Calder Trophy Rankings Update: Flames’ Dustin Wolf, Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini coming alive

Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

Matvei Michkov entered the season as the presumed No. 1 favorite to win the Calder Trophy, and he has done little to sway opinions.

But will that last?

The second month of the NHL season saw the rise of a few notable freshmen: Calgary’s Dustin Wolf, Anaheim’s Cutter Gauthier, and, most notably, San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith. There are legitimate Calder Trophy hopefuls at every position right now, which should keep the race exciting until the very end.

With most players already reaching the 20-game mark, we have a good idea of where everyone stands right now. Here’s a breakdown of the top 10 2024-25 Calder Trophy candidates as we kick off the early days of December:

1. Matvei Michkov, RW (Philadelphia Flyers)

Michkov has been the gold standard among rookies this year, leading all of them with 19 points in 23 games. Michkov turned some time in the press box into a positive, including three two-point efforts over the past 10 games. Michkov can still struggle in his own zone at points, but it does feel like he’s playing better hockey at 5-on-5, and he’s getting more comfortable as a shooter, too. A 30-goal season is definitely in the cards for Michkov, and 60 points almost feels guaranteed right now.

2. Macklin Celebrini, C (San Jose Sharks)

An injury from his NHL debut slowed Celebrini’s hype a little bit, but he’s guns blazing ever since. He’s up to 15 points in 16 games with the Sharks, which includes a recent stretch of seven points over his past four games. Celebrini is well and truly playing dominant hockey – he’s only five points off Michkov’s scoring lead despite playing eight fewer games. Don’t be surprised if the first player taken from the 2024 NHL Draft ends up moving into the top spot of this list come January – he’s just been that good recently. And the Sharks are better for it, too, becoming one of the most fun teams to watch in the NHL in recent weeks.

3. Dustin Wolf, G (Calgary Flames)

There’s a legitimate argument that Wolf was eased into things early on, which helped with some of his eye-popping numbers. Through 13 games, Wolf has the NHL’s 10th-best goals saved above expected at 7.35 and the fifth-best goals saved above average at 7.83. Wolf is boasting an 8-4-1 record, and he has two assists to his credit. The 23-year-old is still primarily playing against non-playoff teams, but he did outduel Igor Shesterkin a few weeks back. Moving forward, it’ll be interesting to see how the Flames split Wolf’s duties with Daniel Vladar because Wolf clearly looks ready to take on more responsibilities after dominating the AHL over the past three years.

4. Logan Stankoven, RW (Dallas Stars)

Stankoven has missed the past two games with an injury, but he’s still tracking well north of 50 points this year. He was on pace for more than 60 at one point, but he had had just one point in his last seven games prior to the injury. So, it’s been a bit rough the past little bit, but there’s little reason to be concerned. Stankoven is still a large piece of Dallas’ attack and it’s always good to see a skilled, young player making an impact on a Stanley Cup threat. Hopefully, we’ll see the 21-year-old bounce back in a big way once he’s healthy.

5. Lane Hutson, D (Montreal Canadiens)

We’re still awaiting Hutson’s first NHL goal, something that has alluded him through 26 career games. But he’s still putting up decent numbers, registering 16 points to put him on pace for 48. Given he had 48 and 49 points in his two college seasons, respectively, that feels just about right. Hutson is no longer leading the team in ice time, but he sits second behind Mike Matheson (24:00) with a 23:06 – still good to lead all rookies. Hutson’s defensive play still leaves a lot to be desired, but it’s been encouraging to see him sticking with the club and playing as big of a role as he has when they could have easily sent Hutson to Laval.

6. Maxim Tsyplakov, RW (New York Islanders)

Tsyplakov has been plugging away with the Islanders, with his two-point effort against Boston last week being one of the highlights of his NHL career so far. There’s a realistic chance Tsyplakov breaks 40 points, and he could do so despite struggling to score goals. For someone who scored 31 in the KHL last year, Tsyplakov’s pace of 10 is a bit underwhelming. But think about just how good he’ll be if he can get that corrected in time to give the Islanders the scoring help they really need. He’s been good overall – his 2.6 goals above replacement is eighth among all rookies, and he is ahead of most others on this list, too.

7. Will Smith, RW (San Jose Sharks)

Smith clearly struggled out of the gate, starting the season with an eight-game pointless drought. The Sharks were 1-6-1 in that time, so it’s not like he was at fault. But with 11 points in 22 games – including seven in his past four – it’s looking like the former Boston College scoring superstar is finally comfortable. He moved from center to the wing and it took some responsibility off him – the payoff has been huge. Smith might not be a serious Calder Trophy candidate at this point in the season, but his recent play has been so promising.

8. Cutter Gauthier, LW (Anaheim Ducks)

Like Smith, Gauthier struggled out of the gate, but it was only a matter of time until he started to get his game on track. He had a nice stretch of four points in four games in mid-November but had just two in his final five games to close out the month. So Gauthier can be a bit hot and cold, but he’s playing for the Ducks – that’s bound to happen. One promising stat: he’s fourth on the Ducks in terms of 5-on-5 primary assists-per-60 with 1.12, so he’s producing despite playing around 10-12 minutes a night.

9. Jackson Blake, RW (Carolina Hurricanes)

Blake might not be the flashiest out there, but he continues to hum along. His ice time has fluctuated all over the place, so consistency has been hard to come by, but he did have three points in his final five games to close out November. Nothing crazy, for sure, but he’s still looking like a 20-goal scorer despite playing bottom-six minutes most nights. For a rookie, you can’t really ask for more than that given his limited opportunities, right?

10. Nikolai Kovalenko, RW (Colorado Avalanche)

Kovalenko hasn’t produced a ton this year, but there’s been enough to like his play early on. He has four goals and eight points, so he’s on pace for around 30 points this year. He has primarily played deeper down in the lineup, but Kovalenko has shown flashes of skill and hockey IQ. It seems like his defensive and physical game has improved to the point of making him a more rounded threat on Colorado’s fourth line. You always want to see improvement, and Kovalenko is figuring out how to make it work in North America right now.

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