The Calgary Flames haven’t had a Calder Trophy winner in 35 years and the NHL itself hasn’t seen a goalie win rookie-of-the-year honours in 15. Flames fans would surely love to see Dustin Wolf change both of those facts. Should that happen, though, let’s just hope things play out better for Wolf and his team long-term than it did for the past two puckstoppers who won the Calder.
Wolf is just one rookie who’s off to a strong start this year, prompting us to use this week’s power rankings as a vehicle to explore the performance of each squad’s first-year guys.
Flames freshmen actually claimed three Calders in a five-year span beginning in 1986, when defenceman Gary Suter won it. In 1988, Joe Nieuwendyk was ROTY thanks to a 51-goal campaign that saw him fall just two tallies shy of Mike Bossy’s then-rookie record of 53. (Five years later, Teemu Selanne obliterated that mark with 76).
The last time a Flame won the Calder it was such a ridiculous situation that the league had to step in and amend the eligibility rules. That’s because, in 1990, Sergei Makarov — after a highly decorated run with the Soviet National Team in the 1980s — rode the first Russian wave into the NHL after the fall of communism and won rookie of the year at 31 years old on the strength of an 86-point season. The runner-up that year was 19-year-old Mike Modano and, in the aftermath, the league decided players over the age of 26 were no longer allowed to claim the Calder.
As for the goalies, Steve Mason won the 2009 ROTY — also finishing as the Vezina runner-up and fourth in MVP voting — thanks to a sensational 20-year-old season with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Mason had a couple other strong seasons, but the southpaw was cursed with some bad injury luck and hung up his pads before turning 30.
Five years before Mason burst onto the scene, Andrew Raycroft was the 2004 rookie of the year with the Boston Bruins. After one more season in Boston, he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for some Finnish kid named Tuukka Rask in a swap Leafs fans still rue. Raycroft played 72 (72!) games in his first year with the Buds and a total of 100 with four different teams in the next five seasons before disappearing from the league.
It’s worth noting, though, that while just eight goalies have won the Calder since the expansion era began in 1967, some of the ones who have are Tony Esposito, Ken Dryden, Tom Barrasso, Ed Belfour and Martin Brodeur.
Of course, Wolf’s terrific play could continue and he still might be nudged out for the Calder thanks to the stiff competition provided by the likes of Dallas’ Logan Stankoven — who would not be eligible for the trophy had he played one more NHL game last season — Flyers sniper Matvei Michkov and Montreal’s shoulder-fake God, defenceman Lane Hutson. With that in mind, let’s examine a rookie tale or two for all 32 clubs.
1. Winnipeg Jets (15-1-0) The high-flying Jets don’t have a rookie in the lineup, but keep an eye on AHLer and 2022 second-rounder Elias Salomonsson. The long, right-shot defender impressed at training camp and looks outstanding — he’s tied for the team scoring lead as a D-man — in his first month-plus of North American pro hockey with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.
2. Florida Panthers (11-4-1) 2024 first-rounder Mackie Samoskevich has been scratched and seen very limited minutes when in the lineup. That said, he just played a season-high 14:51 Tuesday night against the Devils.
3. Carolina Hurricanes (11-4-0) 2021 fourth-rounder Jackson Blake has found a fourth-line home on the Canes, playing nearly 12 minutes a night at right wing.
4. Minnesota Wild (10-2-3) 22-year-old Marat Khusnutdinov doesn’t have a goal this year, but the 2020 second-rounder is centring the fourth line and has suited up for every one of Minny’s contests.
5. Washington Capitals (10-4-1) Ivan Miroshnichenko played 21 games with the Caps last year, so he’d still be a rookie if he got called up this year. The 20-year-old Russian was picked 20th overall in 2022 and is a point-per-game winger in the AHL right now.
6. Vegas Golden Knights (10-4-2) Cole Schwindt, a third-rounder from 2019, has got his foot in the door playing left wing on Vegas’ fourth line.
