This article is part of our Prospects Analysis series.
Originally expected to be a fairly weak rookie class, no less than 20 freshmen have made a significant impact in the first half of the season. Even the "just missed" group has provided considerable fantasy value to owners. Here we profile the 10 best rookies.
1. Brock Boeser (VAN-RW): I have been as high on Boeser as anyone the last two seasons, but even I did not foresee him producing at the level he has this year. He has 19 goals in 33 games, averaging a point-per-game. Boeser has a wicked release on his shot and is a threat to score the instant he enters the offensive zone. He gave both the Canucks and fantasy owners a major scare recently when he blocked a shot with his foot and was forced to crawl to the bench, but it did not cost him any games. The major concern for Boeser is the fact the Canucks lack offensive weapons. Thankfully, Boeser excels at creating his own offense. Don't expect him to average a point-per-game the rest of the way, but he shouldn't be too far off from that pace.
2. Mathew Barzal (NYI-C): One of the smartest players in the league (rookie or otherwise), Barzal has played with Andrew Ladd and Jordan Eberle for weeks now, along with being a mainstay on New York's top power play unit. Barzal excels in open space and his vision is outstanding. He is the rare 20-year-old who makes all the players around him better. The
Originally expected to be a fairly weak rookie class, no less than 20 freshmen have made a significant impact in the first half of the season. Even the "just missed" group has provided considerable fantasy value to owners. Here we profile the 10 best rookies.
1. Brock Boeser (VAN-RW): I have been as high on Boeser as anyone the last two seasons, but even I did not foresee him producing at the level he has this year. He has 19 goals in 33 games, averaging a point-per-game. Boeser has a wicked release on his shot and is a threat to score the instant he enters the offensive zone. He gave both the Canucks and fantasy owners a major scare recently when he blocked a shot with his foot and was forced to crawl to the bench, but it did not cost him any games. The major concern for Boeser is the fact the Canucks lack offensive weapons. Thankfully, Boeser excels at creating his own offense. Don't expect him to average a point-per-game the rest of the way, but he shouldn't be too far off from that pace.
2. Mathew Barzal (NYI-C): One of the smartest players in the league (rookie or otherwise), Barzal has played with Andrew Ladd and Jordan Eberle for weeks now, along with being a mainstay on New York's top power play unit. Barzal excels in open space and his vision is outstanding. He is the rare 20-year-old who makes all the players around him better. The Islanders' goaltending is a disaster and their defense is a major work in progress, but they have two legitimate scoring lines and the talent to have a strong power play unit. There is no reason Barzal shouldn't continue to produce at his current pace (0.91 points per game) the rest of the season.
3. Mikhail Sergachev (TAM-D): The trade that sent Jonathan Drouin to Montreal for Sergachev was universally panned by Lightning fans when it happened in June, but little more than six months later, Sergachev is playing a major role for arguably the NHL's best team. The big Russian (6-foot-3, 220) already has eight goals and 10 power play points, averaging more than 15 minutes per night. With Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman eating up the majority of the tough minutes for the Lightning, coach Jon Cooper can be vigilant about how he deploys Sergachev.
4. Clayton Keller (ARI-C): Keller got off to a quick start, slowed considerably and has now picked it up again the last week-plus. Keller's 99 shots on goal are most among NHL rookies, and because Arizona is the worst team in the league, he will get significant ice time every single night even if he is struggling. Keller isn't big (5-10, 170) and it's fair to wonder if the body of an undersized 19-year-old will hold up throughout the course of a long season. Keller is obviously a huge asset in keeper/dynasty leagues, but redraft owners need to prepare for stretches of inconsistency.
5. Alex DeBrincat (CHI-RW): One of the best junior players of his generation, the only concern surrounding DeBrincat when he was drafted was his lack of size. He's smaller than the 5-7, 165, that he's listed at, but DeBrincat isn't going to make his living competing for the Selke Trophy. He has one of the quickest releases ever for a player his age and always seems to be in the right place in the offensive zone. Playing on a team with countless top offensive players doesn't hurt, either. Twenty-five goals seem realistic for DeBrincat in his first NHL campaign.
6. Danton Heinen (BOS-C): Heinen didn't record a point in eight games with the Bruins in 2016-17, so there was no reason to believe that he would rack up 22 points in his first 29 games this year. Heinen was a highly productive collegiate player in his two seasons at the University of Denver and is a proven scorer at the AHL level, so perhaps we shouldn't be totally surprised by his offensive breakout. Heinen is getting more than two minutes of power play time per game, and since the Bruins' roster is full of aging, fragile veterans, it's possible his even-strength ice time increases as well as the season progresses.
7. Kyle Connor (WPG-LW): Connor has as much natural ability as any player on this list, though he hasn't scored a goal in his last six games as of this writing. Connor has size (6-1, 185), a big shot and, most important, breakaway speed. Coach Paul Maurice is utilizing Connor properly and it's just a matter of time until his production picks up again. Overall, Connor has 10 goals and a whopping 78 shots in 30 games this season.
8. Yanni Gourde (TAM-LW): The 26-year-old Gourde has come out of nowhere to become one of Tampa's most consistent players. On a team full of standout offensive players, Gourde has provided consistent scoring in a bottom-six role. I'm less optimistic about his continued production than the other names on this list, but I never thought he would score this much in the first place. He's worth using in redraft leagues at the moment, but he's too old to be considered a true prospect.
9. Will Butcher (NJD-D): As long as Butcher is deployed properly, and he has been most of the season, he's a major asset. The defenseman already has 12 power play assists and averages more than three minutes per game with the man advantage. Butcher is undersized (5-10, 190) and struggles if he's forced to defend in his own zone for any length of time, but he makes smart decisions with the puck and is a strong skater. Expect him to finish with 40 or so points in his freshman campaign.
10. Charlie McAvoy (BOS-D): Averaging more than 23 minutes per night, McAvoy is playing more than four minutes per game more than any other rookie. He is getting time in all situations and has quickly developed into the minutes-eating defender he was projected to be. McAvoy is tough, physical and his game has no obvious weaknesses. He isn't what you would call a pure offensive defenseman, but he is getting so much playing time that the point production is going to come. This is what I expected all along, but I didn't expect it to come so quickly from a kid that turned 20 years old just days ago.
JUST MISSED
Jesper Bratt (NJD-LW)
Nico Hischier (NJD-C)
Alex Kerfoot (COL-C)
Alex Tuch (LAS-RW)
Jake DeBrusk (BOS-LW)
Pierre-Luc Dubois (CLM-LW)
