NHL Rookies with the Best Chance of Making 2015-16 Rosters

The puck is about to drop on the 2015-16 National Hockey League season.

Along with the new campaign will come some new faces—the league's first-year players who are hoping to parlay their opportunities into long, successful, lucrative careers.

When we think of rookies, the 18-year-olds who have come straight out of the draft tend to get the most attention—especially since some of them have made solid impressions over the past few seasons.

In reality, a player's path to the NHL can take on many forms.

Now that most teams have trimmed their rosters to reflect their opening-night lineups, here's a look at some of the brightest new talents who will make an impact this season.

Jack Eichel: Buffalo Sabres

Gary Wiepert/Associated Press

Age: 18

Position: Center

Preseason Stats from NHL.com: 4 GP, 2-4-6, plus-3, 2 PIM

Jack Eichel led a revamped Buffalo Sabres team in preseason scoring and showed some chemistry with Evander Kane, but it looks like he'll start the season centering Buffalo's second line between Matt Moulson and Zemgus Girgensons, according to Left Wing Lock.

The second overall pick from the 2015 draft, Eichel's 6'2", 201-pound frame might be a shade more NHL-ready than the player he's often compared to, Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers.

With preseason complete, both Mike G. Morreale of NHL.com and Frank Seravalli of TSN are picking Eichel as their choice for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.

He'll get plenty of opportunity to strut his stuff in Buffalo and will almost certainly remain with the team throughout the season.

Sam Bennett: Calgary Flames

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Age: 19

Position: Center

Preseason Stats from NHL.com: 6 GP, 1-3-4, plus-4, 0 PIM

One year ago, fourth overall draft pick Sam Bennett's NHL future looked murky when the Calgary Flames cut him and sent him to undergo shoulder surgery.

Though his recovery took most of the season, Bennett returned in time to post 24 points in 11 regular-season games with the Kingston Frontenacs before rejoining the Flames after Kingston bowed out of the OHL playoffs.

Bennett will bring two series' worth of NHL playoff experience to his rookie season with Calgary, which should help him acclimate to the regular-season grind.

According to Flames radio play-by-play announcer Derek Wills, Bennett will start the season centering Calgary's third line between Micheal Ferland and Josh Jooris. Coach Bob Hartley has also used the versatile forward at times on the wing.

Noah Hanifin: Carolina Hurricanes

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Age: 18

Position: Defense

Preseason Stats from NHL.com: 4 GP, 0-2-2, minus-1, 0 PIM

It's rare for 18-year-old defensemen to successfully adjust to the NHL grind right after being drafted. As the exception to the rule, Aaron Ekblad made it look easy when he took home the Calder Trophy with the Florida Panthers last season.

The question now is whether those positive Sun Belt vibes will reach as far north as Raleigh, North Carolina, where this year's fifth overall pick Noah Hanifin has beaten out 2014 first-rounder Haydn Fleury for a spot on the Hurricanes' opening-night roster.

With a body that's only a shade smaller than Ekblad's at 6'3" and 206 pounds, Hanifin looked good in preseason, playing extended minutes in all situations for the 'Canes.

Because Hanifin came up through the U.S. national team program before spending the 2014-15 season with Boston College, he'd be eligible to play for the AHL's Charlotte Checkers if Carolina finds he's not ready for the day-to-day grind of the NHL. The nine-game trial that impacts most young rookies won't apply to him—he could be sent to the minors at any time.

Artemi Panarin: Chicago Blackhawks

Petr David Josek/Associated Press

Age: 23

Position: Left Wing

Preseason Stats from NHL.com: 1 GP, 0-2-2, plus-1, 0 PIM

A waterbug listed at 5'11" and 170 pounds, 23-year-old Artemi Panarin is currently penciled in to start his first NHL season on the left side of the Chicago Blackhawks' second line with Artem Anisimov and Patrick Kane, according to Chris Hine of the Chicago Tribune.

Though he missed most of preseason due to injury, Panarin shone in the Blackhawks' exhibition finale, collecting two assists and being named second star in Chicago's 4-0 win over the Dallas Stars.

After purging key members of their lineup because of salary-cap issues during the offseason, the Blackhawks will give Panarin every opportunity to fill the offensive void up front with plenty of quality ice time.

Dylan Larkin: Detroit Red Wings

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Age: 19

Position: Center

Preseason Stats from NHL.com: 5 GP, 3-1-4, plus-3, 0 PIM

Though coach Jeff Blashill won't make a firm commitment, 19-year-old Dylan Larkin could start his NHL career on a line with Henrik Zetterberg and Justin Abdelkader against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday night, according to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press.

