Hockey fans were treated to a ridiculously stacked NHL rookie class last year. With Connor Bedard, Brock Faber, Logan Cooley, Luke Hughes, Adam Fantilli, Leo Carlsson and others, we saw many future faces of the game make their first impression.
This year’s crop of first-year players isn’t as star-studded or deep, but there’s still plenty of intriguing talent. There are also several under-the-radar sophomore players who are off to hot starts and deserve more of the spotlight.
I wanted to shed light on some of those early rookie and sophomore 2024-25 performances in this piece. This story isn’t necessarily about the “best” rookies or sophomores — we’re not going to analyze the preseason Calder favorites (Matvei Michkov, Macklin Celebrini, Logan Stankoven), nor are we going to focus on the big-name second-year players like Bedard, Faber, Cooley, Fantilli, Carlsson and Matthew Knies (he’s not a potentially elite talent like those players but because he plays in the NHL’s biggest market, there’s already a lot of attention on him). The point is to give some love to less heralded names exceeding expectations so far this season.
Age: 20
Draft status: No. 62 pick in 2022
Stats: 10 GP, 0G-5A-5P, 23:11 ATOI
How he’s looked: Hutson dominated the NCAA over the past couple of years, but as an undersized 5-foot-9 defenseman, especially one without elite draft pedigree, there were questions about how seamlessly his game would translate to the NHL. It hasn’t been a perfectly smooth transition — he’s had a couple of rough outings defensively — but Hutson is flashing sky-high potential with his electrifying skill set.
The 20-year-old is already leading the Canadiens in averaging 23:11 per game. As colleague Arpon Basu pointed out, he’s top 20 among all NHL defensemen in even-strength minutes.
NHL Even-Strength Ice-Time Leaders (D)
Hutson is a smooth skater and already looks like a one-man breakout machine at times. For example, in the clip below, watch how he turns on the jets to dust Mathew Barzal and carry the puck up the ice.
Sure, that example is from three-on-three overtime where there’s extra space to skate, but I’ve seen him easily shake off forecheckers many times during five-on-five play too. He’s going to be a tremendous asset in transition. Five points in 10 games is also solid production considering that he isn’t even the Canadiens’ go-to power-play quarterback option yet (Mike Matheson still leads the Montreal defenders in PP ice time).
Hutson’s defensive game needs fine-tuning, but it hasn’t been nearly as problematic as you might expect for a rookie 5-foot-9 defenseman. Some of his mistakes, like the turnover below, which led to a goal against, come from him being too adventurous with the puck but I’d much rather have a player with elite tools learn what they can and can’t get away with at the NHL level rather than play it overly safe and stunt his potential upside.
Hutson’s underlying numbers aren’t pretty so far, but I wouldn’t read much into them for a few reasons. Firstly, the Canadiens’ defensive environment as a whole has been awful. Team environment can heavily influence a defenseman’s numbers, especially in a super small sample. Second, he’s being thrown to the wolves with heavy deployment. I guarantee he’d have much better numbers if he was sheltered like most rookie defensemen are. Third, he’s been partnered with David Savard, who’s not a top-four caliber partner. When he’s played with Kaiden Guhle instead, they’ve controlled more than 50 percent of scoring chances and outscored teams 3-0 at five-on-five.
Overall, Hutson looks like a key building block piece for the Canadiens’ blue line.
Age: 21
Draft status: No. 6 pick in 2021
Stats: 9 GP, 1G-3A-4P, 21:20 ATOI
How he’s looked: It’s taken Edvinsson fewer than 10 games this season to emerge as a top pair workhorse next to Moritz Seider. The 21-year-old has averaged 22:42 over his last five games, has picked up four points in nine games and has looked sturdy defensively against top players.
Edvinsson is a towering 6-foot-6, can impressively skate the puck out of trouble and plays a competitive, physical game. He closes gaps remarkably quickly as a one-on-one defender, leveraging his massive wingspan and mobility to assertively kill plays. Here’s a shift against the Islanders, defending a late lead on the penalty kill, where he shut down New York’s zone entry attempts.
Detroit’s top pair has performed significantly better since Edvinsson’s promotion.
Edvinsson and Seider will only keep improving together — they’re an exciting top pair that the Red Wings can build their back end around.
Age: 23
Draft status: No. 214 pick in 2019
Stats: 3-1-0, .924 SV%
How he’s looked: Young goaltenders are extremely hard to predict, and four games is a tiny sample, but Wolf appears to be on the path to establishing himself as a bona fide starting goaltender.
