NHL Rookies to Watch in 2010-11
With National Hockey League (NHL) training camps just around the corner, questions will start being asked as to which players will make the teams to start the season. The biggest question usually surrounds rookie skaters who are looking to prove that they can hang with the big boys and compete on a regular basis.
Last year, fans were entertained by the growth of John Tavares, Matt Duchene and Niklas Bergfors. Below is a list of rookies who have a good chance of playing in the NHL next season.
Nino Niederreiter – Right Wing – New York Islanders
Niederreiter was the fifth pick overall in the 2010 entry draft and is expected to join the Islanders line-up out of camp. Selected higher than any other Swiss player in NHL history, Niederreiter is pegged as ready to play on the Islanders second line. The youngster played junior in North America and is believed to be ready for NHL duty.
Expect Niederreiter to struggle a little more than both Seguin and Hall, nevertheless, he will get a great deal of ice time with New York and could get chances on special teams.
Nikita Filatov – Left Winger – Columbus Blue Jackets
Just barley eligible for the Calder, Nikita Filatov is a lock to make the Blue Jackets if he decides to come back from Russia in time for next season. Filatov has played 21 games in the NHL, which puts him five games away from being ineligible for the Calder Trophy as the leagues top rookie. The sixth overall pick in the 2008 entry draft, Filatov struggled playing the defensive style preached by former Columbus coach Ken Hitchcock. Now that Hitchcock has been replaced and the team is committed to a much more open offensively charged game, Filatov should be far more effective.
Expect Filatov to play second line minutes the entire season as there is no way he will out battle Rick Nash as the team’s top left-winger. However, he should see a great deal of power play time.
Jamie McBain – Defenseman – Carolina Hurricanes
McBain spent part of last season at the University of Wisconsin before moving to the Hurricanes AHL affiliate the Albany River Rats. He only played 10 games with Albany, before being called up by Carolina for the remaining 14 games of the year. His production late last season makes him a shoe-in with the Hurricanes defensive core.
McBain may not challenge for the Calder, but he will see a great deal of minutes with the Hurricanes, and if someone were to get injured, McBain should get time on special teams.
Kyle Turris – Centre – Phoenix Coyotes
For a team with so many skilled young players, not many of them saw ice time with last year’s defence first Phoenix Coyotes. However, with the departure of Matthew Lombardi, Lee Stempniak, and Robert Lang, the line-up is going to need to be filled. Meaning Kyle Turris is likely to finally get a chance at playing a full 82 game schedule.
Although he did not make the team out of camp last year, Turris should be a staple in the Coyotes line-up for the duration in 2010-11. The youngster has preformed well everywhere he has played and the logical next step is to compete full-time in the NHL.
Expect Turris to play on the team’s third line getting an average amount of ice time. However, as the year progresses he could see some time on the clubs power play.
Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson – Left Wing – Edmonton Oilers
Along with Taylor Hall, Swedish born Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson is expected to make the Edmonton Oilers out of camp.
Although the Oilers have a great deal of young talent on the left side, Paajarvi-Svensson is ready to make the jump to the NHL. He has spent the last two seasons playing in the Swedish Elite League and was a point-per-game player in this year’s World Championships.
Expect Paajarvi-Svensson to get limited ice time to start the season, however, he is a strong and very fast and could see a lot of ice time late in the season with a sub-par Edmonton club.
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