By Nick Obergan For the past few seasons, we here at RealGM have tracked the league’s top rookies from one month to the next. To rank them, we use a combination of basic statistics and the formula for OCPR (Obe’s Comprehensive Player Rankings). Last year’s Calder Trophy winner as the league’s top rookie was Carolina Hurricane’s forward Jeff Skinner, who took turns at the top slot with Logan Couture for the majority of the season. What was also notable about last season’s rookie class was just how deep it was with above average contributors, especially to playoff teams (Couture, Corey Crawford, PK Subban, John Carlson, Sergei Bobrovsky, Tyler Ennis, and Michal Neuvirth). While this may be premature, as teams can send a player back to junior up to the nine-game mark of the season (and we have already seen three go down this week), but here are some rookies that look poised to stay in the NHL this season and are equally able to make positive contributions. Luke Adam - Buffalo: The 6’2” center had a very good training camp to surprisingly make the opening day roster, and didn’t disappoint during the team’s opening two games in Europe (2-2-4, +3). Buffalo’s 2nd round pick (44th overall) in 2008 had three goals in a 19-game cup of coffee last year, and put up an impressive 29-33-62 in 57 games for their AHL affiliate in Portland. Two years ago he had 90 point sin 56 games in junior, along with eight points in six games for Canada in the World Junior Championships. He has very good offensive abilities and the size to make an impact in the NHL. Brett Connolly - Tampa Bay: Connolly was the first draft pick of the Steve Yzerman era in Tampa, going 6th overall in 2010. The winger has a tremendous amount of offensive skill (46 goals in 59 games in the WHL last year), and NHL-ready size (6’2”, 200lbs), but the knock on him is a lack of two-way play (he was -37 over four junior seasons). In Guy Boucher’s system he will be required to play the full 200-feet of ice, but he will be able to learn this without too much pressure playing on the third line. On a team with a defensive-minded coach, he will have to play defense to avoid being sent to the AHL, even if it comes at the expense of his stats. Sean Couturier - Philadelphia: The Flyers were absolutely thrilled that the gifted 6’4” forward slid to 8th in last year’s draft (Columbus’ pick, acquired in the Jeff Carter trade); Couturier was coming off of back-to-back 96-point seasons in the WHL (with a combined +117 rating) and had little left to prove in junior. With a deep group of forwards, Couturier will be able to find his footing in the NHL at his own pace, like Connolly, on the team’s third line. Also like Connolly, he has been able to get his first NHL assist out of the way, but has yet to score through three games. Jared Cowen - Ottawa: There should be little doubt that Ottawa’s first round pick in 2009 (9th overall) is ready for the NHL. The towering defenseman (6’5”, 225lbs) has showcased his great two-way game for four WHL seasons and two Canadian World Junior teams, and is coming off of a very impressive season where he had 48 points and was a +44 in 58 games for the Spokane Chiefs in the WHL, also adding 14 points in 17 playoff games. Along with All-Star Erik Karlsson and fellow first-rounder David Rundblad, Cowen is a key part of Ottawa’s rebuilding process and should get plenty of opportunities this year to contribute on both ends of the ice, in all situations. Tim Erixon - NY Rangers: Erixon is a former first round pick of Calgary in 2009 (23rd overall), but was traded to New York this offseason after they could not reach an agreement on a contract. The 6’2” blueliner has spent the last four seasons playing in the Swedish Elite League, so the 20-year-old has plenty of experience playing against older competition. Last season he put up an impressive 24 points in 48 games in the lower-scoring SEL, and has a great opportunity to take a roster spot and run with it this season for a team expecting to contend. Erik Gudbranson - Florida: The 3rd overall pick in 2010 didn’t make the roster out of camp last year and was sent back to the OHL for one last season of seasoning. The 6’3”, 195lb smooth-skating defenseman showed off his complete game by registering 34 points and 105 penalty minutes in 44 games. He has the look and skill of a future All-Star, and Florida certainly hopes he makes a good impression in his first NHL season, as he is one of the key pieces of the rebuilding plan. Ryan Johansen - Columbus: The 19-year old center was taken directly after Gudbranson in last year’s draft, and a lot were wondering if it was a reach. But after registering 40-52-92, +44 in 63 games for the Portland Winterhawks, along with an All-Star performance for Canada in the World Junior Championship, Johansen made the Jackets’ brass look very good for taking him. He is seen as a future #1 center for a franchise that has been deprived of them up until acquiring Jeff Carter. And thanks to Carter, Johansen won’t carry too heavy of a burden this year, and should have a quietly effective season as a second or third line player. Gabriel Landeskog - Colorado: