NHL Rookie Roster Battles
By Ryan Ritchie
NHL training camps are just around the corner, and with that comes a new crop of prospects battling for roster spots. Players like Connor McDavid, Max Domi, Anthony Duclair, Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, and Sam Bennett are the obvious Calder Candidates heading into the season. But every year, we get treated to some unexpected performances from rookies.
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Lets take a moment to evaluate the other young prospects who could have an immediate impact. These are the guys to keep an eye on through training camp and exhibition games. Many of the following players were 2014 first round draft picks that are pushing to avoid any seasoning in the AHL. The rest are guys who have paid their dues in the minors, showing continual growth year by year.
*any point statistics were obtained from hockeydb.com
LW Nick Ritchie, Anaheim Ducks
Jun 27, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Nicholas Ritchie puts on a team sweater after being selected as the number ten overall pick to the Anaheim Ducks in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
The late offseason signing of Mike Santorelli could effect Ritchie’s chances of making the team. Luckily for him, the left wing is one of the few weaknesses on the Ducks. While newly acquired Carl Hagelin could find himself on the top line with Getzlaf and Perry, it’s more likely they open the season with Patrick Maroon alongside them. The only other competition is 3rd liner Andrew Cogliano. The hope is that Ritchie’s mix of size and skill will blend nicely on the top line. If Ducks fans ever get their wish, it could make for one of the most physically skilled lines in recent memory.
C Alexander Khokhlachev, Boston Bruins
Nov 24, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins center Alexander Khokhlachev (76) knocks down Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Craig Adams (27) during the first period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Khokhlachev has been marinating in the AHL for a few seasons now. In 13-14, he tallied 57 points in 65 games, while following that up in 14-15 with 43 points in 61 games. The 5’10 forward is a bit underssized, but makes up for it with his ability to find the net. There’s still room for improvement, but with the offseason shake-up in Boston, the roster spot is his to lose.
LW Kerby Rychel, Columbus Blue Jackets
Sep 21, 2014; Columbus, OH, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Kerby Rychel (52) celebrates after scoring against the St. Louis Blues at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports
This big rugged winger has shown improvement each and every year. After accumulating 33 points in 51 games down in the AHL last year, he also tallied 3 points in 5 games with the big club. Said to be a slightly more talented mirror image of his father Warren, the only thing stopping Kerby from securing a roster spot is a fairly deep offensive squad. Even if he starts the season in the minors, he’s probably top of the list for call-ups as guys start going down with injuries.
D Xavier Ouellet, Detroit Red Wings
Jan 10, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Capitals goalie Braden Holtby (70) makes a save on Detroit Red Wings defenseman Xavier Ouellet (61) as Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) defends in the first period at Verizon Center. The Capitals won 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
The big news on the blue-line in Detroit was the offseason signing of Mike Green. However, the future of the Red Wings back end could be Xavier Ouellet. The former 2011 second rounder is a solid two-way defender that has the potential to put up some good numbers down the road. He’s likely the #7 guy on defense to open to season after producing 3 pts in 21 games last year with the big club. Ryan Sproul is the likely other candidate to claim a spot if Ouellet has a poor training camp.
LW Quinton Howden, Florida Panthers
Mar 16, 2014; Sunrise, FL, USA; Vancouver Canucks center Jordan Schroeder (45) and Florida Panthers center Quinton Howden (42) battle for the puck in the first period at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
He’s one of the older valued prospects out there. The 2010 first rounder had a lot of international experience representing Canada in junior. Highly regarded as a superior two-way forward who will never overwhelm with production, but definitely has top 6 talent. An injury de-railed his 2014-15 campaign, but he’ll look to secure a spot competing with the likes of Brandon Pirri, Shawn Thornton, Rocco Grimaldi, and Corban Knight. Howden is overdue to secure a spot with a talented young Panthers squad.
RW Valentin Zykov, Los Angeles Kings
Sep 15, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings right wing Valentine Zykov (38) and Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Mathieu Brodeur (46) battle for the puck during the second period at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
After four years of scoring at a point per game pace in the QMJHL, Zykov enters his first year of pro. The 6’0 winger loves to play in the dirty areas and is difficult to move in front of the net. Currently, Marian Gaborik, Tyler Taffoli, Dustin Brown, and Jordan Nolan are ahead on the depth chart. Gaborik is injury-prone and deals with inconsistency, while Dustin Brown took a diminished role in the Kings lineup last season. After Zykov almost made the team last year, that offensive talent might be too valuable to bury in the minors.
C Tyler Graovac, Minnesota Wild
Dec 29, 2014; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Winnipeg Jets forward Adam Lowry (17) faces off against Minnesota Wild forward Tyler Graovac (53) during the third period at MTS Centre. The Wild won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports
Graovac was a 2011 seventh rounder that was a bit of a late bloomer. He finally emerged in his last season of OHL play in 12-13 before a couple solid seasons with the Wild’s AHL affialiate Iowa. He’ll never be anything more than a bottom six forward likely, but guys like Chris Kelly have made pretty solid careers in that type of role.
