The National Hockey League today announced the 2014-15 NHL All-Rookie Team, including the three players voted as finalists for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the League’s top rookie: forwards Johnny Gaudreau of the Calgary Flames and Mark Stone of the Ottawa Senators and defenseman Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers.
Also named to the NHL All-Rookie Team are forward Filip Forsberg of the Nashville Predators, defenseman John Klingberg of the Dallas Stars and goaltender Jake Allen of the St. Louis Blues.
Voting was conducted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association at the end of the regular season. Following is a summary of each All-Rookie Team member’s outstanding campaign:
GOALTENDER
Jake Allen, St. Louis Blues
Allen, a second-round selection (34th overall) by the Blues in the 2008 NHL Draft, went 22-7-4 with a 2.28 goals-against average, .913 save percentage and four shutouts in 37 games. He led all rookie goaltenders in wins and shutouts, becoming the second player in franchise history to pace the League in the former category (Mike Liut: 32 W in 1979-80). Allen also tied a Blues rookie record for shutouts and established a club mark for the longest shutout sequence (184:38 from Oct. 23 – Nov. 6). The 24-year-old closed the season with a 5-1-1 record in his final eight outings, allowing two or fewer goals in each contest (1.32 GAA, .950 SV%, 1 SO).
DEFENSEMEN (in alphabetical order)
Aaron Ekblad, Florida Panthers
Ekblad, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2014 NHL Draft, led all rookie defensemen with 12 goals and also ranked second with 27 assists and 39 points. In doing so, he set franchise records for a rookie defenseman in all three categories, surpassing the marks established by Ed Jovanovski in 1995-96 (10-11—21). Ekblad’s 39 points also were two shy of the NHL record for an 18-year-old defenseman (at the start of the season), set by Bobby Orr in 1966-67 (13-28—41). Ekblad led the Panthers – and ranked second among rookie defensemen – with a +12 rating and was on the ice for 88 Florida goals, tops among any player on the roster.
John Klingberg, Dallas Stars
Klingberg, a fifth-round selection (131st overall) by the Stars in the 2010 NHL Draft, led all rookie defensemen with 29 assists and 40 points and also finished second with 11 goals in 65 outings. His offensive production ranked second for a rookie defenseman in franchise history, behind only Brad Maxwell in 1977-78 (18-29—47). Klingberg also registered 2-2—4 on Jan. 31 at WPG to become the first rookie defenseman in Stars/North Stars history to post a four-point game. The 22-year-old notched a trio of game-winning goals (Jan. 13 vs. OTT, Jan. 29 at OTT and March 28 at VAN) and ranked third among rookie defensemen in average time on ice (21:50).
FORWARDS (in alphabetical order)
Filip Forsberg, Nashville Predators
Forsberg, the 11th overall selection by the Capitals in the 2012 NHL Draft, shared second among rookies with 26 goals and also finished third with 27 assists and 63 points while playing in all 82 games. He set franchise rookie records in all three categories, including nearly double the point total established by Alexander Radulov in 2006-07 (18-19—37). Forsberg also led the Predators in both goals and points, becoming the first rookie to do so in franchise history. Among rookies, the 20-year-old finished first in shots on goal (237), tied for first in game-winning goals (6) and tied for third in plus/minus (+15). Forsberg also set a club rookie record with a seven-game point streak from Oct. 31 – Nov. 13 (7-6—13).
Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames
Gaudreau, a fourth-round selection (104th overall) by the Flames in the 2011 NHL Draft, led all rookies with 40 assists and shared first with 64 points in 80 contests. He also paced all rookies in power-play goals (8) and power-play points (21) and topped rookie forwards in average time on ice (17:43). Gaudreau recorded his first career hat trick on Dec. 22 at LAK, becoming the youngest Flames player to do so since Dec. 28, 1987 (Joe Nieuwendyk). His 64 points shared fifth in franchise history for a rookie (w/ Tom Lysiak: 19-45—64 in 1973-74) and were the most by a Flames rookie since 1987-88 (Nieuwendyk: 51-41—92).
Mark Stone, Ottawa Senators
Stone, a sixth-round selection (178th overall) by the Senators in the 2010 NHL Draft, shared first in the rookie scoring race with 26-38—64 in 80 games. That included 14-21—35 in his final 31 contests, highlighted by a club rookie record nine-game point streak to end the season (8-5—13). Stone also led all rookies in plus/minus (+21), tied for first among rookies in game-winning goals (6) and shared first in the NHL in takeaways (98). The 23-year-old punctuated his campaign with a pair of goals in the season finale on April 11 at PHI, propelling the Senators into the playoffs after the club was 14 points outside of a berth on Feb. 10.
2014-15 NHL ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
GP W L OT GAA SV% SO
G Jake Allen, STL 37 22 7 4 2.28 .913 4
GP G A PTS +/- TOI/G
D Aaron Ekblad, FLA 81 12 27 39 +12 21:48
D John Klingberg, DAL 65 11 29 40 +5 21:50
F Filip Forsberg, NSH 82 26 37 63 +15 17:19
F Johnny Gaudreau, CGY 80 24 40 64 +11 17:43
F Mark Stone, OTT 80 26 38 64 +21 17:01
* Information provided via NHL Press Release
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