This Swedish winger won’t turn 19-years-old for another month, and is already showing why he was taken 2nd overall in 2011 and was deemed the most NHL-ready draftee: in his first four games he has two goals and three points. Along with his offensive skills (112 points in 114 OHL games, plus 33 points in 27 playoff games), Landeskog brings with him all of the intangibles that have people pegging him as an NHL captain in the not-so-distant future. Landeskog was the preseason Calder pick here at RealGM, and has looked every bit the part so far. Adam Larsson - New Jersey: For a team in transition, Larsson is a very important part, providing the organization with a potential star defensive prospect. The 4th overall pick in 2011 has played three seasons in the SEL, and has been dominant at times there and in the World Junior Championships for Sweden. After playing against men for three seasons, the 18-year-old will enter the NHL not intimidated, but ready to be a physical force (6’2”, 210lbs). Along with his size, he brings with him an effective stick as a passer, and above-average skating ability, and could be the best defensemen to come from Sweden since his idol Nicklas Lidstrom. Nino Niederreiter - NY Islanders: The 5th overall pick in 2010 played nine games last year before being loaned back to junior, and tallied a goal and an assist in his brief time in New York plus 70 points in 55 WHL games. He made the team out of camp this year and is another quality offensive prospect for an organization that has a full stable of them. Unfortunately he is injured right now, and any time missed due to injury could harm his Calder chances in this deep class of rookies. A native of Switzerland, he definitely has the size to succeed on the wing in the pros (6’2” 205lbs). Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Edmonton: “The Nuge” was the first overall pick in 2011, a second consecutive first overall pick for Edmonton. There were questions about whether his size would hold him back this year, as websites have him listed anywhere between 155-170lbs, but with Taylor Hall professing that Nuge out-benched him, those notions should be cast aside. He is an extremely gifted offensive player, and one of the best passers to break into the league over the last decade; he had 75 assists and 106 points last year in 69 games. In his first game, he got his first NHL goal out of the way, but look for plenty of assists this year as he is building solid chemistry with some of Edmonton’s other young forwards. Matt Read - Philadelphia: Read wasn’t on anyone’s radar this summer as a potential Calder candidate; it would be hard to find many people who would have guessed the 25-year-old was even going to crack a deep Flyers lineup. But with the Flyers commitment to go younger, and a very impressive training camp and preseason, Read finds himself in the NHL for the first time. Instead of size (5’10”, 185lbs), Read outworks his opponents, and after a high-scoring University career has started his professional career off with a bang; the undrafted free-agent has registered two points in his first three games. Brayden Schenn - Philadelphia: Touted the best prospect not in the NHL entering the season, Schenn was the key piece acquired in the Mike Richards trade this summer. The 5th overall pick in 2009 dazzled in the World Junior Championships in 2010, but had only managed to play nine NHL games with the Kings before this season. While he is spending one game in the AHL this year as Philadelphia circumvents the salary cap, Schenn is expected to have a breakout season once he returns to the Flyers lineup as the third-line center. In only 29 games in the WHL last year, Schenn posted a ridiculous 57 points, clearly overstaying his welcome. Craig Smith - Nashville: Smith is the lowest-drafted player on our list, as Nashville found him in the fourth round (98th overall) in 2009. He spent the last two seasons playing for the University of Wisconsin and registered a combined 76 points in 81 games. From rookie camp to training camp to preseason, Smith was one of the best forwards on the ice for the Predators, who have long had a dearth in the goal scoring department. Through the team’s first three games to open the season, Smith has registered four points, making an early case as a potential Calder Trophy winner and one of the surprise stories of the season. Mika Zibanejad - Ottawa: The Swedish forward, selected 6th overall in 2011, has largely struggled so far (one assist, -3 in four games), but has five more games before Ottawa will decide whether to send him back to Sweden or keep him in the NHL. He has incredible speed and a smooth offensive game, as shown in the preseason when he scored three goals in six games. But once the regular season began, and games got faster and stars stopped sitting out games, Zibanejad has struggled to keep up mentally. He possess all of the tools necessary to be a top-line forward in the league, but may or may not get to stick around and showcase those skills all year. Nick is RealGM’s NHL Feature Writer. You can reach him by email [email protected] or on twitter @NickObergan