Rookie Watch: Ersson, Kochetkov among best 1st-year goalies

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 rookie goaltenders with a minimum 15 games played (in alphabetical order):

Nico Daws, New Jersey Devils: Daws has performed admirably in the absence of Vitek Vanecek, who has missed the past eight games with a lower-body injury. His most memorable performance was a 6-3 win against the Philadelphia Flyers at MetLife Stadium in the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series on Feb. 17, when he made 45 saves to set the record for most in an NHL outdoor game. His save total was the third highest by a rookie goalie this season (Lukas Dostal, Anaheim Ducks, 55 saves on Jan. 3; Cayden Primeau, Montreal Canadiens, 46 on Dec. 9).

Daws had surgery in June to repair a torn labrum in each hip and didn't play until Dec. 8 with Utica of the American Hockey League. New Jersey recalled him Dec. 27, and he made his NHL season debut two days later. For the season, he is 7-8-0 with a 3.30 goals-against average and .895 save percentage.

The future looks promising for the 23-year-old, born in Munich, Germany, and a third-round pick (No. 84) in the 2020 NHL Draft. He has a .919 save percentage on mid-range shots, which is in the 92nd percentile of all NHL goalies, per NHL Edge statistics.

"It's been a long road back and the team went through a process to help him get to where we thought he'd be healthy enough to contribute, to go down, play in the minors and find his way again, and I think he has," New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff said. "We thought a lot of him before, but I think the injuries set him back. Now he's in a good place to keep moving forward as a young goaltender."

Samuel Ersson, Philadelphia Flyers: The 24-year-old, a fifth-round pick (No. 19) in the 2018 NHL Draft, is first among NHL rookie goalies in wins (16-11-4), second in GAA (2.56), fourth in save percentage (.900) and tied for first in shutouts (three) in 32 games (30 starts). Ersson also has faced the second-most shots (783) and made the second-most saves (705) among first-year goalies. The native of Sweden inherited the No. 1 role after the Jan. 23 announcement that Carter Hart was taking an indefinite leave of absence for personal reasons.

Ersson is 4-5-1 with a 3.03 GAA and .881 save percentage since Hart left the team, but is 4-2-1 with a 2.45 GAA and .909 save percentage in his past seven games (all starts).

"It doesn't really matter the time of game or the score of the game," Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim said. "We feel like he's the same player regardless of the situation, just even-keeled. I think that's a really good quality to have as a goalie. You can't let things affect your game, and he does a great job of that."

Joel Hofer, St. Louis Blues: The 23-year-old ranks second among rookie goalies in save percentage (.913), fourth in GAA (2.80) and third in wins (10-9-0) in 21 games (18 starts) among goalies having played 10 games. Selected in the fourth round (No. 107) of the 2018 NHL Draft, the Winnipeg native is 3-1-0 with a 2.58 GAA and .925 save percentage in five games (four starts) since Jan. 16.

"It's a tough schedule," Hofer told The Athletic. "It's hard adjusting with all the travel. It's a lot different than the American Hockey League. It's pretty important getting sleep and lots of fluid and eating a lot, which is the most important."

In 47 games with Springfield in the AHL last season, Hofer went 27-15-5 with a 2.50 GAA and .921 save percentage.

"It's a long season," Blues defenseman Marco Scandella said in December. "It's not a sprint, it's a marathon, and you just have to stay composed every day. I just feel now like (Hofer) is relaxed and poised out there, and he's making hard saves look easy. He's seeing where the puck is going before the shot is taken."

Pyotr Kochetkov, Carolina Hurricanes: Kochetkov, a second-round pick (No. 36) in the 2019 NHL Draft, is tied for first among rookie goalies with three shutouts (Ersson). He ranks second in wins (15-10-3), first in GAA (2.36) and third in save percentage (.910) among rookie goalies with a minimum 15 games.

The 24-year-old established a Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers record for most saves in a shutout by a rookie goalie when he made 44 in a 1-0 win against the Florida Panthers on Thursday.

"He was the difference. He made many, many saves," Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "One goal was all we got. We needed him to be perfect, and he was."

He also became the 14th rookie goalie since 1955-56 to have at least 44 saves in a shutout and the first since Arizona Coyotes goalie Connor Ingram against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Feb. 15, 2023 (47 saves). Kochetkov proved his mental toughness in a 1-0 overtime win against the New Jersey Devils on Feb. 10, making 34 saves just two days after being pulled in the first period of a 5-2 win against the Colorado Avalanche after allowing defenseman Samuel Girard to score with a shot that floated into the net from just over the red line.

"It's really hard," Brind'Amour said of a goalie's ability to bounce back. "It's the hardest position in sports. He's a young kid and still learning. We're just in the beginning stages, I think, of what we're going to see out of him."

Joseph Woll, Toronto Maple Leafs: Woll, recovering from a lower-body injury he sustained Dec. 7, when he was helped off the ice in the third period of a 4-3 win at the Ottawa Senators, was assigned to Toronto of the AHL on a conditioning loan on Feb. 21. On Friday, he made 36 saves and was named the game's second star in a 4-1 win against Laval in his first AHL start this season.

The 25-year-old is 8-5-1 with a 2.80 GAA and .916 save percentage in 15 games (13 starts) with the Maple Leafs this season.

Woll went 1-2 with a 2.43 GAA and .915 save percentage in the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. He started two games against the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Second Round; with Toronto trailing the best-of-7 series 3-0, he started Game 4 and made 24 saves in a 2-1 win on the road, then made 40 saves in a 3-2 overtime loss in Game 5.