Top Rookies in the National Hockey League – Part 4
John Carlson, Washington Capitals
Another one of the rookie defenders in the list is John Carlson of the Washington Capitals. Carlson is having a very decent year in the National Hockey League and is expected to become one of the big names after putting in the performances that he has so
far during the season.
His determination and hard work have helped him a lot as he has been assigned to play a very important role in the franchise.
So far he has performed very well and the Coach of the Capitals has always praised his efforts as being a rookie he has handled the pressure and played the role that some of his seniors weren’t able to.
Carlson not only has impressed the Capitals administration but with the performances that he has bagged, he is among the very best in the league when it comes to the reckoning of the best defensemen.
With his consistent performances, he is the second rookie in terms of playing minutes on ice with 22.
This young and talented already superstar for the Capitals has taken part in 54 games so far.
During the course of these 54 games he has bagged five goals out which three have been game winning which is phenomenal. His productive statistics get a further boost as he has made 17 assists during the season so far and scored a total of 22 points.
This young player who is 22 years old still has a lot of time left in the National Hockey League and expected to occupy the backline for the Capitals for a long time. Some also consider him moving to a Stanley Cup winning franchise if the Capitals are unable
to achieve the feat.
Corey Crawford, Chicago Blackhawks
Corey Crawford is one of the unexpected inclusions in the defending champions, Chicago Blackhawks' roster. He has been very impressive for the Hawks keeping goal for them. At the start of the season, he was a rookie addition to the Hawks who was expected
to bag no more than 30 games during the course of the entire season.
However, things have turned out to be totally different as he has already made 30 appearances and there are a whole lot of games still left to play. Crawford made his 30th appearance of the season at the start of February during which he has come
up with absolutely brilliant performances.
He has played an important role in the Hawks roster as they have won 17 games in regulation time, scored a point in 11 games and lost only 2 games.
His statistics during the season show that he maintains a 0.921 saves percentage per game and 2.14 goals against average per game. His goal against average has placed him fourth in the league for doing so.
Crawford has been quite impressive during the course of the season and his brilliant performances game after game has resulted in him taking the starting role in the Hawks team.
Crawford, taking the position of veteran goalkeeper, Marty Turco, was a big thing and he has surely met the expectations.
His performances and important saves game after game have played a very important role in putting the Hawks in the play-off finishing position that they currently are in.
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