The race for the Rookie of the Year trophy is a good one this year in the EURO league, with 3 or 4 slick forwards, a good goalie and a four defensemen all in the running. Three of those players won’t even be on the list of nominees that will be generated by Websim about a week from now. General Managers will vote to select the winner.
Here are some of notable performances, in no particular order, by rookies this season in the league:
Viktor Antipin and Morgan Rielly, Oslo – The young defensemen got regular shifts on the league’s worst team and they will be key pivot points for the team when it turns around and goes in the other direction. Antipin, just 18, is in a group of four defensemen who might make the Websim ballot, but he is a real longshot to appear there. No rookie has blocked more shots than he has (91).
Nikita Zadorov, Filip Forsberg and Fyodor Malykhin, Munich – Forsberg is third among all rookies in scoring with 33 points, but Zadorov is tops among rookie defensemen in that category with 28 points. He has outshined more well-known rookie rearguards like Antipin and Aaron Ekblad. While Forsberg and Zadorov have been granted good ice time by Munich coach Craig Berube, Malykhin has had less – 10 minutes per game – and has managed 6 goals and 16 points in 51 games.
Michael Stone, Patrick Wiercoch and Tyler Toffoli, Bratislava – Weircoch and Toffoli have played their way out of the Eagles’ lineup a couple of times this season but the Slovakian team has three players in the top 12 rookie scorers. Stone has been the best on the team and is grouped with Zadorov, Ekblad and Antipin as potential names on the ballot next week. His plus-11 rating ranks second among all rookies and he is also second in hits.
Aaron Ekblad, Minsk – Playing on a surging Hussar team, Ekblad has amassed a plus 23 rating, which is by far the best among all rookies. He doesn’t have as many hits or blocked shots as the other three defensemen in the four-man group, but his total of 27 points beats Stone and Antipin.
Sergei Mozyakin, Geneva – The former KHL star has been one of the Generals’ best players this season and he leads all rookies in scoring with 50 points in 77 games. His 33 assists are 9 better than the next best in that column and his has done a good job defensively, despite a -18 rating. He must be considered one of the favorites to win the trophy.
Jan Kovar, St. Petersburg – The Czech winger scored more goals than any other rookie (19 through 77 games) and he has almost as many points as Mozyakin does with significantly less playing time. A third-liner all season with Petrograd, he is a plus 7 and has an eye-popping 52-18 takeaway-giveaway ratio.
Par Arlbrandt, Milan – A bad decision cost him a suspension earlier in the season, but Arlbrandt has been a promising contributor on a young Milan team. The top scoring rookie RW, he scored 15 goals and added 15 assists through 72 games.
Martin Jones, London – Jones stepped into the starting goalie job as a rookie in London and didn’t disappoint. He was named to the Northern Conference all-star team and through 60 games, ranks sixth in the league with a 91.0 save percentage.
Marko Dano, Copenhagen – Dano won’t make the ballot, but he hasn’t looked out of place in the retooled Trident lineup. He contributed 8 goals and 20 points through 60 games, while keeping his penalty minute total low and his takeaway-giveaway ratio positive.
Jonas Brodin, Madrid – A relatively low point total will keep the Swede off the ballot, but Brodin has played well in his own zone for the Royals. He has 100 hits and 65 blocked shots to go with 10 more takeaways than giveaways.
Alexander Kerfoot and Casey Cizikas, Edinburgh – They play different roles on the Caps’ forward lines, but both have been pretty good this season. Cizikas plays a little wild, likes to bang bodies and get in the way of opponents’ shots. Kerfoot is a lot better with the puck and he has only been whistled for four penalties this season. Their point totals are similar – 20 for Kerfoot and 17 for Cizikas – and while they won’t win individual trophies, they will add a lot to their team down the line.
Previous winners:
