Rookie tournaments have begun in North America, marking the unofficial start of the 2023-24 NHL season.
Although all eyes are on Connor Bedard, the center selected by the Chicago Blackhawks with the No.
Bedard will play in the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase in St. Paul, Minnesota, with the Blackhawks rookies against St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild from Friday through Sunday.
Here are some of the other players, in alphabetical order, to watch this week, according to a panel of NHL.com writers.
Yaroslav Askarov, Nashville Predators
I have my eyes on the net and a team with good goal play for a long, long time. Although the Predators seem set in net with Juuse Saros, they also have the good fortune of having one of the best goalie prospects around in Askarov. I’ll see if the 21-year-old can make a statement after he had a 2.69 goals-against average, .911 save percentage and three shutouts in 48 games with Milwaukee in the American Hockey League and a one-game cameo with Nashville. Askarov has the talent, athleticism and all the tools to be an elite goalie. With Saros in the position, the Predators can allow Askarov to develop, but I will watch the 2023 Rookie Showcase in Estero, Florida from Friday to Monday (Predators, Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning) to will see how he stacks up against his fellow rookies. — Amalie Benjamin, staff writer
Logan Cooley, Arizona Coyotes
The 19-year-old center has a chance to become one of the most exciting rookies in the NHL not named Connor Bedard. The No. 3 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft signed his three-year, entry-level contract July 27. He could have returned to the University of Minnesota for his sophomore season, but, really, for what? He had 60 points (22 goals, 38 assists) in 39 games as a freshman last season and has nothing to prove in college hockey. Center Adam Fantilli, taken by the Columbus Blue Jackets with the No. 3 pick in the 2023 draft, won the Hobey Baker Award, not Cooley. But so what? Cooley would like to win a national championship and be named the best player in college hockey, but his future is in Arizona and he may be the Coyotes’ most exciting prospect since forward Clayton Keller came out of Boston University in 2017. after his freshman season. . Cooley has a chance to be a big part of the Coyotes’ present this season; it starts with the 2023 Rookie Faceoff Tournament in Las Vegas from Friday to Monday (Coyotes, Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche, Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks). — Dan Rosen, senior writer
Adam Fantilli, Columbus Blue Jackets
The 18-year-old could be No. 1 center that Columbus needs. He led NCAA men’s hockey with 65 points (30 goals, 35 assists) in 36 games as a freshman at the University of Michigan last season, and now he will learn from coach Mike Babcock, who coached Auston Matthews after being selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs. the center with No. 1 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft. Matthews won the Calder Trophy, voted NHL rookie of the year, with 69 points (40 goals, 29 assists) in 82 games in 2016-17, and Babcock helped him become a two-way player. Asked how he would start Fantilli, Babcock said, “I’m going to watch him in training camp, and I’m going to do everything I can to prepare him for success.” Fantilli will be in action at the NHL Prospect Tournament in Traverse City, Michigan from Thursday through Sunday (Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Dallas Stars, Maple Leafs). — Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist