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In this edition of the hotstove, we share our thoughts on which rookies have impressed us the most thus far.
Todd Cordell
Quinn Hughes.
I knew he’d be very good for the Vancouver Canucks. I didn’t know he’d be *this* good this fast. His performance to date is impressive for any player, let alone a 20-year-old.
The Canucks have controlled 53.85% of the shot attempts and 55.07% of the expected goals with Hughes on the ice at 5v5. The production has been there, too, with Hughes piling up seven points in 10 games.
Perhaps most impressively, he’s quarterbacking the power play like no other. Seriously. Of the 57 defenders with 20+ minutes of power play time to date, Hughes leads the way – by far – in on-ice attempts per 60. The Canucks are generating 144(!) with him out there. Small sample size, I know, but for perspective of how insane that is, last year the Leafs’ PP led the way averaging ~112 per 60.
He’s the kind of high-end puck mover and facilitator the Canucks have lacked for years.
James Tanner
Jack Hughes has been the most impressive rookie so far. He's got a 45% Corsi and he went scorelss for his first six games, so I get that this might seem like a weird pick.
But Hughes has a modest three game points streak, and if he didn't hit the post so many times he never would have went six games without a point.
He's currently sitting with a 95 PDO at 5v5, which is extremely low. His on-ice shooting percentage is a very low 7.5% while he has a personal shooting percentage of zero.
I think Hughes has looked pretty good, and one of his problems has been that when paired with Hall, Hischier has been out with injury so there's been no reason for other teams to worry about any other Jersey lines, which probably explains why his numbers with Hall are so brutal, while he's posting 55% CF with Simmonds. Hughes is really fun to watch, and the totals are going to start matching the skill. He should still be the favorite to win the Calder
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