Rookie Watch: Ersson, Bedard lead All-Star team of 1st-year players

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, to celebrate the 2024 Honda (U.S.)/ Rogers (Canada) NHL All-Star Game at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Feb. 3, NHL.com presents the All-Rookie All-Star Team:

Goalie

Samuel Ersson, Philadelphia Flyers: The 24-year-old, a fifth-round pick (No. 19) in the 2018 NHL Draft, is first among rookie goalies (minimum 15 starts) in wins (12-9-3) and shutouts (three) and second in goals-against average (2.60) in 25 games (23 starts). Ersson (6-foot-3, 194 pounds) also has faced the second-most shots (597) and made the second-most saves (536) among first-year goalies. The native of Falun, Sweden, will likely earn most of the starts down the stretch with Carter Hart on an indefinite leave of absence for personal reasons.

Ersson is 0-3-0 with a 4.80 GAA and .780 save percentage since Hart took his leave Tuesday, but Flyers coach John Tortorella and teammates remain confident in their goalie.

"I just do my thing," Ersson said. "It's very important to stay in the moment and be present. I know how I started the year, so I know how it feels when things are not going great, so I just stay in the moment and take it game by game. Like I said all year, I'm ready when they call upon my name to go in and play, and that's all I can think about."

Defensemen

Brock Faber, Minnesota Wild: A second-round pick (No. 45) in the 2020 NHL Draft, Faber (6-1, 200) is first among rookies in average ice time (24:51), including first in average time at even strength (20:00) and short-handed (2:50) in 49 games. The 21-year-old is one of three rookies averaging more than 20 minutes per game, is first among rookie defensemen with 25 assists and 29 points and first League-wide in blocked shots (99). Minnesota has a 53.9 on-ice goals-for percentage at 5-on-5 when Faber is on the ice, fourth among rookie defensemen (minimum 20 games). He is the first rookie in Wild history to have five games with at least 30 minutes of ice time in a single season.

"He's been very consistent night in and night out, game in and game out playing in that type of a role," Minnesota coach John Hynes said. "To me, the situations that he's played in are the hardest situations you can play, whether that's matchups, top power play, top penalty kill, 4-on-4, 3-on-3, and all those types of situations.

"He's been reliable. That's what it takes to have the talent that Brock has, but to take that talent to the highest level is that consistency, reliability, and the ability to thrive in those situations, it's been great to see."

Luke Hughes, New Jersey Devils: Hughes (6-2, 184), the No. 4 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, ranks third in average ice time among rookies (20:40). He is second among first-year defensemen in assists (18), second in points (26), and first in power-play goals (four) in 47 games.

The 20-year-old can play either right point or left point, and that versatility gives the coaching staff flexibility. He is first among rookies at his position in takeaways (19) and 6-for-20 (30.0 percent) in shooting percentage from mid-range, per NHL EDGE stats, well above the League average of 8.3 percent. New Jersey controls 56.0 percent of the 5-on-5 shot attempts when Hughes is on the ice, tops among all rookies (minimum 10 games).

Forwards

Connor Bedard, Chicago Blackhawks: The No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft has missed 11 games with a fractured jaw sustained Jan. 5 but still leads the Blackhawks and all NHL rookies with 33 points (15 goals, 18 assists) in 39 games.

One day before the injury, Bedard was named to the 2024 Honda (U.S.)/Rogers (Canada) NHL All-Star Game at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday (3 p.m. ET; SN, CBC, TVAS, ABC, ESPN+). He's expected to be out at least another five weeks.

"Even though he's wearing a bubble in practice, he can't exert yet," Chicago coach Luke Richardson said. "He's not supposed to clinch too hard and let the bones heal with the surgery they did. And even wearing the shield, that's going to bang into your chin, so that's only going to help when his bones are healed. And that's the timeline."

Marco Rossi, Minnesota Wild: The No. 9 pick in the 2020 draft ranks first among rookies in face-offs taken (454) and offensive-zone wins (71), and second in total face-off wins (200) and second in face-off winning percentage (44.1; minimum 200 face-offs). The 22-year-old is third among rookies with 28 points and second with 13 goals in 49 games. He averages 16:47 of ice time and is second among first-year players in penalties drawn (21) and tied for fourth in takeaways (20).

"He's playing with more confidence, which is huge," Minnesota forward Matt Boldy told The Athletic. "He's playing his game, simple, fast, hard. A lot of his goals are coming in the crease, which are the hard ones to get sometimes."

Adam Fantilli, Columbus Blue Jackets: The No. 3 pick in the 2023 draft was effective in all areas of the ice until he sustained a cut to his left calf from a skate blade during a 4-2 loss at the Seattle Kraken on Sunday. The Blue Jackets announced Wednesday that Fantilli is expected to be out eight weeks because of the injury.

Fantilli ranks fourth among all rookies with 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists) and third with 24 even-strength points (11 goals) in 49 games. He's third in face-off wins (171) and second in offensive-zone face-off wins (70). He averages 15:43 of ice time and is tied for first among rookie centers in blocked shots (25), sixth in hits (46) and sixth in takeaways (18). The 19-year-old (6-2, 194) moved to left wing from center with Boone Jenner and Jack Roslovic in a 4-1 win against the Devils on Jan. 19.

"So [we're] working on his foundation (at wing)," Columbus coach Pascal Vincent said. "I felt the last few games [he] was trying to do the right thing and slowing his game down. I wanted to see the pace in his game. Playing with a guy that's reliable like Boone Jenner, I thought we could see more of a guy that's got pace and taking away a bit of his reads in the D-zone, especially, so I didn't mind it."