The NHL is filled with the most talented hockey players in the world. That’s a given. Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel and Patrik Laine are just some of the young players that were drafted within the last 3 years that have taken the league by storm.
It’s no surprise to most that top end draft talent coming out of the first round could have immense impact for the teams they are selected by. Some take their time to develop, marinate and hone in on their skills they need to focus on. Once in a blue moon however, you get talent that is unparalleled. Talent that reshapes the game, a franchise and the look of the league. These players can that assert themselves as top of the league talent in the first year over veterans who have played in countless seasons.
From a fantasy perspective rookies are always hard to judge. With plenty of uncertainty regarding their ability to transition their skill sets to and transfer their point production, it is never easy to assess how well a rookie can step in. So today I decided to take a dive into the younger stars looking to showcase their talents to solidify themselves for the fantasy rosters of the DDFHL. These rookies will be ranked by who will have the most impact immediately heading towards those who will look to strut their stuff in the future.
These players have been selected from the 2016 Entry Draft and forward and must have played a full season or more or are looking to start there first full season with the team.
1. Nico Hischier – Gold Coast Koalas
The 1st Overall Selection in the 2017 Entry Draft has slowly started to prove himself as one of the top centers in the league. Although not as flashy as some of his peers drafted before him in previous years, Nico Hischier’s ability to see the game and play at an elite level at both ends of the ice makes him a key player. He’s scored 99 points in the last two seasons and looks to expand those totals to a totally doable 80 points with a healthy Taylor Hall in his contract year. Hischier could end up being the next Kopitar and there is plenty of reason to believe he could garner the most success of anyone on this list.
2. Elias Pettersson – Sunnyvale Shithawks
Pettersson in his first season last year, he became an offensive phenomena with a 66 point season. With a Calder Trophy and an All Star game appearance in his resume, Pettersson certainly isn’t done yet as he looks to accompany Brock Boeser and the 7th Overall Pick in the 2018 draft Quinn Hughes as the young core of the Vancouver Canucks. His flair and offensive repertoire makes him easily one of the surefire picks to become one of the faces of the league in the next couple of seasons.
3. Rasmus Dahlin – Bouch’s Mom
Dahlin put up 44 points in his rookie campaign as an 18 year old defenseman, which puts him only behind Phil Housley who scored 56 points. That is not an easy feat to accomplish and impressive at that. Being only the second Swedish player to only go First Overall back in 2018, he has set a high standard for himself on the Sabres blueline. His size, ability to dominate offensively and still be defensively responsible means that Rasmus Dahlin could become one of the top defenseman in the next couple of years.
4. Clayton Keller – Sunnyvale Shithawks
Keller has been one of the more under rated center prospects of the last few years. Although the Coyotes have struggled and so has he, they have tremendous upside with him. With the acquisition of Phil Kessel and all of their injuries from last season gone, the Coyotes could make some serilus noise with Keller the helm. He plays both wing and center and has racked up 114 points over 167 games. His skill set and speed will aid him bring the Arizona Coyotes to new heights and hopefully a return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
5. Pierre-Luc Dubois – Spokane Sharpshooters
After a rough season with key subtractions such as Sergei Bobrovsky, Artemi Panarin and Matt Duchene, Dubois and the Jackets are not in ruins as many depict. Dubois looks to take center stage as the talent he was drafted for at 3rd Overall in the 2016 Draft. In his career, he has totaled 109 points in 164 games and has a Corsi-For percentage of 54%. He’s a difference maker on the ice as a physical Two-Way forward who can carry the puck and drive an offense. Columbus still has plenty of pieces to surround him with, and at age 21, Dubois isn’t close to being done yet.
6. Jack Hughes – Gold Coast Koalas
An absolute monster destroying the records of the USNTDP, Jack Hughes seeks to take his talents to the National Hockey League upon being the First Overall Selection by the New Jersey Devils in the 2019 Entry Draft. In Juniors, Jack Hughes put up a mesmerizing total of 190 point to lead the USNTDP breaking Clayton Keller’s previous 189 points. In the Pre-Season he has scored 3 goals and an assist in just two games. His skillset, hands and vision is compared to Patrick Kane. Oh, and in his first game against the Rangers he embarassed Lundqvist 30 seconds into the game. That should mean something. As well as playing alongside some high end talent in Nikita Gusev and Jesper Bratt, he could be the NHL’s next big thing since Connor McDavid.
7. Brady Tkachuk – Seoul Skaters
On what was a former shell of the team that made the Eastern Conference Final in 2017, Brady Tkachuk stole the spotlight in Ottawa. Just like his brother Matthew and father Keith, Brady Tkachuk is a power forward that can score at will. Tkachuk compiled a strong 22 goals, 23 assists and 75 PIMs in 71 games in his NHL debut. His physical, tenacious play on the puck along with his high end skill and ability to get in opponents heads makes him an extremely valuable asset in fantasy hockey. The Senators are only going to continue to build around him making him a solid piece to keep for a long time. Just because he’s a Senator doesn’t mean he won’t bury pucks in the net and players into the boards
8. Kappo Kakko – Hughes Your Daddy?
The Finnish phenom only went behind Jack Hughes in the 2019 Entry Draft and solidified himself as one of the league’s top rookie talents entering the season. Kakko’s first full season with TPS of the Finnish Elite League, Kakko scored a record-breaking 22 goals in 45 games. Whilst also adding 16 assists to his total. This record was originally held by fellow Finn, Aleksander Barkov, so that is a statement in and of itself. Kakko will feature on the Ranger’s first or second line and play with Artemi Panarin so expect him to be on the scoresheet almost every night.
