With the start of the 2019-20 NHL season less than a month away, now seems like the perfect time to take a closer look at some up-and-coming youngsters poised to breakout this year.
We’ve already zeroed in on three players from the Eastern Conference, so let’s do the same for a few from the Western Conference.
Cale Makar – Colorado Avalanche
As a 19-year-old defenseman, Makar led UMass in scoring with 49 points (16 goals, 33 assists) in 41 games played. Accomplishing such a rare feat speaks to the talent he possesses.
That’s why the Avalanche had no problem injecting Makar into their lineup in a playoff series against the No. 1 seeded Calgary Flames, and why he had no problem making an immediate impact.
Between matchups with Calgary and San Jose, Makar put up six points in 10 playoff games. He was full marks for those points, jumping into the rush and getting involved offensively every chance he could.
Among defenders to log 80+ minutes in the post-season, Makar ranked just outside the top-10 in shot attempts/60 and slotted 5th – behind Roman Josi, Morgan Rielly, Tyson Barrie, and Tyler Myers – in scoring chances/60.
He has the talent to make an impact from the get go and he will get every opportunity to do so. With Barrie no longer around, Makar is first in line to get a chance quarterbacking an absolutely stacked top power play unit in Colorado.
I think 40+ points could be in the cards for Makar.
Ondrej Kase – Anaheim Ducks
If Kase played on a big market team, and could stay healthy, he’d be a household name by now.
He is one of the most dynamic and efficient offensive players in the NHL. Over the last two seasons, 425 forwards have logged at least 500 minutes of ice at 5v5.
Kase ranks 38th in points per 60 – ahead of stars like Mikko Rantanen, Vladimir Tarasenko, Mark Scheifele, Tyler Seguin, and Sean Couturier – and 14th in terms of expected goals/60. Few generate points, and chances, at the rate Kase does.
An undeserved lack of opportunity, and injuries, are the only things holding him back. With the Ducks embracing a retool, ice time shouldn’t be an issue so long as he’s healthy. If he is, the sky is the limit.
I think he could produce at a 60+ point pace.
Robert Thomas – St. Louis Blues
Anders Lee. Kyle Palmieri. Anthony Mantha. Pavel Buchnevich. Mike Hoffman. Mikael Granlund. Those are just a few of the talented, established wingers who produced 5v5 points at a lesser rate than Thomas last season.
Thomas’ numbers don’t pop off the page like many of those players because he didn’t get a lot of ice as a rookie on a contending team with a lot of forward depth. Understandably so. But Thomas’ ice creeped up down the stretch and he was afforded more opportunity in the playoffs (he ranked 8th among Blues forwards in 5v5 ice per game after slotting 11th in the regular season), and I expect that to carry over this season.
The 20-year-old has a high ceiling as a player and he’ll no doubt show that as more opportunity is given to him. I don’t expect him to take the league by storm this season but he could flirt with 50 points.
numbers via naturalstattrick.com
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