Los Angeles Kings' Awards for the 1st Half of the 2014-15 Season

It's just past the midway point of the 2014-15 NHL season for the Los Angeles Kings. They have played 44 games and are in a battle for second in the Pacific Division. It's not unexpected territory, but they are trailing first place by a lot. 

Many of the Kings' stars have gone through extended cold spells this season, including Anze Kopitar. Injury-related or not, consistency has been an issue. That said, a few players have shined throughout the first half of the campaign. 

Who is the Kings' top rookie? Most improved player? MVP? Find out as we hand out awards for the first half of the Kings' season.

Best Rookie: Tanner Pearson

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As you would expect with a team that's won two of the past three Stanley Cups, there isn't a lot of competition for team rookie of the year. 

So far it's Tanner Pearson, who is clearly ahead of Andy Andreoff. Andreoff has yet to record a point in 10 games, while Pearson has 12 goals and four assists for 16 points in 42 games. However, he won't be racking up anymore goals in the near future. 

The 22-year-old broke his left leg Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets when he fell awkwardly into the boards and has been placed on injured reserve. Pearson looked great early in the season, as his good hands and quick release had him among the team's top scorers. 

Pearson was selected to the NHL All-Star game as a rookie; Montreal Canadiens winger Jiri Sekac will replace him.

Breakout Player: Martin Jones

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Jonathan Quick is the starter and isn't not going anywhere. Martin Jones, however, has made the most of the few opportunities he's had in goal this season.

The 6'4" netminder is 4-3-2 with a .908 save percentage, 2.20 goals-against average and three shutouts. His save percentage and GAA were much better prior to Wednesday's game against New Jersey.

It doesn't matter how good the team in front of you is, when you earn three shutouts in a limited number of starts, that's impressive. 

"

Martin Jones is the fastest goalie (29 gms) in modern-day NHL history (1967-68) to record 7 shutouts (Steve Mason, 32 gms; courtesy ESB)

— LAKingsPR (@LAKingsPR) January 13, 2015"

Jones may be a goaltender that teams target at the trade deadline, depending on injuries and the market. But with such a small sample size, it's hard to predict how well he'd perform if suddenly asked to play 50 percent or more of a team's games. 

Most Improved Player: Tyler Toffoli

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Tyler Toffoli is quickly becoming the top-six forward many expected he could be when he was drafted. Unfortunately, he is also quickly becoming tired.

Toffoli is out indefinitely with mononucleosis.

He got off to a great start on That 70's Line early in the year, and while he's slowed down of late, he's still on pace for a much better season than he had in 2013-14. He has 12 goals and 15 assists for 27 points in 41 games. That's just two shy of his point total from last season, which included 12 goals and 17 assists in 62 games.

Toffoli has been better at both ends of the rink. He's strong on the forecheck, makes smart plays on the cycle, back-checks consistently and makes good decisions in the defensive zone. 

Hopefully, he isn't out for too long. 

Best Forward: Anze Kopitar

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It's a toss-up between Jeff Carter and Anze Kopitar. The edge goes to the Slovenian at the moment, but that could change even over the next five games. Kopitar leads the way with 34 points in 40 games, while Carter has 32 points in 43 appearances.

Both players have stood out of late, racking up a ton of points. Kopitar has an incredible 21 points in his past 12 games. He may not have been a factor throughout the season offensively, but no L.A. player has. 

On top of that, one has to consider his defensive abilities. He continues to be one of the elite two-way forwards in the game, playing at a level similar to Jonathan Toews and Patrice Bergeron in recent years. 

MVP: Drew Doughty

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Drew Doughty is both the team's most valuable player—and to no one's surprise—its best defenseman so far in 2014-15. 

While Quick and Kopitar have had stretches where they have been completely dominant, Doughty has been great game in and game out throughout the season. He's doing it at both ends of the rink. He's a shutdown defender, blocking shuts and getting physical when the game is close. When the team needs an offensive boost, he provides it. He has four goals and 24 assists for 28 points on the season. 

Most importantly, he's doing this for almost half the game. Doughty is averaging nearly 30 minutes per game in ice time. That's second only to the Minnesota Wild's Ryan Suter. No other player is playing more than 27:15 per game. 

Doughty is entering the prime of his career and certainly a period where he can win at least one Norris Trophy.

Stats courtesy of NHL.com.