Rookie Watch: Power, Johnson among best born in Canada

The impact several rookies are making on the NHL is one of the major storylines of the 2022-23 season. Each week, NHL.com will examine topics related to this season's class in the Rookie Watch.
This week, a look at the top six Canada-born rookies (listed alphabetically):

Calen Addison, D, Minnesota Wild:A second-round pick (No. 53) by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2018 NHL Draft, Addison (5-foot-11, 173 pounds) leads first-year players at his position in assists (23), points (26) and power-play points (18, all assists) in 51 games. Minnesota controls 51.4 percent of all shots attempted (5-on-5) when the 22-year-old right-hand shot is on the ice. Born in Brandon, Manitoba, he's been dominant among first-year players on the power play, leading then in primary assists (nine) and average ice time (3:44). He was acquired by the Wild with left wing Alex Galchenyuk and a first-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft (Carson Lambos) in a trade with the Penguins for left wing Jason Zucker on Feb. 10, 2020.

Kent Johnson, F, Columbus Blue Jackets:The No. 5 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft is third among Canada-born rookies with 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists) and second in even-strength points (20) while averaging 13:52 of ice time in 50 games. The 20-year-old was born in Port Moody, British Columbia, and can play wing or center. He had five points (one goal, four assists) in five games at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, seven points (four goals, three assists) in 10 games at the 2022 IIHF World Championship, and nine points (three goals, six assists) in seven games to help Canada win the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship in August.
Johnson, skating on a line with center Cole Sillinger and left wing Kirill Marchenko, had 64 points (17 goals, 47 assists) in 58 games in two seasons at the University of Michigan. His 15.5 shooting percentage is first among rookies from Canada who have played at least 10 games.

Wyatt Johnston, F, Dallas Stars: The Toronto-born forward is sixth in rookie rankings with 23 points (13 goals, 10 assists) in 54 games and second with 29 takeaways, six behind United States-born forward Noah Cates (Philadelphia Flyers, 35). Johnston leads all Canada-born rookies with 11 even-strength goals and is second with 100 shots on goal while averaging 14:50 of ice time as the center with left wing Jamie Benn and right wing Ty Dellandrea. The 19-year-old is the fourth teenager to play for general manager Jim Nill since he arrived in Dallas in 2013, joining Miro Heiskanen, Denis Gurianov and Valeri Nichushkin. Regarded as a two-way, 200-foot player, the No. 23 pick in the 2021 draft led all skaters in the Ontario Hockey League with 124 points (46 goals, 78 assists) in 68 games for Windsor in 2021-22.

Cole Perfetti, F, Winnipeg Jets:He's second among Canada rookies with 29 points (seven goals, 22 assists) and first with 24 even-strength points (six goals) in 48 games. The No. 10 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft is tied for fifth among rookies from Canada with 19 takeaways and ranks 10th with 22 blocked shots. Born in Whitby, Ontario, Perfetti plays on the Jets' top line with center Pierre-Luc Dubois and left wing Kyle Connor, and averages 14:52 of ice time. The 21-year-old has rebounded this season after playing 18 NHL games and 17 American Hockey League games last season because of an upper-body injury.

Owen Power, D, Buffalo Sabres:Born in Mississauga, Ontario, and chosen No. 1 in the 2021 draft, Power doesn't have the gawdy offensive numbers as some of the others on this list, but he's just as deserving for how much he's meant to the Sabres blue line this season. He leads all rookies in average ice time (23:35) and is first among Canada-born rookie defensemen with 77 shots on goal while playing on a defense pair with Henri Jokiharju. He's second among Canada-born defensemen with 19 points (three goals, 16 assists) and tied with Kaidan Guhle of the Montreal Canadiens for first with 14 even-strength points. The 20-year-old is second in blocked shots (57) and tied for fourth in takeaways (19) among first-year players from Canada. Buffalo controls 53.8 percent of all shots attempted 5-on-5 when Power is on the ice.

Logan Thompson, G, Vegas Golden Knights: He leads rookie goalies in wins (20), starts (35), shots against (1,093) and saves (999). Thompson is second among Canada rookies who have played at least 15 games with a .914 save percentage and first with a 2.66 goals-against average in 36 games, but he's
week to week with a lower-body injury
sustained in a 5-1 win against the Wild on Thursday.
Born in Calgary, Thompson is one of two rookies with at least one shutout (Pyotr Kochetkov, Carolina Hurricanes, three). The 25-year-old (6-foot-4, 205 pounds) went undrafted following four seasons with Brandon of the Western Hockey League and attended Brock University to play in a Canadian university league, U Sports, which provides opportunities to Canadian Hockey League and Canadian Junior Hockey League graduates. He finished 18-6-0 with a 2.22 GAA and .934 save percentage in 24 games and was named U Sports rookie of the year and goalie of the year in 2018-19. After two seasons in the ECHL, he signed a two-year, entry-level contract with Vegas on July 13, 2020, and then a three-year contract Jan. 30, 2022.
Thompson was among 15 first-time participants for the 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Game on Feb. 4.