Cale Makar, Kaapo Kakko and brothers Jack Hughes and Quinn Hughes highlight the impressive crop of rookies that are looking to make strong first impressions during the 2019-20 NHL season.
Share to linkedin... [+]One of the most entertaining parts of the NHL preseason is tracking the progress of rookies around the league. Which prospects are ready to make the jump to hockey’s top level? Which ones still need more seasoning?
With preseason nearing its end and teams getting closer to making their final roster decisions, here’s a look at nine rookies to keep an eye on this year.Perhaps the top candidate for the Calder Trophy going into the season, the fourth-overall pick from the 2017 draft showed the hockey world why he was so highly regarded when he effortlessly jumped into the heat of battle in the NHL playoffs last spring.
The 20-year-old, drafted out of France in the second round in 2017, came to North America at the end of last season after two successful years in Finland’s top league. Under John Tortorella, Texier played a more limited role than Makar did in Colorado, but he impressed his coach enough to dress in eight of the Blue Jackets’ playoff games, where he contributed two goals and one assist.
Suzuki has been an offensive wizard in junior hockey and has teamed up with quality linemates in a busy preseason, where he has shown he can handle the defensive workload required to succeed at the NHL level. In three games, he has three assists, and scored this GIF-worthy shootout goal. In preseason, Devils’ coach John Hynes has primarily been deploying Hughes with veteran agitator Wayne Simmonds, who has decent hands of his own and can ensure that the rookie will get the time and space he needs. On the other wing, Nikita Gusev is too old for Calder consideration at 27 but his soft hands should also help drive offense for the Devils this season.
Even if Kostin starts the year back in San Antonio, keep an eye on him as a possible mid-season call-up. As long as the team doesn’t swoon back to last place before he arrives, no one associated with the Blues would mind if Kostin turns out to be this year’s version of Jordan Binnington.It used to take years for defensemen to hone their game to NHL standards.
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