Lots of names in Calder hunt
There is no Matthews, or Laine, but someone has to be the best
Having just won the NHL draft lottery, New Jersey Devils general manager Ray Shero sat in the lounge of his Toronto hotel sipping a beverage and trying to wrap his head about what had just transpired.
The date was April 29. Just an hour earlier, with a handful of wishful NHL GMs on hand at the nearby CBC studios, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly had revealed that Shero’s Devils had moved up from No. 5 to land the top spot in the 2017 entry draft.
The Devils odds of winning the sweepstakes were 8.5 per cent. On this night, that would be more than good enough.
“Maybe there is no Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews in this draft,” Shero said at the time, still dealing with the shock of landing the No. 1 pick. “But there are some very good players, guys that will be difference makers one day.”
The specific choice facing him came down to Nolan versus Nico. For months, scouts had made their cases for a pair of centres, Nolan Patrick of the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings and Nico Hischier of the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads.
When it was time to make the selection at the draft two months later at the United Center in Chicago, Shero opted for Hischier. Patrick was the safer pick in the minds of some teams. But for Shero, Hischier had the potential to produce a highlight reel moment on any given shift.
And for a Devils franchise looking to build up its fan base, the flashier option was the way to go.
Did Shero make the right choice? Will he be haunted if Patrick ends up being the bigger star? Having been selected No. 2 by the rival Flyers, Patrick will be playing about 75 minutes down the road from Newark in Philadelphia. As such, try as he might, it will be difficult for Shero to avoid the NicoNolan comparison that, at times, could be omnipresent.
Whatever the case, we do know this: Hischier and Patrick are among an impressive, if not splashy, cache of talented rookies look to leave a mark during the upcoming season.
Keeping that in mind, here are seven names who could have a shot at the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year for the upcoming season.
C Nico Hischier, New Jersey Devils
It didn’t take long for the first overall pick to make a splash in his inaugural NHL training camp, accruing seven points (four goals, three assists) in four preseason games.
His impressive performance out of the gates has coach John Hynes contemplating a top-six role for him.
C Nolan Patrick, Philadelphia Flyers
Having battled a series of injuries throughout his young career, Patrick claims he’s feeling 100 percent after surgery June 13 to repair a sports hernia. The No. 2 overall pick hasn’t backed off from anyone in training camp, even dropping the gloves with the Boston Bruins’ David Krecji.
F Brock Boeser, Vancouver Canucks
Selected 23rd overall in the 2015 draft, Boeser scored four goals in nine games for the Canucks late last season after joining the team.
Having played at the University of North Dakota, Boeser had an impressive preseason and could snap up one of the top six forward spots once the season starts.
D Charlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins
After being a standout for Team USA at the World Junior Championship, McAvoy stepped right into the Bruins lineup for Boston’s sixgame first-round elimination to the Ottawa Senators and logged almost 27 minutes a game playing alongside captain Zdeno Chara. He’s ready to make an impact.
F Clayton Keller, Arizona Coyotes
What he lacks in size (5-10, 168), he makes up in speed. Exhibited his potential last season when he won the Tim Taylor Award as the most outstanding freshman in NCAA Division I men’s hockey after scoring 45 points (21 goals, 24 assists) in 31 games at Boston University.
F Joshua Ho- Sang, New York IsIanders
Controversy may have followed this kid around the past few seasons but skill has never been an issue.
After recording 10 points in 21 games for the Islanders late last season, don’t be surprised to see him get time at right wing on a line with Brock Nelson and Andrew Ladd.
F Alex DeBrincat, Chicago Blackhawks
Scoring has come naturally to this point in his career for the diminutive DeBrincat, who won the OHL scoring championship with the Erie Otters last season with 127 points. If his first-star performance in a pre-season game against the Detroit Red Wings is any indication, he isn’t intimidated by playing at the NHL level.
Other Notables: D Thomas Chabot (Ottawa Senators); F Kyle Connor(Winnipeg Jets); F Tyson Jost (Colorado Avalanche); F Joel Eriksson Ek(Minnesota Wild); D Mikhail Sergachev (Tampa Bay Lightning).