consistently remain in a top-four role? Hughes was moved to the top pairing Nov. 14 only to see the Devils lose 6-3 to the Winnipeg Jets. He was then moved back to the third pairing at a time when the Devils have lost four of their last five games. And even though Hughes is on the third pair, he’s still averaging more than 19 minutes per game which is fourth among the Devils’ defensemen and sixth among all skaters.
Stats: 18 GP | 2 G | 10 A | 12 P
Why he’s here: Among the teams that are challenging for a Western Conference wild-card spot around Thanksgiving? It’s the Coyotes, and Cooley is one of the players who has been at the heart of their early success. He’s arguably been the strongest facilitator of this year’s rookie class. He leads the rookie class in assists, power-play points and is three points adrift of Bedard for the rookie lead. In terms of the Coyotes, Cooley is tied for the team lead in assists and is also within five points of Clayton Keller for the team lead.
Going forward: One of the early traits we’re seeing with this year’s rookie class has been the roles within their teams. Cooley has largely played as a third-line option which raises questions about if he could possibly move into a top-six role — something that others such as Bedard and Fantilli have done. His average ice time ranks fourth among rookie forwards and is similar to Coyotes second-line center Nick Bjugstad. Another item to watch is if he can get more points in even-strength play. Cooley currently has three even-strength points compared to the nine he’s scored on the extra-skater advantage.
Stats: 18 GP | 1 G | 9 A | 10 P
Why he’s here: An injury to Jamie Drysdale just two games into the season created questions that the Ducks have answered with Mintyukov. He’s shown he can be trusted in a top-four role that has also seen him quarterback the Ducks’ first-team power-play unit. Mintyukov has repaid that trust by being tied for second on the team in assists, fourth in 5-on-5 ice time, and tied for fifth in points. He’s also tied for first in points among Ducks defensemen. Mintyukov is tied for the lead among rookie defensemen in assists and points while averaging more than 19 minutes per game.
Going forward: Can Mintyukov help the Ducks remain within striking distance of a wild-card spot beyond Thanksgiving? Can he continue to build upon being a top-four option capable of running the Ducks’ top-power play unit? Those appear to be the major talking points regarding Mintyukov and the Ducks.
Stats: 17 GP | 1 G | 7 A | 8 P
Why he’s here: If it wasn’t for Jonas Brodin, Faber would be leading the Wild in ice time. The Wild needed to put a lot of trust in Faber as they began the season without Jared Spurgeon and then lost Alex Goligoski after two games. Faber stepped up to partner with Brodin on the Wild’s top defensive pairing while averaging more than 23 minutes per game. He also leads the Wild in 5-on-5 ice time and is second in short-handed ice time. He leads the rookie class in ice time by more than three minutes.
Going forward: While Faber has been a constant for the Wild, winning has proven to be a bit of a challenge. The Wild have dropped five straight games, they allow the second most goals per game and have the league’s worst penalty kill with a 65.5 percent success rate. As of Nov. 21, the Wild were five points out of the final wild-card spot as they chase a fifth straight playoff berth.
Stats: 18 GP | 0 G | 3 A | 3 P
Why he’s here: LaCombe is another example of a rookie who has been trusted in a top-pairing role. He’s formed a partnership with Cam Fowler to give the Ducks a top pairing that consumes minutes. LaCombe is second on the team in 5-on-5 minutes, second in average ice time among those who qualify and third in short-handed ice-time for a penalty kill that went from being No. 31 last season to No. 13 on Nov. 21. LaCombe is also second among rookies in ice time at 20:01 per contest.
Going forward: Perhaps the most surprising aspect of LaCombe’s season might be that he only has three points. He averaged 0.71 points over his four seasons at the University of Minnesota which shows there is an offensive side to his game. If he can find a way to parlay what he did in college to the NHL, it could present another dimension for a player who has already shown quite a bit. Plus, it could also help him remain in the All-Rookie Team race against defensemen such as Faber, Hughes and Mintyukov, who’ve shown they can generate offense at the NHL level.
