NHL: Rookies Dominating Early Season Play
Just a couple of days into the regular season and a very common theme has emerged early on - young players making their presence on the score sheets.
Through just two nights of hockey and the list of rookies who have gotten on the scoreboard is already becoming quite long.
All in total, 19 first year players have recorded points. Obviously when thinking of people scoring their first points, thoughts automatically go to Auston Matthews and his four game effort in his first career game, for just cause.
The first overall pick of the 2016 draft became the first player in the modern era to register four goals in his NHL debut. In a losing effort, Matthews single handedly carried the Maple Leafs to earning at least a single point in the standings, falling to the Ottawa Senators 5-4 in overtime.
Matthews wasn’t alone in scoring in his debut, of the 19 rookies to score already, ten of them did so in their first game. Three of the top four draft picks registered a goal in their debuts, as Jesse Puljujarvi and Patrik Laine also lit the lamp along with Matthews.
Both from Finland, Puljujarvi scored in Edmonton’s romp of the Calgary Flames on opening night, and Laine brought the Winnipeg Jets within one in their eventual come from behind win over Carolina.
Laine’s teammate Kyle Connor, also making his NHL debut, assisted on the power play marker as well. Zach Werenski, Pavel Buchnevich, Sebastian Aho, Brandon Carlo, Tyler Motte, and Anthony Beauvillier also recorded assist in their first game as well.
P.K.’s Debut
It is probably a good thing that Shea Weber’s debut with the Montreal Canadiens came before P.K. Subban played his first game as a Nashville Predator. What’s definitely a good thing is that Weber went ahead and scored his first in a Montreal jersey before Subban even had the chance to do so.
Could you imagine the internet’s reaction if it had been the other way around?
Subban gets his Predators’ career underway against the Chicago Blackhawks. In Nashville, Subban has the opportunity to be a rock star in the country capital. Not only is he going to be a perfect fit on the ice with his teammates, he has already shown to be so off the ice interacting with the fans.
Heightened Expectations In Winnipeg
It may be one goal, in just one game but if Mark Scheifele doesn’t record 40 goals I’d be very much shocked. Steep hill to climb, maybe, but he did score 29 goals in just 71 games last year. Using his shot rate and shooting percentage, had he played in the other 11 games he missed, he could have had four-to-five goals to that total, pushing him to the mid-30s range.
Add into the fact that he possess one of the best wrist shots in the game, and 40 might not be too much a surprise.
