Rookie Watch: Celebrini, Gauthier among top 1st-year players in Pacific Division

The impact several rookies are making on the NHL is one of the major storylines of the 2024-25 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 Pacific Division (in alphabetical order):

Macklin Celebrini, F, San Jose Sharks: The center (6-foot, 190 pounds), who was the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, is first in goals (21) and points per game (0.90) and second in points (52) among rookies this season. The 18-year-old is the second teenager in Sharks history to score 50 points in a season, joining Pat Falloon (59 points in 1991-92), and was the first NHL rookie since Connor McDavid and 10th in League history with 25 points in his first 25 games.

"It's a lot of fun," Celebrini said when asked to sum up his rookie season. "Hockey becomes your life. Everything you do is getting ready for the next game or next practice. I mean, personally, I love that."

Celebrini is playing top-line center with left wing Collin Graf and fellow rookie Will Smith. He's tied for first among first-year players in penalties drawn (20) and second in takeaways (25) in 58 games. He averages 19:47 of ice time, leads all rookies in face-off wins (412) and percentage (47.7; minimum 250 face-offs), and is in the 95th percentile in shots on goal (201), well above the League average (79.2), per NHL EDGE statistics.

"He's handled everything," San Jose coach Ryan Warsofsky said. "He's a mature kid, a competitor. I don't think any moment is too big for him. He does a really good job of harnessing those expectations and the pressures, not getting too wrapped up in where he went as a No. 1 overall pick."

Cutter Gauthier, F, Anaheim Ducks: Gauthier (6-2, 200) has quietly had a productive season in Anaheim after the No. 5 pick by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2022 NHL Draft was traded to the Ducks on Jan. 8, 2024, after saying he didn't want to sign with the Flyers. He is fifth among first-year players with 34 points (13 goals, 21 assists), third among all rookie forwards with 43 blocked shots and is averaging 14:07 of ice time in 70 games.

The 21-year-old is playing left wing on a line with center Leo Carlsson and Alex Killorn. He has 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 18 games since Feb. 3.

"Gauthier has been pretty good," NHL analyst Mike Johnson said on NHL Network Radio earlier this month. "No one is talking about him as rookie of the year, nor should they, but he's having himself a good, productive, welcome-to-the-NHL-figure-it-out-as-we-go kind of year. And that's exactly what he wanted when he decided to go to Anaheim. He's got a very good chance of being on the NHL All-Rookie Team when all is said and done, and no one's really talking about the way he's just progressing the way you would hope he would."

Drew Helleson, D, Anaheim Ducks: Helleson (6-3, 213), a second-round pick (No. 47) by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2019 NHL Draft, was traded to Anaheim for defenseman Josh Manson and a second-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft (forward Carey Terrance) on March 14, 2022. The right-handed shot has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) and is averaging 15:38 of ice time in 44 games. He is also ranked second among rookie defensemen in hits (77) and is third in blocked shots (59) and takeaways (14). Helleson has recently been paired with Pavel Mintyukov. The 23-year-old played four seasons with San Diego of the American Hockey League, where he had 38 points (nine goals, 29 assists) in 153 games.

"I've learned a lot about myself and about my game and what I need to do to be successful here," Helleson said. "I've got to play a simple game, be hard to play against, try to end plays in the defensive zone quick."

Shakir Mukhamadullin, D, San Jose Sharks: Mukhamadullin (6-4, 200) was chosen by the New Jersey Devils in the first round (No. 20) in the 2020 NHL Draft and traded to the Sharks in the deal that sent Timo Meier to the Devils on Feb. 26, 2023. He's fifth among San Jose rookies with eight points (one goal, seven assists), third in hits (21) and second in blocked shots (39). The 23-year-old left-handed shot averages 17:30 of ice time as a top defensemen pair next to Mario Ferraro.

"I'm seeing some major development in him right now and that's good to see," Warsofky said. "I think he bounces back well, is extremely coachable, and the game is starting to slow down for him, so it's been good."

Will Smith, F, San Jose Sharks: The first-round pick (No. 4) in the 2023 NHL Draft is fourth among first-year players with 36 points (13 goals, 23 assists) and has 10 power-play points (four goals, six assists) in 62 games. Smith averages 15:15 of ice time, 1:59 on the power play. Since Jan. 1, the right-handed shot has 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists) in 30 games while averaging 16:23 of ice time.

Warsofky still believes the 20-year-old has more in the tank.

"He's definitely been a lot better here as of late but there's still things he needs to improve on," Warsofsky said. "A lot of it has to do with he just learned what it's like to go off a two-week road trip, go through his first trade deadline, lose a friend in a trade (Fabian Zetterlund to the Ottawa Senators on March 7), the emotion of all that, the mentality of coming back right away playing a hockey game after a long road trip. He just went through a lot, and he'll learn from it."

Dustin Wolf, G, Calgary Flames: The big question was how Wolf would respond after getting pulled for the first time in 57 NHL starts when he gave up five goals on 26 shots in a 6-2 loss at the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 17. The 23-year-old did just fine, making 26 saves in a 5-3 win at the New Jersey Devils three days later.

A seventh-round pick (No. 214) in the 2019 NHL Draft, Wolf (6-0, 166) leads all first-year NHL goalies (minimum 15 games) in wins (23-14-5), save percentage (.911), goals-against average (2.63) and shutouts (three) in 42 games (all starts). Though Wolf has shared time with Dan Vladar (10-11-6, 2.90 GAA, .893 save percentage, two shutouts in 28 games), he has taken advantage of it. Calgary traded goalie Jacob Markstrom to the Devils on June 19, 2024, with the thinking Wolf could push for an even bigger role.

Wolf's .840 high danger save percentage ranks in the 93rd percentile, well above the League average of .806, according to NHL EDGE. He's helped the Flames get within four points behind the St. Louis Blues for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference with three games in hand.

"Obviously, it's no secret that he's a big reason why we're fighting for a Stanley Cup Playoff spot right now," Calgary forward Blake Coleman said. "He's got a lot of swagger and confidence, and we generally play pretty well in front of him, knowing he's back there. I think we can count on one hand how many games he's maybe not had his 'A' game, and I guess [the loss to the Maple Leafs] is probably one of those, but he's also the reason we've won a lot of games that maybe we shouldn't have."