Only eight players have scored 30 or more goals in their rookie year since the 2006-07 season, and 18-year-old Panthers forward Owen Tippett has an excellent chance to add his name to that list.

The top two picks from the 2017 NHL Draft, Nico Hischier and Nolan Patrick, are two of the favorites to take home the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie, while players from recent drafts, such as Dylan Strome, Clayton Keller, Kyle Connor, Tyson Jost, Josh Ho-Sang, Charlie McAvoy, Thomas Chabot, and Julius Honka, will also garner heavy preseason consideration.

Tippett, however, probably won't get much preseason hype, as he was selected just 10th overall in June's draft by the small-market Florida Panthers.

In fact, of all the Calder Trophy winners who won it in the season right after they were drafted, only Jeff Skinner and Sergei Samsonov (both wingers) did so while being taken outside the top five in their respective drafts in the last 37 years.

Related: Panthers GM expects top pick Tippett to compete for roster spot this fall

Tippett, however, has three things going for him that most of the aforementioned rookies don't:

1. NHL-ready size and shot

One of the biggest problems most teenagers have when they come into the league is that they need to add 15-20 pounds of muscle. The 6-foot, 203-pound Tippett, on the other hand, is built like a truck.

Of the aforementioned Rookie of the Year candidates, Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy is the only one listed at 200 pounds or more, according to HockeyDB.

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

His shot is also NHL-ready, meaning it's not only hard and accurate, but he can get it off quickly and it tight spaces, not unlike Patrik Laine of the Winnipeg Jets. This past season, he scored 44 goals in 60 games with the Mississauga Steelheads of the Ontario Hockey League.

2. Ideal position

Tippett will enter the league as a right-winger, and it's much, much easier to start out as a winger than a centerman or defenseman, as there's less defensive responsibility. This will allow him to focus on what he does best: scoring.

Keller, Connor, and Ho-Sang are the only other top rookie candidates who project to play on the wing this coming season.

3. Elite potential linemates

As a right-winger with a shoot-first mentality, Tippett is a perfect fit to play alongside Florida's two most talented forwards: center Aleksander Barkov and left-winger Jonathan Huberdeau. Both players are left-handed shots and have a pass-first mentality.

Tippett's skating could use some improvement, but if he makes the team and gets to play with Barkov and Huberdeau, there's a very good chance he'll pot 30 goals. In a rookie class that projects to be weaker than those in recent years, that should be enough for him to bring home the Calder Trophy.

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Summer in the NHL: Lot's of golfing, time spent on the dock, and of course, pingpong.

Every July in Toronto, Dominic Moore brings together a large group of toothless, bearded hockey players and members of the hockey community to play some pong and raise money for charity.

Thursday night was more of the same for Moore's group of paddled players, as NHLers descended on The Six for some fun and laughs while raising some cash to benefit concussion and rare cancer research. Since 2012, Moore's event has raised $500,000.

Here are some of the highlights from Thursday night's action:

Jeff Skinner of the Carolina Hurricanes took home the honors in doubles action.

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By the time training camp rolls around for the 2017 season, Florida Panthers rookie Owen Tippett will only be 18 years old, barely old enough to drive his own car to the rink for practice.

However, despite his lack of experience, Tippett will be given the opportunity to make the big club's roster right out of his first-ever NHL training camp.

"I'm thrilled to sign Owen to his first NHL contract," Panthers general manager Dale Tallon said Wednesday, as reported by NHL.com.

"Owen is a natural goal scorer with a bright future and he already possesses NHL-ready size and speed. We're looking forward to watching him compete for a spot on our NHL roster at training camp this fall."

It will be fresh out of the frying pan into the fire for the Peterborough, Ontario native, as the young winger will be counted on by the Panthers to continue his scoring ways. In 60 regular-season games during the 2016-17 season, Tippett racked up 44 goals and 75 points with the Ontario Hockey League's Mississauga Steelheads.

Tippett was drafted by the Panthers with the 10th overall selection in this year's entry draft.

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Following a season in which they went from Stanley Cup contenders to missing the playoffs altogether, the Tampa Bay Lightning and general manager Steve Yzerman approached the summer with a long to-do list.

But now, after recently inking winger Ondrej Palat to a five-year, $26.5-million contract, that list is essentially complete. Fresh off gaining some long-term security, the 26-year-old forward believes he and his teammates are ready to contend again.

