Half of the 2022/23 regular season is over. NHL.com/de uses the halftime for an interim balance, presents the best players in ten categories. These include the hottest contenders for the most coveted trophies and the best players from the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland).
Hart Trophy (MVP, Most Valuable Player)
Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) – Also in this season there should hardly be a way around McDavid. The 25-year-old forward has won this prestigious trophy twice in his NHL career and is also the top scorer (79 points), top scorer (35 goals) and top assist (44 assists) this season power play points (39). The Oilers captain is the face of the franchise and is also considered the fastest NHL player with his explosiveness.
Video: EDM@ANA: McDavid extends Oilers lead in 1st
Norris Trophy (best defender)
Erik Karlsson (San Jose Sharks) – In terms of sport, the Sharks are far from a place for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but the best defenseman of the season so far is undoubtedly playing in San Jose: Karlsson is experiencing his second spring in 2022/23 and leads the NHL defensemen with 56 points (13- 43-56) confidently. The 32-year-old Swede is averaging 1.3 points per game and is also a force on the power play with a 2-13-15 haul. Already, after just 43 games this season, the attacking defender is having his best season as the Sharks (joined San Jose from the Ottawa Senators in 2018) and, extrapolated to a full NHL season, could have a career year with 117 scorer points if the yield remained the same (25-82-107) (previous record: 2015/16 with 16-66-82).
Video: SJS@CHI: Karlsson sets up Gadjovich’s goal
Vezina Trophy (best goalkeeper)
Linus Ullmark (Boston Bruins) – The statistically best first-choice goalkeeper (at least 20 appearances) at half-time is Linus Ullmark (Boston Bruins) with a goals-against average of 1.87 and a catch rate of 93.8 percent. Goalkeepers like Jake Oettinger (Dallas Stars), Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets), Ilya Sorokin (New York Islanders) or Hair in Saros (Nashville Predators)
Video: LAK@BOS: Ullmark stops Kempe with his catch hand
Calder Trophy (bester Rookie)
Matty Beniers (Seattle Kraken) – Picked 2nd overall by the Kraken in the 2021 NHL Draft, Beniers is still a rookie in 2022-23 after 10 appearances in his debut 2021-22 season (3-6-9 in 10 games). . But that doesn’t stop the 20-year-old American from producing points like a conveyor belt: With 34 points (16-18-34) in 40 games, he is the best rookie in terms of points this season. The value Beniers already has for Seattle can be seen in the number of his winning goals (three, including one in overtime) and his impressive plus-minus record of +12.
Video: SEA@BUF: Beniers extends scoring streak to five games
Selke Trophy (Best Defensive Forward)
Nico Hischier (New Jersey Devils) – When choosing the striker with the best defensive qualities, the individual statistics are usually only a side effect of the primarily subjective impressions on the ice. Accordingly, several candidates are likely to be in a head-to-head race here. something like that Patrice Bergeron (Boston Bruins), Mitchell Marner (Toronto Mape Leafs), Joe Pavelski (Dallas Stars), Elias Pettersson (Vancouver Canucks), Anze Kopitar (Los Angeles Kings), Mark Stone (Vegas Golden Knights) or the Swiss Hischier. His coach Lindy Ruff explained what speaks for the 24-year-old from Brig: “He’s a great two-way player and even better as a person than as a player. That counts for a lot. He pays more attention to his teammates than to himself. You can tell that in everything he does. He always wants to set a good example. He’s a powerplay player and he’s one of the best penalty killers. He has the overview, even without a puck. That makes him a Candidate for the Selke Trophy.”
Video: STL@NJD: Hischier with a goal in the 3rd period
Jack Adams Award (bester Trainer)
Don Granato (Buffalo Sabers) – With the coach of the season, it’s certainly worth looking at the top of the table, but it’s also worth comparing to the previous season. The closest group of candidates must include Jim Montgomery of the Boston Bruins, who in his first season in Boston coached the Bruins to the best NHL team of the 2022/23 main round after 40 games (32-4-4). A Rod Brind’Amour is again very successful with the Carolina Hurricanes (25-9-7) and incredibly popular with his players. Bruce Cassidy also had a noticeable impact on the Vegas Golden Knights, who made the team the leader of the Pacific Division after missing the playoffs last year. Peter DeBoer seemed to break some deadlocks with the Dallas Stars (25-11-6) and made them a secret favorite. But you should also have Granato from the Sabers on your list. After all, he has made Buffalo (20-17-2) the best offensive player in the NHL (3.87 goals/game average) and still has playoff spots close at hand with the Sabers. Most recently, Buffalo had missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs 11 times in a row. So Granato is a not-so-secret insider tip.
Best DACH player
Tim Stützle (Ottawa Senators) – Who is the best player from Germany, Austria and Switzerland? A question that is not so easy to answer. There are the Swiss, for example Kevin Fiala (Los Angeles Kings), Timo Meier (San Jose Sharks) or Nico Hischier (New Jersey Devils), all of whom score well and are key figures in their respective teams. Of course, the points machine from the DACH region is again the German Leon Draisaitl (23-40-63), who feels like he is in a league of his own as the second best scorer in the entire NHL. The most impressive performance was offered by Stützle in Ottawa. The just 20-year-old German took on a lot of responsibility as the number 1 center for the injury-plagued Senators and lived up to this role with a scoring result of 18-21-39. Stützle also showed improved body language, works diligently at the back and has delighted in recent weeks with a seven-game points streak (8-4-12), a three-game scoring streak (6-2-8) and a hat-trick (3- 1-4) against the Seattle Kraken.
Video: CBJ@OTT: Stützle expands leadership of the senators
Best Player in a Game
Tage Thompson (Buffalo Sabres) – On December 7, 2022, Thompson delivered the most breathtaking performance by an NHL player of the current season: The 25-year-old American scored five (!) goals and scored six in Buffalo’s 9-4 away win against the Columbus Blue Jackets Scorer points (5-1-6) – both values that no one else has been able to surpass so far. Curious: It was the second six-point game this season for the striker, because on October 31 he gave the Detroit Red Wings a full one (3-3-6 in an 8-3 home win).
Video: BUF@WSH: Thompson scores hat trick in overtime win
Biggest surprise team
Boston Bruins – Who would have thought that? After the Bruins only qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs via wildcards in the previous season and were then eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes (3:4) in the first round, only the boldest optimists would have had Boston for the 2022/2022 season. 23 to the top of the NHL table. Especially since with Jim Montgomery a new coach started his service and inherited the longtime coach Bruce Cassidy. For now, though, the Bruins are on course for the Presidents’ Trophy and the best regular season in franchise history. Boston is the surprise team at halftime.
best game
Los Angeles Kings – Seattle Kraken 8:9 AET – 17 goals in an NHL game? More entertainment is hardly possible! But that’s exactly what happened on November 30, 2022 in the duel between the Kings and Kraken in Los Angeles, which Seattle won 9:8 aet. The game brought four (!) braces (SEA: Matty Beniers 2-0-2, Jared McCann 2-0-2, Andre Burakovsky 2-0-2; LAK: Gabriel 2-0-2) and two four-point players (SEA: Jordan Eberle 0-4-4; LAK: Kevin Fiala 0-4-4). Strong powerplay formations (SEA: 3/4; LAK: 2/4) and numerous checks (SEA: 32; LAK: 43) provided additional entertainment.
Video: Kraken with sixth win in a row