Some of the biggest stars in the NHL have won the Tim Taylor Award, voted as the best first-year player in NCAA men’s hockey.

That group includes Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (2015), Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor (2016), Utah Mammoth forward Clayton Keller (2017), Columbus Blue Jackets center Adam Fantilli (2023) and San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (2024).

Eichel, Keller and Celebrini played at Boston University, while Connor and Fantilli attended the University of Michigan. Eichel, Keller and Connor are playing for the United States and Celebrini is playing for Canada at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

This season, Penn State forward Gavin McKenna was the odds-on favorite for the award when the season opened in October, but other contenders have emerged and the race looks to be wide open.

The award, which has been given out since 2007, is named in honor of Taylor, the longtime Yale University coach who died in 2013. Presented by the Hockey Commissioners’ Association, it is voted on by the nation’s Division I assistant coaches.

In alphabetical order, here are 10 first-year players who are having strong seasons and deserve to be part of the Rookie of the Year conversation.

Jack Ivankovic, G, Michigan

After missing a little more than a month because of a leg injury, the 18-year-old returned to the lineup Feb. 7 against Michigan State and made 32 saves in a 5-2 loss.

He won his first seven starts to open the season and is 17-5-0 record with a 2.02 goals-against average, .925 save percentage and three shutouts in 23 games.

Ivankovic, who played for the Brampton of the Ontario Hockey League last season, was selected by the Nashville Predators in the second round (No. 58) of the 2025 NHL Draft.

Porter Martone, F, Michigan State

The 18-year-old is a physical forward who plays alongside Charlie Stramel and Daniel Russell on one of the top lines in the country, and has 39 points (19 goals, 20 assists) in 29 games this season.

Martone had three assists in a 5-4 overtime win against Penn State in an outdoor game in front of 74,575 fans at Beaver Stadium on Jan. 31.

He was captain for Canada which won the bronze medal at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship. He led all players with six goals in seven games, and was fourth for Canada with nine points.

Last season, he led Brampton of the OHL with 98 points (37 goals, 61 assists) in 57 games and was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers with the No. 6 pick in the 2025 draft.

Gavin McKenna, F, Penn State

Living up to the preseason hype would have been a tall order for any player, but the 18-year-old forward has been equal to the task with 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists) in 24 games this season.

McKenna, a member of Canada’s bronze-medal team at the 2026 World Juniors, is ranked No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting’s midterm ranking of North American skaters eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft.

Vaclav Nestrasil, F, Massachusetts

The 6-foot-5 power forward has proven to be a handful for Hockey East defenders this season, with 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in 16 games.

The 18-year-old had eight points (two goals, six assists) to help Czechia win a silver medal at the 2026 World Juniors. Last season he helped Muskegon to the United States Hockey League championship, including 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in 14 playoff games.

He was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks with the No. 25 pick in the 2025 draft.

Jack Parsons, G, Providence

The 20-year-old is a late entrant to the Rookie of the Year race, having taken over the Providence net Jan. 2 after four-year starter Philip Svedeback was injured. Since then, he has won nine straight starts and is 10-1-0 with a 1.89 GAA, .929 save percentage and two shutouts in 13 games.

Undrafted, Parsons played for Chicago of the USHL last season following two seasons with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program.

Justin Poirier, F, Maine

The 19-year-old forward has shown his quick release from his first game, with a hat trick in a 5-2 win against Holy Cross in Maine’s season-opener Oct. 10, and has not let up since, with 29 points (18 goals, 11 assists) in 27 games.

Poirier, who had 122 goals in 181 games during three seasons with Baie-Comeau of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, was taken by the Carolina Hurricanes in the fifth round (No. 156) in the 2024 NHL Draft.

Jan Spunar, G, North Dakota

The 21-year-old got off to a blazing start, winning his first 10 starts this season on the way to a 14-3-0 mark with a 1.76 GAA, .924 save percentage and three shutouts in 18 games.

Undrafted, Spunar played two seasons with Portland of the Western Hockey League before going 24-15-0 with a 2.82 GAA, .907 save percentage and two shutouts in 39 games with Dubuque of the USHL last season.

Keaton Verhoeff, D, North Dakota

It will be a surprise if the 17-year-old two-way defenseman is not among the top picks in the 2026 draft; the 6-foot-3, 208-pound right-handed shot has 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in 24 games this season.

A member of Canada’s bronze medal team at the 2026 World Juniors, Verhoeff had 45 points (21 goals, 24 assists) in 63 games with Victoria of the WHL last season. He’s No. 2 on Central Scouting’s midterm ranking of North American skaters.

Ethan Wyttenbach, F, Quinnipiac

The 19-year-old, who leads NCAA players with 47 points (19 goals, 28 assists) in 30 games, has been held off the score sheet three times this season, and had his first collegiate hat trick in an 8-0 win against Yale on Saturday.

Wyttenbach, who had 51 points (24 goals, 27 assists) in 44 games with Sioux Falls of the USHL last season, was selected by the Calgary Flames in the fifth round (No. 144) of the 2025 draft.

Will Zellers, F, North Dakota

The 19-year-old has been a consistent producer, with 23 points (14 goals, nine assists) in 27 games and led the United States in scoring at the 2026 World Juniors with eight points (five goals, three assists) in five games.

Zellers took home several honor last season, when he had 71 points (44 goals, 27 assists) in 52 games with Green Bay of the USHL and was named the league’s Forward of the Year and Player of the Year, as well as USA Hockey’s Junior Player of the Year.

After being selected by the Colorado Avalanche in the third round (No. 76) of the 2024 draft, Zellers’ rights were traded to the Boston Bruins on March 7.