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With six weeks of the 2015-2016 hockey season in the bag, there has been a lot surprises so far. A lot of young players have making huge marks on their respected teams. Names you've never heard before, and with McDavid out for "months", the rest of the rookie class has time to make an impact. There's has already been a lot of plays worth talking about, but let's talk about the players.
Rookies: Dylan Larkin (DET)
Detroit hasn't been the offensive powerhouse they've been known to be so far. Still Larkin has done a great job helping get pucks in the net with the absence of Pavel Datsyuk in the early part of the season, Through 16 games the 19 year old has 4 goals and 7 assists. Playing on the top with Abdelkader and Zetterberg, Larkin should have plenty of opportunities to add to his point total. Look on the waiver wire, this is a winger that needs to be on your team.
Keeper: Erik Karlsson (OTT)
How often is there a defensemen who is worth hanging onto year after year? Karlsson is proving why he deserves to wear a "C" on his chest. Through 17 games, Karlsson has 3 goals and 14 assists. He continues to be a top tier talent on Ottawa's blue line. Karlsson is following up a 66 point campaign from last year with a good start to the season. Not to mention that he is only 25 years old, not even in the peak age of his career. This guy is gonna be good for years, and as far as defensemen go, should continue to produce at a high level.
Prospect: Kyle Palmieri
New jersey has certainly been going through some growing pains recently. Aside from making the cup finals in 2012, they've been virtually irrelevant in the hockey playoff picture for a few years now. This year though, they're off to a decent start. That of course, is with the help of Kyle Palmieri. This is a guy worth looking into. Through 16 games he has 14 points, and chances are, he's available to pick up. On top of that, he has 8 powerplay points and 40 shots so far.
Every night, the NHL playoff picture gets more and more interesting. There's teams winning who weren't expected to do much and on the other side, teams not performing up to par. Still, not even a quarter way through the season, there's still a lot of time for things to heat up for everyone. Stay posted for week 7 and further.