Stats: 19 GP | 4 G | 5 A | 9 P
Why he’s here: Initially a third-line center, Rossi has been elevated to anchoring the Wild’s top line. He’s third on the Wild in goals and ranks fifth in points. Rossi is also centering the Wild’s second-team power-play unit. His two-way ability has been put to use with Rossi ranking fifth among Wild forwards in defensive zone faceoffs in 5-on-5 play. When it comes to this year’s rookie class, he’s tied for second in goals, tied for third in points and is third in ice time among forwards with more than 10 games.
Going forward: The Wild have lost nine of their last 11 games, and their next three games are against teams either in or within a point of a playoff spot. An area that could benefit both Rossi and the Wild is finding more consistency on the power play. The Wild are the ninth-worst power-play unit in the league with a 15.6 percent success rate while all of Rossi’s points have come in even-strength. Getting production from the power play could help the Wild jumpstart one area of their game and allow Rossi to remain one of the stronger contenders for the rookie goals race and the rookie points race.
Stats: 19 GP | 4 G | 5 A | 9 P
Why he’s here: On Nov. 14, Fantilli shared the distinction of being one of two rookies who led their team in points with the other being Bedard. Fantilli no longer leads the Blue Jackets in points, but he’s still fourth in goals and fourth in points while serving as the team’s second-line center anchoring their top power-play unit. Another item to consider with Fantilli is that he’s third in even-strength points among rookies with all but two of his points coming at even strength.
Going forward: The Blue Jackets placing Jack Roslovic on injured reserve created more minutes for Fantilli, who’s average ice time dipped from 16:22 in October to 13:35 by Nov. 12. He’s gone back to averaging more than 16 minutes in Roslovic’s absence but has struggled to get points. Fantilli, who was on a three-game points streak on Nov. 12, is pointless in his last four games despite having 20 shots with 10 of them coming in a single contest.
Stats: 12 GP | 6 G | 2 A | 8 P
Why he’s here: Carlsson has given the Ducks a sizable, two-way goal-scoring center who can be used to anchor a top line. His six goals rank third on the Ducks and tied for the second-most by a rookie in this year’s class. Carlsson trails only Bedard when it comes to the most ice time by a rookie forward at 18:13 per game. He’s also tied for third in power-play points among rookies.
Going forward: What makes Carlsson’s campaign complicated when compared to his peers is his playing time. He’s played at least four fewer games than contemporaries such as Bedard, Cooley, Fantilli and Rossi. It stems from the Ducks having Carlsson on a strength and development plan that means he won’t play in every game. Carlsson is projected to still finish with 27 goals in 55 games, which could create more intrigue regarding his place in the Calder or All-Rookie Team race.
Stats: 17 GP | 5 G | 4 A | 9 P
Why he’s here: Receiving offensive contributions from a player on a team-friendly deal is something every Stanley Cup contender seeks. Knies has given the Leafs just that. His five goals are tied for fourth on the team, and he’s tied for sixth in points. In terms of how he ranks among the rookie class? Knies is third in even-strength goals, is tied for third in even-strength points, is fourth in goals and is tied for sixth in points. Maybe his most jarring statistic is that he leads the rookie class and the Leafs with a 27.8 shooting percentage on just 18 shots on goal.
Going forward: November began with Knies in a top-nine role before he was promoted to the top line alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Knies has played six games on the Leafs’ top line. He’s had three goals and five points in that time with three of those points coming in his first game on the top unit. Plus, Knies is also logging minutes on the Leafs’ second-team power-play.
Honorable mention (in alphabetical order):
Bobby Brink, RW, Philadelphia Flyers
Luke Evangelista, RW, Nashville Predators
Ridly Greig, C, Ottawa Senators
Kevin Korchinski, D, Chicago Blackhawks
Matthew Poitras, C, Boston Bruins
Joseph Woll, G, Toronto Maple Leafs