text: 10 NHL rookies to watch this season | The Greenville News | greenvilleonline.com
  10 NHL rookies to watch this season
  New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider make a splash in last year's playoffs. / Marc DesRosiers, USA TODAY Sports	by Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Sportsby Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Sports Filed Under
  Before playing their first NHL regular-season game, rookies usually come equipped only with hype, promise and varying degrees of raw talent. Rookie Chris Kreider is an oddity in that he arrives at the New York Rangers training camp already established as "one of the guys" and a player with a track record of success as an NHL postseason performer.
  Although Kreider has yet to suit up for his first regular-season game, he played 18 playoff games for the Rangers last spring and made major contributions to help the team reach the Eastern Conference finals.
  "For someone to be a better rookie than Chris Kreider this year, the guy is going to have to be really impressive," said longtime NHL scout and team executive Craig Button, a hockey analyst for TSN in Canada and the NHL Network.
  After helping Boston College win its third NCAA title in five seasons, Kreider stepped into the Rangers' playoff lineup and scored five goals, including two game-winners.
  That's why the left wing leads USA TODAY Sports' top 10 list of rookie of the year candidates.
  The Rangers had tried to sign Kreider, 21, for a couple of years before he left college after his junior season.
  Still, Kreider isn't guaranteed a place in New York's top two lines because the Rangers have a strong forward group. It looks like he'll start on the third line. Kreider's edge is that he's 6-3 and 230 pounds and possesses top-end speed.
  "Chris is a team-first guy," said his agent, Matt Keator. "He knows, like anyone else, he will have to earn his spot in the Rangers' lineup."
  The rest of the top Calder Trophy candidates:
  2. Vladimir Tarasenko (St. Louis Blues)
  The Blues' plan is not to burden Tarasenko with overwhelming expectations, but he might be polished enough that his play will dictate he should be playing on one of the St.Louis scoring lines.
  "He was a really good player in the KHL last year," Button said.
  Tarasenko, 21, posted 23 goals and 47 points in 54 games in the Russia-based Kontinental Hockey League. He had 31 points in 31 games there this season.
  "I know (Washington Capitals draft pick) Evgeny Kuznetsov gets a lot of love as the best prospect over there," Button said. "But I know from talking to a lot of people who watched that league on a regular basis that Tarasenko was every bit as good as Kuznetsov in the KHL."
  Kuznetsov, 20, boasted 19 goals and 40 points in 49 games in the KHL last season, but he has chosen to stay a couple more seasons in the KHL.
  Tarasenko is 6-0, 200 and considered physically mature. "He has exceptional smarts on the ice," Button said. "He's one of those guys who isn't going to be deterred if he doesn't score. He will find other ways to contribute in a game."
  Button thinks that trait will serve him best as he tries to assimilate into the NHL. "We see young players' confidence affected when they don't score or can't do the things that came naturally to them at the lower levels," Button said. "But that won't be the case with Tarasenko, because he's a multifaceted player."
  Given Tarasenko's well-rounded game at a young age, Button says Tarasenko reminds him of a young Jere Lehtinen, who was a top two-way forward for the Dallas Stars when Button was there.
  "Tarasenko is going to be able to play on a lot of different places in your team, and he's going to make other players better," Button said.
  3. Mikael Granlund (Minnesota Wild)
  The Finnish center isn't your typical 20-year-old rookie. If he hadn't lost 12 games to injury last season, he probably would have won the Finnish elite league scoring championship.
  Granlund might be the most celebrated offensive player to come out of Finland since Teemu Selanne.
  "We don't want to put the weight of the world on his shoulders coming into the NHL," Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher said. "But he has played two years of pro hockey and played in the last two senior men's world championships and played well."
  Granlund produced 20 goals and 31 assists for 51 points last season playing for HIFK in the Finnish league, and he's a point-a-game player in the American Hockey League this season. He is 5-10 and 180 but seems to know how to find holes in the defense. Undoubtedly, he will get an opportunity to play on Minnesota's top two lines.
  "He will get a chance to play with good players, and we hope the success he had in Europe translates to here," Fletcher said.
  Granlund's adjustment will be made easier by the fact Minnesota's captain, Mikko Koivu, also is from Finland.
  "As the 30th-ranked team in terms of offensive production," Fletcher said, "we are certainly looking forward to adding his offensive talents."
  Button compares Granlund's arrival in Minnesota to Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg arriving in Detroit years ago. "They didn't have to be the front-line guys," Button said. "And that's the same for Granlund."
  By playing behind Koivu, he won't face the top opponents often. "They have (Dany) Heatley and (Devin) Setoguchi," Button said. "Granlund doesn't have to be that go-to guy with the spotlight and bulls-eye on him."
  4. Jakob Silfverberg (Ottawa Senators)
  At 21, Silfverberg was the MVP of the Swedish Elite League regular season and playoffs last season. Only Guy Lafleur, Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr have been able to do that at the NHL level.