"It was an experience for us last year because we came from two good (playoff) runs and we thought we were going to make the playoffs just like that, and it didn't happen," Palat told Roger Mooney of The Tampa Bay Times. "In the NHL we have to play good from the beginning of the season, and we have to be good all season long."

Last season, Tampa Bay's blistering start was abruptly guided off course in November when captain Steven Stamkos went down with a knee injury, and unable to overcome several ailments to other key players, the Lightning missed the playoffs by a single point.

In light of this, Yzerman made a series of moves this offseason. He dealt electric winger Jonathan Drouin to Montreal for Mikhail Sergachev, and brought in veterans Chris Kunitz and Dan Girardi via free agency, decisions which were followed up by extensions for Palat and linemate Tyler Johnson.

All in all, Palat believes the new-look Lightning roster will compete.

"I feel pretty good about the team," Palat said. "I like all the new guys. They're in the league for a while. Great veteran guys, experienced guys. That's what you need to have on your team if you want to win a Cup."

Palat's been a key piece in Tampa's recent postseason success, contributing 29 points in 46 playoff games during two lengthy runs that saw the Lightning reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2015, followed by an elimination in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final a year later.

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When the Edmonton Oilers inked forward Zack Kassian to a three-year deal last month, it did a lot more than just secure their bottom-six forward group.

It signified that the 26-year-old has finally turned a page on his battle with alcohol addiction, and in the process revived a career that once looked to be nearing its end, something Kassian credits to Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli.

"It doesn’t happen without Peter Chiarelli, who gave me the opportunity," Kassian told Jason Gregor of OilersNation.com.

"I told him that day I was going to prove to him he made a right decision and today we're sitting here with a new contract. I still feel I need to keep proving myself. It doesn't stop now that I have the new deal. I just need to keep working and proving people right."

Despite rarely finding the score sheet, Kassian serves as a key contributor for the Oilers, playing with an exuberant edge while occasionally chipping in with a timely goal, assist, or scrap to fire up his team.

In 79 regular-season games last season, Kassian registered seven goals and 17 assists to go along with 201 hits - good for 23rd-most in the NHL.

With his foreseeable future now secure in the City of Champions, Kassian realizes that it's time to prove that his battle with alcohol is behind him for good.

"For me, I made a promise to my family, to the Edmonton organization, and, most importantly, to myself that I wasn't going to drink again, and as soon as I made that decision I feel like that's when everything started climbing back upwards," Kassian said.

"I feel like if your mindset is you're not going to drink again, you're not going to drink again. You make a tough decision and stick with it. I think that's where I'm at now with it. Obviously, I have a lot to lose, which helps with the team we have in Edmonton."

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When the Edmonton Oilers inked forward Zack Kassian to a three-year deal last month, it did a lot more than just secure their bottom-six forward group.

It signified that the 26-year-old has finally turned a page on his battle with alcohol addiction, and in the process revived a career that once looked to be nearing its end, something Kassian credits to Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli.

"It doesn’t happen without Peter Chiarelli, who gave me the opportunity," Kassian told Jason Gregor of OilersNation.com.

"I told him that day I was going to prove to him he made a right decision and today we're sitting here with a new contract. I still feel I need to keep proving myself. It doesn't stop now that I have the new deal. I just need to keep working and proving people right."

Despite rarely finding the score sheet, Kassian serves as a key contributor for the Oilers, playing with an exuberant edge while occasionally chipping in with a timely goal, assist, or scrap to fire up his team.

In 79 regular-season games last season, Kassian registered seven goals and 17 assists to go along with 201 hits - good for 23rd-most in the NHL.

With his foreseeable future now secure in the City of Champions, Kassian realizes that it's time to prove that his battle with alcohol is behind him for good.

"For me, I made a promise to my family, to the Edmonton organization, and, most importantly, to myself that I wasn't going to drink again, and as soon as I made that decision I feel like that's when everything started climbing back upwards," Kassian said.

"I feel like if your mindset is you're not going to drink again, you're not going to drink again. You make a tough decision and stick with it. I think that's where I'm at now with it. Obviously, I have a lot to lose, which helps with the team we have in Edmonton."

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Philadelphia Flyers first-round draft selection Nolan Patrick was held off the ice Thursday due to an infection in his face, the club announced.

There's no indication on how long the ailment might affect the second overall pick, but it further highlights what's been a difficult year in terms of injuries for Patrick.

The 18-year-old was limited to just 33 games in his draft season with the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings due to two hernias and a leg injury. He missed the Flyers' development camp to recover from abdominal surgery, but the procedure isn't expected to keep him out of training camp in September.

