The All-Nobody Team: 6 NHLers quickly becoming somebodies

The NHL season isn't yet three months old and 131 players are classified as rookies with at least one game played. That's the rough equivalent of six full rosters. Put another way: Prospects of all positions and notoriety - the well-known, partially known, and unknown - are breaking through in some way.

We're focusing on that last group in order to form the 2022-23 All-Nobody Team. We've identified three forwards, two defensemen, and one goalie who've so far updated their NHL status from "nobody" to "somebody."

To create structure, the player pool was limited to those drafted after the second round or not at all and who entered the season with fewer than 500 regular-season minutes played (we expanded the threshold to 1,500 minutes for goalies). This is the same criteria used in 2020-21 and 2021-22.

Here's this season's squad:

Andrei Kuzmenko, Canucks, RW

For NHL teams, there's a hefty dose of uncertainty baked into every single European free-agent signing. No matter how dominant the player has been in leagues overseas, a smooth transition to North America is never guaranteed.

A select few manage to exceed expectations (Artemi Panarin comes to mind), while the rest either live up to them (Pius Suter, everyday NHLer) or fall short (Vadim Shipachyov, woof).

Kuzmenko belongs in the "exceed" camp, recording 15 goals and 17 assists for 32 points in his first 36 games with Vancouver. The 26-year-old right winger is third in points on the team, trailing only established stars Elias Pettersson (44 points) and Bo Horvat (42). Quietly, he leads all Canucks skaters as well as all first-year NHLers in even-strength assists (15).

Kuzmenko, who isn't eligible for the Calder Trophy because he's older than 25, has been glued to Pettersson all season, with Ilya Mikheyev and Lane Pederson splitting time as the line's third member. Kuzmenko's ability to find soft spots in the offensive zone, and Pettersson's ability to feed the sniper crisp passes, have allowed the duo to flourish. With both players on the ice, the Canucks have outscored the opposition 25-14 in 305 minutes of five-on-five action.

Clearly, Kuzmenko is benefiting from Pettersson's brilliance. Yet, the 5-foot-11, 194-pounder also deserves loads of credit. Highly sought following a statement 2021-22 season in which he finished second in KHL scoring (53 points in 45 games with SKA St. Petersburg), he's adjusted very well on and off the ice. The smiley Russian has bagged seven power-play goals as the net-front guy on the first unit and already has a hat trick to his name (Nov. 3 against Anaheim). He hasn't been whistled for an infraction, ranking second on the team with a plus-seven penalty differential.

There's more uncertainty on the horizon, though. For starters, Kuzmenko's scoring rate (24.2% of his own shots) and the Canucks' rate when he's on the ice (14.9%) are unsustainably high, so expect a dip in production in the second half. Also, he's an unrestricted free agent at season's end. Even with a potential dip in points, he'll command a huge raise from his current $950,000 salary.

Do the Canucks view Kuzmenko as a long-term fit on Pettersson's wing? Do they flip him to a contending team midseason? Let him walk as a UFA?

Noah Cates, Flyers, C/LW

If you're a fan outside Minnesota or Pennsylvania, there's a strong possibility you hadn't heard of Cates until recently. If you had, chances are you saw grainy footage of Cates pulling off an audacious spin-o-rama deke in overtime of a high school championship game in 2016.

That title-clinching tally was one hell of a claim to fame for Cates, a native of Stillwater, Minnesota, which is in the heart of high school hockey country. Since then, Cates has added plenty to his resume - including being drafted by the Flyers in the fifth round in 2017, and playing four years at the powerhouse University of Minnesota-Duluth, two of them as captain.

Atop the resume to start 2023: Has earned the full trust of John Tortorella.

Tortorella, the Flyers' new bench boss, has gushed about Cates multiple times this season. "I thought Catesy was the one that kind of settled us down and tried to lead the way," he told reporters after a sluggish start evolved into a 2-1 victory over New Jersey on Dec. 15.

"He's just an impressive guy," Tortorella said. "And I've stuck him in the middle of the ice, (a position) he's never played before. I think he's just handled himself so well."

Two things to keep in mind: 1. Tortorella is notoriously hard to please, and 2. Cates making the switch from wing to center look relatively easy is no small feat. He's won over Tortorella through attention to detail in all three zones, especially on the defensive side. And the coach isn't blowing hot air: there's a case to be made that Cates, only 54 games into his career, is the best defensive forward on a team missing Sean Couturier.

Cates' five-on-five expected goals against per 60 minutes rate is tops among all regular Flyers forwards save for Nic Deslauriers, an enforcer facing other fourth-liners. In 38 games, Cates leads the forwards in blocked shots (32) and all skaters in takeaways (25), while pitching in four goals and 12 assists. The 23-year-old has seen his ice time jump to 17:51 this season from 13:15 in 16 games late last season.

The Flyers have a ton of roster decisions to make over the next couple of years and Cates will be part of the long-term core if he keeps his standard high.

Matias Maccelli, Coyotes, LW

Maccelli received a crummy Christmas gift over the holiday break: a six-week stay on the sideline to nurse a lower-body injury sustained Dec. 23.

That "present" might be worse than getting a lump of coal in the stocking.

"Everybody talked about the great season he's having," Coyotes head coach Andre Tourigny told reporters last week, lamenting Maccelli's bad luck and the timing. "But I don't think they realize how good he is (overall), and how much he helped our team, and how consistent he was (away from) the puck."

