January is over, and some things have changed. When one first looked at the Calder Trophy race (best rookie), it looked to be Nico Hischier versus Nolan Patrick. There was Clayton Keller as a good third choice.
However, it is clear that everything up is down again. Brock Boeser won the months of November and December. January saw a change as Mathew Barzal clawed his way to the top with a 15 point month.
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
Mathew Barzal – New York Islanders – Center
The New York Islander forward had three goals and 15 points. Barzal received more power play time and has speed in abundance. His ten points in three games during the middle of the month raised many eyebrows.
Do not look into New York’s record too much. Everyone has kind of knocked Barzal a bit there. His production has been fun to watch and yet so few saw this coming. Projections were high but not this high. He has 51 points in 52 games, including 35 assists, which led all rookies.
Teams focusing on Barzal still have not been able to slow him down yet. He is playing just about 17 minutes a night currently and is a prominent secondary source of offense. His possession metrics are still 8-10% above team relative. That is an incredibly high stat.
There is a good chance that Barzal tops 65 points and beyond. He is the current front-runner for the Calder Trophy (some will argue for Brock Boeser). On the other hand, there was some considerable competition this month.
Yanni Gourde – Tampa Bay Lightning – Winger
Tampa had an idea of what Yanni Gourde was but were patient with him. However, injuries did press things a bit, and since he was brought up, the forward has played extremely well. His steady play has spearheaded Tampa’s offense when timing scoring is needed.
Furthermore, Gourde had eight points (6 goals and 2 assists) in 12 games during the month. His offensive zone usage is just around 45% in the early going. That may rise some. Average ice time has been a shade above 16 minutes a night.
Getting some power play time with Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point has helped Gourde in ways most cannot see. The little plays that the young forward has been able to make have been so important. There will be rough patches but so far his two-way game has held up (+23 on the year). His possession numbers are around Tampa’s team average. That is impressive. The question is when will regression hit? Gourde has nearly 40 points already and shows little sign of slowing down.
Ryan Pulock – New York Islanders – Defenseman
Pulock started out incredibly in Bridgeport when many thought he should have been in Brooklyn. He surprised many with taking the demotion well. Pulock produced well in the AHL and the result was a call-up in December. Injuries have kept Pulock in the lineup on a regular basis.
In January, Pulock had eight points in 13 games (2 goals, 6 assists). There is this feeling that the defender can play on any pairing and thrive. It is incredible to think he was kept in the minors for so long. The Islanders defenseman has had some issues on his own side of the ice but has been 4-5% above team relative in possession metrics.
Can he continue the point production? That remains debatable, but his ability is hard to dispute. Pulock has a cannon of a shot (just ask Pekka Rinne). There will be dips, but again his defense is slowly improving. That will help!
Others rookies to watch: Alex DeBrincat (Chicago), Dominik Simon (Pittsburgh), Nico Hischier (New Jersey).