Rookie Watch: Addison, Maccelli among best in Central Division

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, the top six rookies in the Central Division (in alphabetical order):

Calen Addison, D, Minnesota Wild:The 22-year-old right-hand shot, chosen by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round (No. 53) of the 2018 NHL Draft, leads NHL rookies in power-play points (18), and Central Division rookie defensemen with 25 assists and 28 points in 60 games. Addison, who has averaged 16:16 of ice time when in the lineup, was traded to the Wild by the Penguins in the deal that sent forward Jason Zucker to Pittsburgh on Feb. 10, 2020. He had seven goals and 34 points in 43 games for Iowa of the American Hockey League last season.
"His engagement defensively, offensively, and on the power play ... he's fantastic," Wild coach Dean Evason said. "But when he's in a defensive role, we need him to play defense."

Wyatt Johnston, F, Dallas Stars:He's tied with Seattle Kraken forward Matty Beniers for the lead among NHL rookies with 21 goals, tied for fifth (Jack Quinn, Buffalo Sabres) with 36 points, second with 150 shots on goal, and third with 30 even-strength points (19 goals) in 76 games. He leads division rookies with 43 takeaways while averaging 15:25 of ice time and is the center on a line with captain Jamie Benn and right wing Evgenii Dadonov. Johnston, 19, 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 NHL Draft led the Ontario Hockey League with 124 points (46 goals, 78 assists) in 68 games for Windsor in 2021-22.
"I've been playing with Jamie the whole year, so I've learned a lot from him, on and off the ice too," Johnston told the NHL Players' Association website. "Having someone like that, a really good player, is great, but he brings a lot of other great things too, like his leadership and a lot of intangibles."

Nils Lundkvist, D, Dallas Stars: A puck-moving defenseman, Lundkvist has done an admirable job paired with veteran Ryan Suter for the Stars, who control 51.9 percent of all 5-on-5 shots when the 22-year-old is on the ice. Chosen by the New York Rangers in the first round (No. 28) of the 2018 draft, Lundkvist is first among rookies at his position with six goals and second among division rookies with 94 shots and 67 blocked shots. The right-hand shot, acquired Sept. 20 in a trade with the Rangers for two conditional NHL Draft picks, has 16 points (10 assists) and averages 16:19 of ice time in 60 games.
"I didn't know a lot about him (early in the season)," Stars coach Peter 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 is second among NHL rookies with 44 points (10 goals, 34 assists), remarkable considering he missed 18 games because of an injury earlier this season. Maccelli is tied for third with 13 power-play points (one goal) in a top-line role with center Jack McBain and right wing Lawson Crouse.
Selected in the fifth round (No. 98) of the 2019 NHL Draft, Maccelli is fourth among division rookies with 23 takeaways. He has 23 hits and 18 blocked shots while averaging 15:35 of ice time in 59 games. Maccelli, who is of Italian descent through his maternal great-grandfather, had 57 points (14 goals, 43 assists) in 47 games for Tucson of the American Hockey League last season.
"What people don't talk about is his compete level and his engagement defensively," Arizona coach Andre Tourigny said. "I think we have a different 'Celli' than last year. He's more mature than last year. 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."

Juuso Parssinen, F, Nashville Predators:The 21-year-old, selected in the seventh round (No. 210) of the 2019 draft, has missed the past 19 games with an upper-body injury. Parssinen is 10th among NHL rookies in takeaways (26) and 14th in hits (75) in 42 games. His 18 assists are 12th and he's tied for 15th with 23 points (five goals) while averaging 14:27 of ice time when in the lineup. He's second among division rookies in face-offs taken (310) and face-off wins (156).
Parssinen was recalled from Milwaukee of the AHL on Nov. 12. He became the first player in Predators history to score three goals in his first four games and tied Filip Forsberg (2014) for the longest point streak (seven) by a Nashville rookie.
Cole Perfetti, F, Winnipeg Jets:He's third among division rookies with 30 points (eight goals, 22 assists) and 25 even-strength points (seven goals) in 51 games. The No. 10 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft is good at reading and reacting to how an opponent plays him and ranks fifth among division rookies with 19 takeaways while averaging 14:58 of ice time. Perfetti has missed 21 games because of an upper-body injury.