Now that we're into 2008, recovered from our hangovers (or flus, in my case), and pretty much halfway through the NHL season, it's time to reminisce about the past and look towards the future. There is no better way to do both than be looking at the league's rookies through the first half.
Here are the rookie scoring leaders as of January 3rd ...
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | P | PIM | +/- | TOI/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick Kane | CHI | 38 | 9 | 28 | 37 | 26 | -2 | 18:29 |
| Jonathan Toews | CHI | 36 | 15 | 17 | 32 | 26 | 5 | 18:42 |
| Nicklas Backstrom | WSH | 40 | 7 | 22 | 29 | 10 | -3 | 17:27 |
| Tobias Enstrom | ATL | 41 | 3 | 21 | 24 | 20 | 4 | 24:03 |
| Martin Hanzal | PHX | 38 | 3 | 17 | 20 | 16 | 0 |
For sure, the most surprising rookie on the top five is Tobias Enstrom of the Atlanta Thrashers. The 23-year old from Sweden was an 8th round selection in the 2003 Entry Draft, and pretty much written off as another 'small' (ie. under six feet tall) offensive defenseman who would never do well out of Europe.
Well, Enstrom is getting the most ice time for any rookie, by far, and is giving the Thrashers an unexpected boost to their rather poor defence corps. It's very hard for a defenseman to just come into the league and look like a 10-year vet (it took Lubomir Visnovsky a few years, for example), but Enstrom has done just that.
Unfortunately for Enstrom, the Chi-town duo of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews continues to roll for the Blackhawks, and they get all of the Calder attention. Both rookies play big minutes and have consistently put up around a point-a-game all season. The bad news is that Toews recently had an MRI done on his left knee, which could spell some time off for one half of the super duo.
Edmonton Oilers centerman Sam Gagner started off quite well with seven points in his first eight NHL games, but has put up only nine points in his last 29 games, and is -11 overall. This is the point in time where an 18-year old rookie looks his age, and Gagner appears to be in over his head. Don't expect the Oilers to do anything but keep the kid up with the big boys, as they've already threw their hat in the ring and have a lot of $$ and time invested in Gagner. Hopefully, the young pup doesn't lose all of his confidence as he continues to struggle at both ends of the ice.
What about Erik Johnson, the 2006 #1 overall pick who left college early? You'd hear more about him and the Calder Trophy if he hadn't been injured earlier in the season. Johnson is sitting pretty with 13 points in 26 games, and his transition to the pro game has been as smooth as Louis XIII cognac. If he continues at this pace, he'd may sneak into the trophy discussion over the second half.
Other rookie leaders:
Penalty minutes - 172, Daniel Carcillo (Phoenix)
Plus-Minus - +16, Alex Edler (Vancouver)
Shorthanded Goals - 2, Andrew Cogliano (Edmonton)
Shots on Goal - 103, Patrick Kane (Chicago)
Time on Ice - 24:03, Tobias Enstrom (Atlanta)
