Every year we have a couple of rookies who perform alright, some rookies end up getting 35-40 points in a year, other times they get around 50 points. But this year… This year we have what looks to be one of the strongest rookie classes in recent history, this year is very different in comparison to other years in my opinion. We have talented rookies who are swiftly becoming the face of their respective franchise, some of these rookies are arguably the most skilled players on their team already. Some may benefit from what they get to play with, but others are driving the play and are considered dangerous when given space.

In years past, we have seen rookies start out hot, but then they begin to trail off towards the middle parts of the season, or in the back half of the year. Honestly, this year I am not so sure we will see that with some of the top rookie scorers this year. The rookies that we are watching across the NHL this year, at least those that are major contributors to their respective teams seem to be special NHL players. Only time will tell if that is true.

#1) Moritz Seider – D – Detroit Red Wings

Contract: $863K – 3 Years remaining
Roster Percentages: 92.8% ESPN, 87% Yahoo, 94% Fantrax

At the time of NHL draft I was extremely high on Moritz Seider, feeling very strongly about him as a guy who could be a special NHL talent and people thought I was going to be wrong about that, it doesn't seem that way anymore (for now). He leads all rookies in assists with 36, 9 more than fellow Red Wing, Lucas Raymond, and the rest of the top 5 in assists are all forwards. He ranks 4^th in points by rookies with a total of 41 (5 goals, 36 assists). Something to note is that he is currently on the top powerplay in Detroit, and on the top penalty killing unit. That is a lot of trust to put into a 20-year-old player, regardless of the position that they play. When you watch Seider play, you quickly notice that he plays with a mean streak as well, he isn't afraid to throw the body with 85 hits. He also plays selflessly, as he has blocked 111 shots currently. When it comes to shot totals, he has 120 across 56 contests this season. Those are very good averages to have as an NHL player, but when a rookie has those types of numbers is even more impressive. As is stands at this moment, anyone who is lucky enough to have Seider on their fantasy roster should be considering themselves lucky. Detroit is only going to get better, and by proxy, so should Seider.

#2) Cole Caufield – RW – Montreal Canadiens

Contract: $880K – 2 Years remaining
Roster Percentages: 50.1% ESPN, 53% Yahoo, 80% Fantrax

For a player who has been criticized so much in the early days of his NHL career, he went from winning the Hobey Baker award (as the best player in the NCAA) last year to making the Stanley Cup finals, then he was supposed to be the most dynamic rookie this year. Things didn't start well for Caufield this year, the entire Montreal Canadiens roster was horrendous to being the year. Through 41 games this year he had 21 points (8 goals and 14 assists), and that isn't impressive for a player who was projected by many to be a 30+ goal scorer this season. Having a guy like Martin St. Louis behind the bench as their new coach has given Caufield a lot more confidence it seems, there really isn't anyone better for him to learn the NHL from than St. Louis himself. In the last 10 games he has 13 points (6 goals and 7 assists), and yes, that isn't a typo, Caufield has been on an absolute bender under the new coaching hire. While I don't think anyone expects those numbers to stay true for the rest of the season, I absolutely think that line of Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Josh Anderson is quietly one of the more underrated lines in the NHL right now. It has what I deem to be the perfect line, Anderson is the guy that creates the space, Suzuki is useful in the middle of the ice and possesses a great first pass and Caufield has no issues shooting the puck with a whopping 101 shots in 41 games played. Expect Caufield to be a big part of Montreal's success down the stretch, they aren't as bad as the first half of the season has made some people think.

#3) – Jamie Drysdale – D – Anaheim Ducks

Contract: $925K – 2 Years remaining
Roster Percentages: 7.5% ESPN, 16% Yahoo, 65% Fantrax

The future of the Anaheim Ducks blueline is in the NHL and he is making an impact, while it isn't as high of an impact that Seider is making, Drysdale is no slouch either. With 24 points (3 goals and 21 assists) in 58 games played this year, he is quietly on pace for 34 points. While that doesn't sound impressive, it very much is for any NHL player. Not every player on the blueline end up getting those kinds of points in a single season across their entire career. Drysdale is still 19 years old. Let that sink in; he is a 19-year-old kid, and he is close to a half a point a game pace. That is very impressive, but honestly, he doesn't get talked about enough. He is going to grow up with the other young players on the Anaheim Ducks roster such as Trevor Zegras, Maxime Comtois, and company. Plus, the Ducks have a decent pipeline as well to help insulate the young defender. While he is currently producing at an average rate for a player at his position (counting the ones that are actually fantasy relevant that is), he is also blocking more than I expected. With 55 blocks in 58 games, it leaves him at a 0.95 blocks per game, if he can continue to do that, he will remain fantasy relevant on points, blocks and TOI (20:02 minutes per night average) alone. Expect him to take a jump going into next season, this is a player that you will want to build with going forward.

#4) Michael Bunting – LW – Toronto Maple Leafs

Contract: $950K – 2 Years remaining
Roster Percentages: 28.3% ESPN, 53% Yahoo, 73% Fantrax

I know I wrote about Bunting a few weeks ago, but he has been performing even better as of late, with 13 points in his last 10 games (5 goals, 8 assists) he has now become the current rookie scoring leader with a total of 45 points (20 goals, 25 assists) in 56 games this season. Sure, there was a five-point game in there the other night, but you can't really discredit a player for playing with elite players, and while they may of helped him get those five points, he was certainly a contributing member to them all in some way or another. From a 4^th round draft pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, to being the leading rookie scorer at this point in 2022, I don't think anyone could of predicted this. He isn't seeing the ice as much as some of the other rookies are, he currently has an average of 15:33 minutes of TOI a night, and only 1:12 of that is coming on the powerplay. He has four power-play points (2 goals, 2 assists), and he isn't on the penalty kill at all. He has 41 even strength points in 56 contests this year, which is incredible for any player to have, let alone a rookie. While he is one of the oldest rookies in the NHL this year, at the age of 26 years old, he is still finding a way to be a very impactful player for one of the most storied franchises in history that is loaded with elite level offensive talent in their forward group.

Overall, there a lot of great rookies this year, more so than other years that's for sure. This has been a very exciting rookie class to watch, and I don't know when we will get another one like this so enjoy it while you can!

If you want to have any questions answered or interact with me, please feel free to interact with me on the forums or in the comments of the articles, or on Twitter @JamieMolloy_DH