This year, because it is such a deep crop of rookies, I'm going to list the top rookies by team in the Western Conference.

Some of these players could start the year in the minors because of waiver exemptions and salary cap implications but it appears that most rosters have now been set. We will have a look and see how some of these players fit on the roster in terms of a role and what other players might be in their way.

Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks have a number of rookie defensemen who could make this team at the start of the regular season. As of writing it appears that they have a regular role and the seventh defensemen available to two of Jackson LaCombe,  Tristan Luneau and Pavel Mintyukov.

I think they will go with Mintyukov for the regular role and LaCombe for the seventh defender role. I've thought all along that it would be one of Mintyukov or Zellweger but not both for this season and from the outside it looks like Mintyukov at the moment.

LaCombe (22) turned pro near the end of 2022-23 after playing four years at the University of Minnesota where he had 100 points in 140 games. He played two games for the Ducks and acquitted himself quite well with nine blocks.

Luneau (19) will need to be sent back to the QMJHL but the Ducks might keep him for nine games if they think it could benefit him. Luneau had 83 points in 65 games in 2022-23 and was a second round pick in 2022.

Mintyukov (19) might be the most NHL ready of anyone vying for a spot on this roster. He has good size and might be a little better at physically handling NHL players. He had 88 points in 69 games in the OHL in 2022-23 and could see some PP time in Anaheim. I think he is capable of 25 to 35 points as a rookie.

Zellweger (20) perhaps has the most offensive upside of any of the young defenders in the Ducks system. In 2022-23 he had 80 points in 55 games in the WHL after putting up 78 points in 55 games the year before. He also has 17 points in 14 games at the WJC. He's an undersized defender who will need to model his game along the lines of Quinn Hughes but the question will be, if he is capable of getting to that kind of level in the NHL. Personally, I'd like to see him play 40 to 50 games at the AHL level and see what he is capable of.

And that is just on defense! The Ducks also have forward Leo Carlsson (18) who was the second overall pick in the 2023 draft. He is a center who played a full year with pros in Sweden in 2022-23 where he ended up with 25 points in 44 games in the SHL. From most reports, it sounds like Carlsson should stick in the NHL for the season and could get some time in the top-six. Carlsson suffered a lower body injury late in the pre-season and might begin the year on injured reserve. I'm not convinced his offensive production will come right away at the NHL level so I would temper my expectations to 25 to 35 points.

In goal, the Ducks have Lukas Dostal (23) who is competing with Alex Stalock for the backup role behind John Gibson. Dostal played 19 games in 2022-23 for the Ducks and had 12 quality starts. He has played 98 AHL games over the past three years so could be ready for a regular role in the NHL. Gibson stated during the off season that he wanted out of Anaheim but he's still there, so the starting role is his to lose.

Arizona Coyotes

Some people were a little surprised when the Coyotes selected Logan Cooley (19) at 3rd overall in 2022 ahead of Shane Wright, but that pick is looking pretty good right now. Cooley turned pro after one season with the University of Minnesota where Cooley had 60 points in 39 games.

While Connor Bedard is the odds on favorite for the Calder trophy, Cooley could put up 50-60 points as a rookie. In the pre-season he had four goals and six points in five games which led the Coyotes.

Calgary Flames

The Flames currently have rookie forwards Matt Coronato (20), Adam Klapka (23) and Cole Schwindt (22) along with defenseman Ilya Solovyov (23) on the roster. Goalie Dustin Wolf (22) was sent to the AHL but could be back up to the Flames at any point in 2023-24.

Coronato has the highest ceiling of the possible rookies still on the roster. He led the Flames in pre-season scoring with four goals and three assists in five games on 12 shots on goal. He could see some power play time and some time in the top-six, but will more than likely start on the third line. He is capable of 15-20 goals and 35-40 points as a rookie.

Klapka and Schwindt have limited offensive capabilities and are more than likely limited to the fourth line if they make the roster. Klapka is a huge forward at 6-8 and 235 lbs while Schwindt was acquired from Florida before the 2022-23 season and can play center and provide a high energy physical style of play.

Solovyov is more of a stay at home defender who will block shots, clear the crease and play physical. He has played two seasons in the AHL and has 26 points in 119 games.

It is just a matter of time before Wolf gets an opportunity in the NHL and sticks. Dan Vladar is signed for this year and next at $2.2 million AAV.

Chicago Blackhawks

Connor Bedard (18) led the Blackhawks in pre-season scoring with five points in four games and also led with 16 SOG while averaging 70.3 percent of the time on the power play. It is just a matter of trying to guess who will play with Bedard as I think he should be good for 75-85 points as a rookie.

