From the West to the East, the rookies are taking over and having multipoint nights! Here are the best rookie performances from the past week: Clayton Keller 10/19 vs. Dallas: 2 G, 1 A, +1, 5 SOG, 20:02 TOI 10/21 vs. Chi: 1 G, -2, 3 SOG, 20:41 TOI 10/24 at NYI: 2 A, 4 SOG, 18:15 TOI Keller is on fire right now and leads all rookies with 10 points (6 G, 4 A). His team absolutely needs his help right now and he is definitely giving it to them with multipoint games. Right now, he is still a strong favorite for the Calder and hopefully he can keep it up and get his team a win. Adrian Kempe 10/18 vs. MTL: 3 G, 1 A, +4, 5 SOG, 11:47 TOI 10/21 at CBJ: 1 SOG, 9:02 10/23 at Tor: 1 G, +1, 3 SOG, 12:25 TOI 10/24 at Ott: 1 G, 1 A, +1, 2 SOG, 15:15 TOI From Keller to Kempe, the Pacific offers exciting rookies to watch. Kempe played last season and was featured here, but this is his true rookie season. He earned his first career hat trick vs. Montréal and wowed the crowd with a nice shootout winner last night. Things are also going well for his team so his success is just another bonus. Mikhail Sergachev 10/19 at CBJ: 2 G, +2, 3 SOG, 12:49 TOI 10/21 vs. Pitt: 1 G (PPG), 1 A, +1, 1 SOG. 16:56 TOI 10/24 at Car: 1 G, +1, 5 SOG, 14:23 TOI Sergachev is rolling right now with a nice point streak that puts him second in points at nine (4 G, 5 A). Those in Montréal definitely missed out on this rookie when he was traded for Jonathan Drouin this summer. Nico Hischier 10/19 vs. Ott: 2 G, 1 A, +1, 2 SOG, 18:20 TOI
10/20 vs. SJ: -2, 2 SOG, 17:24 TOI And our first pick overall struck for his first NHL goal and then some! Hischier's three point performance that night was great to see because he deserved to finally get his glory. With the talented rookies, New Jersey will hopefully make some waves this year especially with Hischier starting to score more. It's the second week in and already rookies are breaking records and capturing the hearts of America. That may sound dramatic but these are some important names to remember in hockey. Sonny Milano 10/10 at Car: 2 G, +2, 3 SOG, 13:48 TOI 10/13 vs. NYR: -1, 2 SOG, 13:04 TOI 10/14 at Min: -1, 11:36 TOI 10/17 at Win: +1, 2 SOG, 14:59 TOI Milano got off to a hot start last Tuesday with two goals and still leads all rookies at four goals in the six games he played. One of the goals on Tuesday included an OT winner and that was the end of Milano's 4 goal streak in three games, one of the best in the franchise. Jesper Bratt 10/11 at Tor: 1 A, +1, 1 SOG, 17:15 TOI 10/13 vs. Wash: 1 SOG, 16:07 TOI 10/14 at NYR: 17:22 TOI 10/17 vs. TB: 2 SOG, 11:18 TOI Bratt is second among rookies in plus/minus at +5, second in points (6) and tied for second in goals (3). He is also the first Devils player to record five points in the first two games of his career (per @pr_nhl). Bratt is impressive as a left winger for the Devils and is the rookie making waves on their offense right now. Will Butcher 10/11 at Tor: 2 A, +2, 2 SOG, 16:18 TOI 10/13 vs. Wash: 1 A, 2 SOG, 19:02 TOI 10/14 at NYR: 2 A, +1, 14:49 TOI 10/17 vs. TB: 1 A, +1, 16:32 TOI Butcher leads all rookies in points (9), plus/minus (+6) and assists (9). Butcher is the first rookie defenseman to record at least nine assists in his first six games (per @pr_nhl). He is a great help for the Devils on defense and is one of the players to watch there. New Jersey has a good thing going on right now, so pay attention now. Malcolm Subban 10/15 vs. Bos: W, 1 GA, 21 SV, .955 SV% 10/17 vs. Buff: W, 4 GA, 30 SV, .882 SV% Subban leads all rookie goaltenders in wins (2), goals against average (2.42) and save percentage (.911). Subban came in clutch for Vegas after their great goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was placed on the IR for a concussion with his two wins. His first win was special because it came against the team that let him go and he got to earn his way back into the NHL with a team that needs him. Vegas has a great season already and Subban's success just adds even more to the sweet start. It's back! The NHL season returned last week and so did the new class of rookies! Exciting new faces to watch and names to learn as we watch to see who will make the difference for their team. Here's to a good year and some fun! Charlie McAvoy McAvoy started his NHL career during the playoffs and impressed the Bruins with his longer logs on ice for a rookie fresh out of his college season. He did not disappoint in his first regular season game with his first NHL goal in Boston's win over Nashville. Expect to see great performances from Boston's rookies this year and McAvoy is one of the defensemen to watch. Stats in two games- 10/5 vs. Nash: 1 G, 1 A, +1, 22:00 10/9 vs. Col: -2, 19:28 Clayton Keller Keller is Arizona's newest rookie sensation and is the one to watch for American hockey fans. He spent most of last year playing on Boston University and won a roster spot this season with hopes of starring on