Don’t look now, but Brock Boeser could become the first Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Canucks player in more than a generation to win the NHL’s rookie of the year award.
The 20-year-old right winger posted his 15thÌýpoint in 15 games in the Canucks’ 3-2 comeback win over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night. He leads his team in scoring, despite having missed three games, and is second in rookie scoring behind Clayton Keller of the Arizona Coyotes. Boeser also leads all rookies in points per game.
Boeser’s best asset is his heavy, accurate wrist shot. In a short time, he has already established himself as the Canucks’ best pure scorer since Markus Naslund, who peaked with 48 goals and 104 points in 2002-03.
Boeser also has a flare for the dramatic. On Nov. 4, he became the first Canucks player in nearly two years to score a hat trick on home ice.
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A dominant game on national television against the defending Stanley Cup champions catapulted the Burnsville, Minnesota, native into the centre of the Calder Trophy conversation.
Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association determine the winner of the Calder each year, ranking their top five candidates on their voting ballots. Canucks players are rarely in the mix.
In their 46-year history, the Canucks have only had one Calder winner – Pavel Bure. The explosive right winger scored 34 goals and 60 points in 65 games to beat out defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom and winger Tony Amonte for the honour in 1991-92.
Two other Canucks have finished second in Calder voting. Current team president Trevor Linden lost out to Brian Leetch in 1988-89 and defenceman Mattias Ohlund finished behind Sergei Samsonov in 1997-98.
The Canucks have never chosen first overall at the draft. Daniel and Henrik Sedin were selected second and third respectively in 1999, but needed time to reach their potential. In their rookie season in 2000-01, Daniel posted 34 points in 82 games while Henrik had 29. Daniel finished eighth in a Calder race won by goaltender Evgeni Nabokov — just ahead of another young goalie namedÌý Roberto Luongo — while future Hart Trophy winner Henrik did not receive a single Calder vote.
Bo Horvat has also improved steadily since his rookie season. In 2014-15, he posted 25 points in 68 games and finished 11th in a Calder race won by Florida Panthers defenceman Aaron Ekblad.
Drafted 23rdÌýoverall in 2015, Boeser’s emergence as an NHL star is important to the Canucks right now for two reasons. Firstly, he's a reminder that top-level talent can be unearthed outside the top five draft positions. Secondly, Boeser appears to be at the crest of an unprecedented wave of young talent that’s coming into Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»behind him.
Let’s start on the farm with the Utica Comets. Goaltender Thatcher Demko (2ndÌýround, 2014) has a 4-2-1 record with a 1.85 goals-against average and .939 save percentage and was named the AHL’s goaltender of the month for October, while Nikolay Goldobin (acquired at the 2017 trade deadline) leads the team in scoring with 14 points in 12 games.
In the NCAA, Northeastern University centre Adam Gaudette (5thÌýround, 2014) has taken another step forward in his impressive development, leading the Hockey East conference in scoring with 17 points in 10 games.
prospect Adam Gaudette picks up his 7th goal of the season - roofing it over Oettinger
— Ryan Biech (@ryanbiech)
In Europe, defenceman Olli Juolevi (1stÌýround, 2016) has eight points in 10 games with TPS Turku of the Finnish League and his teammate Petrus Palmu (6thÌýround, 2017) has 14 points in 22 games.
Jonathan Dahlen (acquired at the 2017 trade deadline) has recovered from an offseason bout of mono and is leading his Swedish first-division team Timra IK with 13 points in 10 games. Best of all, Elias Pettersson (1stÌýround, 2017) is dominating the top-level Swedish Hockey League. He's fourth overall in league scoring with 18 points in 16 games despite having just turned 19 on Nov. 12.
prospect Elias Pettersson picks the top corner on the one timer to put Vaxjo up 3-1 in 1st
— Ryan Biech (@ryanbiech)
That’s not all. Back in Canadian major junior, goaltender Michael DiPietro (3rdÌýround, 2017) ranks second in the OHL’s goaltending category with a 12-5-0 record and is making a push for Canada’s World Junior team, while winger Kole Lind (2ndÌýround, 2017) has 32 points in 20 games with the Kelowna Rockets, which puts him in the top 10 in the high-scoring WHL.
Chances are, not all of these prospects will pan out. If even a few can follow Boeser’s path and become legitimate NHL players, they will form the foundation of the Canucks’ next generation in the post-Sedin era.
Boeser’s Calder Competition:
Clayton Keller (Arizona Coyotes): Keller leads all rookies in goals (11) and points (17) — a similar pace to the 40 goals and 69 points that earned Auston Matthews the Calder last season. Keller’s case is hampered by playing for the Arizona Coyotes, a team that receives limited media exposure and currently sits last in the NHL standings.
Nico Hischier (New Jersey Devils):ÌýWith 14 points, the first-overall pick from 2017 is tied for third in rookie scoring on a surprising Devils team that’s currently leading the tough Metropolitan Division.
Matthew Barzal (New York Islanders):ÌýAlso with 14 points, the 20-year-old Coquitlam native has found great chemistry on a line with winger Jordan Eberle. On November 5, Barzal recorded a five-assist night in the Islanders’ 6-4 win over the Colorado Avalanche.
Mikhail Sergachev (Tampa Bay Lightning): Acquired from the Montreal Canadiens in the offseason in exchange for Jonathan Drouin, the 19-year-old has made a seamless transition into Tampa Bay’s high-powered scoring machine. He leads all rookie defencemen with four goals and has 12 points in his first 18 games with the league-leading Lightning.
Charlie McAvoy (Boston Bruins): After a gold-medal win with Team USA at the 2017 World Junior Championship and a solid NHL debut for the Boston Bruins in the playoffs last spring, McAvoy ranks third in scoring by defencemen with eight points. He's developing his game alongside Zdeno Chara on Boston’s top blue-line pairing.
Charlie Lindgren (Montreal Canadiens): If injured goaltender Carey Price is out of action for any significant period of time, Lindgren could play his way into Calder consideration. The undrafted 23-year-old has helped turn around the Canadiens season with his 3-1-1 record, 1.39 goals-against average and .957 save percentage since being called up on November 3.
Upcoming Games:
Thursday, Nov. 16: Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Canucks vs. Vegas Golden Knights, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 18: Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Canucks vs. St. Louis Blues, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 22: Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Canucks at Philadelphia Flyers, 4 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 23: Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Canucks at Pittsburgh Penguins, 4 p.m.
• Follow Carol Schram on TwitterÌý@pool88.
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