Kevin Korchinski (19) appears to have slotted in to the lineup for 2023-24. He had three points in five pre-season games and averaged 21:29 of ice time per game which is a good sign. He averaged 45.4 percent of the time on the power play which leaves him off the first unit to begin with. He could see 25 to 35 points if on PP2 and 35-45 points if on PP1.

Arvid Soderblom (24) should be the backup to Petr Mrazek in goal and could see 30-40 starts depending on how Mrazek plays as the starter. Regardless, 10-15 wins is probably his ceiling for 2023-24.

Two other rookie forwards who could be on the roster are Lukas Reichel (21) and Cole Guttman (24). Reichel had an impressive 2022-23 where he ended up playing 23 games for Chicago and put up 15 points. It sounds like he will play center to start the season on the second line and will need to succeed early to stay there. He could see 35 to 45 points.

Guttman is an undersized energy player who played 14 games with Chicago in 2022-23 and put up six points while averaging 52.1 percent in the faceoff circle. He has some offense in his game and put up 30 points in 39 AHL games and 121 points in 140 games in college at the University of Denver over four years. He could slide up or down the lines from the second to third line. He's not a physical player, so he probably needs to be in the top six eventually to succeed.

Colorado Avalanche

Justus Annunen (23) should get a chance to backup Alexandar Georgiev in goal for as long as Pavel Francouz is out with an injury. Sometimes with goaltending, an opportunity is all that is needed. Annunen has played four career NHL games and played in more than 40 games in the AHL for the second season in a row. He improved his AHL save percentage from 89.3 to 91.6.

Dallas Stars

Logan Stankoven (20) was sent to the AHL on Sunday along with Matej Blumel (23). Stankoven led the Stars in pre-season scoring with five points in six games while Blumel was next with four point in six games. Blumel had an impressive 23 shots on goal in his six games while averaging just over eight minutes per game.

Stankoven had an impressive 97 points in 48 games with Kamloops in the WHL in 2022-23 but perhaps needs to be in the top-six in the NHL to produce.

Blumel is more of a bottom-six option as he played 58 games in the AHL in 2022-23 and put up 19 goals and 25 assists on 159 shots on goal.

Edmonton Oilers

Ben Gleason (25) is a defenseman who played four NHL games with Dallas in 2018-19 and has played 290 AHL games over the past five seasons and put up 141 points. He has some offensive capabilities and has run the power play at times in the AHL.

One would think that Gleason is up against Philip Broberg (22) this pre-season for a roster spot for the 7th defenseman, and with Broberg being waivers exempt they might give Gleason a few games to see what they have at the NHL level.

Los Angeles Kings

Jordan Spence (22) won a roster spot over Brandt Clarke (20) as Clarke will get some AHL time and Spence will get another opportunity at the NHL level. Spence played six games in 2022-23 and 24 games in 2021-22. In 30 NHL games he had nine points, 35 hits and 32 blocks while averaging 18:36 per game. In the AHL, he played 102 games and put up an impressive 87 points of which 53 were on the power play. Spence could fill the role left by Sean Durzi and could be capable of 25-35 points if he sees some PP2 time.

Alex Laferriere (21) had a very good pre-season with four points in five games on 15 shots on goal. He just turned pro at the end of the 2022-23 season after putting up 21 goals and 21 assists in 34 games with Harvard University. If he has a good start in the AHL, he could be one of the first call ups to the Kings.

Minnesota Wild

Marco Rossi (22) was the 9th overall pick in 2020 and will get his third kick at the NHL can. In 2021-22 he saw two games and in 2022-23 he played 19 games with just one point before heading back to the AHL. He has played 116 games in the AHL now with 104 points and 290 shots on goal. The expectations aren't nearly as high for Rossi now, and if he can play 60 or more games and put up 25-35 points it would be a good year for him.

Brock Faber (21) was part of the return from the Los Angeles Kings for Kevin Fiala and was impressive in the playoffs last year. He has just two games of regular season NHL experience as he just turned pro after putting up 27 points in 38 games with the University of Minnesota in 2022-23. He does have some offense in him, but he more than likely will focus on being a good defender early on his NHL time. He could produce 20-25 points and get to 100 hits and 100 blocks as a rookie.

Nashville Predators

Samuel Fagemo (23) was picked up on waivers from the Los Angeles Kings. He has 13 career NHL games with two goals and an assist. He has played 151 AHL games since 2020-21 and has put up 60 goals and 34 assists on 359 shots on goal. Fagemo can shoot and he has shown abilities to put the puck in the net, but can he do it on a regular basis in the NHL? He could get an opportunity in the top six with the Predators early on.

Luke Evangelista (21) had an impressive 24 games in 2022-23 where he had seven goals and eight assists on 54 shots on goal while playing in the top six. The opportunity might not just be handed to him to duplicate what he did. He will have to beat out Fagemo and Juuso Parssinen (22) and Philip Tomasino (22) for playing time. However you look at the Predator's forwards on their roster, there is room for a young player to do well and move up.