9. Miro Heiskanen – SwedishEagle5
Miro Heiskanen shocked the league in the 2018-19 season after a much anticipated arrival where he won gold at the World Championship, played in the Olympics in Pyeongchang and won gold in 2017 for Finland at the World Juniors. He had some serious hardware before entering the league. He scored 33 points and 4 points in the playoffs in his rookie season while being on the top pairing with Klingberg and when he was injured. His offensive insticts and his ability move the puck with ease. Alongside Cale Makar who went after him in the draft, he is one of the defenseman everyone should have their eyes on especially on a stacked Dallas squad.
10. Cale Makar – MoJo’s Finest
One of the most anticipated defenseman coming out of the 2017 draft class, Cale Makar is said to be the next Erik Karlsson. The current Hobey Baker winner looks to dominate with the highly successful Avalanche this season coming out of the NCAA, where he scored 70 points in 75 games over two seasons. After bringing UMass to the finals in the Frozen Four, he jumped right into the Stanley Cup Playoffs where he scored a goal in his first game and 6 points in 10 total playoff games. Talk about immediate impact. With potential to be the next franchise defenseman with Tyson Barrie trade, Makar will play heavy minutes in his first year in the NHL.
11. Samuel Girard – MoJo’s Finest
Girard came to the Avalanche as one of the main pieces in the three team trade that sent Matt Duchene to the Senators in the 2017-18. A small 5′ 10″ defenseman, what he lacks in size he makes up for in raw talent. A flashy, proactive offensive defenceman who takes advantage of opportunities and is always looking to makes the most of every situation whether it’s physically or with his shot. He should be playing top minutes alongside Cale Makar, so this dynamic duo of a defense pairing should rack up a ton of points for the forseable future of the Colorado Avalanche.
12. Andrei Svechnikov – SwedishEagle5
A physical offensive goal scorer, Andrei Svechnikov was only second to Rasmus Dahlin in the 2018 Entry Draft. Svechnikov was everything the Hurricanes needed from him in his rookie season in Raleigh, showing flashes of the brilliance to come as the rest of career lies ahead for a bright future in Carolina. The 19-year-old scored 20 times, while playing in all of the Hurricanes 82 games. Look for Svechnikov to take a huge step forward next season in a Top Six role and first unit power play time on an interesting Carolina squad.
13. Quinn Hughes – Spokane Sharpshooters
The older brother of Jack Hughes, Quinn Hughes could immediately make an impact with his other rookie counterparts in Vancouver. Through two seasons with the Michigan Wolverines, Quinn put up 62 points in 69 games over two seasons. Quinn owns remarkable speed to go along with amazing edge work that allow him create space. He will never be a heavy player but his speed and smarts allow him to avoid contact from incoming forecheckers just like his brother Jack. His fantasy potential is extremely high and he is sure to rack assists by feeding Pettersson and Boeser on and of the power play.
14. Carter Hart – Backstrom in the USSR
One of the most highly regarded goalie prospects in the NHL, Carter Hart stunned many as he had performed extremely well in the spotlight. Showcasing for Canada, he backstopped them to U20 Gold with a 1.81 GAA and a .938 SV%. As a 21 year old in 31 games played, he earned 16 wins and posted a .927 SV% on a mediocre Flyers team. With the team in front of him having upgraded across the lineup and plenty of talent in the pipeline, Carter Hart between the pipes will certainly lead the Flyers to plenty of wins.
15. Mikhail Sergachev – H4X0Rman
Sergachev is at the very top of Tampa’s depth chart as far as prospects go. His trajectory lends us to project him as a top-2 defender with a 2-way style. Alongside Hedman, Sergachev has immense potential to thrive in a successful system in the Tampa Bay Lightning. Over two season with the Lightning he has scored 72 points, most of them being assists totaling up to 57. In an increased role and the possibility of more power play time as Hedman and McDonagh get older, Sergachev will be the defenseman of the future down in Tampa hoping to win a Stanley Cup in the near future.
Honorable Mentions:
Chicago – Adam Boqvist, Kirby Dach
Avalanche – Bowen Byram, Martin Kaut
Detroit – Filip Zadina, Joe Veleno, Moritz Seider
New Jersey Devils – Jesper Boqvist, Ty Smith
Vegas Golden Knights – Cody Glass, Valentin Zykov
Ottawa Senators – Erik Brannstrom, Drake Batherson, Logan Brown
New York Islanders – Oliver Wahlstrom, Noah Dobson
Florida Panthers – Owen Tippett, Serron Noel, Grigori Denisenko
New York Rangers – Vitali Kravtsov, Igor Shesterkin, Adam Fox