It’s always enjoyable to watch the veterans play hockey, but there is just something about watching the players who have only recently made their journey into the NHL that is just more exciting. While it's nice to watch players like Anze Kopitar, Sidney Crosby, Claude Giroux, etc… There is just something special about watching some of the rookies that have begun their NHL journeys. From the rookies who are playing in a depth role to help get them acclimated to the big leagues, right to the young superstars who are controlling the play for their respective club's night in and night out. There have been some magical moments created this season due to the large amount of impact rookies that we have seen. Like last week, we will be talking about a few more of the rookies.

#1) Trevor Zegras – C – Anaheim Ducks

Contract: $925K – 2 Years remaining
Roster Percentages: 38.2% ESPN, 52% Yahoo, 84% Fantrax

Zegras has become one of my favorite players to watch on a nightly basis. From the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, I said he should of gone in the Top 3 of that draft. He has a very dynamic game and possesses a bag of tricks similar to Patrick Kane (no I am not calling him the next Patrick Kane, just saying he is very creative with the puck, similar to Kane). Those abilities have been good enough to 44 points in 55 games (16 goals, 28 assists, 66-point pace across 82 games). He may not hit or block a lot, but you don't add a guy like Zegras to help in those areas, you get him to help get you points or category wins through goals, assists, power-play points (he has 14 powerplay points this year), shots (has 131 so far, 2.38 per game), and face-off wins (171 total). While he is winning some face-offs, be weary of his overall face-off win percentage which is 40.3% so far on the season, but for the way he his performing in other areas, you may be able to acquire a face-off specialist to help boost his numbers up. He is on the first line currently, the top powerplay as well, and he is averaging 17:34 minutes per game this season (fourth highest minutes per game for forwards on the Ducks). Overall, Zegras is a dynamic young forward who should only get better along with that entire team as the years go on, the pipeline has some good players on the way, and count on Anaheim to insulate him well. No team should be wasting a player of Zegras' talent level. Something to add, I truly do not understand how he is rostered in so few leagues on ESPN, before looking into the numbers, I assumed he would have been on at least 75% or more leagues.


#2) Jeremy Swayman – G – Boston Bruins

Contract: $925K – 2 Years remaining
Roster Percentages: 54.3% ESPN, 78% Yahoo, 84% Fantrax

When the Bruins announced that Rask signed that 1-year contract to play out the rest of the season, I, like other owners of Swayman were rightfully frustrated. Now that Rask has officially retired, we can all rejoice in the promotion that Swayman received due to it (I am not cheering that an all-time legend retired due to injuries throughout their career, and I hope Rask is doing great things away from the game and spending time with his family, just in case anyone thought so). It seems like Swayman has become the Bruins starting goalie, having played in 10 of their last 14 games played (Ullmark has 4), and Swayman's record during that period that began on February 12^th is 9-0-1 (shootout loss to the Rangers on the 15^th of February). In that stretch he has only let in 3 or more goals on 2 occasions, other than that it has been 2 or less (including 2 shutouts) in that period. While the Bruins roster seems weaker than it has in previous seasons, or at least weaker than the Bruins that I grew up watching. Swayman is giving them a chance to win hockey games every night it seems. In 27 games started this season, he holds a very respectable record of 17-7-3, with a GAA of 2.06, and a SV% of 0.926. He isn't being talked about enough honestly, he deserves a lot more recognition than he is getting. If you're looking for goalie support, look no further than Swayman, they may be paying Ullmark the big bucks, but Swayman is the current goalie for them, and he is the future.


#3) Dawson Mercer – C/RW – New Jersey Devils

Contract: $894K – 3 Years remaining
Roster Percentages: 4.1% ESPN, 6% Yahoo, 47% Fantrax

For a player to be drafted 18^th overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft and to already be in the NHL, playing on the biggest stage possible is excellent. But when you realize that in 59 games played this season, Mercer has 34 points (14 goals, 20 assists, 47-point pace across 82 games). While he may be on the third line for the Devils, he is playing with established NHL talent in Andreas Johnsson, and Tomas Tatar. While they may not be the best players in the NHL, they are still solid NHL players who are pros, and that may be more important to have around a player with the playstyle that Mercer possesses at this time in his career. A guy who has been pegged as a two-way player who isn't afraid to chase a puck in deep on the forecheck, but also has the skill to beat you with the puck on his stick. Having established players around him may be best for him to help him adjust to the lifestyle of the NHL. Mercer is currently averaging 16:06 minutes of ice time per game currently, with 1:53 of that coming on the 2^nd powerplay unit with guys like Yegor Sharangovich, Pavel Zacha, Tomas Tatar, and Dougie Hamilton. He is surrounded by other talented players to help keep him afloat currently. He currently has the fourth most points on the Devils roster. The sky seems to be the limit for this young man, and with New Jersey already having some talent in the pipeline, expect Mercer to improve along with the team. As of right now, he isn't a horrible player to stream on your team if you're facing injuries or are in a bit of slump.

#4) Lucas Raymond – LW/RW – Detroit Red Wings

Contract: $925K – 3 Years remaining
Roster Percentages: 55.2% ESPN, 52% Yahoo, 81% Fantrax

A player who in my eyes could of gone in the top 3 of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, I'm sure the teams that picked above Detroit would love to have this kid's production right now. With 45 points in 59 games (18 goals, 27 assists, 63-point pace across 82 games), Raymond is on fire, and I don't really know if he's going to drop off any time soon. He has a strong supporting cast alongside of him first line with Dylan Larkin and Vladislav Namestkinov, along with being on the top powerplay unit. Raymond is in a very good system that understands how to develop young players well, Detroit has a very rich history of producing quality NHL players. No one believes that Raymond will be any different in this case as he is already looking like one of the best players on that roster. Like how I said about Zegras before when it comes to what stats you're looking for, Raymond is the same way. Goals, assists, power-play points (14 total, 5 goals, 9 assists), shots (133 total, 2.25 on a per game average), and TOI (currently logging 18:14 on average per night, with 2:54 of that coming on the powerplay). He is in the right position to succeed, he has all the right qualities when it comes to producing which to me are; a lot of ice time, a lot of offensive ice time (63.8% of his zone starts come in the offensive zone), playing with other good players, and confidence. When he has the puck, he is very confident and isn't afraid to take a chance if need be.

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.