San Jose Sharks

Who of William Eklund (20), Thomas Bordeleau (21) and Henry Thrun (22) have done enough to earn a roster spot on the Sharks roster for 2023-24?

I think Eklund and Bordeleau have had decent enough pre-seasons to deserve their spots while Thrun has been excellent and something would be remiss if he wasn't on the roster.

Eklund was the 7th overall pick in 2021 and has had two short stints with the Sharks since being drafted. He played nine games to begin the 2021-22 campaign and had four assists, before being sent back to the SHL where he struggled. For the 2022-23 season the Sharks sent him to the AHL to begin the year and he played 54 games and had 41 points. The Sharks called him up for the last eight games  and he had three points. He has been inconsistent at best since being drafted and will look to play 70 or more games in 2023-24. He could produce 25-35 points but he hasn't shown a higher ceiling yet. He will get every opportunity to succeed.

Bordeleau is similar to Eklund in the fact that he has had two eight game stints over the past two seasons with seven assists to show for it. He played 65 AHL games in 2022-23 and ended up with 22 goals and 19 assists on 160 shots on goal. I'm not sure of his offensive ceiling but it looks like he might be handed the keys to the second or third line center role for 2023-24. If he gets some power play time he could produce 25-35 points.

In 68 games at Harvard, Henry Thrun posted 14 goals and 49 assists over two years. He turned pro in 2022-23 and ended the year with eight games for the Sharks where he had two points. In the pre-season he played three games and had four points, played 55.9 percent of the time on the power play and averaged 22:58 per game. He is ready and if he's the quarterback on the first unit of the play he could produce 30-35 points on the Sharks in 2023-24.

Seattle Kraken

Tye Kartye (22) was impressive in the 2022-23 playoffs for the Kraken where he played 10 games and had three goals, two assists and 44 hits. As a rookie in the AHL he was impressive as well with 28 goals and 29 assists in 72 games. He is more than likely capped on the third or fourth line with the Kraken in the short-term so I think he could produce 10-15 goals and 20-30 points while providing 100 hits.

Joey Daccord (27) is not eligible to be a rookie as he is too old now, but he has a chance to get some games in Seattle if he can be average as that is something they didn't get last year with Martin Jones or Philip Grubauer.

Shane Wright (19) needs a year in the AHL and unless he tears it up, that is what he should get.

St. Louis Blues

Scott Perunovich (25) has two hurdles in getting some significant playing time for St. Louis. Torey Krug and staying healthy. Outside of the 19 NHL games, Perunovich played in 2021-22 he has played 39 AHL games where he put up 42 points and 10 games for the USA at the World Championships after the 2022-23 season where he had eight points. If everything went well for Perunovich and Krug was out of the picture, he could pop for 40 points or more.

Joel Hofer (23) has been on my radar since he played in the WJC for Canada in 2020 and played six games with a save percentage of 94.6 on the way to a gold medal. Fast forward four years and Hofer appears to have a regular role in the NHL as the backup to Jordan Binnington. He should see 25-30 starts and could get 14-18 wins, but Binnington has struggled for two seasons in a row.

Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks have a role open for a sixth and seventh defender and it is likely to be filled by Cole McWard (22), Noah Juulsen (26 but not a rookie) and Akito Hirose (24). Hirose has the highest offensive ceiling of these three, while Juulsen has 190 hits and 104 blocks in 68 career NHL games.

There isn't much fantasy relevance from the Canucks here in 2023-24.

Vegas Golden Knights

Pavel Dorofeyev (22) had an impressive 18 games with Vegas in 2022-23 where he had seven goals and two assists on 40 shots on goal. He wasn't as good in his 32 AHL games where he struggled with just eight goals and nine assists in 2022-23 after putting up 27 goals and 25 assists in 63 games in 2021-22. He will need to wait for some injuries, but that shouldn't be long with the Golden Knights. Dorofeyev will just need to take advantage of his opportunity much like he did last year.

Winnipeg Jets

Declan Chisholm (23) is the only rookie on the Jets roster at the time of writing. He has been a bit of an offensive defenseman in the AHL as he put up 43 points in 59 games in 2022-23 and 86 points in 140 career AHL games. He played two games for the Jets in 2021-22. His opportunity relies on an injury or outplaying someone in the bottom pairing and sticking.

Parker Ford (23) led the Jets in preseason scoring with five points in four games and might have earned himself the first callup from the AHL if he continues to play well. Ford is just coming out of college hockey after playing with Providence College for four years and putting up 41 goals and 53 assists in 131 games there.

Thanks for reading and if you have any questions or players you'd like me to look at please message or follow me on Twitter @gampbler15.