Dylan Guenther, F, Arizona Coyotes: Guenther, selected No. 9 in the 2021 NHL Draft, is fourth among Central Division rookies with nine points (three goals, six assists) in 17 games. The 19-year-old right-handed shot has averaged 12:08 of ice time on a line with center Barrett Hayton and left wing Liam O'Brien. Guenther wants to improve his defensive game, particularly along the boards, and has earned the trust of coach Andre Tourigny.
"Even the night he doesn't touch the puck he helps you still because he's such a good player," Tourigny said. "He reminds me a little bit of (New Jersey Devils captain) Nico Hischier in that sense. When I had Nico in junior (in 2016-17 with Halifax of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League), Nico was an elite player but the night he was not producing he was still a good player for the team. Dylan is a little bit like that. I'm not saying he's at the level of Nico defensively, but 'Gunts', he's pretty good."
Nils Lundkvist, D, Dallas Stars: Lundkvist, a puck-moving defenseman, has done an admirable job paired with veteran Ryan Suter for the Stars, who control 50.1 percent of all 5-on-5 shots when the 22-year-old defenseman is on the ice. Chosen in the first round (No. 28) by the New York Rangers in the 2018 NHL Draft, Lundkvist is tied for first among NHL rookies with 41 shots, tied for seventh with 20 blocked shots and third among Central rookies with 20 hits. The right-hand shot, acquired on Sept. 20 in a trade with the Rangers for two conditional NHL Draft picks, has one goal and five points, and averages 17:29 of ice time.
"I didn't know a lot about him (early in the season)," Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. "He's not overwhelmed by the moment, he's confident in his abilities and he's shown from day one that he's an NHL player."
Matias Maccelli, F, Arizona Coyotes:The 22-year-old, born in Turku, Finland, is second among NHL rookies with 13 points (one goal, 12 assists) behind Matty Beniers of the Seattle Kraken. He is second with seven power-play points (one goal) (one behind Addison) in a top-line role with center Nick Bjugstad and right wing Lawson Crouse. Selected in the fifth round (No. 98) of the 2019 NHL Draft, Maccelli is tied for seventh among NHL rookies with nine takeaways. He has eight hits and four blocked shots while averaging 15:00 in ice time in 18 games. Maccelli had 57 points (14 goals, 43 assists) in 47 games with Tucson of the American Hockey League last season.
"What I like about Maccelli is what people don't talk about," Coyotes coach Andre Tourigny said. "It's his compete level and his engagement defensively. He takes pride in defending and takes pride in playing well in the zones; takes pride in blocking shots. He's not perfect and he will never be, but he tries to be and I appreciate that."
Cole Perfetti, F, Winnipeg Jets: Perfetti is tied for second among Central Division rookies with 11 points (four goals, seven assists), and first with nine even-strength points (four goals). The No. 10 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, who is good at reading and reacting to how an opponent plays him, is tied for seventh among NHL rookies with nine takeaways on a line with center Pierre-Luc Dubois and right wing Blake Wheeler while averaging 15:08 of ice time.
"I'm a young kid, 20 years old, still getting that kind of man strength, still learning where I can do stuff, where I can't, what I can get away with," Perfetti told the Free Press of Winnipeg. "Then it's just naturally getting stronger in the gym and that natural strength is going to be a big part of it."