7. New York Rangers (9-4-1) Even if he plays fewer than nine minutes a night, it’s hard to miss six-foot-seven Rangers rookie forward Adam Edstrom. The 24-year-old is a sixth-rounder from 2019 who’s defied the odds to become a full-time NHLer this year.
8. Dallas Stars (9-5-0) Logan Stankoven leads all rookies with 13 points and the five-foot-eight dynamo — after hitting the back of the net just once in his first 11 outings — has two goals in his past three contests. He was a second-round steal at 47th overall in 2021.
9. Vancouver Canucks (8-3-3) In terms of cool rookie moments this season, nothing tops B.C. boy Arshdeep Bains — an undrafted 23-year-old — scoring his first NHL goal on a Hockey Night in Punjabi broadcast. Meanwhile, Jonathan Lekkerimaki — a 2022 first-rounder Vancouver hopes to see a lot of goals from eventually — made his NHL debut Tuesday night versus the Flames.
10. New Jersey Devils (11-6-2) Boy, does Seamus Casey look like a second-round steal. He cracked the Devils lineup and scored four points in eight contests, but is now in the AHL (where he has nine points in eight games) thanks to the return of Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce from injury. While most teams are dying for right-shot guys, the Devils must figure out what to do with all of theirs long-term. Veterans Pesce and Dougie Hamilton are signed for at least three more years after this one, while Casey and 2022 second-overall pick Simon Nemec are both in the AHL right now.
11. Toronto Maple Leafs (10-6-2) Undrafted Alex Steeves, 24, was leading the AHL’s Toronto Marlies in scoring when he got the call and played 14:09 in his first NHL game of the season on Wednesday night in Washington.
12. Los Angeles Kings (9-6-3) Stick-tap to Andre Lee, a six-foot-five seventh-rounder from 2019 who’s skating on the Kings’ fourth line right now. Akil Thomas, a second-rounder from 2018, has been up with the big club since late October and, at 24, is still trying to establish himself as an NHLer.
13. Edmonton Oilers (8-7-1) Alberta boy Matthew Savoie, the ninth-overall pick in 2022, was acquired in the off-season from Buffalo. He figures to marinate all year in the AHL, but maybe his silky mitts will get an NHL look at some point this season.
14. Boston Bruins (8-7-2) Centre Matthew Poitras played 33 promising games as a 19-year-old last season with the B’s. It was a bit of a struggle for the 2022 second-rounder this year, though, so Boston sent the centre to the AHL earlier this week.
15. Tampa Bay Lightning (7-6-1) It’s going to take some time, but 2022 11th-overall selection Conor Geekie — acquired in the summer from Utah in the deal that shipped out Mikhail Sergachev — could bring something unique to the Bolts lineup if he shows he can score consistently with his six-foot-four, 207-pound frame.
16. Ottawa Senators (8-7-0) Zack Ostapchuk has six games apiece in both the NHL and AHL this year. The 2021 second-rounder has the big body and motor to eventually be a bottom-six fixture for the Sens.
17. Colorado Avalanche (9-8-0) With all the injuries Colorado has, it’s no surprise two rookies — undrafted Ivan Ivan and 2018 sixth-rounder Nikolai Kovalenko — are on the second line right now and have suited up for every Avs game this season. Kovalenko, of course, is the son of Andrei Kovalenko, who played for the Avs/Nordiques franchise and was sent to Montreal in the Patrick Roy trade 29 years ago. Speaking of goalies, Justus Annunen is a rookie who could yet play a big role for the stops-starved Avalanche.
18. Calgary Flames (8-6-3) Only nine goalies who’ve played at least seven games this year have a better save percentage than Dustin Wolf’s .913. After shining for several seasons in the AHL, the 2019 seventh-rounder is showing he might just be the real deal.
19. New York Islanders (6-6-4) If Maxim Tsyplakov had turned 26 four days earlier in September, he’d be ineligible for the Calder. As it stands, the six-foot-three undrafted winger has 10 points, more than every freshman this year save Logan Stankoven and Matvei Michkov.
