A first look at the year's rooks, draft prospects

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 | Feedback | Print Entry

On Wednesdays, I'm going to focus my attention on the league's top rookies and the prospects for the 2010 NHL draft. Today, I'll give you five freshmen who've sprinted out to strong starts, as well as five draft-eligibles currently skating in North America who are keeping amateur scouts busy.

Calder Watch

Michael Del Zotto, D, New York Rangers
The 19-year-old Del Zotto is the latest young defenseman to emerge from the talented class of 2008 (selected 20th overall). He earned his way onto the Rangers' roster with an impressive training camp. A strong skater with excellent puck skills, the Ontario native has been a big early-season help to a power play that struggled to score last year. Through Tuesday's games, he led all rookies with four goals and nine points. The Rangers' coaching staff has been careful not to overexpose their kid defenseman, keeping him to a reasonable average ice time of 15:25. So far, he has not looked out of place in the NHL.

 
 

To read E.J. Hradek's other top 4 "froshes" at the top of the Calder Watch and see the top 5 prospects for the 2010 NHL draft, you must be an ESPN Insider.
  • E.J. Hradek E.J. Hradek

    E.J. Hradek is a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine, joining the staff prior to its launch in 1998. He began covering hockey as a writer/editor for Hockey Illustrated in 1989. The following year, he beat the Stars to Dallas (by three years), taking over as the editor of Beckett Hockey Monthly. When the Stars finally did arrive in Big D, he hosted a weekly hockey radio show and tried (unsuccessfully) to convert ESPN's Skip Bayless to the greatest game on ice.

    In 1996, Hradek left Dallas, but not the Stars. Relocating back to the New York area, he became a part-time pro scout for the club, seeing more than 100 NHL/AHL games for each of the next two seasons. The scouting gig was a great learning experience, offering a different view of the game.

    Hradek grew up in Tuckahoe, N.Y., about a 40-minute train ride from New York City. Despite the proximity to the Rangers, Hradek embraced the Islanders when the expansion franchise debuted in 1972. Eight years later, he was part of the sellout crowd at the Nassau Coliseum that witnessed the Islanders' first Stanley Cup championship.


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