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 seven rookies in the Central Division (in alphabetical order):
Oskar Back, C, Dallas Stars: Back, a third-round pick (No. 75) in the 2018 NHL Draft, has 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) and averages 11:46 of ice time with 34 blocked shots, 27 hits and 12 takeaways in 69 games. The 25-year-old has excelled in a bottom-six role with Colin Blackwell, Mavrik Bourque, and Evgenii Dadonov. He had 88 points (19 goals, 69 assists) in 196 games over three seasons with Texas of the American Hockey League before joining Dallas this season. Back averages 1:29 of ice time per game short-handed and is 52.4 percent on face-offs (88-for-168).
"He's a hard guy to take out of the lineup because he's big (6-foot-4, 202 pounds), heavy, has good length, gets around the ice really well and has a good stick," Dallas coach Peter DeBoer said. "He's an excellent penalty killer and can take face-offs. It's a good lesson for young players trying to make the League in that the more tools in that toolbox you have, the easier it is, and the harder it is for the coach to take you out."
Lian Bichsel, D, Dallas Stars: Bischsel, the No. 18 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, has eight points (three goals, five assists) but it's his physical presence (6-7, 231) that has meant so much and is something the Stars have desperately needed on the back end and in front of their goalies. He leads all Stars players in hits (135) and has averaged 14:52 of ice time on the third pair with Matt Dumba.
"He makes a difference physicality-wise, but I also like his length, his gap, his stick ... he's just a big body who's hard to play against and takes up a lot of space," DeBoer said. "What I like about him is he doesn't pick spots. He plays the same way against everybody, every night. You're going to pay the price if you're going to come down his side of the ice or be in front of the net with him defending it. He's a little bit of a throwback that way because the physicality really comes naturally to him and that's a great asset to have."
Zack Bolduc, F, St. Louis Blues: The 22-year-old, selected in the first round (No. 17) of the 2021 NHL Draft, ranks seventh among all NHL rookies with 33 points (18 goals, 15 assists) and first with a plus-20 rating in 68 games. Bolduc has been a big part of the stretch run for the Blues, winners of 12 consecutive games, and possibly into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He is first among all NHL rookies with 13 goals and third with 18 points since Feb. 1 and has 23 even-strength points (12 goals, 11 assists), 10 power-play points (six goals, four assists) in a middle-six role with center Oskar Sundqvist and right wing Mathieu Joseph. He has even earned minutes on the top line this season.
Bolduc (6-0, 187) is sixth in blocked shots (35), ninth in hits (103), and sixth in takeaways (16) among rookie forwards while averaging 12:42 of ice time. St. Louis has a 51.0 shot-attempts percentage and 66.7 on-ice goals for percentage at 5-on-5 when he's on the ice.
"He works at his game, and you see it behind the scenes working with the coaches," St. Louis captain Brayden Schenn told The Athletic. "His 200-foot game is getting way better, and he's made huge strides. He's a guy that comes in with a great attitude every single day, competes hard, and he's a really good teammate. It's good to see him get rewarded for it."
Mavrik Bourque, F, Dallas Stars: Bourque (5-11, 181) leads Stars rookies in goals (10) and points (24) and averages 12:33 of ice time in 67 games. Selected in the first round (No. 30) of the 2020 NHL Draft, the 23-year-old right-handed shot has 41 hits, 33 blocked shots and 11 takeaways. Dallas has a 51.7 shot-attempts percentage and 57.1 percent goals for percentage at even strength when Bourque is on the ice. He was named the 2024 AHL most valuable player with 77 points (26 goals, 51 assists) in 71 games for Texas.
Zachary L'Heureux, F, Nashville Predators: The 21-year-old (5-11, 197), chosen in the first round (No. 27) in the 2021 NHL Draft, is first among NHL rookies in hits (178) and seventh in penalties drawn (14) in 56 games. He has 14 points (five goals, nine assists) and averages 11:50 of ice time. L'Heureux is trying to shake a bit of a reputation from his playing days with Halifax of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, when he was suspended on nine separate occasions. He received a three-game suspension in a 5-3 loss at the Minnesota Wild after a slew-foot on defenseman Jared Spurgeon on Dec. 31. Since returning Jan. 11, he has 72 hits, five points (one goal, four assists) and is averaging 12:19 of ice time in 23 games.
Frank Nazar, F, Chicago Blackhawks: Nazar's game is predicated on skating, speed and relentless puck pursuit. It's two reasons the Blackhawks chose him in the first round (No. 13) of the 2022 NHL Draft because the thought of having the 21-year-old right-handed shot (5-10, 190) next to Connor Bedard at key points in a game for the foreseeable future was a tantalizing option. Nazar has 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) and averages 15:40 of ice time as a center on the second line with left wing Teuvo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi.
After two seasons at the University of Michigan, Nazar signed his entry-level contract with the Blackhawks on April 15, 2024. He had 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) in 21 games for Rockford of the AHL to start this season before being recalled Dec. 13.
"In the 'A,' you can sit back a little bit and kind of let the play develop," Nazar told The Athletic. "Here, you've got to keep moving, you've got to stay on your guy, you've got to keep your feet going and stay on the puck. You don’t get as much rest during your shift, which is something I had to get used to and understand the first couple of games. But I feel a lot better with that, a lot more confident with it and I’ve been doing a good job of it."
Fedor Svechkov, F, Nashville Predators: The 22-year-old (6-0, 187) has been recalled from Milwaukee of the AHL on two different occasions this season but seems to have earned the trust of the coaching staff following his last callup Jan. 3. Svechkov, who plays center in a bottom-six role, has 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) and five power-play points (two goals, three assists) while averaging 12:44 of ice time in 46 games. Selected in the first round (No. 19) of the 2021 NHL Draft, Svechkov was the first Russia-born player selected by the Predators in the NHL draft. He has 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 13 games with Milwaukee this season.
"We don't have a lot of guys like [Svechkov] through the middle of the ice, with the way he skates and his length," Nashville coach Andrew Brunette said. "He distributes the puck really well. He's going to be a really good player in the League. He's going to get some opportunities on the power play. Can he develop a little bit of that offensive scoring ability? That's to be seen, but you're excited about the player and the profile."
