Nhl’s Brightest Stars Are Europeans Four More Europeans In The Chase For Calder Trophy

Players from Europe have dominated the NHL’s rookie-of-the-year award this decade, and it looks as if the trend could continue this season.

Patrick Elias of the New Jersey Devils, Mattias Ohlund of the Vancouver Canucks, Vaclav Prospal of the Philadelphia Flyers and Marco Sturm of the San Jose Sharks are among the front-runners for the Calder Trophy after the first quarter of the campaign.

Colorado’s Eric Messier and Toronto’s Mike Johnson are the top Canadian candidates.

While the award hasn’t been the exclusive property of Europeans in the ‘90s, they certainly have made an impact. In the eight years including Sergei Makarov’s Calder triumph at Calgary in 1990, five Europeans have won the award.

The winners have included another Russian (Pavel Bure with Vancouver in 1992), a Finn (Teemu Selanne with Winnipeg in 1993), and two Swedes (Peter Forsberg with Colorado in 1995 and Daniel Alfredsson with Ottawa in 1996).

In addition, the AHL’s rookie of the year last season was European, as were the last six in the IHL.

“Europe turns out more skilled players,” Carolina Hurricanes scout Claude Larose said. “They’re used to playing in bigger rinks” and have more opportunity to develop their skating and shooting skills.

Makarov was 31 years old when he joined the Flames, a veteran of the Central Red Army Team that dominated the Olympics and other international competitions.

He was part of the original Russian migration following the meltdown of the Iron Curtain, and Makarov and his compatriots went right into the NHL.

Things are different now. They’re coming over in great numbers at a younger age and many spend some time in the American Hockey League, the International Hockey League and other minor leagues. That gives the young players more experience, plus a taste of NHL-style hockey, which is more physical than the free-skating European game.

“They play two years in the American League, maybe win a championship,” Larose said. “I think it’s a good way to bring up the kids. They do those bus rides. They really earn their spot on the roster.”

Such a player is Elias, a 21-year-old left wing from the Czech Republic who had a taste of North American pro hockey in the minors and in last year’s NHL playoffs.

“Patty’s a really good finisher,” says Robbie Ftorek, who coached Elias at Albany. “He has good speed, and he’s a very strong kid. He likes to finish checks. When he gets hit, he’ll hunt you down like a wolverine until he gets you back. He’s a pretty good, solid hockey player.”

Ftorek doesn’t think Elias has found his niche yet in terms of style, but he has found the net often enough. He leads all rookies with eight goals in just 16 games, including three game-winners.

“I believe when you give him the puck in scoring position, he can score,” Ftorek says. “He also takes a lot of pride in not getting scored against. He’s going to be a real interesting kid to watch.”

So far, the difference between the AHL and the NHL for Elias has been the speed of the game.

“You don’t have much time with the puck (in the NHL),” he says. “You’ve got to think before you get the puck. You’ve got to make decisions right away. There isn’t much room here.”

Elias had five points in eight playoff games last season and that gave him confidence that he could play at the top.

“I’ve been playing relaxed… . I’ve just been building confidence every game,” Elias says. “The veterans tell me to just forget about the points, go out and enjoy the game.”

His teammates have nicknamed Elias “7-Eleven,” because, he explained, “I’m open all the time and all over the place.”

Ohlund, a 21-year-old Swedish defenseman, is 6-foot-3 and weighs 210 pounds, the kind of size scouts love.

“He has a lot of confidence for a kid, and he plays in all the key situations,” Larose said. “He’s very effective wherever he’s used.”

Ohlund has a good shot and fine passing skills. He had eight assists and a goal after 21 games.

Messier, a 6-2, 200-pounder, played 21 games with the Avalanche last season. The 24-year-old from Drummondville, Quebec, was named the NHL’s rookie of the month for October after recording two goals and five assists and going a plus-six in 12 games in the plus-minus category.

“He has improved every game,” Larose said. “The other night, he played against the (Eric) Lindros line (vs. Philadelphia) and was really effective. And last year he had a (great) year in the minor leagues.

“Defense is a very tough position in the league. When you get a good rookie like Messier and Ohlund, (it’s impressive) that they’re doing as well as they are doing. I think that is one position that’s very tough to break in with.”