The impact several rookies are making on the NHL is one of the major storylines of the 2025-26 season. Each week, NHL.com will examine topics related to this season's class in the Rookie Watch. This week, the top five players in face-off winning percentage among NHL rookies (minimum 350 face-offs taken; players listed alphabetically):
Ryan Greene, C, Chicago Blackhawks: The second-round pick (No. 57) in the 2022 NHL Draft ranks fifth among rookies in face-off winning percentage (45.9 percent), first in face-off wins (219) and first in face-offs taken (477). The 22-year-old is first in power-play face-off wins (16), short-handed face-off wins (38), and defensive-zone face-off wins (98). He has 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) in 45 games this season and is the center on the top line with left wing Tyler Bertuzzi and right wing Andre Burakovsky.
Oliver Kapanen, C, Montreal Canadiens: The nephew of retired NHL forward Sami Kapanen has been a great complement on a line with rookie right wing Ivan Demidov and left wing Juraj Slafkovsky. He has 26 points (15 goals, 11 assists) and is plus-3 while averaging 14:50 of ice time in 45 games. The 22-year-old had the first three-point game (one goal, two assists) of his NHL career in a 6-2 win against the Florida Panthers on Jan. 8. A second-round pick (No. 64) in the 2021 NHL Draft, Kapanen is third among rookies face-offs taken (428) and face-offs won (199).
"I think he's got the potential of being a complete player," Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said. "I think he's a guy that could (penalty) kill, could play on the power play, but very predictable off the puck, defensively, what he's going to do, manages risk really well. I feel his offensive game is going to keep evolving because he's going to get more confident with the pace, the cues. And that's a normal path for a player of his type."
Noah Laba, C, New York Rangers: A fourth-round pick (No. 111) in the 2022 draft, the right-handed center leads rookies in face-off winning percentage (51.7 percent), is fourth in face-off wins (185), and third in short-handed face-off wins (seven) and defensive-zone wins (65) in 43 games. The 22-year-old returned to the lineup in a 10-2 loss at the Boston Bruins on Saturday after missing three games with an upper-body injury. He has 12 points (five goals, seven assists) while averaging 13:15 of ice time, and was the center on a line with left wing Gabe Perreault and Taylor Raddysh on Saturday.
Fraser Minten, C, Boston Bruins: He was chosen in the second round (No. 38) of the 2022 draft and is second among rookies face-offs taken (429), face-offs won (209) and face-off winning percentage (48.7 percent; minimum 250 draws) in 46 games. The 21-year-old left-handed shot has 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) and is averaging 14:49 of ice time as a center with left wing Marat Khusnutdinov and right wing David Pastrnak, a line that combined for 14 points against the Rangers on Saturday. Minten is also third among rookies in hits (93) and takeaways (16).
"I wasn't scoring every shot or dominating with skill or size when I was younger, so my way to stay at the highest level was to be good defensively, play the right way, and work hard," Minten said.
Justin Sourdif, C/RW, Washington Capitals: The 23-year-old, selected by the Panthers in the third round (No. 87) of the 2020 NHL Draft, scored his first NHL hat trick in a span of 11:34 in his 46th NHL game, a 7-4 win against the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 5. He was the ninth rookie in Capitals history with a hat trick and the first since Alex Ovechkin on Jan. 13, 2006. In addition to his offense, Sourdif, the center between left wing Connor McMichael and right wing Ryan Leonard, is fifth among rookies in face-off winning percentage (47.6 percent; minimum 250 draws) and is second in defensive-zone wins (71). Sourdif has 19 points (nine goals, 10 assists) in 45 games, including six goals and 10 points in his past seven games.
"I think at the start of the season, he was getting his feet wet, getting used to the League," McMichael said. "I think 'Sourdy' day in and day out is getting better and better. He's done a lot of great things for this team that maybe hadn't shown up on the score sheet at the start of the year, but I'm happy to see him get rewarded now."
