Josh Jooris, Tommy Hughes Sign With New York Rangers
After inking defenseman Dylan McIlrath to a one-year deal avoiding arbitration, the Rangers have also signed free agent forward Josh Jooris according to the team twitter. Jooris played for Calgary last season, recording 13 points in 59 games. The team also announced that they have come to terms with restricted free agent Tommy Hughes on a new deal.
Jooris, 26, went undrafted out of the OJHL before heading to Union College where he would play with fellow Metropolitan Division youngster Shayne Gostisbehere for two seasons. Jooris would put up solid numbers at the college before being signed in 2013 to join the Abbostford Heat of the AHL. He really made his mark in his first NHL campaign however, when he scored 12 goals and 24 points and suited up on the powerplay more than a few times.
For Hughes, New York is the only organization he’s ever known after being signed as a undrafted free agent out of London in 2013. He’s spent the last three seasons with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL, putting up 25 points and playing a solid defensive game. After the McIlrath signing locked up a bottom pairing defenseman for this season, Hughes will continue to serve as depth for the team in the AHL, and might make his debut this season should injuries occur.
NHL Award Predictions: Calder Trophy
The 2016 NHL Awards will take place on Wednesday, June 22nd in Las Vegas. Between now and then, we will be making our predictions on who will take home the hardware.
First up for a closer look is the Calder Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s top rookie. The finalists are:
D Shayne Gostisbehere , Philadelphia Flyers – It’s rare that a player who starts the season in the American Hockey League becomes a finalist for a major award but Gostisbehere’s impact upon being recalled was just too much to ignore. Despite missing 18 games while playing for the Flyers’ AHL affiliate in Adirondack, the 23 year old led all NHL defensemen in goals (17), assists (29), points (46), and power play points (22). He also set NHL records for most overtime goals by a rookie (4) and for the longest point streak by a rookie blueliner (15 games).
C Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers – The top pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft lived up to his draft status in 2015-16 as he quickly took over as Edmonton’s top centre. Unfortunately for him and the Oilers, he missed 37 games due to a fractured left clavicle. Despite that, the 19 year old still posted 16 goals and 32 assists in 45 games, good for third in team scoring. McDavid also led all rookies with a points-per-game average of 1.07; he was the only first year player to average higher than one point per contest.
LW Artemi Panarin, Chicago Blackhawks – Signed as an undrafted free agent last offseason, Panarin made an immediate and significant impact for the Hawks. The 24 year old led all rookies offensively with goals (30), assists (47), points (77), power play points (24), and game winning goals (7). His point total was good enough for a tie for ninth overall amongst all NHL players and second best on Chicago, only behind the NHL’s top point getter, Patrick Kane. Kane, coincidentally, is the last Blackhawk to win the Calder Trophy.
Prediction: This is one the best rookie classes in a long time. All three finalists made more than a typical rookie impact and were among the NHL’s best in certain categories. Had McDavid been healthy all year, he would have had a strong chance but it would be hard to give him the nod since he missed 45% of the season due to injury. Gostisbehere was huge for the Flyers but he also missed considerable time early on so at the end of the day my pick to win the award is Panarin. I think the writers who vote on this award will have too hard of a time looking past a rookie finishing in the top ten in scoring league wide on one of the NHL’s top teams in the regular season.