February NHL Calder Trophy update: Say hello to Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
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It seems like winning rookie of the month has actually been a bad thing.
Shane Pinto won it in October, scoring six goals in eight games. But he only has six in the past 42 and has fallen out of contention for the Calder Trophy. Logan Thompson won it the next month, and while he still is one of the best rookies this season, his stats have taken a bit of a stumble, as well. Pyotr Kochetkov won it in December before becoming the odd-man out in Carolina and ending back with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.
And yet, the guy with the best numbers this season, Matty Beniers? He hasn’t won it yet. So we’ll see what January’s results bring.
Last month saw some new names make some noise, such as Buffalo Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. After a few spot starts over the past few seasons, Luukkonen was excellent in January and a big reason why the Sabres could make the playoffs. His strong run might be a bit too late for serious Calder consideration, but Sabres fans are just happy with the quality of goaltending he has brought to the table with a 13-5-2 record.
We’ll look at him, and the other top prospects, in this month’s Calder Trophy update:
Matty Beniers, C (Seattle Kraken)
Beniers has been the runaway favorite to win the Calder from the get-go, and a recent injury won’t stop that. He leads all rookies with 17 goals and 36 points, and if his injury isn’t long-term, he should return from the NHL All-Star break on a 60-point pace. The 20-year-old has been a game-changer for the Kraken and will likely become the team’s first real star. He hasn’t won the rookie of the month award this year, but he’s a big reason why Seattle is among the best teams in the West, and the Calder Trophy will likely end up being his, anyway.
Logan Thompson, G (Vegas Golden Knights)
Thompson found himself in a bit of a rut last month, tallying a 2-4-2 record. He went 19 days between victories as the Golden Knights started to show some weaknesses as the team missed Mark Stone and Zach Whitecloud. One of 39 goalies with at least 20 games played this year, Thompson has a .918 save percentage and a 1.06 goals saved above average at 5-on-5. That’s still pretty decent, but he was a top five goaltender over the first few months. Thompson had a couple of standout efforts, even in losses last month, and goal support was definitely an issue. Still, it’s been a solid season for the only rookie goalie with a chance at playing 50 games this season.
Mason McTavish, C (Anaheim Ducks)
McTavish had a quiet month in January, but he still managed to snag eight points to give him 28 on the year. That’s just one behind Perfetti for second in scoring, but McTavish is doing so on one of the worst teams in the league. McTavish is a big body that can physically dominate a shift, and his booming shot has gotten a solid workout this year. The whole season is a wash, so anything positive that McTavish shows between now and the end of the regular season is gravy. Plus, the chance to play alongside Connor Bedard again after the pair had a magical 2022 World Junior Championship? Yeah, that’s tantalizing.
Cole Perfetti, LW (Winnipeg Jets)
Perfetti has slid into the No. 2 scoring spot in the rookie race, sitting at 29 points in 47 games. The gifted offensive weapon has been an electric piece of Winnipeg’s middle six, and while he did have some streaky play to end the month, he did have seven points over the final 10 games. Perfetti is playing at just under a 50-point pace, which is good for a forward who missed half of last year due to injury. He should remain in the Calder fight at his current pace, even if he’s still not at Beniers’ level yet.
Kirill Marchenko, RW (Columbus Blue Jackets)
It’s a shame he started the year in the AHL, because Marchenko has been the most dangerous prospect over the past two months. His stat count looks hilarious with 13 goals and no assists, but he’s scoring at nearly 0.5 goals per game. That’s a good number for anyone, let alone a rookie on a team battling for Connor Bedard. Marchenko’s 1.38 goals-per-60 is the most of anyone with at least 10 games played this season. According to Natural Stat Trick, he also has a whopping 6.89 shots per 60 at 5-on-5. He’s playing at a 30-goal pace, but could have hit 40 had he not spent the first two months of the season in the AHL. What a season.
Juuso Parssinen, LW (Nashville Predators)
Over the last 25 games, no rookie has more points than Parssinen, the 21-year-old big Finnish forward. And that’s quite the accomplishment after going in the seventh round in 2019. The 6-foot-3 forward has 16 points in his past 25 outings and 21 points in 34 total games. Those numbers were hard to predict because while he had a pair of good seasons in Liiga, he was still a relative late-bloomer. His size, speed and skill have made him an intimidating force for the Predators, and while the Calder Trophy might be a stretch, he’s having one heck of a season for a team that can use his exploits.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, G (Buffalo Sabres)
Luukkonen has been pegged as Buffalo’s goalie of the future for a while, but he’s starting to show why right now. The 23-year-old has a 13-5-2 record through 20 games and went 6-2-1 in the month of January. Eric Comrie started off hot, but an injury, plus some inconsistent play in his return, have given Luukkonen plenty of opportunity. Craig Anderson has been a nice mentor piece, as well. Sabres fans, you might finally have that No. 1 you needed for all this time.
Stuart Skinner, G (Edmonton Oilers)
January was a quiet month for Skinner, who went 1-1-2 and missed a game with an illness. After seemingly taking over the No. 1 spot in the first half of the season, Jack Campbell has emerged from his slumber, posting a 7-1-0 record with a .913 save percentage last month. So, as previously expected, Skinner is seemingly back to being the No. 2, but he’s off to Florida for the NHL All-Star Game – could be worse, right?
Owen Power, D (Buffalo Sabres)
Power’s offensive numbers haven’t been anything to write home about, but he’s been excellent in other ways for Buffalo. His 1.1 wins-above replacement and 6.4 goals-above-replacement are top five in both categories among rookies, and he’s second behind Rasmus Dahlin among Sabres blueliners. Power has three goals and 19 points this year and has acted as a minute-munching, grounded defender to go along with the high-flying nature of Dahlin’s play. The Sabres got a special one at first overall in 2021, that’s for sure.
Calen Addison, D (Minnesota Wild)
After sitting out a game earlier in the season, Addison knew he had to solidify his defensive play. The offense was there, but he had to be much better in his own zone. And that’s starting to really improve, helping out to round out his game. He’s still given the ability to rush the puck up the ice and play on the man advantage, but he’s not always looking to cheat on a play anymore and seems more grounded. Addison’s importance will grow if Matt Dumba ends up getting moved.
Other notables: Kent Johnson, C (Columbus Blue Jackets), Jake Sanderson, D (Ottawa Senators), Wyatt Johnston, C (Dallas Stars), Noah Cates, LW (Philadelphia Flyers), Shane Pinto, C (Ottawa Senators), Pyotr Kochetkov, G (Carolina Hurricanes)