Arizona's offense. Keller got the first goal out of the way in his first game and hopes to do more for Arizona. Stats in two games- 10/5 at Ana: 1 G, -1, 19:44, 3 SOG 10/7 vs. VGK: 22:36, 6 SOG Pierre-Luc Dubois Remember the 2016 Draft where Matthews went No. 1, Laine went No. 2, and then another player went No. 3? Well, Dubois was that guy and he's already having a good start to the year for Columbus after scoring his first NHL goal in his debut game. Dubois will be great for Columbus as a physical threat on offense. Stats in two games- 10/6 vs. NYI: 1 G, +1, 3 SOG 10/7 at Chi: 15:13, 1 SOG Martin Frk Frk almost went back to play in Europe instead of the NHL after being a restricted free agent this summer and not being sure about making it on Detroit's roster. Detroit is sure happy to have Frk there for his two goals in two games. They also will be happy to have his hard shot on their team to intimidate opposing teams' defense. Stats in two games- 10/5 vs. Min: 1 G, 1 A, 2 SOG, 10:38 10/7 at Ott: 1 G, +1, 3 SOG, 11:57 Jakub Vrana Vrana adds another spark to the great offense in Washington with three points in three games. He's able to create more opportunities for them and use his great speed to move things along for a game that requires great speed. Stats in three games- 10/5 at Ott: 2 A, +3, 5 SOG, 17:16 10/7 vs. Mtl: 1 A, +1, 1 SOG, 15:15 10/9 at TB: -2, 12:02 Excited for this season and this new class!
Winning the Cup is a full team effort and these rookies are proving that they are very much apart of the hard work and skill that goes into winning it all. These are not the guys that have lower minutes and hardly make an impact when they do get out there. These are the names you need to know for the future when they lead their team further ahead. Jake Guentzel Frederick Gaudreau G: 3 A: 0 On Monday, Gaudreau helped the Predators tie up the series with his game-winning goal in Game 4. Gaudreau now has 2 game-winning goals and has only played 7 games so far. His face-off percentage now is 43.6%. Bonus: Even Jimmy Fallon could not resist talking about a rookie! His superlative may not be the best but hey, Guentzel now has hit it big time by his mention on national television. The only problem is that he said his name wrong (it's NOT Gun-tzul, it's Gen-tzul!) which is a *rookie mistake*. It's been the most fun doing these reports and I cannot thank you all for this wonderful season and class of rookies. I am not sure if next year will come close to what went on this year but I hope it will be as fun and exciting to watch. Thank you again and best of luck to these rookies tonight! I want another record broken for a rookie!
The action heated up for the rookies this week in the Stanley Cup, including games decided by their goals or games where they were the only one to score for their team. This series has really shown the development of these first-timers and has proven their worth to the team. Pontus Aberg? More like Pointus Aberg! Aberg scored Nashville's only goal this in Game Two of the series in Pittsburgh. It was his first goal since May 20 and last point since May 22. Aberg now has 2 goals and 3 assists in 13 games. Frederick Gaudreau... into the net! Gaudreau scored his first playoff goal back in Game One of the series and then scored his second in last night's romp in Nashville. Gaudreau has played only 5 games so far and has found his scoring touch now. Let's see where he can go in another home game tomorrow... It's Jake N' Bake Time! Guentzel now is second for the all-time rookie scoring leaders in the playoffs with his 20 points. He just needs one more goal to tie it up and put his name in history (he can do a double whammy by putting it in history another way too). Here's how Guentzel earned his points in the Final for this week: Game One- Game-Winning Goal Game Two- Two goals, including a game-winner Game Three- Scored the lone goal for Pittsburgh and became second in all-time rookie scoring in the playoffs Conclusion: It's good to be Guentzel. Another wonderful week of rookies and I cannot be happier! When the rookies do well, things go well for us too! Thanks for reading along and maybe this can continue?
Having the chance to win the most coveted prize in hockey is huge; now imagine having that happen during your first year in the league. Only a few months ago, these players were at the top of the boards in the AHL and now they are playing alongside-- or against-- elite players they once idolized. Here are the rookies to watch in the Stanley Cup Final: Jake GuentzelGP: 19 G: 9 A: 7 P: 16 *Guentzel leads the league in goals and rookies in all scoring categories. Pontus AbergGP: 10 G: 1 A: 3 P: 4 *Aberg's first goal of the postseason was the game-winning goal vs. Anaheim in Game 5, the turning point for Nashville. Frederick GaudreauGP: 2 G: 0 A: 0 P: 0 *Gaudreau's face off percentage in the playoffs is 56.5%. Note: Stats are from before Game 1 of the Final.
