NHL Rookie Notebook: Lafreniere's first career goal built for Broadway

Every week throughout the 2020-21 season, we’re highlighting a handful of rookie performances and milestones from around the league. Here’s a roundup of standout firsts and big debuts, opening what is likely to be a fun Calder race:

Devils’ Smith starts career with a streak

Ty Smith looks right at home on the New Jersey Devils’ blue line, opening his NHL career with a five-game point streak. The 20-year-old Alberta native and 2018 first-rounder (17th overall) scored in his league debut earlier this month and followed it up with assists in the next four, including his first career two-point night on Sunday.

His career-opening streak came to an end on Tuesday night against the Philadelphia Flyers, just one game shy of matching Marek Zidlicky’s career-opening point streak record of six. Smith is the sixth defenceman in NHL history to begin his career with a five-game point streak.

The last time we saw a rookie rearguard start this hot was … actually, just last year: Colorado Avalanche defender Cale Makar also opened his first regular season with a five-game point streak (also tallying six points — all assists), en route to eventually winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year.

Smith, who’s got six points in seven games, has struck excellent chemistry with teammate — and roommate! — Jack Hughes, who has himself been off to an excellent start in Year 2 after struggling to hit his stride as a rookie in 2019-20. The top pick of the 2019 draft class assisted on Smith’s first career NHL goal, and two of Smith’s five helpers came on Hughes’s goals.

Oettinger gets first start in Stars’ crease

Dallas Stars rookie goalie Jake Oettinger got his first career NHL start Thursday night, and came out victorious in a 7-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings. Oettinger, 22, saved 20 of 23 shots in the victory. It was expected that the 22-year-old, who has started the season backing up Anton Khudobin with Ben Bishop sidelined, would see action this week, and considering the club’s back-to-back coming up this weekend he could soon see more.

The Minnesotan, previously a standout at Boston University and with the U.S. National Team Development Program, was with the Stars in the bubble where he backed up Anton Khudobin throughout Ben Bishop’s long absence. He even saw some action, playing a little over 17 minutes in his debut relief stint against the Vegas Golden Knights during the Western Conference Final and then suiting up again once for a brief stint in the Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Combined, he saw eight shots and stopped all of them.

The Stars selected Oettinger 26th overall in 2017.

Fellow Stars rookie Ty Dellandrea, who himself has had a strong start to his pro career with a goal and an assist in his first four games, spoke highly of his netminder’s poise in the crease.

“He was steady, calm and confident,” Dellandrea told reporters after the game. “He brought a lot of confidence to our group and I’m happy for him getting his first win.”

Kaprizov worth the wait

Five years after the Minnesota Wild selected him in the fifth round of the 2015 draft, Kirill Kaprizov has finally arrived in the NHL and, wow, was it worth the wait. In eight games so far this season for the 5-3 Wild, Kaprizov has a pair of goals and five assists. He’s leading his team in points, all rookies in points league-wide, and all rookie forwards in average time on ice. He just needs one more point to tie Mikko Koivu’s record for most points by a Wild rookie in his first 10 career games.

Kaprizov kicked things off with a three-point night in his NHL debut, capped off with a gorgeous overtime winner against the Los Angeles Kings as his first career goal:

The Russian winger is playing like a veteran — because, well, he kind of is. The 23-year-old already has six years of professional hockey under his belt, having played in the KHL starting at age 16. There, he was a mainstay at the all-star game with five straight appearances, twice leading the league in goals (30 in 2018-19 and 33 in 2019-20), and is two years removed from being crowned Gagarin Cup champion with CSKA Moskva.

He also has an extensive international resume, which includes silver and bronze medals at the world juniors, captaining Team Russia in 2016-17 while leading the whole tournament in goals and points, and being voted best forward on the junior stage. One year later, he led Russia to Olympic gold while leading that tournament in goals, too.

Kirill Kaprizov's confidence is sky high right now. #NHLonSN #ItsOn pic.twitter.com/cGaasR6dCs

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 23, 2021

Lafreniere’s first career goal built for Broadway

Alexis Lafreniere is officially on the board. The No. 1 overall pick of last fall’s draft scored his first NHL goal Thursday night — a gorgeous overtime winner against the Buffalo Sabres.

This year’s rookie class clearly has a flair for the dramatic — Lafreniere is the third player this season to score his first career goal in overtime, with Devils winger Yegor Sharangovich scoring on Jan. 16 and Minnesota’s Kaprizov kicking things off on Jan. 14.

Another year, another remarkable Canucks rookie

In 2018-19, Elias Pettersson took the league by storm and claimed Calder Trophy honours for his efforts. Last season it was Quinn Hughes who had the league in awe. Now, the Vancouver Canucks have introduced another remarkable rookie in forward Nils Hoglander.

The 2019 second-rounder has been a bright spot for a Vancouver club that struggled out of the gates. This play in particular shows just how special a talent this Swede is:

Earlier this week, SportLogiq’s Mike Kelly highlights Hoglander’s puck battles and relentless effort in driving plays as two can’t-miss qualities keeping the team’s offence afloat.

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