By John Moore / Inspin Contributor

As the NHL season moves forward to the Stanley Cup, we begin to see a clear picture of which teams and players are having a good - or not so good - season. This prompted me to do some research and find out which rookies out there are showing a promising future for hockey.

With no doubt one of the best stories of the early season has been rookie Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Edmonton Oilers.

Hopkins has a record- so far- of 32 points in 30 games and even though he is not just running away with the Calder Trophy he is staying within striking distance of the Art Ross. That seems far-fetched, of course, but there is no denying the 18-year-old has been a revelation so far.

Other rising stars are fighting it out to earn ice-time with their teams. Here's a look at some of the rookies making NHL statistics this season:

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton Not only is the 18-year-old centre leading the Edmonton Oilers in scoring, he's on pace to average more than a point per game — something only Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have accomplished as rookies since the lockout.

Cody Hodgson, Vancouver Has looked impressive so far, significantly increasing the return the Canucks receive for him in the 90% of all hockey trade rumours in which he is inevitably included.

Luke Adam, Buffalo Has good size and the ability to play both wing and center. Goes to the net with authority and can play well as a complement to scoring forwards. He recorded a goal and an assist as the Buffalo Sabres edged the Nashville Predators on Saturday night 3-2.

Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado Scored the decisive goal in a shootout and the Colorado Avalanche beat the San Jose Sharks 4-3 on Tuesday night

Matt Read, Philadelphia Matt has 11 goals and 8 assists in 25 games this season, and he has been a big surprise for Philadelphia fans. The talented winger has occasionally angered his coaches and teammates by making rookie mistakes, such as actually trying against teams that play defense. He's still a promising player.

Adam Henrique, New Jersey Who didn't get a point Tuesday night, has 11 in the last 10 games as he makes his push into the Calder Trophy race.

Jake Gardiner, Toronto By playing a regular shift for the Maple Leafs, is gaining invaluable experience in what not to do while killing penalties.

Craig Smith, Nashville Is best known for his comical inability to shoot the puck into a wide open net, which probably explains his lack of success against Steve Mason.

Erik Gudbranson, Florida Scored the first goal of his NHL career on Sunday at Madison Square Garden against the Rangers. In his rookie season Jake Gardiner gets better with the more ice-time he gets. He is playing all situations and Wilson believes the sky is the limit for the young blueliner.

Devante Smith-Pelly, Anaheim Was recently loaned to the Canadian entry in the world junior championship. Smith-Pelly was playing regularly with the Ducks, averaging roughly 12 minutes of icetime over the past 10 games, and scored two of his three goals in the five games prior to leaving for the Canadian selection camp in Calgary.

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