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After some significant offseason retooling - headlined by the drafting of forward Nolan Patrick second overall and the trade of forward Brayden Schenn to the St. Louis Blues for center Jori Lehtera - the Philadelphia Flyers are set to take strides in 2017-18 after finishing seven points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for the Eastern Conference's second wild-card spot. And much of that progress will be due to their young group of talented defensemen.

But first, here's a preview of how Philadelphia's forward lines could look on opening night, courtesy: dailyfaceoff.com.

The Flyers ranked 26th last season with a five-on-five shooting percentage of 6.65, while having positive rates in both Corsi For percentage and scoring chance percentage. Offensive leaders Giroux and Voracek were particularly unlucky, shooting well below their career averages. As a result, the Flyers finished tied for 20th with 2.59 goals per game.

A progression toward their expected performance along with the continued development of their young talent should help the Flyers gain the 0.6 and 0.8 goals per game they need to match the 2016-17 output of division rivals Washington and Pittsburgh, respectively.

And a large portion of the Flyers' offense needs to - and will - come from a young but promising defense corps, led by returnees Shayne Gostisbehere and Ivan Provorov, and infused with up to three rookies playing large roles.

(Photo courtesy Getty Images)

Gostisbehere takes the reigns

Gostisbehere had a phenomenal and unexpected 2015-16 rookie season in which he finished second in Calder Trophy and 17th in Norris Trophy voting. He was called up from the AHL part way through the campaign to play 64 NHL games, in which he scored 17 goals and finished fifth on the team with 46 points.

His sophomore campaign took a major step backward. Gostisbehere was a shocking healthy scratch on multiple occasions and finished the season with just 39 points in 76 games. Defensive miscues were to blame for a lack of trust from the coaching staff.

In truth, Gostisbehere operated at a Corsi For rating of 52.57 percent in 2016-17, with the Flyers recording 52.10 percent of the scoring chances at five-on-five when he was on the ice. Similar to a young and not yet trusted Erik Karlsson, Gostisbehere was used sparingly on the penalty kill, recording just 5:37 of ice time when the Flyers were shorthanded.

It's time for the Flyers' coaching staff to accept Gostisbehere's rare lapses in exchange for the offensive production he can provide with increased playing time. He will need to lead the team in average ice time - while playing exclusively at five-on-five and on the power play - in order for the offense to reach its ceiling.

(Photo courtesy Action Images)

Sanheim will follow Werenski to Calder contention

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski followed in the footsteps of Gostistbehere in 2016-17, as an older defender rising to the top of the year's rookie class. Werenski finished third in Calder and 18th in Norris voting one year after being selected eighth overall.

The tide could shift back to the Flyers in 2017-18, as 21-year-old Travis Sanheim vies to make the NHL roster three years after being selected 17th overall by the Flyers.

Sanheim spent the two seasons after his draft year in the WHL, recording 133 points in 119 games. He was placed in the AHL last season and produced 37 points in 76 games. With coaches praising his quick adaptation to the more defensive league, he's expected to crack the Flyers' opening-night roster.

(Photo courtesy Action Images)

Out with the old bad

With Gostisbehere and Provorov locked into the Flyers' 2017-18 season - and with Sanheim also penciled in - 30-year-old Andrew MacDonald, 26-year-old Brandon Manning, and/or 26-year-old Radko Gudas are expected to fill out the rest of the back end. The trio combined for 53 points last season.

MacDonald has played just 189 games over the past three seasons, and he posted a three-year-low Corsi For rating of 48.00 in 2016-17. While he's under contract for the next three campaigns at a cap hit of $5 million, the Flyers are not adverse to cutting ties with sunk money.

See: Ilya Bryzgalov and the 10 years remaining on his buyout with an annual payout of $1.64 million.

(Photo courtesy Action Images)

A pair of 21-year-old defenders in Robert Hagg and Samuel Morin, who each played just one NHL game last season, will also be vying for roster spots as potential replacements for the ineffective MacDonald. Hagg recorded 15 points and a plus-10 rating in 58 AHL games last season, while Morin had 16 points in 74 games.

The quintet of Gostisbehere, Provorov, Sanheim, Morin, and Hagg comes in at an average age of 21.2 years old.

While unproven on defense, they could provide the push the Flyers' offense will need in order to compete in a very tough Metropolitan Division.

(Advanced stats courtesy naturalstattrick.com)

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