Life for the Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks has some promise after years stranded in the desert of NHL irrelevancy. Both teams have a star second-year player they are building their organizations around. The Hawks have Calder Trophy winner Connor Bedard and the Wild have one of the most promising and talented defenders in the league in Brock Faber. The duo were neck and neck for most of last season as they battled it out for top rookie.
While the Blackhawks and Wild have superstars entering their second seasons, Bedard and Faber are just the tip of one of the most exciting sophomore classes in recent memory. Bedard led all rookies last year, scoring 61 points. He's a future MVP-candidate with the Hawks and should become a point per game player this season.
Faber just signed a massive extension with the Wild, giving the 22 year-old an organizational endorsement most second year players never get. The Wild love Faber, however, and see him as a future Norris Trophy winner and possible team captain.
After these two, you don't have to go far to find more talented sophomores. The rookie class in 2023-2024 had 11 players record 30 points or more and had four players net 20 or more goals.
Look at the New Jersey Devils and their second-year blue liner Luke Hughes. He recorded 47 points as a rookie, and despite being sidelined with an injury to start the season, he could easily surpass that point total as a sophomore.
The Buffalo Sabres drafted forward Zach Benson in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft expecting him to compete in camp and then return to junior hockey. He proved them wrong, secured an NHL lineup spot, and dropped 30 points over the full season. In year two, the scoring winger should show off more of the dynamic skillset that made him a lottery draft pick, and the Sabres should be a much better team for it.
And the list goes on and on. The Anaheim Ducks expect a huge step out of Leo Carlsson and Pavel Mintyukov. The Wild have another second-year player in forward Marco Rossi that is slated for a top-line role. The Toronto Maple Leafs have an exciting player in Matthew Knies who should be a top-six winger permanently this year. Utah Hockey Club is relying on Logan Cooley to go from 20 goals to 30 as a sophomore, and their playoff hopes are resting on that jump. From top to bottom, the NHL's group of second-year players is one of the most impressive ones in recent memory.
