The regular season is over, and there is a new rookie of the month. Furthermore, it is time to announce our Calder Trophy winner. Other rookies performed well but only one could take the top spot.
The field was tough to narrow down, but here are three of the players one may keep an eye on in our “Rookie Watch”.
Rookie Of The Month
Clayton Keller – Arizona Coyotes – Winger
Keller closed out the year the way it began. However, it was in a way most did not expect. Then there was this past month. Keller was paired with Derek Stepan and Richard Panik. The results amazed many as this was the hottest trio during the final three-plus weeks of the regular season.
Keller dazzled with 19 points (6 goals and 13 assists) in 17 games in February. His offensive zone usage has stabilized around 59%. Average ice time has been a shade above 18 minutes a night.
Keller slumped in the middle of the season and that may have helped more than anyone could have expected. The little plays that the young forward has been able to make have been so important. There have been rough patches but so far his two-way game improved in March and April. Shot volume ticked upward over the final two months of the season. His possession numbers are just above Arizona’s team average. That is impressive. Keller broke 60 points on his way to 23 goals, 42 assists, and 65 points.
Mathew Barzal – New York Islanders – Center
The New York Islander forward had four goals and 18 points in 18 games. Barzal received more power play time and has speed in abundance. Teams kept having problems containing the forward’s ability to accelerate with and without the puck.
The forward’s production has been fun to watch and Barzal stayed just above a point a game. He finished with 85 points in 82 games, including 63 assists, which led all rookies.
Barzal played nearly 18 minutes a game, and prominently was an integral part of the Islanders offense. His possession metrics finished around 8% above team relative. That is an incredibly high stat.
Finally, there was an outside chance Barzal could have wound up near 90 points. Doug Weight did curtail his ice time at times throughout the last couple months, and there were a few controversies. Barzal persevered plus delivered seven points in the final four contests of the year.
Will Butcher – New Jersey Devils – Defenseman
Butcher slumped mightily in the middle part of the season when many thought he should have been back in the AHL. He surprised many with taking the struggles well. Butcher produced over the final five-plus weeks of the season as New Jersey clinched a playoff spot.
In that time frame, Butcher tallied 15 points in 19 games (3 goals, 12 assists). The New Jersey defenseman turned into one of the better blueliners and has been around 7.5% above team relative in possession metrics. The defender scored well – 5 goals and 39 points is nothing to sneeze at in 81 games. Playing on the third defensive pairing with some top power play time limited Butcher’s minutes. He played just above 16 minutes a night.
Can he continue the point production next year? That remains debatable, but his ability is hard to dispute. Butcher has nice speed plus good situational awareness on offense. There will be dips, but expect his defense to slowly improve. His role expects to expand in 2018-19.
Others rookies to watch for next year: Pierre Luc-Dubois (Columbus), Yanni Gourde (Tampa Bay), Nico Hischier (New Jersey).
End Of Year Results
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Calder Trophy Winner – Mathew Barzal – NY Islanders
Second Place – Clayton Keller – Arizona Coyotes
Third Place – Yanni Gourde – Tampa Bay Lightning