10 Rookies who will NOT win the Calder Trophy this year

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What makes the Calder Trophy special? It's exciting to get a glimpse of the future of the NHL, and it's fun to imagine which prospects will have breakout years. But what truly makes it special is the fact that you only have one chance to win it. A unique blend of age and talent is needed to be in the heavily debated Calder conversation. This conversation, however, limits the group of candidates and fails to include all those who are eligible. This article will shift the spotlight to some of the more obscure and forgotten players who theoretically could win the trophy.

1. Luke Evangelista


Evangelista will not win the Calder this year because of the strong class of rookies that have entered the league this year. Nevertheless, he has had a great year and has helped the Predators remain competitive this year.

2. Alex Laferriere

Drafted first overall by the New York Rangers in 2020, Alexis Lafrenière did not win the Calder Trophy in his rookie season. Considering that these two are the same person, fate seems to have decided that Laferriere will not win the Calder in his rookie season either.


3. Pavel Mintyukov



A very capable defenseman, Mintyukov is not on this list because of lack of talent, but rather because of the deep pool of rookie defenseman this season. Luke Hughes and Brock Faber are more deserving of the award, and therefore push Mintyukov out of the question.


4. Connor Zary



Zary has shined in his first season in Calgary with over 20 points at the season's halfway point. However, critics have claimed he's more of a plus/minus merchant (+13) than a truly impactful player.


5. Emil Martinsen Lilleberg



The pride of Sarpsborg, Martinsen Lilleberg has contributed to Norway's continuous climb up the list of nations by NHL points with 1 point in 2 games this season. Unfortunately, that is not enough to put him into the Calder conversation.


6. Victor Wembenyama



Wembenyama has been phenomenal this season. He has lived up to the hype and has proven he's elite in so many elements of the game. The scary part about him is that he will only get better. 


7. Ondrej Pavel



Draft Utopia claims that Pavel has "the skating, speed, slap shot power, slap shot accuracy, playmaking, and stick-handling of a future NHL center." This sounds very exciting and might make him a superstar in the future, but he has only had 6:59 of ice time this season. Hopefully he will soon be given more time to shine in the near future.


8. Sam Gagner




Despite splitting time between the AHL and NHL, Gagner has managed to rack up 9 points in 18 games with the Oilers this season. Voters will, however, chalk this up to the McDavid effect and deny him of the award like they did with Leon Draisaitl.


9. Angus Crookshank



A serious contender for the Sprague Cleghorn Name of the Year Award, Crookshank's play this year has been forgettable. Unlike his incredible name. 


10. Connor Bedard



Despite being the preseason favorite for the award, Bedard's recent facial injury has derailed his quest for this elusive trophy. To be fair to him, this will group him in with elite company including Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, and Wayne Gretzky.

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