RW Nikita Scherbak, Montreal Canadiens
Sep 23, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens left wing Nikita Scherbak (38) seats on ice after battling for the puck with Boston Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller (86) during the second period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
Prior to the Alexander Semin signing, the odds were pretty good that one of Nikita Scherbak or Mike McCarron would make the roster. Regardless of whether or not he makes the big club, it’s likely he enters his first year of pro as he’s done everything he can at the junior level. He should be able to quickly transition to pro-style play and could be a productive scorer for Montreal in the near future.
LW Kevin Fiala, Nashville Predators
Jun 27, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Kevin Fiala puts on a team sweater after being selected as the number eleven overall pick to the Nashville Predators in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
The 2014 first rounder had a lot of international success last season. He even appeared in 1 regular season and 1 playoff game for the Preds. He also played a 33 game stint in Milwaukee where he accumulated 20 points. Fiala is best known for his skating ability and creativity with the puck. The Preds have enough depth that Fiala could begin the season in Milwaukee, but he may force their hand to call him up sooner rather than later.
LW Michael Dal Colle, New York Islanders
Jun 27, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Michael Dal Colle walks to the stage after being selected as the number five overall pick to the New York Islanders in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Arguably one of the CHL’s premier players over the past couple seasons. He led the Oshawa Generals to a memorial cup win this past season. While it’s likely he spends one more year in junior, an impressive camp could help him secure a spot on a team that is extremely thin on left wing.
LW Shane Prince, Ottawa Senators
Feb 16, 2015; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators center Shane Prince (10) during warmup prior to game against the Carolina Hurricanes at Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
Prince was a 2011 second rounder who saw an improvement in point production in each of his 5 OHL seasons. He’s also seen a spike in point production in each of his last 3 seasons with AHL affiliate Binghamton, where he actually led the team in scoring last season. He only saw a couple games with the big club, but should push to compete for a full-time roster spot this season.
D Ivan Provorov, Philadelphia Flyers
Jun 26, 2015; Sunrise, FL, USA; Ivan Provorov puts on a team jersey after being selected as the number seven overall pick to the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Not many defense produce at a point per game rate. But that’s just what Provorov did last year in Brandon, scoring 61 points in 60 games. Going into the 2015 draft, he was highly regarded as an NHL ready defenseman. The Flyers have a lot of question marks on the blue-line heading into the season. A solid training camp could help this young man secure a spot on a team that’s been desperate for elite talent on the back end for awhile.
C Robby Fabbri, St.Louis Blues
Sep 22, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; St. Louis Blues center Robby Fabbri (15) skates against the Dallas Stars during the game at the American Airlines Center. The Stars defeated the Blues 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
With the recent surgery to Jori Lehtera that’s expected to keep him out of the lineup for the beginning of the season, it’s almost assured that one of Fabbri or Barbashev will start the season in St.Louis. Considering that Robby Fabbri nearly made the team out of training camp last season, you’d have to consider him to be the front runner.
C Ivan Barbashev, St.Louis Blues
While Robby Fabbri may have the upper-hand heading into training camp, things could change very quickly. Barbashev is an extremely underrated talent who is strong in all aspects of his game. Watching him with the puck on his stick in the offensive zone is an absolute treat. He’ll be a big part of the Blues moving forward.
RW Nikolay Goldobin, San Jose Sharks
Jun 27, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Nikolay Goldobin poses for a photo with team officials after being selected as the number twenty-seven overall pick to the San Jose Sharks in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
This young man slipped down to the 27th pick in 2014 draft. Offensively, he was easily a top 5 talent. Weaknesses in his defensive game saw him slide to the end of the first round. After a 94 point campaign in Sarnia of the OHL in 13-14, he took talents overseas to play in the top Finnish league (SM-Liiga) where he accumulated 21 points in 38 games. He followed that up with a short 9 game stint with Worcester of the AHL, where he put up 5 points. The thing fans will notice quickly about Goldobin is his stick-handling ability, it’s simply breathtaking. He’s also got an incredibly quick release on his shot. He’s a star in waiting.
RW Connor Brown, Toronto Maple Leafs
When it comes to Toronto Maple Leafs prospects, it seems like Connor Brown never gets enough respect. Anything he did in Erie of the OHL was assumed to be nothing more than a product of playing with phenom Connor McDavid. We’re talking about a guy who put up 128 points in his last season of major junior. Then he steps in with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies and racks up 61 points as a rookie. Yet when you look around social media, the only Leafs prospects being talked about are Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Kasperi Kapanen, and Frederik Gauthier. Brown could probably use one more season to bulk up physically since he is a little underssized. The Leafs are going to bring their prospects along slowly, but truth is, one more season for Brown in the AHL and he may achieve all that he can at that level. While it’s unclear exactly where he might fit in this lineup in the future, there’s a decent chance he could be productive winger down the road.
D Madison Bowey, Washington Capitals
Here’s another point per game defenseman coming out of the WHL. His 6’2 210lb frame is NHL ready. While some may believe the Caps made a mistake letting Mike Green walk, those same people probably didn’t realize that this young man can likely step in immediately a be a top-pairing defenseman. Consider him the likely candidate to lead all rookie defense in scoring this upcoming season. He would have to have a pretty horrible training camp to not land a job with the big club.