Remarkably mature for his age, the 15th overall pick from 2014 spent last season collecting 47 points in 35 games with the University of Michigan before dazzling in the AHL playoffs with the Grand Rapids Griffins and then turning heads among the best players in the world when he earned a bronze medal with Team USA at the IIHF World Championships in Prague.

Detroit's usual smattering of injuries opened up some lineup spots for young talent heading into the regular season, and Larkin took full advantage.

Like Noah Hanifin, as a U.S. college prospect, Larkin can be demoted to the AHL at any time if his Red Wings audition turns sour. Don't expect that to happen.

Connor McDavid: Edmonton Oilers

Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

Age: 18

Position: Center

Preseason Stats from NHL.com: 5 GP, 0-5-5, plus-4, 2 PIM

Will Connor McDavid be the lottery-winning pick who catapults the Edmonton Oilers back to respectability, or will he ultimately join Nail Yakupov, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Taylor Hall as another very good player who couldn't carry the franchise on his back?

The jury is out after McDavid's first preseason; he played first-line minutes as the Oilers went 6-1-1, but he tied for third in team scoring with Benoit Pouliot.

Though he didn't dazzle as much as expected in exhibition play, McDavid will start his NHL career with Hall and fellow rookie Anton Slepyshev, who's filling in for the injured Jordan Eberle, according to the Oilers' Twitter feed.

Sergei Plotnikov: Pittsburgh Penguins

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Age: 25

Position: Left Wing

Preseason Stats from NHL.com: 5 GP, 1-2-3, plus-4, 2 PIM

A friendship with Evgeni Malkin helped pave the way for his countryman Sergei Plotnikov to come to the NHL. It looks likes the pair will start the regular season with Patric Hornqvist on a brawny second line for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Unlike the many teenagers on this list, Plotnikov is a seasoned hockey pro—a 25-year-old who checks in at 6'2" and 202 pounds and has plied his trade in the KHL for the last four seasons.

Plotnikov bought out the last year of his contract in the Russian league for a chance to try his luck in the NHL, according to Michelle Crechiolo at Penguins.com.

"Most think a lot of European players aren’t physical, they’re more skilled," Pittsburgh coach Mike Johnston told Crechiolo about Plotnikov. "And that can be the case. But he’s a little bit of a blend type of player because he’s a hard player to play against and I just like when he has the puck, he’s really tough to knock off the puck. He’s strong on it."

Can two Russians and a Swede channel the Legion of Doom and add a physical presence to the Penguins' forward ranks?

Ben Hutton: Vancouver Canucks

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Age: 22

Position: Defense

Preseason Stats from NHL.com: 7 GP, 1-4-5 even plus-minus, 2 PIM

Each season, a few unheralded prospects emerge to become impact NHL players.

The Vancouver Canucks hope they've captured that lightning in a bottle with Ben Hutton—a fifth-round pick from 2012 who has spent his last three seasons playing college hockey at the University of Maine.

Hutton showed some impressive offensive prowess when he contributed 15 goals in 35 games for the Black Bears during the 2013-14 season, but he was basically an unknown entity when he arrived at Vancouver's prospects camp this fall.

In addition to tying for the team lead in preseason scoring, Hutton showed good speed and tremendous poise with the puck—assets that could see him in Vancouver's top four when the regular season gets underway on Wednesday.

Hutton was paired with the ultra-reliable Chris Tanev at Monday's Canucks practice, according to Jay Janower of Global BC TV. At age 22, he is eligible to be assigned to the AHL without clearing waivers if his NHL stint doesn't work out.

Nikolaj Ehlers: Winnipeg Jets

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

Age: 19

Position: Right Wing

Preseason Stats from NHL.com: 6 GP, 1-2-3, minus-1, 0 PIM

Don't worry about booking that flight to Europe. Nineteen-year-old Nikolaj Ehlers doesn't need to flee across the ocean to avoid playing a third season with the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL—he has earned a top-six spot with the Winnipeg Jets.

The offensively gifted Dane, who put up more than 100 points in each of his two seasons with the Mooseheads and dazzled at the 2015 world junior championships, is expected to start his NHL career as a second-line right wing with Mathieu Perreault and Mark Scheifele, according to Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun.

Joining a team that's loaded with grit, Ehlers is a pure offensive force who should excite the loyal fanbase and add a big helping of high-end skill to Winnipeg's forward mix.