  No one is suggesting left wing Silfverberg is a Swedish Lafleur or Gretzky, but he is more polished than most younger players entering the NHL. Last season, Silfverberg posted 24 goals and 54 points playing for Brynas in Sweden. He then added 13 goals and seven assists for 20 points to help Brynas win the Swedish championship. During the playoff run, Silfverberg was named team captain.
  Silfverberg's 13 playoff goals broke the Swedish league postseason scoring record set by Senators star Daniel Alfredsson when he was playing in Sweden during the 2004-05 lockout.
  "I would describe Siflverberg as like a Daniel Alfredsson-type of player," Button said. "He's like Daniel Alfredsson was at that age."
  Silfverberg, averaging a point a game in the AHL, got a taste of the NHL when he appeared in two playoff games.
  5. Jonathan Huberdeau (Florida Panthers)
  The speedy forward played well enough in training camp last season that it was considered mildly surprising the Panthers returned him to his junior hockey team.
  Huberdeau didn't sulk. Instead, he piled up 30 goals and 72 points in 37 games playing for the Saint John Sea Dogs in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Counting this season's lockout assignment, he has 89 goals and 222 points over his last 134 junior games.
  "Based on what I've seen, he's ready," Panthers general manager Dale Tallon said.
  The Panthers think his scoring touch might be able to provide an immediate boost to their power play.
  "He's smart, he can skate and he's mature beyond his years," Button said.
  6. Justin Schultz (Edmonton Oilers)
  Schultz's decision to sign with the Oilers was a case of the right player finding the right team at the right time.
  Loaded with top young forwards, the Oilers were desperate to find a blue-chip young defenseman to play with that group. Edmonton seemed to stun its NHL competitors by winning the recruiting battle to land the former University of Wisconsin standout. Schultz was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks but used a loophole in the draft rules to become an unrestricted free agent. Every team wanted him.
  Schultz, 22, who scored 34 goals over his last two collegiate seasons, is known as an elite-level passer. As a first-year pro, he was second in the AHL this season with 48 points in 34 games.
  The only issue for Schultz is that he needs to add weight and muscle. He played below 190 pounds in college, and he will probably need to put on 10 or 15 pounds to compete against the NHL's bigger forwards.
  7. Nail Yakupov (Oilers)
  All that needs to be said to describe Yakupov is that he broke Steven Stamkos' rookie scoring record on the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League. If that isn't enough, consider Yakupov has been compared to a young Pavel Bure.
  In 107 games in Sarnia over two seasons, Yakupov has netted 80 goals and 90 assists.
  "When there is an opening, he just explodes," Button said.
  The Oilers added to their enviable collection of young offensive talent when they drafted Yakupov No.1 overall last June. Most scouts seem to think he has the flair and ability to score at a 20-goal full-season pace as a rookie. General manager Steve Tambellini has been trying to lower expectations.
  "Just like with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, our approach will be the same," Tambellini said. "He'll go through the process of learning the feel of the National (Hockey) League and picking up on the speed, strength and things like that. ... Everybody has a break-in period."
  8. Sven Baertschi (Calgary Flames)
  Flames general manager Jay Feaster says if Swiss left wing Baertschi doesn't make the roster, it will be the biggest upset in training camp.
  "While we don't expect him to perform at the same clip he did last season when he scored three goals in five games, we do believe he is NHL ready," Feaster said.
  Baertschi, 19, averaged two points a game playing for the Portland Winterhawks in the Western Hockey League last season. He has 18 points in 21 AHL games this season.
  The offseason signing of Jiri Hudler doesn't work in Baertschi's favor, because new coach Bob Hartley might not want two smaller forwards in his scoring group. But Baertschi is highly skilled.
  "I do believe that Sven will find his way into the lineup much like Chris Drury did in Colorado (when Hartley was there years ago)," Button said. "(Baertschi) was the best player in the Western Hockey League last season."
  9. Brendan Smith (Detroit Red Wings)
  With Nicklas Lidstrom in retirement and Brad Stuart in San Jose, the Red Wings would like Smith to play among their top four defensemen.
  He is feisty and likes to jump into the play when the game is on the line. Smith, 23, has played two full seasons in the AHL, and he seems to have learned how to pick his spots to be an offensive gambler. He had seven points in 14 games for the Red Wings last season.
  "There is a chance here for somebody to get 20 minutes per night, and he has been a successful point-producing defensive (player) in the colleges and the American League," Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said. "There is going to be an opportunity to play some power-play minutes for us."
  10. Dougie Hamilton (Boston Bruins)
  The Bruins received two first-round draft picks from the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Phil Kessel trade and used the first to land premium center Tyler Seguin. With the second, they chose Hamilton, and he might have as big an impact as Seguin.
  The mobile, 6-5 defenseman is said to be more advanced than Zdeno Chara was at the same age. Hamilton, 19, is expected to take a regular shift on opening night and is penciled in to play the entire season. He has offensive skill but likely won't take too many chances in the first couple of months as an NHL player.