New Jersey Devils forward Nico Hischier has looked nothing short of impressive during preseason action. The 2017 first overall pick has accumulated seven points in four games and looks poised to have a strong rookie campaign.
Since the lockout, first overall picks have generally excelled. Some have managed to finish among the league’s top scorers while others’ stats appear pedestrian compared to their more current numbers. With that in mind, we took a look back at each first overall pick’s rookie year since the 2005-06 season.
Rookie seasons
2005-06: Alex Ovechkin- 82 GP, 52 G, 54 A, Sidney Crosby- 81 GP, 39 G, 63 A
2007-08: Patrick Kane- 82 GP, 21 G, 51 S, 72 P
2008-09: Steven Stamkos- 79 GP, 23 G, 23 A, 46 P
2009-10: John Tavares- 82 GP, 24 G, 30 A, 54 P
2010-11: Taylor Hall- 65 GP, 22 G, 20 A, 42 P
2011-12: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins- 62 GP, 18 G, 34 A, 52 P
2012-13: Nail Yakupov- 48 GP, 17 G, 14 A, 31 P
2013-14: Nathan MacKinnon- 82 GP, 24 G, 39 A, 63 P
2015-16: Connor McDavid- 45 GP, 16 G, 32 A, 48 P
2016-17: Auston Matthews- 82 GP, 40 G, 29 A, 69 P
To gain a stronger perspective, we calculated their points per game, as some were forced to miss parts of the season due to injury.
It’s crazy to think that both Ovechkin and Crosby were able to top 100 points in just their first year. McDavid, who very well could have reached that number if he stayed healthy in his first season, was the only player to reach the century mark last year in the entire league.
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If there’s one thing the stats can teach us, it’s that certain players need more time to develop than others. If Stamkos or Tavares replicated their rookie PPG total today, fantasy owners worldwide would be furious.
After a stunning rookie season which saw Matthews post 40 goals, Hischier has his work cut out for him in 2017-18.
