Calder Catch Up

The 2024-25 NHL rookie class is stacked, which makes for a very fun Calder Trophy race. All positions are covered in this race, from dynamic forwards to offensive defencemen, and even elite goaltending.

The Calder Memorial Trophy, named after the first NHL President, Frank Calder, is awarded to the most exceptional player in his first year in the league. Last year's winner, Chicago Blackhawks’ forward Connor Bedard, had 61 points in 68 games.

Let's take a look at some of the potential candidates for the coveted Calder award.

Macklin Celebrini - San Jose Sharks

Macklin Celebrini playing for the Sharks. Photo courtesy of Brad Penner.

The 18-year-old started his first career NHL game with a bang: a goal and an assist in his debut. Unfortunately, he then missed the next 12 games with an injury. With 20 goals and 29 assists in 55 games, Celebrini is tied for most goals by a rookie in the league. The Hobey Baker Award winner is the fourth player in Sharks history to score 20 goals in his rookie season and has averaged 19:46 minutes of ice time this season.

Lane Hutson - Montreal Canadiens

Lane Huston during an away game for the Canadiens. Photo courtesy of Rick Osentoski.

Drafted 62nd overall in 2022, Hutson made his NHL debut for the Canadiens on April 15th, 2024, against the Detroit Red Wings, where he recorded his first point. Since then, he has played 64 games this season, registering 4 goals and 49 assists. Hutson became the fastest Canadiens rookie defenceman to reach 50 career points, 47 of which are from this season, in just 65 games. He leads all rookies in points this season.

Matvei Michkov - Philadelphia Flyers

Matvei Michkov for the Philadelphia Flyers. Photo courtesy of Amy C Irvin.

Drafted 5th overall in 2023, Michkov made his NHL debut on October 11th, 2024, against the Vancouver Canucks. Since then, the 20-year-old Russian forward has played in 65 games, scoring 20 goals and 27 assists. He has 3 overtime goals for the Flyers this season and averages 16:11 minutes of ice time. Michkov has 7 power play goals for the Flyers and 15 power play points.

Dustin Wolf - Calgary Flames

Dustin Wolf making a save during an NHL game. Photo courtesy of Jeff McIntosh.

The 23-year-old goaltender was drafted 214th in the 2019 NHL Draft by the Flames and made his NHL debut on April 12, 2023, against the San Jose Sharks in a 3-1 win. He played 17 games last season with the Flames, winning seven of them. The rookie goaltender took the place of Jacob Markström after he was traded to the New Jersey Devils at the end of last season. In his rookie year, Wolf has played 39 games, winning 22 of them and racking up three shutouts. He has a .915 save percentage, which puts him among the top 10 goalies in the league this year in save percentage.

Honorable Mentions

Logan Stankoven - Carolina Hurricanes

Logan Stankoven playing for the Hurricanes. Photo courtesy of Josh Lavallee.

Drafted 47th overall in 2021, Stankoven made his NHL debut with the Dallas Stars on February 24, 2024, against the Carolina Hurricanes. He played 24 games that season but is still eligible to be considered a rookie this season. Stankoven played 59 games for the Stars this season before being traded to the Hurricanes in a trade that brought Mikko Rantanen to Dallas. In his Hurricanes debut, he scored his first goal for his new team. The 22-year-old has 30 points in 61 games this season.

Will Smith - San Jose Sharks

Will Smith during a Sharks game this season. Photo courtesy of Stan Szeto.

The 19-year-old forward made his debut alongside Celebrini in October. Smith started off the year a bit slow, but since January 20th, he leads all rookies in points with 19 in that time span. He has 13 goals and 22 assists in 59 games so far. Smith is 4th in points for NHL rookies, with 35 this season. He became the first teenage rookie in Sharks history to have two 5-game point streaks in a season.

Edited by Neha Grewal