Mullen: Rookies making impact this season

The Coaches Room is a weekly column by one of four former NHL coaches and assistants who will turn their critical gaze to the game and explain it through the lens of a teacher. Jim Corsi, David Marcoux, Paul MacLean and Joe Mullen will take turns providing insight.
In this edition, Mullen, a former assistant with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers and 2000 player inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame, talks about some of the top rookies in the League.

When the season began, there weren't any rookies expected to make an immediate impact like Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers and Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple did in the past two seasons.
The two biggest names coming out of the 2017 NHL Draft were Nico Hischier, who the New Jersey Devils selected No. 1, and Nolan Patrick, who the Philadelphia Flyers picked No. 2.

But there is an abundance of good young players in the League right now. Every team has one or two rookies, and some have more than that, that made their teams out of training camp.
The big thing, with all these young players coming in the last few years, is the League is getting faster all the time. The enthusiasm that these young kids are bringing, the speed that they come in with and the skill level seem to be getting better and better.
Here's a look at some rookies who have stood out to me this season.

Nico Hischier, F, New Jersey Devils

33 games, 20 points (five goals, 15 assists)

I've seen Hischier a couple of times and I'm impressed with the way he skates, his vision on the ice and the way he dishes the puck. And he can score, too. For a center, to be a guy who can dish and score goals is pretty special.
He doesn't have overwhelming numbers, but he's a young kid, turning 19 on Jan. 4. He seems to be a mature player because he plays well without the puck. I'd look for good things ahead for him.

Nolan Patrick, F, Philadelphia Flyers

25 games, seven points (two goals, five assists)

Patrick, unfortunately, played the first nine games, but then missed nine games with an upper-body injury. But I really liked what I saw from Patrick in the couple of games I watched. Patrick, 19, has good size (6-foot-2, 198 pounds) and is very composed with the puck. Like Hischier, he's a good passer and I think he's got a good scoring touch also.

Brock Boeser, F, Vancouver Canucks

32 games, 32 points (18 goals, 14 assists)

I know it's easy to pick him out because he's leading rookies in goals, points, power-play points (15) and power-play goals (6). Almost half of Boeser's points have come on the power play, but five of his goals have come with the man advantage, which means he's scoring at even strength, too. The first time I saw him, the 20-year-old stood out. He looks strong out there. I like his size (6-1, 191) and the way he handles himself.

Mathew Barzal, F, New York Islanders

34 games, 30 points (eight goals, 22 assists)

Barzal is second to Boeser in points by rookies. The 20-year-old has great speed and creates a lot with that speed. With 22 assists, he obviously can dish the puck and create things for his linemates when they get open. Since he's a center, he takes a little heat off captain John Tavares and makes opponents check two lines. Tavares is going to get the bulk of checking against him because he is the veteran guy. But if Barzal can keep this up, he's going to take a lot of the heat off Tavares and then teams are going to have to start to pay special attention to his line, too.

Alex DeBrincat, RW, Chicago Blackhawks

33 games, 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists)

DeBrincat, 20, is a player that has made a big impression on me. I didn't think he was big, but I didn't think he was small (5-7, 165). He doesn't have the same kind of speed as Barzal, but he seems to get open. He's a player that finds a way to get open for someone to get him the puck, and he certainly knows how to bury it.

Mikhail Sergachev, D, Tampa Bay Lightning

33 games, 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists)

Sergachev is a big-bodied guy (6-3, 215) who is mobile and strong. The 19-year-old kind of fits into the mold the Lightning have on defense with Victor Hedman (6-6, 223) and Braydon Coburn (6-5, 223), They're all big guys with good mobility. He's putting up some good numbers and he's plus-12. I like that.

Will Butcher, D, Devils

33 games, 21 points (two goals, 19 assists)

Butcher, 22, has 12 power-play points, all assists, but the thing that stood out when I watched him was his poise with the puck. He's a smaller guy (5-10, 190), but he looks strong and stocky. He's got some skill. He sees the ice, gets the puck to the net and gets his power-play points that way. He's kind of like former Devils defenseman Brian Rafalski, who was also small (5-10, 194).

Charlie McAvoy, D, Boston Bruins

32 games, 19 points (five goals, 14 assists)

McAvoy (6-0, 208) is another good-sized player. I get to see him a little bit more living in the Massachusetts area. He's a solid two-way defenseman who can play in all situations. He's a guy who can play on the power play and plays some on the penalty kill, too. He made his Bruins debut in the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, and played 26:11 a game as a 19-year-old. This season, he's leading rookies in ice time by a wide margin by playing 23:18 per game. The Bruins have a veteran defense and that helps. To be able to put McAvoy with a veteran player helps him learn and gives him some confidence. But I think McAvoy came in with an abundance of confidence already.