The fascinating season for rookies in the NHL seems to get more compelling by the month. The ability for young players to continue stepping into roles at this level and making an instant impact is incredibly compelling and it seems like each month there is a new fresh face to get to know. Thats definitely true this month as goaltending prospect makes his first appearance on the rookie power rankings. Coming in as an injury replacement for starter Ondrej Pavelec, the 23-year-old netminder has been given a heavier workload and is
William Eklund Jersey handling it expertly. Its to the point now where he may no longer be the Jets future No. 1 and simply be it now. Meanwhile, the Calder race remains intriguing. It looks like it could end up as a four-horse race unle s Connor McDavid returns from his fractured clavicle whenever that may be and goes on a Gretzky-like scoring run. Right now, it looks like is running away with the thing, but you cant count out and , who have been in our top three since November. Of late, center is making a big push, too. This race could still tighten up yet. Heres Januarys NHL Rookie Power Rankings: Jack Eichel's improved play has him back in the Calder conversation. (USATSI) 1. Artemi Panarin, (1): Maintaining a 12-point lead on the field and leading in both goals and a sists is one way to stay on top of the rookie power rankings. Weve said it repeatedly that Panarins Calder candidacy is hinging on the votes of the Pro Hockey Writers A sociation (of which I am a member) and how much weight
Tyler Toffoli Jersey the voter base puts into Panarins age, KHL experience and that he plays . The point remains, he is producing at a rate that rookies just dont get to very often, no matter their age. Hes top 10 in league scoring for all players in the NHL (currently eighth). If the rest of the field can close the points gap, then maybe we have ourselves a real race. Until then, its hard to knock Panarin off the top spot. 2. Dylan Larkin, (3): There is such an emphasis being put on five-on-five play as we learn more about the power of po se sion. At even strength, there are few better first-year players than Larkin. All but two of his 30 points have come at even strength. His 30 points also tie him with for the Red Wings lead. Larkin is able to affect games for his team about as well as any rookie in this cla s presently. He also can do stuff like this Larkin with the work, DeKeyser with the finish, and the with the completed comeback. NHL (@NHL) 3. Max Domi, (2): The second-leading scorer among rookies, Domi recently notched his first career hat trick. His impact is felt in a big way on the power play, which is quite impre sive for a 20-year-old rookie. Nine of his 30 points have come on the man advantage and theres something to be said for that. Most notably, it says that head coach Dave Tippett already trusts Domi as one of his pivotal offensive players. The Coyotes are one of the surprise teams this season and Domi, as the teams third-leading scorer, has become a huge part of whats making them so much better than they were a season ago. 4. Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres (5): Here comes Eichel. The highly-touted second-overall pick of the Sabres has been a little quieter than expected in his rookie campaign, but hes starting to get going. With 13 points spread out over his last 13 games, Eichel is now fourth in scoring with 27 points. He also seems to be gaining confidence. Eichel already has directed 141 shots on goal and is on pace to put up 256 shots on goal, which would be the fourth-highest total by a rookie in the NHL over the last decade. Only , and had more than that. If pucks start going in for the kid, we could see another big
Henry Thrun Jersey spike in his point total down the stretch. 5. , (6): It has become plainly evident that the Philadelphia Flyers are a better hockey team with Gostisbehere in the lineup. Having a defenseman that can move the puck at one end and expertly get shots through at the other is a weapon for any team now. In 25 games, Gostisbehere already has 16 points. His ascent this season is eerily similar to that of with the last year. Klingberg was recalled in early November during the 2014-15 campaign and helped the Stars defense improve gradually over the year. Now he's Dallas No. 1 defenseman in his second year. Gostisbehere is the same age as Klingberg was last year and is producing at a slightly higher rate with 0.64 points per game. Klingberg finished fifth in Calder voting last year. 6. , Arizona Coyotes (4): Duclair has run a little hot and cold this year, but that may be due to his role. Either way, hes still on pace to top 20 goals and 40 points this season with 12 and 24 currently. Having a guy like this for secondary scoring is what Arizona has sorely lacked in recent years. The fact that he and Domi are going to be with this club, on top of the truly exciting prospect pipeline the Coyotes have developed, should have fans in the desert drooling with excitement. Connor Hellebuyck has been a bright spot in a down year for the Jets. (USATSI) 7. Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets (NR): Called up in late November due to an injury to Ondrej Pavelec, Hellebuyck has been a revelation for a Jets team that hasnt otherwise been too inspiring. Over his 18 starts, Hellebuyck is 11-6-1 with a stunning .931 save percentage. He already has two shutouts as well. Only one rookie goalie has posted a save percentage of .930 or better since the statistic was recorded. That was back in 2009-10, when he posted a .931 mark in 39 starts with the . Eighteen games is hardly enough to say Hellebuyck should be the starter. Then again, hes been a .920 or better goalie at every single level
Cody Ceci Jersey hes played at. So on second thought, maybe it should be Hellebuycks net the rest of the way, even when Pavelec comes back. 8. , (
: From the second this season started, Colton Parayko has looked like he belonged. He is averaging just over 19 minutes a game and more recently had to play even more as injuries thinned the blue line a bit. The big 22-year-old with the cannon shot has 18 points in 46 games. Suddenly, the
Marco Sturm Jersey trade rumors have picked up steam and a lot of the insiders are citing the arrival of Parayko as a reason trading Shattenkirk is at least an option now. Its clear Parayko has a bigger role coming to him in St. Louis, perhaps sooner than later. He hasnt scored a goal in a while, but his last one sure was a beaut: All hail Parayko. NHL (@NHL) 9. , (NR): Bennett was named one of the three stars of the week for the NHL recently after a six-goal performance over three games. Four of those goals came against the on Jan. 13. He became the third youngest player in NHL history to record a four-goal game. Bennett is now seventh in rookie scoring with 20 points. The Flames so badly need this trend to continue as they look to stay alive in a tight Pacific race. 10. , Buffalo Sabres (NR): Often the forgotten man in Buffalo, Reinhart has often been reminding fans this year that hes pretty darn good, too. The former No.2 pick recently had a hat trick to launch himself into a tie for fifth among rookies with 12 goals. Hes also averaging solid minutes for the Sabres right now. Both he and Eichel should become a formidable one-two punch for years to come as they continue to develop. Honorable Mention: ( ), Connor McDavid ( ), ( ), (Edmonton Oilers), (Chicago Blackhawks)
