LCS Hockey - Rookie Watch

Rookie Watch
by Jim Iovino, Ace Reporter

The 1997-98 season brought a so-so crop of rookies into the NHL. The No. 1 pick of the 1997 draft, Joe Thornton, struggled in limited action with the Boston Bruins after being hyped up after he was selected first overall. But Thornton's teammate, the diminutive Sergei Samsonov, flourished during the second half of the season en route to winning the Calder Trophy for rookie of the year.

Like Thornton, the No. 1 pick of the 1998 draft is also being highly touted. Tampa Bay's Vincent Lecavalier has been billed as a savior for the Lightning franchise and is compared to Mario Lemieux. Living up to expectations like that aren't easy. Just ask Alexandre Daigle.

Will Lecavalier score 100 points like Super Mario did in his first season? Or will he struggle like Thornton did a year ago while another youngster, such as the Rangers' Manny Malhotra, steals the spotlight and the Calder Trophy?

Here's a look at the top rookies heading into the new NHL season in no particular order...

Vincent Lecavalier, center, Tampa Bay

As if being selected first overall wasn't enough pressure, Tampa Bay's 18-year-old savior also has to deal with a monster of a deal. As in a huge contract. As in being the highest paid rookie in NHL history. Yes, even higher than Alexandre Daigle's deal a few years back.

Now that's pressure. But at least he didn't dress up in a nurse's outfit at the press conference...

The 6-4, 180-pound Lecavalier has shown flashes of brilliance during his brief stint in the NHL. He led the Bolts in scoring in the preseason with four goals and nine points. Of course, leading the Lightning in scoring isn't all that hard to do, but let's give the kid some credit. He did help the Bolts come back from a three-goal deficit in a preseason tilt against the Florida Panthers by racking up two goals and an assist in the 5-4 win.

Lecavalier broke out of his shell a little more in his first regular season game with move that could make highlight reels for the rest of his career. The shifty center, who, by the way, wears the respectable No. 8 jersey instead of a crazy high-end number, picked up a puck at center ice and skated into the Panthers' zone to go one-on-one with Florida defenseman Jaroslav Spacek. As Lecavalier approached the defender he faked as if he was going to go left, then cut back to the right, pushing the puck between Spacek's skates. Spacek bit on the first move, and by the time he spun himself back around Lecavalier was already by him. Lecavalier caught up to the puck, but didn't have a lot of time to bear down on goaltender Sean Burke. So Lecavalier snapped a quick wrister high over Burke's shoulder.

Had this been a tear-jerking novel, the puck would have gone in the net, Lecavalier would have scored his first NHL goal and he would received a big hug and kiss from a leggy supermodel. But this is the real world, and in the real world we have to deal with things called goal posts. Lecavalier's shot hit one of those goal posts. It made a pretty sound, but that and 75 cents will get you a bag of those Olean poop chips. So Lecavalier's first brush with greatness was two inches off. Damn the goal posts, damn them straight to hell...

Mike Maneluk, right wing, Philadelphia

Every once in a while a story like Mike Maneluk's comes along. It's a sweet story, one you tell the kids as they sit around a campfire making smores. Or one you tell your friends as you sit around a campfire getting all liquored up on Goldschlager and cheap wine...

Maneluk was acquired by the Philadelphia Flyers a year ago for a dollar. That's right, one lousy buck. But that one lousy buck seems to be a solid investment by Flyer GM Bob Clarke. Maneluk led the AHL Philly Phantoms to the Calder Cup last season by scoring an AHL-high 34 points in the postseason.

This season Clarke has given Maneluk a chance to add a Calder Trophy to his resume. How could a 25-year-old winger who has spent the past four seasons in the AHL and IHL be considered for the NHL rookie of the year award? It's simple: stick him on a line with Eric Lindros and John LeClair and let them feed him some pucks.

Maneluk was placed on the first line with Lindros and LeClair during the preseason because of several reasons. First of all, Maneluk has good speed and a nose for the net, which fits well with the Legionnaires. Second, the Flyers are rather weak at right wing and needed someone, anyone, who has some offensive talent that could be of use on the right side.

The 5-foot-11, 188-pound Maneluk scored five goals and added an assist in the preseason, then registered assists in his first two regular season games. But the question still lingers as to whether Maneluk is a long-term solution to the Flyers problem or just a novelty that will wear off faster than the edges on his skate blades. If he sticks with the big club, Maneluk could find a Calder Trophy waiting for him at the end of the season. If he doesn't, it's quite possible that no one will remember his name.

Mark Parrish, right wing, Florida

Florida Panther GM Bryan Murray took a lot of heat late last season when he traded team captain Tom Fitzgerald to the Colorado Avalanche for a little-known prospect named Mark Parrish. But by the end of the Panthers' first game of the 1998-99 season, every Florida fan knew the name of that obscure prospect.

The 21-year-old forward started the opening game of the season on a line with fellow rookie Oleg Kvasha and Viktor Kozlov. He finished it with two goals and a lot more expectations for his season than he started with.

Parrish, who scored six goals in 1998 preseason games, had a tremendous season of junior hockey last year, scoring 92 points, including 54 goals, in 54 games for Seattle in the Western Hockey League. The year before that Parrish had a field day in college hockey. He led the WCHA in goals with 27 in 35 games played.

Oleg Kvasha, center, Florida

Parrish's teammate, Oleg Kvasha, was also a surprise starter on opening night for the Panthers. He's a big kid at 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds who can be physical if needed but is more comfortable just playing his game. Last season Kvasha put up modest numbers with New Haven (AHL), scoring 29 points (13 goals) in 54 games. Kvasha outplayed fellow rookie Marcus Nilson in the preseason to win a job on the team.

