Top 5 early contenders for the NHL’s 2024-25 Calder Trophy

Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

This month, NHL hockey will be played.

Sure, it won’t be MEANINGFUL NHL hockey, but games involving players wearing actual jerseys will take place. If you haven’t followed the large slate of worldwide hockey over the summer, it might be your first time watching your favorite sport in quite some time (especially if your team is lousy). It’s exciting.

And for many fans, the chance to see rookies for the first time makes it even more fun. The 2024-25 NHL Calder Trophy race is shaping up to be a solid fight, with it looking like one of the most wide-open classes in quite some time. There’s a legitimate argument for at least five players to have a serious shot at taking it home, but the class goes much deeper than that.

So, if your favorite player isn’t mentioned here, don’t worry. A more profound look at the Calder Trophy class is coming once we have a better idea of what opening night rosters will look like. But for today, here’s an early look at five prospects with a chance to take home one of the most exciting trophies in hockey:

Macklin Celebrini, C (San Jose Sharks)

All eyes will be on Celebrini, who elected to turn pro just days after going first overall to the Sharks. Celebrini is the best prospect in the game today, and he’s set to lead the Sharks well into the future. He won the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in the NCAA last year, becoming the first 17-year-old to do so. It was truly a remarkable season and showed that, despite being the youngest player in the league, no challenge was too difficult.

Celebrini managed to put up great numbers while still backchecking like his life depends on it. He is good in the draw, with his pure strength allowing him to win so many faceoffs even against older competition. First overall picks always get significant attention and sometimes even get overhyped. With Celebrini, you can see all the translatable skills, plus how well he handled playing against older competition at only 17. Look for Celebrini to spend most of the season on the top line and on the power play, but don’t be discouraged if he has fewer points than Smith. A big part of Celebrini’s game is his play away from the puck, and that’s going to make him so valuable.

Will Smith, C (San Jose Sharks)

Don’t be surprised if Smith outperforms Celebrini, especially if the latter gets first-line duties. Smith has an opportunity to be a matchup nightmare, and while he won’t have particularly spectacular linemates to lean on, Smith proved in the NCAA just how dominant he can be. The Boston College alum led the nation in scoring, and while he had some spiffy linemates at his disposal, Smith almost always looked like the best player out there.

Smith is already a proven winner, especially on the international stage. Two years ago, he posted one of the most productive seasons in USA Hockey National Team Development Program history with 51 goals and 127 points, capping things off with MVP honors and a gold medal at the U-18 World Championship. Add in gold at the World Juniors and a five-game stretch at the recent men’s World Championship, and it’s been a wild few years for the Lexington, Massachusetts native. I’m really excited to see Smith transition into one of the best young players in the NHL.

Cutter Gauthier, C/LW (Anaheim Ducks)

The drama surrounding Cutter Gauthier’s trade from Philadelphia helped spice up the midway point of the NHL season. The 20-year-old had just been named top forward at the World Junior Championship after leading the United States to a gold medal, and that was just the start. Gauthier led the NCAA with 38 goals en route to a Hockey East championship and a finalist spot for the Hobey Baker Award before making his pro debut with the Ducks to close out the season.

With Gauthier’s mix of confidence and skill, I have every reason to believe he’ll be a star sooner rather than later. And, maybe, he’ll be one of the biggest reasons why Anaheim is challenging for Stanley Cups before the turn of the decade. The biggest question, to me, is whether Gauthier slots down the middle or on the wing. He has significant experience at both, and has the physical traits you’d look for out of a center. A Gauthier, Trevor Zegras and Frank Vatrano would be pretty spicy, though.

Matvei Michkov, RW (Philadelphia Flyers)

Flyers fans are absolutely thrilled they got Michkov earlier than expected – especially since his later arrival was such a hot topic before the 2023 NHL Draft. And it comes at a time when the Flyers need something to celebrate – it’s been a trying few years, to say the least, especially after everything collapsed the way it did last season. Michkov had 19 goals and 41 points in 47 KHL games last season, marking one of the most impressive Draft+1 seasons ever recorded in a league that has never really prioritized ice time for young players.

Many have Michkov as the top candidate to win the Calder, and it’s understandable. The Flyers won’t be as bad as San Jose, and Michkov feels like a lock to play on the top line with Sean Couturier. From both a performance and marketing standpoint, playing the heck out of Michkov feels like the right move, and it’s going to be exciting to see how his creativity translates to the NHL. He’s not your typical 19-year-old, given he already has two seasons of pro hockey experience under his belt (in a leading role for his team, too), and I expect him to put himself in the 50-point bracket.

Logan Stankoven, RW (Dallas Stars)

The Stars had Stankoven play in 24 regular season games in 2023-24, but just under the 25 needed, which would have kept him off this list. The former WHL star made a huge impression in his first pro season, scoring 24 goals and 57 points in 47 games with the Texas Stars. That was enough to win Rookie of the Year honors, which, given how much time he spent with the big club, tells you just how dominant he was. Stankoven is small at just 5-foot-8, but that hasn’t slowed him down in his pursuit to become one of the best prospects in the game. He had 14 points in 24 games and was a great secondary producer during Dallas’ playoff run.

Stankoven shouldn’t have an issue making noise in Dallas’ lineup. If the Stars go with a 1-2 RW duo of Wyatt Johnston and Tyler Seguin, that’ll likely leave Stankoven on the third line with Jamie Benn and Mavrik Bourque. But it also seems likely he’ll spend time on one of the team’s two power-play units, most likely the second. With the Stars expected to be a contender in 2024-25, and Stankoven projected to be more than just a complimentary piece, there’s a good chance he could be the one taking home the Calder next June, wherever the award is handed out.