Two top NHL Rookies will go at it as Marco Rossi squares off against Connor Bedard today
ST. PAUL - Entering today's game between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Minnesota Wild, Connor Bedard currently leads the rookie scoring race with 11 goals and 19 points in 22 games.
The Wild's Marco Rossi isn't that far behind though. Through 21 games this season, Rossi has six goals and six assists for 12 points but in his last seven games the 5-foot-9 center has one goal and five points which is tied for third with Leo Carlsson in rookie points per games played.
Bedard, 18, ranks first amongst rookies in goals and points and currently has an eight game road point streak. In that span Bedard has eight goals and four assists for 12 points. Bedard will have a chance to extend that streak today against the Wild.
"I had some experiences in Jersey with Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, some young guys that stepped into the league and played right away," Wild head coach John Hynes said on Bedard. "I think what it comes down to is there's an elite talent there. I think it's not just the skill that you see it's their ability to think the game at the NHL level and be able to deal with the pace and things like that."
Sometimes when young 18-year-old players step into the league they get pushed off the puck and hit by the opposition but when you are the number one overall pick you have an even bigger target on your back and so far Bedard has handled that very well.
"I also think with Bedard, he seems like he's a pretty well built, conditioned, and young guy. It looks like he can handle some of the physical confrontations in the league, but he's certainly one of those players that has the skill set and I think the mind to be able to play at this level right away."
For Rossi and the Wild, the 2020 ninth overall pick has shown some great flashes of skill in games and recently has looked very good. Rossi started the year only averaging just 14 minutes of ice time in the first seven games but has averaged 17:19 in his last 14 games and has recorded four goals and nine points in that span.
"I was very impressed with Rossi," Hynes said after coaching his first game with the Wild. "I hadn't seen him a lot, you know a younger guy coming in, but he can think the game with those guys, (Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello), he can play at the pace that you need too to create offense and I was impressed with his hardness on the puck."
Nonetheless, it will be a good matchup today between the two star studded rookies and a game that could affect the Calder Trophy race all though Bedard looks like it's his trophy to lose.