Milan Hejduk, left wing, Colorado

Milan Hejduk has already had an interesting hockey career. The 21-year-old played in the 1998 Winter Olympics for the Czech Republic and won a gold medal.

On opening night of the 1998-99 NHL season, Hejduk, a sixth-round pick in 1994, lined up alongside the great Joe Sakic.

Talk about starting your career in style.

Hejduk didn't disappoint in his first game, as he scored on a one-timer against Damian Rhodes. That's what Hejduk's role is with the Avs. He's there to score goals, and plenty of them. Colorado coach Bob Hartley said Hejduk has above-average skating ability, great hands and can pick a corner of the net from up to 30 feet away.

Hejduk's time on the Sakic line could be limited if the injured Adam Deadmarsh makes a quick return to the lineup. But if Hejduk proves he can hang with a guy like Joe, the underachieving Deadmarsh could wind up on another line or with another team.

Chris Drury, center, Colorado

Colorado rookie Chris Drury shouldn't feel too bad for himself despite the fact he doesn't own a gold medal like Hejduk, his teammate and fellow rookie on the Avs. Drury has been a winner at every sport he's tried. Drury, you might remember, was the little kid who was the winning pitcher in the 1989 Little League World Series. He also led Boston University to an NCAA hockey championship and became the Terriers' all-time leading scorer. And then there's that Hobey Baker thing...

Drury brings his winning ways to an organization that has been accustomed to winning over the past few years. However, Colorado seems to be at a standstill. The team's not improving much with the players already there, but it's losing just enough skill and talent each year to get knocked out early in the postseason.

The Avs are hoping Drury and Hejduk can help increase the team skill level and depth back to the point it was at when the team won the Cup in 1996.

Drury has decent speed, good passing instincts and hands around the net and a hard slap shot. The 22-year-old center showed his offensive talent last season with the Terriers by scoring 28 goals in 38 games - good numbers for college hockey. He also scored five goals for the Avs in the preseason.

Drury started this season on a line with Rene Corbet, who can also display some offensive skills when asked, and either Jeff Odgers or Warren Rychel. Needless to say, the scoring from this line will come from Drury and Corbet...

Brendan Morrison, center, New Jersey

By the number of times he was drafted this summer, it's quite obvious that fantasy hockey league owners took notice of Brendan Morrison's nine points in 11 NHL games at the end of the regular season last year.

The New Jersey Devils also took notice. The team's banking on Morrison to relieve some of the offensive pressure off the forwards following the departure of Doug Gilmour to Chicago. While it could be a stretch to think that Morrison can match Gilmour's skills and importance to the team, the 23-year-old center could be ready to make his impact felt for a full NHL season.

Morrison scored 84 points in 72 games for Albany of the AHL last season before being called up to the big show. His offensive prowess was also displayed in college hockey for Michigan. Morrison led the CCHA in scoring each of his last three seasons with the Wolverines. In his final season at Michigan, 1996-97, Morrison scored an incredible 88 points in 43 games en route to winning the Hobey Baker Award.

Morrison still has some trouble in his own end at times, but he can beat a defense with either a shot or a pass as he doesn't rely on one single facet of his offensive repertoire to be successful. After four years of college hockey and a year of seasoning in the minors, now is the time for Morrison to prove he can play in the bigs.

Rico Fata, center, Calgary

Every time I think of Rico Fata, the same thing comes to mind - damn, that's a cool name. I mean, really, wouldn't you like to be named Rico Fata? That name is just chocked full of frothy coolness.

But Fata's more than a name. He's an 18-year-old prospect that worked his way onto the Calgary Flames opening- day roster. Fata's got a lot of speed. He's got some good offensive instincts. But what he doesn't have is NHL experience and a solid team around him that can help with his adjustment to the league.

The Flames, as a whole, are a young, inexperienced squad. Veteran leaders are few and far between. That's bad news for Fata. He's going to need someone to pal along with in his first NHL experience and learn the ropes from. It's not going to happen in Calgary. Here's hoping the youngster doesn't get too lost this season and he doesn't get too accustomed to losing.

Manny Malhotra, center, New York Rangers

Out of all of this year's first-round draft picks, Malhotra was the one who people said could stick with an NHL club right out of training camp. The 18-year-old proved those wise sages correct. Malhotra made the Rangers as a possible third-line center. However, the coaching staff has decided that the kid should be worked into the lineup slowly. He didn't play on opening night, and wasn't supposed to play until this weekend. But injuries to several other centers gave Malhotra a chance to play in the second game of the season.

Malhotra has a lot of confidence in his game. He's mature beyond his age. And he's a demon in the defensive zone. But it's still going to take some time for him to be a complete NHL player. Does this sound familiar to anyone? I'm thinking Jarome Iginla a few years back with the Flames... Luckily for Malhotra, there's a lot more veteran leadership on the Rangers. This should bode well for his development during the upcoming season.

Others to watch:

Two rookie defensemen have a chance to make an impression this season - Tom Poti in Edmonton and Dmitri Tertyshny in Philadelphia. Both are offensive-minded blueliners who should see some decent playing time for their respective squads. Poti joins an explosive blue line in Edmonton with Boris Mironov, Roman Hamrlik and Co., while Tertyshny will be manning the point early in the year on Flyer power plays. And no, I really don't know how to say Tertyshny. My best guess would be something like "Ter-ti-shinny." But perhaps we could just call him Knuckles...