Rookie Watch: Bedard, Cooley among best in Central Division

The impact several rookies are making on the NHL is one of the major storylines of the 2023-24 season. Each week, NHL.com will examine topics related to this season's class in the Rookie Watch.

This week, the top five rookies in the Central Division (in alphabetical order):

Connor Bedard, F, Chicago Blackhawks: The right-shot center and No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, has come as advertised. The 18-year-old (5-foot-10, 185 pounds) has scored five goals, which is tied with Minnesota Wild forward Marco Rossi for the lead among Central Division rookies. He also has seven points, 34 shots on goal and is first among rookie forwards in average ice time (19:27) in 11 games. Bedard (18 years, 110 days) had a three-game goal streak from Oct. 27-Nov. 4, becoming the youngest player in Blackhawks history with such a run. He is the fifth Blackhawks player in nearly 80 years to score five goals through his first 10 games, joining Andrew Shaw (five in 2011-12), Jonathan Toews (five in 2007-08), Igor Radulov (five from 2002-03 to 2003-04) and Dimitri Nabokov (five in 1997-98).

One of many areas Bedard excelled in with Regina of the Western Hockey League in the previous three seasons (134 goals, 271 points, in 134 games) was his sixth sense to locate the best position on the ice to unleash his incredible shot against the opposing goalie. He's finding that location in the NHL with 10 of his shots coming within the high-danger area, and 18 from mid-range, per NHL Edge.

"He learns from every shift, and I think we're just going to be blown away by what we're seeing 20 games in ... certainly by midway point of the season and beyond," said David Gregory of NHL Central Scouting. "He's going to be able to do, I think, what he did as a junior player just because he has such elite skill. He's adjusting. He's getting all these shots off and he's going to be just fine."

Logan Cooley, F, Arizona Coyotes: The 19-year-old (5-10, 174), selected No. 3 in the 2022 NHL Draft, leads rookies with seven assists, and his eight points are tied for first with Philadelphia Flyers forward Bobby Brink and Anaheim Ducks defenseman Pavel Mintyukov. He's also averaging 16:11 of ice time and is 42.9 percent (39-for-91) on face-offs, which is first among Central rookies (minimum 70 total face-offs). It's interesting to note that of Cooley's 10 shots, six have come from within the high-danger area, per NHL Edge. He had two assists and two shots on goal in 19:02 of ice time in his NHL debut, a 4-3 shootout win at the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 13. Few will forget the highlight-reel goal Cooley scored during the preseason against the Los Angeles Kings in Melbourne, Australia, when he beat three defenders with a spin-o-rama move before pulling the puck back to his forehand for a goal in a 5-3 win as part of the 2023 Global Series -- Melbourne on Sept. 23.

"We know what he can do ... you will see him all the time as a rookie, and we see him as a player for us," Arizona coach Andre Tourigny said. "He's a member of our team, an important guy on our team and he will grow every game, learn a few things. We will focus on what we can control ... not the result but the performance."

Brock Faber, D, Minnesota Wild: The second-round pick (No. 45) pick in the 2020 NHL Draft leads all rookies in ice time (23:41) and blocked shots (20) in 11 games. The 21-year-old (6-1, 200) is first among rookie defensemen in the Central with four points (one goal, three assists) and 14 shots on goal.

Faber had 53 points (seven goals, 46 assists) and was plus-54 in three seasons at the University of Minnesota, which lost 3-2 in overtime to Quinnipiac in the 2023 NCAA championship game. He had one assist in four games with the United States at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Faber signed his entry-level contract on April 9 and played two regular-season games and six Stanley Cup Playoff games for the Wild last spring.

"I still see myself as just a normal 21-year-old kid," Faber told the Wild website. "I just love working out, skating and bettering myself. I love winning and I hate losing and that's kind of just how I am. I've never been big on points or social media or accolades or anything like that. Frankly, it hasn't changed one bit since I have signed. It's obviously different, but I would talk about that a lot with my coaches growing up and they would always preach unselfish people make it to the next level. Good people make it to the next level. People who care more about the team make it to the next level. And that's just all the way up and how I was raised."

Kevin Korchinski, D, Chicago Blackhawks: Bedard isn't the only rookie having an impact in Chicago. Korchinski (6-1, 185), who has recently been paired with Seth Jones, has gained the trust of coach Luke Richardson and is proving why he was chosen with the No. 7 pick in the 2022 draft. The 19-year-old is second among Central defensemen with three points (three assists) while averaging 19:40 of ice time. He is also tied with Pavel Mintyukov of the Anaheim Ducks for fourth among NHL rookie defensemen with 16 blocked shots.

Korchinski's skating is elite, he doesn't overhandle the puck and offers good play recognition, a big reason why he's been utilized on the second power-play unit.

"He really likes to take in information, and he's open and receptive to it and puts it into his game," Richardson said. "To me, that's a sign of a good pro. It looks like, as long as his progression stays the same, we'll just keep going [with him here]."

Marco Rossi, F, Minnesota Wild: Rossi is tied for first with Bedard among NHL rookies with five goals and tied for third with seven points while averaging 16:02 of ice time in a top-six role. Minnesota has shown patience with the 22-year-old Austria-born center, who was selected with the No. 9 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, after he was diagnosed with myocarditis (inflammation of the heart) following complications with COVID-19 in 2021. He added muscle to his frame (5-9, 182) during the offseason after getting 51 points (16 goals, 35 assists) in 53 games for Iowa of the American Hockey League in 2022-23. Rossi also gained valuable experience at the 2023 IIHF World Championship with six points (one goal, five assists) in seven games. He's taken 29 shots on goal, 11 from the high-danger area and nine from mid-range, per NHL Edge.

"He's playing an assertive game in all areas, period," Wild coach Dean Evason said. "He's skating, he's got a good stick, is aggressive on the forecheck. He's finishing his checks. Everything that we ask of all our players, Marco is doing at a very high, consistency basis.

"He's more confident and dictating to us he's going to play more just because of the way he's playing. He kills penalties, he plays power play ... he's been a real strong player so far."