Avalanche forward Matt Duchene is the NHL's rookie of the month for December. He led all rookies in scoring with 13 points in 14 games. He currently has 27 points on the season, one behind Islanders' rookie John Tavares. This sets up a very intriguing match-up tomorrow between the Islanders and Avalanche.

Also considered: fellow Av TJ Galiardi, who had 8 points in December, along with Anaheim's Dan Sexton, New Jersey's Nicklas Bergford, Buffalo's Tyler Myers and Detroit's Jimmy Howard.