Heading into the break, Maccelli was pacing all Calder-eligible rookies in assists (19) and trailed only Seattle Kraken standout Matty Beniers in points (22). Maccelli, a 2019 fourth-round pick by the rebuilding Coyotes, had been playing primarily with veterans Lawson Crouse and Nick Bjugstad, skating 15:05 a night.

In 2021-22, the Finn with ties to the United States (Maccelli's mom was born in Florida) tore up the AHL before receiving a late-season promotion to the big club, where he potted his first NHL goal and added five assists in 23 games.

Tourigny went on to compliment Maccelli's improvement in how he manages the puck, an area in which young players - especially playmaking types like Maccelli - typically struggle as they climb the pro ladder. Slightly built at 5-foot-11 and 176 pounds, Maccelli's improved his skating but is no burner. Yet he's always earned high marks for his puckhandling and elusiveness. Only 22, he's still developing.

Arber Xhekaj, Canadiens, D

Where to start with the most charming personal story of the season?

Xhekaj personifies the All-Nobody Team. He's a late-blooming defenseman who never heard his name called during the NHL draft. He's earned a full-time role on the Canadiens' blue line while still trying to figure out how to best utilize his skill set, which is a tantalizing mix of size, skating, skills, and smarts. He's producing, leading all rookie defensemen in goals. And he's beloved by fans.

Xhekaj's even a fan favorite beyond Montreal and Quebec thanks to regular appearances on national highlight reels. He loves delivering thunderous body checks; has willingly participated in heavyweight tilts (Deslauriers, Pat Maroon, Zack Kassian, and Austin Watson are on his fight card); and is open to chatting about his recent duties stocking shelves at Costco.

By all accounts, the kid is handling his sudden fame like a seasoned vet. "It feels pretty special and it is sometimes pretty weird," Xhekaj told the Montreal Gazette in October. He then added: "It's pretty funny because they'll just be staring at me, and I'll be like, 'Do I have something on my face, or what?'"

Another layer of the 6-foot-4, 238-pounder's appeal is his uncommon last name, which is actually pronounced "Jackeye." Meanwhile, the local market has leaned into two nicknames: "The Sheriff," for his intimidating presence on the ice, and "WiFi," for the seemingly random order of the letters in his name. Xhekaj, who's from Hamilton, Ontario, is a citizen of Canada and Czechia.

The encouraging part of Xhekaj's story is that he has a long career ahead of him. He's a unicorn of sorts, both old school (hits, fights) and new school (mobile, offensive). Here's the 21-year-old's stat line through 36 games: 125 shot attempts (first among Montreal defensemen), 60 shots (first), five goals (first), seven assists (tied for third). Oh, and 106 hits - 36 more than any other defenseman. And he's done all of it in only 15:30 a night, which ranks fifth out of six regulars.

Nick Perbix, Lightning, D

Perbix is exactly what Tampa Bay needs over the short and medium terms. And nobody is as familiar with this reality as the Lightning, which is why management rushed to sign the defenseman to an extension earlier this week.

The 24-year-old Perbix appears capable of handling the right side on a pair with Mikhail Sergachev or Victor Hedman - a crucial role for a franchise on a quest to win a third Stanley Cup in four years. His contract is easy on the salary cap this season ($842,500 cap hit) and now the next two seasons ($1.125 million per year) - a virtual necessity to keep contending in this era.

If Perbix continues to show he belongs in the top four of an NHL blue line, the club will reap even more surplus value. Through 30 games, he's maintained positive shot-based metrics on 15 even-strength minutes a night (he's seen barely any special-teams time). Perbix is an efficient, no-frills player whose top performances tend to be games in which TV announcers rarely say his name.

"Really good," teammate Brayden Point said when asked in late November about Perbix's transition from St. Cloud State University to high-level pros. "He sees the game really well, he skates really well, and he's a smart player."

A sixth-round pick in 2017, Perbix is another player development success story in a long line of them for the Lightning. Over the past 12 months, he's donned the United States jersey for four Olympic games, inked his first pro contract, debuted in the AHL and NHL, and signed a second deal. Not bad.

Logan Thompson, Golden Knights, G

Thompson has been a revelation for Vegas. There's no other way to frame it.

With Robin Lehner and Laurent Brossoit shelved all season, Thompson and partner Adin Hill have been given a golden opportunity. And while neither is on track to garner Vezina Trophy votes, both have done their part, particularly Thompson, who's rocking a .915 save percentage and plus-1.53 goals saved above expected rate (per Evolving-Hockey) in 28 appearances.

Thompson, certainly in the conversation for the Calder, is a 25-year-old journeyman. If 25 seems young for that label, mosey on over to the Calgary native's HockeyDB page. There, you'll notice how his journey includes stints in the WHL, Canadian university, ECHL, and AHL. Only four seasons ago, Thompson was strapping on the pads for the 2018-19 Brock Badgers.

At the NHL level, the undrafted right-catching netminder is an absolute bargain, earning $766,667 annually through 2024-25. Thompson is lanky, athletic, and extremely competitive in the crease. And he gives the Golden Knights a chance to win the vast majority of nights, whether in regulation, overtime, or the shootout, where he's stopped 28 of 35 attempts in his career.

Thompson never gave up on his dream on his way to the top. Now competing in the best hockey league in the world, he isn't giving up on a single puck.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email ([email protected]).