Trevor Zegras, Anaheim Ducks:He's second among NHL rookies with 32 points (12 goals, 20 assists) and tied for third (Sean Durzi, Los Angeles Kings) with seven power-play points (three goals, four assists) in 41 games. The No. 9 pick in the 2019 draft has drawn 11 penalties with his speed and creativity and is the favorite among NHL.com writers for the Calder Trophy, receiving 67 points and seven first-place votes. Zegras (6-0, 185) has scored the most goals by a Ducks rookie in the past 13 seasons (Bobby Ryan, 31, 2008-09) and he's tied for sixth in team history. He is Anaheim's third first-year player with at least three multigoal games, joining Ryan (five in 2008-09) and Dustin Penner (three in 2006-07). He leads rookies in shootout goals (five) on eight chances and has seven multipoint games in his past 20 (18 points; six goals, 12 assists). The 20-year-old will compete in the Breakaway Challenge at the NHL All-Star Skills Competition on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS). He scored twice, including the fourth lacrosse-style goal in NHL history, in a 5-4 win at the Montreal Canadiens on Jan. 27.
"I think it's a high-percentage play if you can pick it up on your stick," Zegras said. "Not a lot of goalies are expecting it. If I have a little bit of space, I don't see why not. It's like a wraparound. It's something I work on quite a bit and it's nice to see it translate over."
Lucas Raymond, Red Wings:The No. 4 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft was third in NHL.com voting for the Calder Trophy with 59 points, including two first-place votes. He leads NHL rookies with 35 points (11 goals, 24 assists) and his 25 even-strength points (eight goals, 17 assists) in 45 games are tied with Zegras for first. Raymond (5-11, 182) reached 20 assists in 36 games to pass Steve Yzerman (39 games) for fewest by a teenage player in Red Wings history. He leads rookie forwards in average ice time (18:04) and is sixth in takeaways (16).
"He plays with a confidence and a swagger that he can get the job done and perform at a high level," Nedeljkovic said. "It's hard to get to a point where it doesn't matter what happened that day or the day before, and you feel good and the confidence in yourself to know you're going to get the job done. He stood out from the get-go and separated himself in training camp and kind of showed that he's here to stay. That's what you want to see in a guy."
Tanner Jeannot, F, Nashville Predators:The 24-year-old left wing (6-2, 208) leads rookies with 13 goals and 147 hits and is second among rookie forwards with 33 blocked shots in 45 games, seven behind Anton Lundell of the Florida Panthers. He is tied for second (Zegras) among first-year players with three game-winning goals and second with 16 penalties drawn. He is sixth with 26 points and averages 15:39 in ice time. Jeannot (6-2, 208), who was undrafted, signed with Nashville as a free agent April 2, 2018. He was fourth in NHL.com voting for the Calder Trophy (23 points).
"He's getting recognized right now because of his points, but he's a top-two penalty killer, scores 5 on 5 (24 points), is physical, he fights, and he plays against the other team's top lines," Predators coach John Hynes said. "He's a clear-cut identity guy, he plays the way we want to play and he's a big culture guy for us. I think that shouldn't go unnoticed as he's getting recognized in the Calder conversation."
