Calder Trophy Rankings Update: Who are the early favorites for NHL’s rookie of the year?

Lane Hutson, Matvei Michkov and Logan Stankoven (Imagn Images)

Credit: Imagn Images

Remember when Connor Bedard came in, made a big impact with the Chicago Blackhawks, and essentially won the Calder Trophy halfway through last season? It’s not going to be that easy to win top rookie honors this time around.

This year, it isn’t a first-overall pick doing all the damage. In fact, Macklin Celebrini was hurt after putting up two points in his NHL debut and hasn’t been back in the San Jose Sharks‘ lineup since. Other preseason Calder Trophy candidates, including San Jose’s Will Smith, Anaheim’s Cutter Gauthier and Pittsburgh’s Rutger McGroarty, have been quite quiet on the scoresheet, with McGroarty heading down to the AHL.

There are a clear top three in the rookie race right now: Matvei Michkov, Logan Stankoven and Lane Hutson. All have been impact players right out of the gate and easily finding ways to contribute on the scoresheet. But they’re not alone – here are 10 of the top rookies early in the NHL season:

1. Matvei Michkov, RW (Philadelphia Flyers)

Michkov is ahead of the pack, and it’s easy to see why. He’s playing at almost a point-per-game pace with the Flyers and has rarely not been one of Philadelphia’s best players in any given game. He has a trio of two-point efforts and has been one of the few shining lights for a team that can’t seem to keep the puck out of the net. Michkov’s high-flying, speed-driven offensive style has translated over exceptionally well to the NHL, and he understands what it’s like competing for a team that gets outplayed most nights after spending the past few years with HK Sochi in the KHL. With how well Michkov is playing out of the gate, it’s going to be fascinating to see how dominant of a player he becomes once the group becomes competitive.

2. Logan Stankoven, RW (Dallas Stars)

After an explosive 24-game stretch with the Stars last year, Stankoven has been a force with nine points in nine games. Eight of those have been assists, with the playmaking forward finding some excellent chemistry on the top line with Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson. The Stars have never had a Calder Trophy winner in franchise history, but Stankoven has been such an integral part of a competitive group – something that rarely happens for NHL rookies. But it’s not like Stankoven is just along for the ride – he’s driving a ton of the play, too. It won’t be long until the 5-foot-8 forward is seen as one of the golden examples of what a smaller player can do in the NHL.

3. Lane Hutson, D (Montreal Canadiens)

The man. The myth. It’s been fun watching Hutson adjust to the NHL, where he leads all rookies with 23:10 in average ice time. Nobody is within 45 seconds of even breaking 20, so it’s good to see Hutson playing a similar amount to that of Brock Faber last year. There are concerns he’s being overplayed a bit, though – for someone who is still trying to improve his defensive game, throwing him to the wolves for more than a third of the game seems a bit aggressive. But many of his opponents are still struggling to read him, and with the Canadiens not expected to make the playoffs again, it doesn’t hurt to have someone with his type of creativity learning how to deal with adversity. There isn’t a more entertaining rookie in this year’s class, at the very least.

4. Maxim Tsyplakov, RW (New York Islanders)

Tsyplakov is JUST eligible for the Calder Trophy because he turned 26 on Sept. 19 – four days after the cutoff. The 6-foot-3 Russian forward was brought in to serve as a scoring boost after putting 31 goals in his final year with the KHL’s Spartak Moskva. He only has one goal to his credit, but he did have a multi-point showing against the Florida Panthers on Oct. 26. Consistency is a big thing here, but going from being a late-blooming KHL scorer to playing in the NHL is quite the jump. Tsyplakov will be one to keep a close eye on as the season wears on.

5. Dustin Wolf, G (Calgary Flames)

On the one hand, the Flames are definitely sheltering Wolf – he has mainly played non-playoff teams thus far. On the other hand, he has played damn well so far, and has at least 30 stops in all of his starts. The two-time AHL goaltender of the year had some rough patches with the Flames last year, but he was a young goalie trying to keep a struggling team afloat. Right now, he’s looking excellent in just about start and is giving the Flames a serious chance to win every time he skates to the crease. Wolf is one of the best young goaltenders in the NHL for a reason, and he’s showing why right now.

6. Joel Blomqvist, G (Pittsburgh Penguins)

In a perfect world, a 22-year-old with no previous NHL experience wouldn’t be the one leading the Penguins in net. But Blomqvist has been busy early on, with a highlight being his 46-save effort against a Connor McDavid- and Leon Draisaitl-led Edmonton Oilers team. Blomqvist has had some difficult outings, for sure, but he’s being tasked with filling Tristan Jarry’s shoes in a big way and has looked strong for the most part. The Penguins need long-term goaltending and Blomqvist feels like the best chance to make that happen – but perhaps a little earlier than anyone expected.

7. Victor Mancini, D (New York Rangers)

Mancini has been a pleasant surprise for the Rangers since going 159th overall to them as a double overager in 2022. He turned pro after a 10-point season with the University of Nebraska-Omaha but is already on pace to put up 40 with the Rangers this year. Mancini has settled in to make a nice bottom pair with Braden Schneider, serving as the more offensive option of the two. Mancini had a nice three-game point streak while averaging around 15 minutes a night earlier this month, helping to boost his profile. At the very least, the Rangers have to be thrilled with where Mancini is so early in his NHL career.

8. Jackson Blake, RW (Carolina Hurricanes)

Blake turned pro at the end of 2023-24 and has wasted no time getting used to the NHL. He had goals in his second and third games of the year and has a pair of assists over the past week, as well. He has mainly hovered around the 10-minute mark, but it’s good seeing a young player once deemed a longshot to make the NHL getting an opportunity on a competitive team. There’s no reason to rush Blake early on as he’s just 21, but the results have been solid.

9. Justus Annunen, G (Colorado Avalanche)

Annunen finally got his big break last year, putting up solid numbers in 14 games with the Avalanche. Now serving as the team’s full-time backup, Annunen has a 4-1-0 record with a .905 save percentage. Not a great number, by any means, but the Avalanche have managed to outscore their problems for the most part this year. Annunen has also significantly outplayed Alexandar Georgiev, with the Finnish keeper boasting a 0.6 goals saved above expected compared to Georgiev’s -7.7 – putting him in last. Annunen has a real chance of taking over the starter’s gig at some point this year, but he needs to keep his goal count down after some tough outings himself – and has to fend off Kaapo Kahkonen for playing now, too.

10. Ivan Ivan, LW (Colorado Avalanche)

Ivan Ivan’s name might cause Google some issues, but he’s also proving to be a problem for opponents, too. The energetic forward is a solid playmaker and has even seen some top-unit power-play time with the Avalanche this year. Injuries have been an issue for the Avalanche – so much so that defenseman Oliver Kylington had to fill a forward spot on Wednesday – but that has allowed Ivan to creep his way up the lineup and into a top-six role. He doesn’t have many points to show for it, but he’s bringing energy to every shift and is doing a good job of keeping pucks away from his own net.

Other notables: Seamus Casey, D (New Jersey Devils), Nikolai Kovalenko, RW (Colorado Avalanche), Nolan Allan, D (Chicago Blackhawks), Logan Mailloux, D (Montreal Canadiens), Cutter Gauthier, LW (Anaheim Ducks)

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