The 23-year-old is undersized at 6 feet but has every other trait you look for in a top goaltender — he’s quick, athletic, positionally sound and reads the play in front of him well. He’s averaged a dominant .926 save percentage in the AHL over the last three seasons, a scintillating statistical profile that points to a really high NHL ceiling.
Wolf has been peppered with at least 32 shots in all four of his starts and his only loss was against the Winnipeg Jets. Even in that game, two of Winnipeg’s goals came off ridiculously unlucky bounces and he still produced some electrifying moments to keep the Flames close. Watch how many Grade-A chances he stopped during the Jets’ extended five-on-three power play in the third period with the game tied.
Wolf has been one of the key catalysts for Calgary’s surprisingly hot start.
Age: 22
Draft status: No. 60 pick in 2022
Stats: 9 GP, 3G-5A-9P, 13:42 ATOI
How he’s looked: Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kakko and Cuylle have combined to form the best third line in the NHL so far this season. The trio has dominated opponents on the shot clock, controlled 69 percent of expected goals and pumped teams with an 8-0 five-on-five goal differential.
Cuylle’s seven points in eight games already represent a third of his entire production from last year as a rookie. He brings a lot more to the table than just offense, though. Cuylle adds a heavy, physical 6-foot-3 presence and is tied for fifth in the NHL for hits. He’s also driven strong defensive metrics since his rookie year. When you pair Cuylle’s and Kakko’s size and two-way reliability on the flank with Chytil’s speed and dynamic offensive skill, you end up with three well-rounded players who complement each other perfectly.
Cuylle and his linemates have earned more five-on-five ice time this season than Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider and Reilly Smith, which, on paper, is the Rangers’ second line.
Rangers’ 5v5 ice-time leaders (forwards)
All three players on this line are 25 or younger — this is exactly the type of youthful second-wave the Rangers need given that some of their top offensive stars are on the wrong side of 30.
Age: 23
Draft status: No. 9 pick in 2020
Stats: 9 GP, 3G-5A-8P, 16:48 ATOI
How he’s looked: It hasn’t been easy for the Wild to find legit top-six centers in recent years besides Joel Eriksson Ek. Rossi’s excellent sophomore start — after a solid 21-goal, 40-point rookie campaign — means Minnesota finally has another high-end center.
All of Rossi’s points have come at even strength; he’s two points back of Kirill Kaprizov for the Wild’s five-on-five scoring lead. Jack Eichel is the only center in the league who’s produced more five-on-five points than him.
NHL Centers With Most 5v5 Points
It helps, of course, that he’s playing on the top line with a superstar. Kaprizov is clearly the main driver, but Rossi’s played a crucial supporting role. He’s a decisive finisher around the net, an adept passer and a trustworthy two-way contributor.
Marco Rossi’s redirect finds twine for his third goal of the season 🚨#mnwild pic.twitter.com/TKDA7V14zZ
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) October 22, 2024
Kirill Kaprizov makes it a 1-0 #mnwild lead, what a feed from Marco Rossi. Kaprizov’s 3rd goal of the season pic.twitter.com/4mjMCIxOnz
— Alex Micheletti (@AlexMicheletti) October 24, 2024
Age: 26
Draft status: No. 183 pick in 2018
Stats: 10 GP, 3G-4A-7P, 10:44 ATOI
How he’s looked: There isn’t a single person who could have predicted that Koepke would be the Bruins’ second-leading point scorer behind David Pastrnak 10 games into the season. Obviously, this level of production isn’t going to last — Koepke’s a fourth-liner — but he’s been a revelation in the bottom six.
The Bruins have commanded a 63.6 percent share of expected goals and outscored opponents 10-1 with Koepke on the ice at five-on-five. He’s significantly older than most of the players on this list, and he has less upside than them too, but after spending most of the last two seasons in the AHL, it’s a feel-good story to see him establishing himself as a useful, everyday NHL contributor.
Koepke’s speed and the way he can transport the puck up ice have been a major asset for the fourth line. Here’s an example of him driving hard to the net, which leads to a secondary assist.
Mark Kastelic ties things up for Boston.
Great work from Cole Koepke driving to the net. Gets rewarded with a secondary assist.
2-2 game. pic.twitter.com/t0FZDFAcjg
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) October 10, 2024
Koepke’s emergence is especially valuable because Boston’s overall pool of wingers is below average.
Age: 24
Draft status: No. 79 pick in 2019
Stats: 10 GP, 4G-3A-7P, 15:26 ATOI
How he’s looked: Dorofeyev has seamlessly elevated into a top-six role for the Golden Knights. The 24-year-old sniper has scored four times in 10 games and leads all Vegas forwards with 25 shots on goal, a mark that ranks top 50 among all NHL players. This is a continued trend from last year where he generated shots and scoring chances at a prolific volume relative to his ice time.
