Due to how the NHL Draft works, more often than not, the most talented rookies of each class tend to go to the weakest NHL teams.
Essentially, this puts them at a disadvantage for trying to rack up a bunch of points in their first season.
Still, there’s a pretty big window to still class as a rookie, so the NHL record books don’t just rely on teenagers scoring points.
Wayne Gretzky didn’t count as a rookie in his first NHL season, but as it’s a point of contention, this page will look at the players who have the most points in a rookie season, in the postseason, and then compare those to Gretzky’s first-season stats.
Who has the Most Regular Season Points in a Rookie Season?
The player with the NHL record for the most regular season points in a rookie season is Teemu Selänne, who put up 132 points in this 1992/93 season.
Playing for the Winnipeg Jets, the Finnish winger burst onto the scene having been given time to develop back home after being drafted.
He played 84 games that season, scoring 76 goals and 56 assists to set what remains a very lofty bar for all other rookies to attempt to beat.
In more recent seasons, we’ve seen Artemi Panarin clock in 77 points as a rookie for the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015/16, and he’s now at +350 in the NHL betting to win the Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers.
Mathew Barzal also put in a stellar rookie showing in 2017/18. The center scored 85 points in 82 games, setting the record for rookies since the 2012/13 partial Lockout.
Selanne still boasts the record for the most points in an NHL rookie season and the most goals as a rookie in the league, sitting well above the next-closest contenders.
Who has the Most Postseason Points in a Rookie Season?
The record for the player who scored the most points as a rookie in the postseason is split between three skaters: Jake Guentzel, Ville Leino, and Dino Ciccarelli.
All three of these players scored 21 points in the playoffs during their rookie seasons. Ciccarelli set and holds this bar in 1980/81 with the Minnesota North Stars, scoring 14 goals and seven assists en route to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Ville Leino helped to power the Philadelphia Flyers to the Finals as well, scoring seven goals and setting up another 14 to end his rookie playoff run with a +10 rating but without the Cup.
Jake Guentzel comes out on top among these NHL rookie record holders as, not only did he score 13 goals and eight assists, but he also won the Cup.
With the Carolina Hurricanes this season, the former Pittsburgh Penguins sniper is out at +1800 in the best odds sport betting Canada has to offer to get his name on the Stanley Cup once again.
How Many Points Did Wayne Gretzky Score in His First NHL Season?
Wayne Gretzky put up 137 points in 79 games during his first NHL season. As he played a full season in the WHL before he entered the NHL in 1979/80, The Great One wasn’t considered to be a rookie.
Those 137 points are comprised of 51 goals and 86 assists, which means that Teemu Selänne did outscore Gretzky on the goals front as a rookie, but fell five points short of what would have been another Gretzky-led record.
In the playoffs, the Edmonton Oilers bowed out in the first round. Gretzky was only given three games to impress in his first postseason outing, scoring two goals and three points in 1979/80.
Naturally, this puts Gretzky’s first postseason scoring record well behind the likes of Guentzel, Leino, and the record-setting Ciccarelli.
Teemu Selänne remains the rookie to beat with his massive haul of 132 points, and it’s been a long time since any newcomer has even approached that mark.
*Credit for all images in this article belongs to Alamy*
