Miro Heiskanen (Defenceman-4-Dallas)
A top-three pick in 2017, Heiskanen was one of the most highly-touted rookies entering this season. While he was going slow to start offensively, he has been credited with strong play all season. He is on pace this season for 41 points (14G, 27A) in 82 games with a 45.22 ESCorsi%.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi (Centre-15-Montreal)
Some questioned picking Kotkaniemi third overall in the 2018 Draft. People thought he wasn’t the best player available at that point, much less NHL-ready. He has surprised many with the season he is having. He is on pace for 40 points (8G, 32A) in 82 games with a 56.49 ESCorsi%.
Andreas Johnsson (Left Wing-18-Toronto)
Many were expecting this to be the year Johnsson made the NHL. With James van Riemsdyk pricing himself out of Toronto and the left winger being fairly weak without him, the point-per-game AHLer was a natural fit. He is on pace this season for 39 points (21G, 18A) in 77 games with a 49.9 ESCorsi%.
Dennis Cholowski (Defenceman-21-Detroit)
Injuries resulted in Detroit kicking off the year with a number of rookies in their starting lineup on defence. As players have come back, the Red Wings have needed to send those rookies back to the minors. Cholowski has won out out of the bunch and is on the pace for 34 points (13G, 21A) in 80 games with a 46.05 ESCorsi%.
Brett Howden (Centre-21-NY Rangers)
One of the pieces acquired from Tampa Bay in the Miller-Namestnikov trade, Howden surprisingly made his debut this season. He is on pace for 36 points (11G, 25A) in 81 games with a 42.2 ESCorsi%.
Oscar Lindblom (Left Wing-23-Philadelphia)
Lindblom split last season between six points in 23 games for Philadelphia and 34 points in 54 games for AHL Lehigh Valley. He has done much better for Philadelphia since he made the roster full time, on pace for 33 points (12G, 21A) in 50.09 ESCorsi%.
Dominik Kahun (Left Wing-24-Chicago)
Kahun was signed as an undrafted free agent after a strong season in Germany’s DEL. With a stable spot in Chicago’s top-nine, Kahun is on pace for 33 points (10G, 23A) in 82 games with a 52.97 ESCorsi%.
Rasmus Dahlin (Defenceman-26-Buffalo)
Dahlin was the first overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. The skilled defenceman was a little slow to start the year offensively, but has performed well as a rookie so far. He is on pace for 37 points (5G, 32A) in 82 games with a 49.79 ESCorsi%.
Henri Jokiharju (Defenceman-28-Chicago)
Chicago’s first round pick in 2017, Jokiharju was a somewhat surprising name to make the opening night roster. He has taken to it fairly well, even averaging over 20 minutes per night so far. He is on pace for 30 points (0G, 30A) in 79 games with a 55.26 ESCorsi%.
Malcolm Subban (Goaltender-Vegas)
The young netminder is now the backup after a solid handful of games last season. He is on pace for a 0.859 Save%, 0-10-0 record, and zero shutouts in 13 games.
Linus Ullmark (Goaltender-Buffalo)
After spending most of the last two seasons in the AHL, Ullmark is finally back to where we thought he’d be after a solid performance in the NHL in 2015/16. He is on pace for a 0.912 Save%, 16-3-8 record, and three shutouts in 29 games.
Colin White (Centre-36-Ottawa)
One good thing that can come out of a team having to give up talented players is that it forces them to give a shot to skilled rookies in their system. Such is the case with White, who has taken the opportunity and scored on a pace for 50 points (21G, 29A) in 81 games with a 45.3 ESCorsi%.
Casey Mittelstadt (Centre-37-Buffalo)
Even though Mittslestadt hasn’t had as great a season as people were expecting, he’s still doing decently enough. He is on pace for 24 points (11G, 13A) in 82 games with a 47.43 ESCorsi%.
Andrei Svechnikov (Right Wing-37-Carolina)
The second overall pick in the 2018 Draft projects to be a top sniper in the NHL. While it’s not happening this season, Svechnikov is doing pretty well, on pace for 37 points (17G, 20A) in 82 games with a 60.11 ESCorsi%.
Elias Pettersson (Centre-40-Vancouver)
Pettersson is far and away the frontrunner in the 2019 Calder race. He has not missed a beat since coming back from his early-season injury, and is on pace for 90 points (45G, 45A) in 76 games with a 49.78 ESCorsi%.
Garret Sparks (Goaltender-40-Toronto)
The young goaltender is the backup in Toronto after the team lost both Calvin Pickard and Curtis McElhinney on waivers. Sparks is on pace for a 0.913 Save%, 11-3-3 record, and three shutouts in 19 games.
Noah Juulsen (Defenceman-58-Montreal)
The 2015 first-rounder has managed to secure a stable spot on the blueline. While fellow prospect Victor Mete and even veteran Karl Alzner have been demoted, Juulsen is back from a facial injury and is on pace for 19 points (4G, 15A) in 69 games with a 48.87 ESCorsi%.
Maxime Lajoie (Defenceman-58-Ottawa)
The young defenceman is another player who has benefitted from Ottawa’s loss of talented players. The 2016 fifth-rounder is on pace this season for 32 points (16G, 16A) in 79 games with a 39.56 ESCorsi%.
Brady Tkachuk (Left Wing-71-Ottawa)
The big power winger has not lost a step since missing the first two games of the season with a groin injury and another five with a knee injury. Pettersson’s biggest competition for the 2019 Calder is on pace for 54 points (30G, 24A) in 71 games with a 51.92 ESCorsi%.
Filip Chytil (Centre-72-NY Rangers)
The second of the Rangers’ two 2017 first-rounders is actually having the better season. While the Rangers pick before him, Lias Andersson, was only called up at the start of November and has only scored a goal and two assists, Chytil is on pace for 28 points (14G, 14A) in 82 games with a 47.69 ESCorsi%.