20. Detroit Red Wings (7-7-1) Marco Kasper recorded his first NHL point in the first game he played with Detroit this season on Oct. 19. He hasn’t registered another in 10 games since, but the eighth-overall pick from 2022 is playing a fairly robust 15:12 per night.
21. Utah Hockey Club (7-6-3) With John Marino and Sean Durzi both sidelined long-term with injuries, there’s an opening on the UHC blueline. Hulking Maveric Lamoureux has put his six-foot-six frame into the void, often playing over 17 minutes a night for Utah. The 29th-overall pick in 2022 is a righty who has a shot to become a unique and valuable presence on Utah’s back end.
22. Buffalo Sabres (7-8-1) Jiri Kulich was sent down to the AHL a couple of weeks ago, but the 28th-overall pick in 2022 still has lots of time to prove he can be a physical forward who kicks in substantial offence in the NHL.
23. Seattle Kraken (7-8-1) Shane Wright, the fourth-overall selection in 2022, played eight NHL games last season and, had he dressed for only five, he’d still be considered a rookie. This is his first full campaign in the NHL and, so far, the offence isn’t there with a 1-1-2 statline.
24. St. Louis Blues (7-9-0) Zachary Bolduc filled the net in the QMJHL and did net five goals in 25 outings with the Blues last year. The 2021 first-rounder is stuck on a goose egg through 13 contests this year, however.
25. Philadelphia Flyers (6-8-2) We knew Matvei Michkov — picked No. 7 in 2023 — had a chance to be a franchise-defining player for Philly and that was before he came to North America two seasons before anybody expected him to depart the KHL. We also knew coach John Tortorella was likely going to sit him here and there and, indeed, the 19-year-old has been scratched a couple of times. Still, with 12 points in 14 outings, it’s easy to see the Flyers have something special in Michkov.
26. Chicago Blackhawks (6-9-1) Coach Luke Richardson has not been shy about healthy-scratching both young guys and veterans alike. As such, it’s certainly no surprise to see a rookie like defenceman Nolan Allan sat down here and there, but the 2021 first-rounder is holding his own so far through 13 NHL contests.
27. Nashville Predators (5-9-2) Defenceman Marc Del Gaizo entered the lineup on Oct. 19 and has seen his ice time tick up since then. The 2019 fourth-rounder is averaging 16:26 in his past seven games.
28. Pittsburgh Penguins (6-9-3) 2020 second-rounder Joel Blomqvist has an impressive .904 save percentage this year and that number was at .913 before Monday’s blowout loss to Dallas. The 23-year-old is probably best served in the AHL to shelter him from this defensive disaster of a team.
29. San Jose Sharks (5-9-3) The Sharks have had three rookies — forwards Danil Gushchin and Will Smith, and D-man Jack Thompson — dress for at least 10 contests this year. Of course, the one to watch is 2024’s top selection, Macklin Celebrini. The 18-year-old played the season-opener, then sat for basically a month with a hip issue. He sure looks the part of an NHLer, with three goals in five games this year.
30. Anaheim Ducks (5-8-2) Cutter Gauthier — the fifth-overall pick in 2022 — was a dominant college player and huge acquisition for Anaheim last winter after he indicated he was unwilling to sign with the Flyers club that drafted him. Long-term, he’ll likely fill the net in the NHL, but he’s still in search of that first one through 15 games.
31. Montreal Canadiens (5-9-2) Lane Hutson has a shot to be Montreal’s first Calder winner since Ken Dryden 50 years ago. Only nine defencemen in the league have more assists than Hutson’s 10. It looks like the Canadiens stole one with the 62nd pick in 2022.
32. Columbus Blue Jackets (5-9-2) Mikael Pyyhtia, a fourth-rounder in 2020, scored his first NHL goal just before Halloween and has been seeing 14 minutes per night on Columbus’ third unit.
