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Owen Power has slowly but surely improved with every game this season. He leads all rookies in ice time this season, and despite his offensive totals being a bit lacklustre, he has driven play at a very high level. He ranks as the top rookie in most advanced statistical categories, which could mean that an offensive breakout is just a matter of time. Either way Power plays big minutes on the backend and has shown flashes of serious skill.

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The Arizona Coyotes have been better than expected, although that may not be saying much. One of the main drivers of this progression is rookie forward Mathias Maccelli. The young Fin is second in rookie scoring so far with 22 points and leads rookies in assists with 19. Maccelli remains one of the leagues most under-the-radar rookies; if he were playing in a bigger market he likely would have a bit more hype around him.

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Sanderson has quietly been the Senators’ top blue liner to start the year. He ranks third in points by a rookie blue-liner with 12, while sitting second in ice time per game. Sanderson brings a level of stability and consistency that is rarely seen from a 20-year-old. The poised young American has shown more offensive touch of the bat than expected; he has been good as a puck carrier and efficient as a distribution. Sanderson forced his way onto the podium of these rankings given how he stepped up for an injured Thomas Chabot in November, not looking out of place as the Senators No.1 defenseman.

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Thompson has not looked like a rookie most of the time and net the stats reflect that as he currently sits tied for fourth in the league with 15 wins. In 23 games this season the 25-year-old sports a 2.61 GAA and a .917 save %. Thompson has also been one of busiest goaltenders so far facing the eight most shots in the league, despite this he is tied for second in shutouts. He racked up six road wins in the month of November, becoming the first rookie goalie to do so since Jonathan Quick in February 2009. Thompson has been struggling a little recently, but it's worth pointing out that in seven games this month he has faced three of the league's top offences; the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Boston Bruins (twice).

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Beniers has been one the Krakens best players this season, sitting second on the team in goals (11) and points (25). Those numbers lead rookies in both categories, despite being just 10th in ice time per game among first year players. Though he sees plenty of time on the power play, Beniers leads the Kraken and all first-year players with 20 even-strength points. This has lead to the 20-year-old readily earning the trust of the coaching staff. Seattle sent Beniers out to kick off overtime against the Washington Capitals on Dec. 1; he quickly rewarded the Krakens' faith in him by scoring seven seconds into the extra frame. Beniers has seen a ton of growth in his faceoff game, as he went from having won only 40.9% of his draws in October, to working that number up to 45.1% since the calendar flipped to November. Overall Beniers is quickly growing into a reliable two-way centre for the Seattle Kraken, exactly what they were hoping for when they made him the franchise’s first ever draft pick.

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Calen Addison (Minnesota Wild)
Cole Perfetti (Winnipeg Jets)
Mason McTavish (Anaheim Ducks)

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