NHL Shots on Goal Leaders (Forwards)
Dorofeyev’s one-timer has been a weapon from the right circle on the power play. He’s already scored twice with a blast on the man advantage:
Pavel Dorofeyev – Vegas Golden Knights (4)
Power Play Goal pic.twitter.com/2iJfbeZAVn— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) October 27, 2024
At even strength, he’s skated on Vegas’ second line with Tomas Hertl. They’ve been dangerous and collected points off the rush. Hertl’s driven zone entries with his dynamic puck carrying through the neutral zone and Dorofeyev has complemented him well by making poised, intelligent decisions when he receives the puck.
Dorofeyev’s shot, hands and offensive IQ are impressive attributes that should allow him to continue flourishing as a middle-six scoring threat.
Age: 23
Draft status: No. 83 pick in 2020
Stats: 10 GP, 5G-3A-8P, 15:33 ATOI
How he’s looked: Laferriere is big, fast and has a non-stop motor that he uses to play a direct, assertive style. He’s done a lot of dirty work to win battles and get the puck back for his line. When his skilled linemates have possession, he consistently finds lanes to get open for shots and Grade-A chances.
Finishing was often the challenge for Laferriere last year when he produced a modest 12 goals and 11 assists in 81 games as a rookie. That hasn’t held him back this time, as he’s raced to five goals and three assists in 10 games, with all of his production coming at five-on-five.
Laferriere’s speed is arguably his best asset. He ranks in the 87th percentile of all forwards for speed bursts above 20 miles per hour this season. Here’s an example of him stealing a puck on the backcheck and then using his pace to score on the counterattack.
He’s also scored a couple of his goals because of deflections in high-traffic areas. Laferriere may not have the purest skill or creativity, but he profiles like a speedy, high-energy top-nine grinder.
Age: 22
Draft status: No. 35 pick in 2021
Stats: 10 GP, 3G-3A-6P, 18:49 ATOI
How he’s looked: Evans is quickly emerging as one of the NHL’s most underrated young defensemen. The 22-year-old is a gifted skater and puck mover. He battles hard defensively despite his average size, too.
Evans split last season between the AHL and NHL. This year, he’s established himself as a full-time defenseman for Seattle and is playing a big role for such a young player, averaging nearly 19 minutes per game. With Vince Dunn on long-term injured reserve, Evans has slid up to the top pair and logged north of 21 minutes in three of the last four games. I’m not sure that he’s ready to excel this high up the lineup this early into his career, but he already looks capable of operating at a bona fide second-pair level.
Ryker Evans cuts Colorado lead to 1 on the Power Play#GoAvsGo: 3#SEAKraken: 2 pic.twitter.com/QhdrVEsgMZ
— Joseph (@HockeyJoseph10) October 23, 2024
He’s scored three goals and three assists in 10 games and the Kraken have won his minutes, outscoring opponents 10-7 during his five-on-five shifts.
Age: 21
Draft status: No. 8 pick in 2021
Stats: 10 GP, 1G-7A-8P, 18:07 ATOI
How he’s looked: When Drew Doughty went down with a long-term injury in preseason, the spotlight immediately shifted to Clarke and Jordan Spence. Many (including myself) figured that these two would have to eat top-four minutes to compensate for the loss of Doughty, who ranked second among all NHL players in averaging 25:48 last season, on the right side. Vladislav Gavrikov has shifted to the right side and successfully handled a massive workload, so the Kings haven’t had to lean on Clarke as heavily as I expected (I thought he might end up being closer to averaging 20 minutes per game), but the 2021 top-10 pick is still off to a good start in a key role.
Clarke has replaced Doughty as the first power-play unit quarterback and racked up eight points in 10 games. He’s raw defensively, which is normal for a rookie, but his offensive skill, creativity and puck-moving are already starting to shine.
Brandt Clarke strikes first for the Kings 👑#GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/DYGuvrCTnI
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) October 26, 2024
The Kings are generating more shots, scoring chances and actual goals than they’re giving up during Clarke’s five-on-five minutes, which is a good outcome considering his matchups haven’t been overly sheltered.
Honorable mentions: Michael Kesselring, Connor Zary, Martin Pospisil, Mason Lohrei, Mitchell Chaffee, Alex Turcotte, Jackson Blake, Maxim Tsyplakov, Jack Thompson, Nikolai Kovalenko, Victor Mancini
(Photos of Lane Hutson and Marco Rossi: David Kirouac and Kim Klement Neitzel / Imagn Images)
