Rookie Watch: Best age 25 and older

The play of several high-profile rookies, including forwards Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils and Kaapo Kakko of the New York Rangers, the No. 1 and No. 2 picks of the 2019 NHL Draft, respectively, is one of the major storylines of the 2019-20 season. Each Monday, NHL.com will examine topics related to this season's class in the Rookie Watch.

With the NHL pausing the 2019-20 regular season March 12 due to concerns about the coronavirus, here's a look at the top six NHL rookies age 25 and older (NOTE: A player at least 26 years of age, by Sept. 15 of that season, is not considered a rookie):

1. Elvis Merzlikins (26 years, 7 days), G, Columbus Blue Jackets: A third-round pick (No. 76) in the 2014 NHL Draft, Merzlikins is tied for second in the League among goalies with five shutouts (Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights; Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins) and is a big reason the Blue Jackets are tied with the Carolina Hurricanes for the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference. Merzlikins is 13-9-8 with a 2.35 goals-against average and .923 save percentage in 33 games (31 starts) and has a .900 save percentage or better in 61.3 percent of his starts. He ranks first among rookie goalies (at least 15 games played) with a .926 save percentage at even strength despite getting the least goal support (2.35 goals-for average) of any first-year goalie with at least that many games played.

2. Carson Soucy (25 years, 268 days), D, Minnesota Wild: A fifth-round pick (No. 137) in the 2013 NHL Draft, Soucy leads rookie defensemen with an 11.5 shooting percentage, ranks fourth with seven goals and is 10th with 13 even-strength points (six goals, seven assists) in 55 games. Soucy (6-foot-5, 210 pounds) has 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) and is ninth among first-year defensemen with 17 takeaways, tied for 10th with 69 hits and 10th with 50 blocked shots, averaging 15:38 in ice time. Soucy begins 56.4 percent of his shifts outside the offensive zone.

3. Ilya Mikheyev (25 years, 193 days), F, Toronto Maple Leafs: He was having a productive first season in North America before needing surgery on an artery and tendons in his right wrist Dec. 28 and had returned to practice prior to the pause in the NHL season. Mikheyev (6-3, 195), signed by the Maple Leafs as a free agent May 6, 2019, is third among rookies in the Atlantic Division with 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) and 98 shots on goal in 39 games. He averages 15:35 in ice time and is tied with Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman John Marino for ninth among all rookies with 22 even-strength points (seven goals, 15 assists).

4. Sam Lafferty (25 years, 45 days), F, Pittsburgh Penguins: Selected in the fourth round (No. 113) of the 2014 NHL Draft, Lafferty has 13 points (six goals, seven assists), 56 shots on goal and ranks fourth in the League among rookies with 95 hits in 50 games. He's also seventh among rookies who have taken at least 100 face-offs with a 49.6 winning percentage (117-for-236). Lafferty (6-1, 195) has a 53.8 on-ice goals-for percentage at even strength even though he starts 65.2 percent of his shifts outside the offensive zone.

5. Matt Roy (25 years, 50 days), D, Los Angeles Kings: The seventh-round pick (No. 194) in the 2015 NHL Draft has provided steady production in a top-four role. Roy (6-1, 200) ranks seventh among first-year defensemen with 18 points (four goals, 14 assists), and averages 18:07 of ice time in 70 games. Roy leads all NHL rookies with 132 hits and is second with 100 blocked shots. He split time between the Kings (25 games) and Ontario of the American Hockey League (45 games) in 2018-19 before earning a full-time role this season. The Kings control 56 percent of all shots attempted 5-on-5 when Roy is on the ice.

6. Marcus Hogberg (25 years, 147 days), G, Ottawa Senators: The third-round pick (No. 78) in the 2013 NHL Draft is one of 11 rookies the Senators have used this season. The Sweden-born goalie (6-5, 209) is 5-8-8 with a 3.12 GAA and .904 save percentage in 24 games (21 starts) for Ottawa, which has averaged 3.35 goals-against this season and 33.6 shots-against per game. Hogberg has the best GAA among the three Senators goalies (Anders Nilsson, 3.18; Craig Anderson, 3.25) and isn't far behind Nilsson (.908) for best save percentage.

Head to Head comparison

Three NHL rookie defensemen have surpassed 100 hits this season: Roy (132), Mario Ferraro (120) of the San Jose Sharks (120) and Video: NYR@CBJ: Merzlikins slides across to stone Zibanejad of the Montreal Canadiens (102). For this week's comparison, let's focus on the two top hits leaders: Roy and Ferraro.

Matt Roy, D, Los Angeles Kings

Games: 70

G-A-Pts: 4-14-18

Shots on goal: 112

Avg. ice time: 18:07

Blocked shots per 60 minutes: 4.73

Telling stat: The Kings have a .924 on-ice save percentage at 5-on-5 when Roy is on the ice.

Mario Ferraro, D, San Jose Sharks

Games: 61

G-A-Pts: 2-9-11

Shots on goal: 63

Avg. ice time: 15:53

Blocked shots per 60 minutes: 3.59

Telling stat: The Sharks generate 52.7 percent of their shot attempts at even strength when the game is tied with Ferraro on the ice.

Morreale's Calder Trophy frontrunners

1. Cale Makar, D, Colorado Avalanche: Makar leads NHL rookies in points per game (0.88) with at least five games played, and rookie defensemen in goals (12), power-play goals (four) and even-strength goals (eight).

2. Quinn Hughes, D, Vancouver Canucks: Hughes is first among NHL first-year players with 53 points (eight goals, 45 assists) and 25 power-play points (three goals, 22 assists) in 68 games.

3. Dominik Kubalik, F, Chicago Blackhawks: Kubalik leads NHL rookies with 30 goals, 38 even-strength points (26 goals, 12 assists) and 157 shots on goal and is third with 46 points in 68 games.