Written by Chris Peters at CBSSports.com
One of the best parts of any NHL training camp is watching the rookies battle for spots. So few of the young players end up making the NHL roster out of camp, but as we’ve seen in recent years, the opportunities are starting to become available.
As the league continues to skew younger, the opportunities for impact roles for first- and second-year players are there. These next few weeks will determine which of the high-end rookies will at least make the opening-night roster. For those that can be sent back to junior, they might even get a chance to play up to nine games with their NHL club during the regular season.
The fun part about making this list is that there are so many other good, young players that are going to win NHL jobs this year that I couldn’t squeeze on. The future of the NHL is bright thanks to a lot of these young prospects. Here’s 20 to keep a particularly close eye on over these next few weeks.
Note: Penguins goalie Matt Murray will retain his rookie status for next season, but his injury is likely to keep him out for the remainder of training camp and if you watched the Stanley Cup Playoffs last year, you already know he’s one to watch. For those reasons, he was left off the list.
1. Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs: The No. 1 overall pick in 2016 has already dazzled Maple Leafs fans with his performance at the World Cup of Hockey. He showed in that tournament that he was more than ready to make the transition. He might not move up the depth chart in training camp, but would it be surprising to see him in the mix to be Toronto’s No. 1 center by the all-star break? It would not be.
2. Patrik Laine, Winnipeg Jets: Laine was shut out at the World Cup of Hockey, but so was the rest of Finland basically. It shouldn’t do much to negatively impact his outlook on the season considering he was an 18-year-old against the game’s elite players. This is a guy who just dominated the Finnish pro league and the World Championship last year. It shouldn’t take him long to make his presence felt in Winnipeg.
3. Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs: Marner wants to make it impossible for the Maple Leafs to send him back to junior and he just might succeed. The 19-year-old torched the OHL last season and has little left to prove, but the Maple Leafs are not in line to contend this season. It’s always a tough call about burning years off of an entry-level contract, but he looks ready for the NHL now.
5. Dylan Strome, Arizona Coyotes: The 2015 No. 3 overall pick put together his second straight season of more than 100 points in the OHL. He remains eligible to be sent back to junior, but with the Coyotes clearing roster spots for their young guys, he should be on the full-time roster. He’s a big part of Arizona’s future and will be looking to take a big step while learning on the job this year.
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