January NHL Calder Trophy update: Mason McTavish has entered the conversation

Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

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It was clear the NHL rookie race was completely wide open heading into 2022-23.

Through three months, we’ve seen Ottawa’s Shane Pinto, Vegas’ Logan Thompson and Carolina’s Pyotr Kochetkov win the league’s rookie of the month honors. Pinto has quieted down since October, while the pair of goaltenders have still managed to stay at the top of their games.

But the best rookie throughout it all has been Seattle’s Matty Beniers. As the team continues to exceed expectations, Beniers has thrived as Seattle’s top center while sitting atop the NHL rookie scoring race. But the gap is closing tighter thanks to the recent play of Anaheim’s Mason McTavish – my pre-season Calder Trophy pick. After winning gold with Canada at the 2022 World Junior Championship, McTavish has started to really carve out his role with the Anaheim Ducks, being one of the few bright spots on a team with nothing to really get excited about right now.

Here’s a breakdown of the top 10 rookies in the NHL right now, with a couple of extra notables:

Matty Beniers, C (Seattle Kraken)

Same old, same old. Beniers has led the NHL rookie scoring race all year long, and he’s on pace to break the 60-point mark. In Beniers’ first five games of 2023 – all wins for Seattle – Beniers’ seven points are just two behind Kevin Fiala and Vince Dunn in that span for the league lead. He had a 44.4 percent shooting percentage in that time frame, too. Expectations were high for Beniers after turning pro at the end of last year and he’s still the top choice for the Calder at this point.

Mason McTavish, C (Anaheim Ducks)

After a quiet start to the season, McTavish has made it clear he’s the real deal. He had a career-best four-point night against San Jose on Friday, just two nights after a multi-point effort against Dallas. McTavish is now up to 26 points, seven behind Troy Terry for the team lead this season. Statistical consistency has been an issue for McTavish, but we’re also talking about the Anaheim Ducks here. The goal is grabbing 2023 NHL Draft phenom Connor Bedard, who was McTavish’s linemate when the latter went on one of the best runs in recent world junior history in 2022. McTavish needed a chance to relax in Anaheim after playing for seven different teams between the NHL, AHL, OHL and IIHF last year, and it’s finally happening. Watch for him to make a second-half Calder push.

Logan Thompson, G (Vegas Golden Knights)

The NHL’s top rookie for November, Thompson is headed to the NHL All-Star Game later this year. He has done more than enough to keep Vegas in the playoff conversation. Thompson sits sixth in the NHL with 18 wins, has two shutouts and a respectable .914 save percentage. He’s a midpack goaltender in terms of some notable 5-on-5 advanced goalie stats, but the fact he’s carrying the load so heavily as a rookie on one of the top teams in the Western Conference is still excellent.

Pyotr Kochetkov, G (Carolina Hurricanes)

Kochetkov hasn’t played much recently and lost his first two starts in January. But Kochetkov had a 7-0-1 record in December, earning him top rookie honors for the final month of 2022. Freshly signed to a four-year deal, Kochetkov, 23, has been excellent during his short NHL career, boasting a 13-3-4 record with three shutouts in 20 regular season games. He’s giving the Hurricanes something to think about this summer, with both Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta set to become UFAs. Kochetkov should stick with the big club as long as he’s healthy.

Stuart Skinner, G (Edmonton Oilers)

Skinner has been in a bit of a slump recently, but can you blame him? He’s having a tough time getting support, having to make at least 43 stops twice in his past five games. He tends to play better when busy, though, posting an 8-3-1 record when stopping 30 shots or more – and a 4-1-1 record when stopping 40 or more. Skinner has outperformed Jack Campbell by quite a margin and has taken over the No. 1 duties. Skinner’s new three-year, $2.6 million AAV deal doesn’t kick in until next year, and when he is thriving, his $750,000 AAV deal makes him one of the best value goaltenders in the league. There’s a good chance he’s the No. 1 come playoff time if the Oilers don’t make a move to address their goaltending concerns, but it hasn’t seemed to matter who’s in net the past few years, has it?

Owen Power, D (Buffalo Sabres)

With no goals and just 14 assists, Power’s offensive numbers won’t blow you away. But as many Sabres fans have correctly pointed out, he brings so much more to the team, and is a big reason why Buffalo hasn’t fallen to the bottom in the Eastern Conference. Power’s WAR of 1.0 is good for third in the NHL, one spot below Sabres teammate Jack Quinn (1.2). His goals-for/60 and Corsi-for/60 are excellent at 5-on-5, and he has found chemistry with just about anyone he has lined up with this year. Power might not be a frontrunner for the Calder, but his speed, skill, shot and physical acumen make him one of the most exciting young defensemen in the game today. Seriously, watch out for the Sabres.

Matias Maccelli, LW (Arizona Coyotes)

Maccelli continues to go under the radar in Arizona, The Coyotes suffered a big loss in late December when the club announced Maccelli would miss six weeks with a lower-body injury while sitting second among rookies with 22 points in 30 games. He’s still third in freshman scoring, but losing all that momentum is a tough blow. Maccelli went from being a fourth-round, midsized forward with some shimmers of potential to become one of Arizona’s most valuable forwards. Losing him for an extended period of time makes it easier to land Bedard, though.

Cole Perfetti, LW (Winnipeg Jets)

Perfetti was starting to heat up the last time we took a look at the Calder Trophy race. He now sits at 22 points in 36 games while living on Winnipeg’s second line. Perfetti has been quiet with just five assists in his past 11 games, so his case for the NHL’s top rookie hardware is drying up quickly. With his 50-point projection at this rate, Perfetti sits seventh in team scoring, so the Jets haven’t needed him to be all-world. After missing most of last year with an injury, it’s good to see him still be a key piece up front.

Calen Addison, D (Minnesota Wild)

I feel you, Wild fans. Addison isn’t getting enough attention in the Calder Trophy race and it’s unfair. He’s not a strong candidate, to be fair, but he’s putting points on the board, holding his own in his own zone and can play just about any role needed of him. Addison is on pace for 44 points, which would be incredible, with his 21 points leading all rookie defensemen. Not too shabby.

Wyatt Johnston, C (Dallas Stars)

Johnston’s season has been full of streaks, including a five-game pointless stretch during the Stars’ busy run from Dec. 10-17. But after he scored four goals in five games near the end of the month, Johnston’s confidence started to sneak back in. He has six points in his past 10 games while anchoring Dallas’ middle-six and can step into more ice time when needed. Johnston might not be blowing anybody out of the water, but at a season-long goal pace of 22 goals, the CHL’s leading scorer from 2021-22 has started his career swimmingly.

Other notables: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, G (Buffalo Sabres), Shane Pinto, F (Ottawa Senators), Jack Quinn, F (Buffalo Sabres), Kaiden Guhle, D (Montreal Canadiens), Jake Sanderson, D (Ottawa Senators).