Rookie Watch: Thompson, Cates among top undrafted late-round picks

The impact several rookies are making on the NHL is one of the major storylines of the 2022-23 season. Each week, NHL.com will examine topics related to this season's class in the Rookie Watch.
This week, a look at the top six rookies not selected in the first or second round of the NHL Draft (listed alphabetically):

Noah Cates, F, Philadelphia Flyers:The native of Stillwater, Minnesota, has nine points (three goals, six assists) and 28 shots on goal in 26 games while playing a top-nine role. The fifth-round pick (No. 137) in the 2017 NHL Draft leads rookies with 20 takeaways, is eighth in hits (37) and first among forwards in blocked shots (24) while averaging 17:58 of ice time. Philadelphia coach John Tortorella has recently played Cates at second-line center for two reasons: He's determined to develop him at that position, and he considers the 23-year-old a very defensively responsible player.

Matias Maccelli, F, Arizona Coyotes:The 22-year-old, born in Turku, Finland, is second among rookies with 17 points (two goals, 15 assists) behind Seattle Kraken forward Matty Beniers (21). Maccelli has eight power-play points, second to Minnesota Wild defenseman Calen Addison, and plays a top-line role with center Nick Bjugstad and right wing Lawson Crouse. He has seven points (one goal, six assists) in a five-game point streak. Selected in the fifth round (No. 98) of the 2019 NHL Draft, Maccelli was named rookie of the year in Liiga, the top professional men's league in Finland, after getting 30 points (13 goals, 17 assists) in 43 games for Ilves in 2019-20. He had 57 points (14 goals, 43 assists) in 47 games for Tucson of the American Hockey League last season.
"It's his compete level and his engagement defensively," Arizona coach Andre Tourigny said. "He takes pride in defending. He takes pride in playing well in the zone. He's taking pride in blocking shots. He's not perfect, no one will ever be, but he tries to be, and I appreciate that."
Akira Schmid, G, New Jersey Devils:A fifth-round pick (No. 136) in the 2018 NHL Draft, Schmid has provided consistent goaltending as the backup to Vitek Vanecek and in the absence of Mackenzie Blackwood, who has been out since Nov. 3 with an MCL sprain. Schmid is 5-0-0 with a 1.42 goals-against average and .949 save percentage in five games (four starts), matching the record for longest season-opening winning streak by a Devils/Colorado Rockies/Kansas City Scouts goalie set by Chris Terreri (5-0-0 in 1993-94). Schmid, born in Bern, Switzerland, was 0-4-0 with a 4.83 GAA and .833 save percentage in six games (four starts) last season.
He made 31 saves in a 3-2 win at the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.
"Akira made key saves for us," New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff said. "If you look at a couple of the opportunities, he was there for us. I thought even a couple other plays, he created an opportunity for us by the fact he was challenging them or forced the shot wide."
Logan Thompson, G, Vegas Golden Knights:Thompson was named the NHL Rookie of the Month for November after going 8-2-0 with a 2.88 GAA and .909 save percentage in 10 games. The 25-year-old became the first rookie goalie to win at least eight games in a calendar month since Elvis Merzlikins with the Columbus Blue Jackets in January 2020 (8-2-0 in 10 games). He earned his opportunity this season after injuries to
Robin Lehner
and
Laurent Brossoit
and has helped Vegas to first place in the Pacific Division (19-7-1) under first-year coach Bruce Cassidy. He is 13-5-0 with a 2.55 GAA and .921 save percentage in 18 games.
Thompson, undrafted and signed as a free agent July 13, 2020, is
the favorite to win the Calder Trophy
according to a panel of NHL.com 14 writers.
"He's got some swagger in the net," Cassidy said. "He's a good athlete in there, yet he's still composed and, for a young guy, has good technical merit in his game."

Arber Xhekaj, D, Montreal Canadiens:Xhekaj (6-foot-4, 238 pounds) was undrafted and signed as a free agent Oct. 4, 2021. He leads rookies with 70 hits and the Canadiens control 51.4 percent of the 5-on-5 shot attempts when he's on the ice. The 21-year-old, an undeniable fan favorite at Bell Centre, might have the most nicknames of any player in the NHL ('X', 'The Sheriff', 'Wi-Fi', 'Alphabet Boy', 'The Monster', 'Jacko'). He ranks first among first-year defensemen not selected in the first or second round with eight points (four goals, four assists) and averages 15:37 of ice time in 23 games.
"He just plays the game," Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said. "You never play a perfect game. Like any other young defenseman, 'Jacko' will make some mistakes sometimes, but he does way more good things than bad things. He's gaining confidence, he feels good out there. I think he's starting to figure what he is. We all know he has a physical presence; he can fight and everything. He's learned to manage the game, his game inside the game. He has all the tools to play the game, so it's fun to watch it evolve."
Fabian Zetterlund, F, Devils:The third-round pick (No. 63) in the 2017 draft has made the most of his opportunity in a top-nine role following the injury to Ondrej Palat, who had groin surgery Nov. 1. Zetterlund is tied for fourth among rookies with three others with 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 20 games and has 21 points in 34 NHL games. The 23-year-old right-hand shot, who averages 12:51 of ice time, has three points (two goals, one assist) in his past four games. He can scale the lineup, giving Ruff an option on any line.
"I got a good touch last year at the end of the season, up here (three goals, eight points, in 14 games)," Zetterlund told the Devils website. "I knew I can play up on this level. And I just want to keep getting better and better so that's my goal."