NHL rookies to watch in 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs

With the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs starting Monday, NHL.com takes a look at eight rookies who could have a big impact in the postseason.

Stuart Skinner will need to play a huge role for the Edmonton Oilers in their quest to advance beyond the Western Conference First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a second straight season.
The 24-year-old goalie finished the season 29-14-5 with a 2.75 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage in 50 regular-season games (48 starts). But, since March 1, he went 14-1-1 with a 2.43 GAA and .920 save percentage in 16 games (all starts).
Named the NHL Rookie of the Month for March, Skinner led the League with 10 wins in 12 games (10-1-1) and had a 2.83 GAA and .908 save percentage. He also had a 43-save shutout in a 2-0 win against the Los Angeles Kings on March 30, Edmonton's first shutout of the season.
"Stu had to kind of grind his way out," Edmonton goalie coach Dustin Schwartz told The Hockey News. "He really worked his way through the levels in his development, and I think that has served him well now."
Skinner hopes to continue his solid play and join the ranks of rookies who have played a significant role in a championship season. The list includes forward Brad Marchand (19 points; 11 goals, eight assists in 25 games) for the Boston Bruins in 2011; forward Tyler Toffoli (14 points; seven goals, seven assists in 26 games) for the Los Angeles Kings in 2014; forward Jake Guentzel (21 points; 13 goals, eight assists in 25 games) for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2017; goalie Jordan Binnington (16-10, 2.46 GAA, .914 save percentage in 26 games) for the St. Louis Blues in 2019; and forward Ross Colton (six points; four goals, two assists in 23 games) for the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2021.
Here are seven other rookies to watch in the playoffs (listed alphabetically):
Matty Beniers, F, Seattle Kraken
The left-shot center led all NHL rookies with 57 points (24 goals, 33 assists) and 46 even-strength points (20 goals) in 80 regular-season games this season. He finished second in face-offs taken (969) and third in wins (409). Beniers, the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, ranked fourth among rookie forwards in shots on goal (148), sixth in blocked shots (48) and eighth in hits (79) while averaging 17:06 of ice time centering Jared McCann and Jordan Eberle. He scored his first NHL game-winning goal with 6:34 remaining in the third period of a 5-4 win at the Calgary Flames on Nov. 1 and finished second among first-year players with four game-winners this season.
Beniers is the favorite to win the Calder Trophy, awarded to the NHL rookie of the year, in the final voting of the regular season, according to a panel of 16 NHL.com writers, with 79 points (15 first-place votes).
Luke Hughes, D, New Jersey Devils
The 19-year-old brother of Devils center Jack Hughes, Luke played just two NHL games to end the regular season, but he certainly didn't look out of place. He scored his first NHL goal on a wraparound when he collected his own rebound and stuffed the puck in at the right post with 27 seconds remaining in overtime of a 5-4 win at the Washington Capitals on Thursday. It remains to be seen when or if the younger Hughes will make his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut, but based on what he's done thus far, it could be as soon as Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the rival New York Rangers. And he's already privy to what can be expected in a Devils-Rangers best-of-7 playoff series.
"I heard they don't like each other very much," he said during his postgame interview on Thursday. "I think it's going to be a really cool atmosphere at [Prudential Center]. I think it's going to be awesome."
Luke Hughes had two points (one goal, one assist), two shots on goal, three blocked shots and no giveaways while averaging 16:14 of ice time in his two regular season matches. Selected by the Devils at No. 4 in the 2021 draft, Luke turned pro after his sophomore season at the University of Michigan, where he had 87 points (27 goals, 60 assists) in 80 games in two seasons. He had 48 points (10 goals, 38 assists) in 39 games in 2022-23 to help the Wolverines go 26-12-3 and reach the Frozen Four for the second straight season.

Wyatt Johnston, F, Dallas Stars
Johnston tied Beniers for the lead among NHL rookies with 24 goals, was fourth with 41 points, second with 160 shots on goal, and third with 34 even-strength points (21 goals) in 82 regular-season games. The 19-year-old was third in takeaways (47) while averaging 15:29 of ice time as the center on a line with captain Jamie Benn and right wing Evgenii Dadonov. He's 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 the Ontario Hockey League with 124 points (46 goals, 78 assists) in 68 games for Windsor in 2021-22.
Pyotr Kochetkov, G, Carolina Hurricanes
The 23-year-old, selected in the second round (No. 36) of the 2019 NHL Draft, went 12-7-5 with a 2.44 GAA, .909 save percentage and four shutouts in 24 regular-season games (23 starts) but struggled down the stretch and hasn't played since March 28. He went 2-3-0 with a 2.82 GAA and .892 save percentage in his past five games but Hurricanes fans won't forget Kochetkov's performance in his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut in Game 2 of the 2022 Eastern Conference First Round when he made 30 saves in relief of injured Antti Raanta in a 5-2 win against the Boston Bruins. If Raanta or Frederik Andersen is unavailable, Kochetkov could be forced into duty.
Nils Lundkvist, D, Dallas Stars
A puck-moving defenseman, Lundkvist has done an admirable job when in the lineup and paired with veteran Ryan Suter. When the 22-year-old was on the ice, the Stars controlled 51.9 percent of all 5-on-5 shots during the regular season. Chosen by the New York Rangers in the first round (No. 28) of the 2018 NHL Draft, Lundkvist ranked first among rookie defensemen with six goals and eighth with 16 points and 67 blocked shots. The right-hand shot, acquired Sept. 19 from the Rangers for two conditional NHL Draft picks, averaged 16:19 of ice time in 60 regular-season games.
Nick Perbix, D, Tampa Bay Lightning
Perbix finished the season fifth among rookie defensemen with 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) and first with a plus-11 rating while averaging 15:24 of ice time in a top-four pairing role. The sixth-round pick (No. 169) in the 2017 NHL Draft had a solid training camp but wasn't on the opening-night roster. He made his debut in the fourth game of the season on Oct. 18 and remained in the lineup.
Perbix signed a two-year, $2.25 million contract with the Lightning on Jan. 2. He ranked seventh in hits (73), ninth in blocked shots (65) and fourth in takeaways (27) among rookie defensemen in 69 regular-season games.
Logan Thompson, G, Vegas Golden Knights
Thompson finished the season second behind Skinner for the most wins by a rookie goalie (21) but played once in the past three months due to a lower-body injury sustained in a 5-1 win against the Minnesota Wild on Feb. 9. He had a 2.65 GAA, .915 save percentage and two shutouts in 37 regular-season games (36 starts). The 26-year-old, who catches with his right hand, 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. 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 has begun on-ice work, but his status remains unclear for the playoffs. If he receives an opportunity, he could play a key role for Vegas.