We’re three completed days into the NHL season and have already seen some great starts from a few rookies.
We saw Toronto’s William Nylander post two assists playing with Auston Matthews in the Maple Leafs’ opener, a 5-4 OT loss to the Ottawa Senators. Chicago’s Ryan Hartman scored his first career NHL goal in 8:33 of ice time in the Blackhawks’ 5-2 loss to the Blues. Dallas’s 6-foot-3 defenceman Stephen Johns also got on the board for the first time this season, after scoring once in 14 games last season — and 2015 first-round pick Zach Werenski recorded an assist in his first NHL game with Columbus.
So there have been some strong rookie performances very early this season, but for the purpose of this article, we’re going to look specifically at the players picked last summer in the 2016 NHL Draft. How have they done so far?
AUSTON MATTHEWS, TORONTO, FIRST OVERALL
If you haven’t seen or heard about Matthews’ feat in his first game, welcome back to civilization.
The Arizona-born, Toronto-bound Matthews was magnificent in his NHL debut, scoring four goals. It’s incredible that, as the NHL sets off on a season celebrating its 100th year, that Matthews set a league record on the very first night. No modern player had ever scored four in their debut before.
Matthews scored his four goals on six shots and with 17:37 of ice time. It was a debut no one, Leafs fan or not, will forget any time soon.
Especially not Matthews’ parents.
Projections for Matthews coming into the season generally ranged from the 45- to 60-point range and although one game, no matter how incredible and historic, should change those numbers too much, Matthews’ situation is especially interesting considering his route to the NHL.
Rather than coming from major junior against teenagers, or the NCAA against teens and guys in their early 20s, Matthews played last season for Zurich of the Swiss League against fully grown professional men. It’s obviously not the best league in the world, and maybe not even Europe, but that kind of exposure should help make the transition at least a little easier.
But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.
PATRIK LAINE, WINNIPEG, SECOND OVERALL
If you didn’t pick Matthews as your pre-season Calder Trophy favourite, you probably had Laine, who was named MVP of the world championship last May and is considered the better natural goal scorer. Although his first NHL game wasn’t as memorable as Matthews’, that’s a pretty high bar to meet. Laine’s debut was still a good one that somewhat flew under the radar.
In 18:27 of ice time, he scored a goal and an assist to help the Jets come back from a 4-1 deficit to earn the win. Laine’s goal made it 4-3, and he assisted on the tying goal.
Laine couldn’t have scored at a younger age in the NHL, given this was his first eligible season, but he became the third-youngest player to ever score for the Thrashers/Jets franchise.
Naturally, attention turned to a potential budding Ovechkin-Crosby-esque competition between the first overall pick and Laine, who said a number of times prior to the draft that he believed he should be taken No. 1.
Laine, who we assume is going to have many memorable interviews and sound bites over his career, seems to love Winnipeg too, and spoke about the loud crowd after that game.
JESSE PULJUJARVI, EDMONTON, FOURTH OVERALL
Not to be outdone, the player we presumed would go No. 3 at the draft, but who fell a spot to No. 4, scored a goal in his debut on Wednesday in the opening game at Rogers Place in Edmonton. It wasn’t as impressive a performance as Matthews (duh) or as important a goal as Laine’s, but Puljujarvi got on the board nonetheless.
Puljujarvi played 12:52 and scored on a quick shot that, to be honest, Brian Elliott probably should have had. It was one of two shots on the night for the 6-foot-4, 208-pound Finn.
Puljujarvi played his second NHL game Friday in Round 2 of the Battle of Alberta, but it wasn’t as eventful for him. This time, he was held off the scoresheet in just 7:26 of ice time.
MATTHEW TKACHUK, CALGARY, SIXTH OVERALL
The son of former NHLer Keith was right in the middle of the Battle of Alberta rivalry for his first NHL game, as a road player heading into the opening of Edmonton’s brand new Rogers Place Arena.
He may not have scored a goal or an assist, but Tkachuk made his presence felt in other, more physical ways. He was a monster scorer in the OHL, coming off a 107-point season, but what was so attractive about drafting Tkachuk to the Flames was that he comes with an edge that Western Conference teams welcome.
Tkachuk was noted for delivering a hard hit on Adam Larsson and for this slew foot on Brandon Davidson, which injured the defencemen. He set a tone that he is not afraid to involve himself in the rivalry.
“Kid’s a kind of pain in the ass,” Brian Burke told the Calgary Herald after picking Tkachuk. “We don’t have enough guys who are pains in the ass. And the way I like to play, I like guys who are pains in the ass.”
Tkachuk added two hits and two shots on goal in 12:30 of ice time.
“He’s been awesome so far,” Dougie Hamilton told the Edmonton Journal. “I think he’ll be a thorn in everyone’s side, not just Edmonton’s. That’s his game, it makes him effective and it opens up time and space for him.”
Like Puljujarvi, he played his second game Friday night, this time in Calgary for their home opener.
He played 13:33 in the second game, another Flames loss, and recorded three shots but no points.
With the skill and grit players adding up in Edmonton and Calgary, the Battle of Alberta looks to be picking up steam.
MIKHAIL SERGACHEV, MONTREAL, NINTH OVERALL
The young Russian defenceman had the roughest opening night of all the 2016 draft players, but you can’t blame a kid who plays such a difficult position to step into in the NHL. It’s also worth noting he was the youngest player in the league on opening night.
While Montreal won the game handily over the Buffalo Sabres, 4-1 with backup Al Montoya in net, Sergachev saw just 11:48 of ice time and didn’t record a point. Let’s delay negative overreactions though, shall we?
Sergachev was the second defenceman taken in the draft behind Olli Juolevi to Vancouver at No. 5, but many pundits thought he was good enough to be the first blue-liner off the board. At 6-foot-3, 206 pounds, Sergachev brings size, a physical game, along with the speed and transition abilities the Canadiens will sorely need after subbing out P.K. Subban for Shea Weber, to go along with Alexei Emelin and Andrei Markov.
Sergachev will have his big game eventually.
