This year? It\u2019s looking wide open. The top choice on this list, Jacob Fowler, started the year in the AHL. Heck, Dylan Garand was on waivers before suddenly getting thrust into the New York Rangers\u2019 starting gig. It\u2019s often hard for the year\u2019s previous draft picks to make big splashes early, but we\u2019ve got two in the top five here.<\/p>\n
And hey, a tight battle is more fun, right? We\u2019ve got a little bit of everything so far, from stout goaltenders to puck-moving defenders and high-flying wingers. Let\u2019s look at the top 10 rookies from the month of October:<\/p>\n
Fowler started the year in Laval, with Jakub Dobe\u0161 and Samuel Montembeault handling duties with the big club. But with Dobe\u0161\u2019 struggles and Montembeault\u2019s injury, Fowler has seemingly taken over as the man to beat. The 21-year-old is 7-1-0 with two shutouts and a .932 save percentage, with his 46-save shutout against St. Louis<\/a> being one of the standout goalie performances of the season. This is as good a start from a rookie as we\u2019ve seen, and it\u2019s happening to a guy who opened the year tending the twine for Laval. There\u2019s no chance he\u2019s going back, though \u2013 not only is he the top rookie right now, but he\u2019s legitimately a top-five goalie, period.<\/p>\n The Norwegian superstar is off to an incredible start in Detroit. Brandsegg-Nyg\u00e5rd is tracking for more than 50 points while also putting himself on pace for fourth all-time among single-season hits. Add in the fact that he\u2019s playing some strong defensive hockey, and it\u2019s hard to say that Brandsegg-Nyg\u00e5rd hasn\u2019t been one of the most consistent rookies this season. He has been a fixture in the top six early on, with his best work coming alongside Emmitt Finnie and Alex DeBrincat. Given he\u2019s near the top<\/a> of all of Detroit\u2019s metrics this year, the club has to be thrilled with how the hard-working winger has shown up early on.<\/p>\n Hagens was a natural center throughout junior and college, but it\u2019s never easy for a young player to come in and take on the added responsibility as a rookie. So it\u2019s been nice watching Hagens thrive in a third-line role, where he has managed to put up 11 points through 15 games. That\u2019s about a 60-point pace, which would be the second-best output by a Bruins rookie of the 21st century (Brad Boyes had 69 points in 2005-06<\/a>). Hagens is a reliable two-way forward who thinks the game at such a high level. He\u2019s extremely quick, too, and he\u2019s not afraid to use the middle of the ice, unlike some other young stars. Hagens has been one of the NHL\u2019s most consistent rookies, and it\u2019s only a matter of time until he pushes himself up the lineup. For now, the Bruins are a wagon, and Hagens is giving them the extra scoring depth they needed.<\/p>\n McKenna has had his ups and downs, which is exactly what you\u2019d expect from an 18-year-old, regardless of pedigree. But when he\u2019s hot, he\u2019s unstoppable, just like he proved in his two-goal, three-point performance against Seattle<\/a> near the end of October. He\u2019s tied with Hagens for first in rookie scoring, which was mostly aided by his four-game point streak near the start of the month. We\u2019ve seen McKenna bounce around Toronto\u2019s lineup, but he looked at his best alongside Auston Matthews later in the month. McKenna has such an immense amount of skill, and he\u2019s capable of thriving alongside other top talents, too \u2013 something that\u2019s easier said than done for a young player.<\/p>\n Connelly has been a high-end producer at nearly every level \u2013 except the NCAA, of all places. He\u2019s tracking for more than 50 points in Vegas, with a few multi-point efforts helping the cause. Connelly is a strong skater who can fire the puck from anywhere and create offense better than most 20-year-olds. Physically, he can hold his own, but he\u2019s known more for doing whatever it takes to get himself out of danger along the boards. Connelly feels like a future 70-80-point forward in the NHL, and it\u2019s only a matter of time until the consistency follows. He\u2019s a blast to watch.<\/p>\n Defensively, it hasn\u2019t been an easy season for Stenberg. But it\u2019s been a blast watching him pull off some of the moves he has made this year. And, maybe more importantly, he\u2019s tracking for around 60 points. Stenberg entered the year as one of the clear favorites for the Calder thanks to his pro experience in Sweden, and, legitimately, he has become one of the most exciting players to watch. The Sharks are still a bit of a jumbled mess right now, but when Stenberg is at his best, the Sharks are better for it. He\u2019s also playing quite a bit, too, averaging more than 16 minutes a night. He\u2019s glued to Macklin Celebrini on the top line now \u2013 that\u2019s a fun pair. If Stenberg was your pick for the Calder, hold strong there \u2013 it feels like a breakout is looming.<\/p>\n Hutson hasn\u2019t made as big of a splash as his brother did when he broke into the NHL. But Hutson could still finish with around 40 points, which would be remarkable. Hutson has been on Washington\u2019s third pair for the most part, but he has done a solid job on the second power-play unit while averaging 19:04 a night. That\u2019s asking a lot out of a rookie, even an \u201colder\u201d one at 20 years old. But Hutson has the skill, skating and poise to hang with the best of them. Don\u2019t be surprised if Hutson ends up becoming a legitimate top-five candidate for the Calder by December.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not easy being a rookie and stepping into a top-six role immediately, even with previous pro experience. But Frondell has been solid for the Hawks, playing around a 40-point pace while averaging close to 17 minutes a night as the No. 2 center. He\u2019s still figuring out the grind of the NHL, obviously. But the strong, two-way center has been a handful to contain on the rush and loves firing one-timers. The Blackhawks have struggled to produce, but Frondell has been legitimately one of Chicago\u2019s most intriguing scoring threats early on. Even if he doesn\u2019t win the Calder, he has as good a shot as anyone on this list at becoming a star NHLer thanks to his all-around upside.<\/p>\n Bonk started the year in Lehigh Valley before getting called up in early October. He quickly established himself as an important piece of the puzzle, often playing more than 20 minutes a night while showcasing his high-end puck-moving abilities. There\u2019s no chance he gets sent back down to the AHL; he\u2019s playing with so much confidence right now. The Flyers aren\u2019t a real playoff contender<\/a> at this point, but Bonk has been a bright spot on the team\u2019s third pair. His skating looks improved, he\u2019s doing well physically, and executing smarter, heads-up passes than we\u2019ve ever seen from him. He\u2019s legit.<\/p>\n Garand\u2019s numbers have fallen a bit in recent weeks. But think of the situation he was thrust into: he went from going on waivers and expecting to spend the year in the AHL, only to become the starter a week into the season due to a season-ending injury to Igor Shesterkin<\/a>. He has had a number of standout performances, highlighted by a 22-save shutout in his season debut before some outstanding efforts against Tampa Bay and Anaheim, among others. It felt like the Rangers were relying on him too much, though, and that expecting a 24-year-old with no starter experience to lead the charge might have been too tough pf an ask (and the rest of the team has struggled<\/a>, too). He has made a good enough argument to suggest he belongs on a full-time basis, but maybe in more of a backup role once Joonas Korpisalo returns.<\/p>\n DAILY FACEOFF NEWSLETTER<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/1793639050_305_image.webp\"\/)
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