Trevor Zegras has established himself as one of the most exciting players to watch in the NHL and the player to beat in the race for NHL rookie of the year.
The Anaheim Ducks forward is the favorite among NHL.com writers for the Calder Trophy at the halfway point of the season, receiving 67 voting points, including seven of 16 first-place votes.
"He's highly creative," Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. "He believes he can do anything with the puck."
Detroit Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider finished second with 62 points, including seven first-place votes. Red Wings left wing Lucas Raymond was third with 59 points, including the two remaining first-place votes. Nashville Predators left wing Tanner Jeannot was fourth (23 points) and Florida Panthers center Anton Lundell was fifth (eight points).
Zegras got the attention of the hockey world Dec. 7 when he pulled off a lacrosse-style assist on Sonny Milano's goal in the second period of the Ducks' 2-0 victory against the Buffalo Sabres.
On the play now referred to as, "The Zegras," the 20-year-old picked up the puck up on his stick blade behind the Sabres net, lobbed it over the net and left shoulder of goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to Milano, who batted the puck into the net out of midair.
"I still can't believe it worked," Zegras said. "It's pretty funny. I've tried it a couple times and haven't even come close, and for him to whack it out of the air and keep it under the crossbar is pretty incredible."
Eakins believes players like Zegras are good for the game.
"These kids think out of the box now," he said. "I think it's great for the sport. We're in the entertainment business. If you have the skill to score a goal, than use it. [The lacrosse assist] was, to me, no different than passing it right on his tape right in front of the net. It just had a little bit more flair to it."
Zegras is becoming much more than a human highlight-reel waiting to happen, however.
Selected No. 9 by Anaheim in the 2019 NHL Draft, Zegras is second among NHL rookies with 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists), behind Raymond (33), and second in shots on goal (84) behind Los Angeles Kings forward Arthur Kaliyev (93). He is fourth in face-offs taken (308) and fifth in wins (127).
Zegras averages 17:26 of ice time playing center on the top line and the Ducks control 52.7 percent of all shots attempted at 5-on-5 with Zegras on the ice in 37 games. He's scored 18 points (four goals, 14 assists) in his past 20 games, including seven multipoint games, and leads NHL rookies with four shootout goals on six attempts.
He announced Saturday that he will participate in the Breakaway Challenge during 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas on Feb. 4-5.
Zegras believes doing what he does best is what makes him the player he is, and one NHL fans enjoy watching.
"I don't want to say it was good for the game in terms of, 'Let's do all this crazy stuff,' but I remember being a little kid and watching all these NHL guys doing all these crazy things, like Patrick Kane doing a spin-o-rama," Zegras said. "I just could relate more to that aspect."
Voting totals (points awarded on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis): Trevor Zegras, Anaheim Ducks, 67 points (seven first-place votes); Moritz Seider, Detroit Red Wings, 62 (seven); Lucas Raymond, Red Wings, 59 (two); Tanner Jeannot, Nashville Predators, 23; Anton Lundell, Florida Panthers, 8; Alex Nedeljkovic, Red Wings, 7; Michael Bunting, Toronto Maple Leafs, 5; Jamie Drysdale, Ducks, 4; Dawson Mercer, New Jersey Devils, 2; Seth Jarvis, Carolina Hurricanes, 2; Alexandre Carrier, Predators, 1
