Is this year a freak year for overall rookie performance?

[delled]

If you pitted the rookies from this season against the top annual rookies over the last 30 years, this year's rookies would land top 10.

Thoughts?

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[MrFunnyWobbl]

ok and?

They are allowed to play good. Elite players do that.

 

[OldMilIce]

It seems like rookies, as a whole, just keep getting better and better. Kids are getting over coached and groomed for the NHL from the time they are like 8 years old. They are training and practicing and playing so much that I can't see it slowing down. Its probably part of why the game is perceived to be boring and low scoring now. The kids are being taught to play in a system instead of going out and having fun. Good for individual players but maybe bad for the game overall.

That said this year and last year have had an unbelievable crop..

 

[DJJones]

Top 1/3 doesn't seem to crazy. It's a solid class.

That said I think the scoring will dip in the back half

 

[haulinbass]

I think this is sort of how things are going to go over the next few years. The games transitioning to rely heavily on speed and skill to overcome the defensive systems that have evolved beyond teams offensive abilities.

Players that can really skate and carry the puck into the offensive zone are phasing out the bigger/grittier/slower players. Eventually the demand will be adequately met and the amount of rookies breaking through may slow back down. There is a lot of players in the league that are being left behind and these younger players are more suited for the direction the game is/going and are able to take these spots.

Obviously young players having better access to knowledge/training is playing a role as well. You also have to consider because of this there is likely going to be a bigger pool of players that are likely to reach the ability to play pro. Just random numbers for an example. If say in the past only 10 players per year were good enough to reach the NHL, now say 20 per year are.. Well basically that means the old depth of the NHL is obsolete because there are more players available to increase the quality of the leagues depth. Once again making it easy to phase out the old with the new. We are starting to see a LOT of teams having quite a few quality skilled players. Teams have some pretty skilled 3rd liners today opposed to what we have seen in the past. This depth is likely going to keep improving taking the game to higher and higher levels as time goes on. Same concept as looking back to the 80s.. Any team today would kill any of those teams. The reason that has happened is basically the same concept of what I explained above. One day the limits will likely be reached on how good coaching/players can possibly become but I don't think we are quite there yet. Once this limit is reached and the depth of the NHL is maxed out your going to have to truly be a special player just to play on the 4th line in the NHL. But that could also be slowed and possibly reversed if our game lost popularity.

It's certainly a combination of a few things. But that's my take on it for the most part.

 

[ClydeLee]

last year had 8 rookies scoring 40+ points. 3 north of 50, this year it doesn't look like it will be more than that, maybe one more of those above 50 guys but rookie slogs will more likely still have a chance to effect some of these guys, especially seems potentially hitting the college guy like Vesey.

And nobody this year is at a PPG like McDavid was last year.

 

[MNRube]

last year had 8 rookies scoring 40+ points. 3 north of 50, this year it doesn't look like it will be more than that, maybe one more of those above 50 guys but rookie slogs will more likely still have a chance to effect some of these guys, especially seems potentially hitting the college guy like Vesey.

And nobody this year is at a PPG like McDavid was last year.

Laine isn't far from PPG. Could see finishing at or near it if Laine-Scheifele-Ehlers stays a thing and they get hot, like Scheifele did down the stretch last year.

 

[DearDiary]

Laine isn't far from PPG. Could see finishing at or near it if Laine-Scheifele-Ehlers stays a thing and they get hot, like Scheifele did down the stretch last year.

Laine is on pace for 68 points. When you consider that rookies points drop off in the later half of the season, he probably finishes ~60 points.

 

[Bending and Tending]

ok and?

They are allowed to play good. Elite players do that.

If you just want to be rude, you shouldn't reply. OP posed a valid topic for discussion: is this year a freak year for rookies?

No one said they weren't allowed to be good. Although you do make a good observation about elite players doing well. Very insightful.

As for the OP, I think it's a bit of a freak year considering how everything happened to work out. The Leafs rookies have been doing well together, while the rest of the top rookies are on teams trending upwards.

 

[WannabeFinn]

last year had 8 rookies scoring 40+ points. 3 north of 50, this year it doesn't look like it will be more than that, maybe one more of those above 50 guys but rookie slogs will more likely still have a chance to effect some of these guys, especially seems potentially hitting the college guy like Vesey.

And nobody this year is at a PPG like McDavid was last year.

hard to account for stud rookie D like Werenski, Provorov, Carlo, etc. when you only go off of point totals like that

 

[Treb]

2015-2016 - Panarin, Eichel, McDavid, Gothisbehere
2007-2008 - Kane, Toews, Backstrom
2006-2007 - Malkin , Statsny, Kopitar
2005-2006 - Crosby, Ovechkin
1992-1993 - Selanne, Juneau, Lindros, Zhamnov
1989-1990 - Makarov, Modano, Recchi
1988-1989 - Leetch, Granato, Sakic, Janney
1987-1988 - Nieuwendyk, Sheppard, Hull, Dahlen

Are all definitely better years in my book. So I guess a top10 could be argued, but it probably is a top15.