The Calder Memorial Trophy is awarded to the “player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League.” In a sport that is seeing more and more players making the jump from the draft directly to making an immediate impact in the NHL, the 2017-18 NHL season opens with a lot of borderline players and questions to who or who may not make opening day rosters.
WHO WILL WIN THE CALDER TROPHY?
It’s probably the most wide open field since the 2014 draft that yielded Leon Draisaitl, William Nylander, Dylan Larkin, and eventual winner Aaron Ekblad who edged out Johnny Gaudreau and Mark Stone for the award in 2015. The 2017 draft class provides some notable talent including Miro Heiskanen, Nolan Patrick, and top overall pick Nico Hischier. Clouding things even further, there is no guarantee that any of them will even make their respective teams this year.
TOP FIVE CANDIDATES?
The fact that no Las Vegas Sportsbook has posted Odds to Win the Calder Trophy yet is probably indicative of how close this race will be and how many questions are still unanswered. We’ve boiled it down to these Top Five candidates.
1. Charlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins
McAvoy made his NHL debut in the playoffs last year, and he’s a lock to make the Bruins defensive squad that recently lost Dougie Hamilton. The rookie out of Boston University and 14th overall pick in 2016 will likely see decent ice time for a competitive Bruin team that will be looking to transition their back end past the aging Zdeno Chara.
“He’s wide, he can really skate. He’s an effortless skater,” Bruins assistant coach Jay Pandolfo said. “He’s the type of D-man that you hope is going to be able to play 26, 27 minutes a night. That’s what he looks like. Even watching him in college last year, he has no problem playing a lot ice time. So that’s important.”
McAvoy’s offensive ability and the likelihood he’ll lead all rookies in ice time make him the slight favorite to take home the Calder Trophy.
2. Clayton Keller, Arizona Coyotes
Keller was the 7th pick in the 2016 draft and spent most of his time last year playing for the Boston University Terriers where he led the team in scoring with 45 points. That production earned the Tim Taylor Award for the 2016-17 season, which is given to the top Freshman in NCAA hockey. With Derek Stepan, Christian Dvorak, and Dylan Strome playing down the middle in Arizona, Keller may end up playing on the wing just to ensure he plays on a scoring line. Either way, Keller should get a keen opportunity to produce. He could lead all rookies in scoring.
3. Brock Boeser, Vancouver Canucks
Boeser found a spot on the Canucks roster late last season after a terrific collegiate career at North Dakota and didn’t disappoint. The 23rd overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft he scored four goals in his first nine games and showed real NHL polish from the start. He doesn’t have much competition for playing time with Vancouver rebuilding, making him a legitimate threat to lead the Canucks in goals as a rookie. He does that, and the Calder Trophy would likely be his.
4. Nico Hischier, New Jersey Devils
Nolan Patrick was deemed the more NHL-ready draft prospect by most scouts, but New Jersey still made the young center from Switzerland the first overall pick of the 2017 NHL Draft. Hischier possesses incredible offensive skill and finds himself on a Devils team that needs him right away, and could realistically start the year centering the Devils’ top line with Taylor Hall on his wing. That, of course, will depend on what Hischier shows in training camp and the pre-season, but he’s a dark horse pick for the Calder this year.
5. Nolan Patrick, Philadelphia Flyers
Many thought the bigger and stronger second pick in the 2017 NHL Draft was more polished than Nico Hischier who was picked first. While that may be true, Patrick finds himself in an inconvenient situation vs. Hischier and the other rookies on this list when it comes to the Calder race. Philadelphia is rebuilding and doesn’t have to rush Patrick into the line-up. Compounding that is the fact that Patrick has had several off-season abdominal surgeries. Then you have two talented players in Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier down the middle who Patrick is unlikely to unseat. While the teenage rookie has been putting in some hard work during the off-season, it remains to be seen if his body will be ready to compete in the NHL. Patrick may start his career playing for the Phantoms in Lehigh.
Notable Mentions:
Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders, Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets, Alex DeBrincat, Chicago Blackhawks, Evgeny Svechnikov, Detroit Red Wings, Mikhail Sergachev, Tampa Bay Lightning, Jakub Vrana, Washington Capitals, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Columbus Blue Jackets, Luke Kunin, Minnesota Wild, Julius Honka, Dallas Stars, Tyson Jost, Colorado Avalanche, Josh Ho-Sang, New York Islanders, Ryan Pulock, New York Islanders, and Dylan Strome, Arizona Coyotes.