Calder Watch: Minute-man Hedman tops list

Wednesday, November 4, 2009 | Feedback | Print Entry

Did you see Sidney Crosby showing off his goaltending skills in Anaheim on Tuesday night? That's right, goaltending skills. With a little more than three minutes left, Crosby made a sliding save (it kind of looked like a two-pad stack) to deny Anaheim Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer of a sure goal that would have tied the entertaining game. Instead, the Pittsburgh Penguins held on for a 4-3 win. I don't think Crosby is ready to make the career change, but it was a pretty timely save.

OK, I had to get that out of the way.

Let's get to the rookies and prospects report. With a month burned off the 2009-10 calendar, I figured it was a good time to offer my list of the league's top 10 rookies. Obviously, it's a subjective list. I gave the most weight to guys who are really having an impact for their respective teams. And I tended to give a little edge to defenders over forwards because I believe that's a tougher position to master at a young age.

1. Victor Hedman, D, Tampa Bay Lightning: The lanky, Swedish-born D is averaging a rookie-best 24 minutes, 40 seconds per game in ice time. Those are veteran minutes. The 18-year-old is plus-1 on a team that has allowed nine more goals than it has scored. That's impressive.

 
 

To see the rest of Hradek's top-10 list and get an update on a prospect who could challenge Taylor Hall for the top spot in the 2010 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.


Subscribe

RSS RSS Feed

Recent Updates

Archive

More