Every team is featured here today! Exciting things happening for rookies all around the league and this is the time to hear about it all. Hope you enjoy this week's edition as the Conference Final wraps up soon. Jake Guentzel Goals: 9 Assists: 7 Points: 16 Guentzel had not scored a point in this series vs. Ottawa until Game 4 against the Senators where he had two assists on the first two goals of the 3-2 win. Fredrik Claesson Assists: 2 Plus-Minus: +2 Time On Ice: 13:47 Claesson assisted the fifth and final goal in the Game 3 blowout from the Senators. Claesson was also tied for the team lead in blocks for the defencemen with two. Frederick Gaudreau Career Games Played: 9 Career Playoff Games: 1 Relation to Johnny Gaudreau: None Gaudreau impressed in his playoff debut last night for Nashville as he took on the big role of trying to fill the offensive void of losing both Ryan Johansen and Mike Fisher in Game 5. Gaudreau brushed that off, along with the rest of the team, and did not get any points but he had the best faceoff for the team at 71%. Not bad at all for his first big game. Ondrej Kase Goals: 1
Regular Season Games Played: 53 Shots: 8 Kase had his game for the crucial second game of the series for the Ducks. He registered the team-leading four shots in that game, drew a penalty that led to Sami Vatanen's powerplay goal that broke the drought of being scoreless, and tied the game that Anaheim eventually went on to win. And then there were four teams left which means less rookies but hey! There are still some great players to talk about, especially the first one... Jake GuentzelGuentzel is King of the Rookies in the playoffs and leads in points, goals, and is tied for the lead in assists (one of the people he's tied with is on here!). Guentzel's 14 points (9 G, 5 A) are double the amount of the second spot on the points list. He will have to help his team on their quest to win two straight Stanley Cups and have the chance to hold the Cup during his rookie season. That would be the best story to tell others besides being among greats like Crosby, Ovechkin, the Rocket, and more as one of the few to score a hat trick in the playoffs. Brandon MontourMontour leads all rookies in plus-minus with +10 in the playoffs. Montour was +1 in the opening game of the Western Conference Final on Friday. He also leads the rookies who are left in the playoffs in time on ice per game at 20 minutes. Ben HarpurHarpur is second to Montour's ice time for the remaining rookies at 18:30 per game for the Senators.
Tracking your favorite rookies as they navigate towards the end of the second round. Jake GuentzelHe's going to keep appearing here because he can't stop being on top of the league. This Week: Guentzel had a multipoint game in Game 4 where he scored an unassisted goal that gave Pittsburgh the 2-0 lead in the 3-2 win. He helped them to get the third goal by assisting Justin Schultz's game-winning goal in the second period. Guentzel is tied for first league-wide in goals with 8 and is tied for fourth in pointd with Sidney Crosby with 12. Anton SlepyshevPlease give a warm welcome to the Oilers left winger! This Week: Slepyshev scored his second goal of the playoffs last Sunday at home in Edmonton. It was one of the three goals that his team was able to piece together after losing 6-3. Slepyshev is starting to see an increasing number of shifts that show that Edmonton believes he can help them offensively and score when they need it most. We had to say goodbye to our beloved Maple Leafs rookies, but our hearts will go on! There are more rookies to explore in these playoffs and we will start with: Jake GuentzelSpoiler: He still leads in playoff goals, but now he has 7 goals instead of 5 (as seen in yesterday's Sports Staturday!). He is one of three players to score 7 or more goals in their first 7 playoffs games. By the way, those other two include Maurice 'Rocket' Richard and Dino Ciccarelli. He's just surrounded by elite company everywhere he goes. Guentzel recorded 3 points (2 G, 1 A) in yesterday's attack of the Capitals and had another point, an assist, in Game 1. He is a combined +4 in the series so far. Guentzel had only played one regular season game vs. the Capitals and recorded an assist in that game, but was -1. My how times have changed for the rookie. Brady SkjeiSkjei scored two goals in last night's devastating double overtime loss for the Rangers. That makes him the first since Brian Leetch in 1995 to score at least two playoff goals in a game as a Rangers defenseman. Skjei is tied for third in the league for his 4 playoff goals and leads ALL defensemen and his own team in that category. That's right, this guy has as many goals as Sidney Crosby AND Alex Ovechkin. The Rangers could use a little more of his star power but they also need to help him out if he's a defenseman scoring most of their offense. He is doing it all and living the dream, well most of it. Brandon MontourMontour got his second assist of the playoffs in Game 1 on Patrick Eaves' goal. In that game, Montour was tied for second among Anaheim defensemen with 3 shots on goal and was third in ice time at 22 minutes. Montour did well in the last series, stepping up his game as a defenseman in the presence of all the injured defensemen that Anaheim had. Now, he is still valued for his ice time and has proved himself worthy enough to be a trusted member of the defense. Kevin FialaUnfortunately, all good things must come to an end. Fiala will not return in the playoffs after he fractured his femur in Game 1 and was stretchered off the ice. The left winger had 2 goals in the first round series vs. Chicago. We hope that he heals well and he will be able to get back to what he loves safely and smoothly after he heals.
|
ThoughtOne century of this game and League is a wonderful milestone to celebrate. Let's hope to do this in the next century! Archives
October 2017
Categories
All
|