By Rafay Desautels
We are in the midst of the 2023-24 NHL season, so that means it’s time for even more predictions. The Calder Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the Rookie of the Year in the National Hockey League. To be eligible, a player cannot have played more than twenty five games in any single preceding season nor in six or more games in each of any two preceding seasons in any major professional league. This year there are a lot of young guns competing to make history. Not only are there the players in the 2023 draft but there are also some other players from last season.
Let’s start by discussing the most followed rookie, Connor Bedard. After winning a gold medal and being crowned MVP of the World Junior Championship, Bedard was followed closely. He was drafted first overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2023. In only thirty six career games Bedard has scored fifteen goals and eighteen assists. Almost being a point per game player shows how Bedard is already being a game changer. In a game against the St. Louis Blues Bedard was able to score a Lacrosse style/Michigan goal against Jordan Bingington. Bedard is the fourth NHL player to score a Michigan style goal. The same night that happened with Trevor Zegras, a skilled Michigan expert who scored one on the same day.
Another skilled player, Matthew Knies of the Toronto Maple Leafs is not as talented as Connor Bedard, but still a strong player. Matthew Knies, although not being drafted in the 2023 draft, has shown potential. The newbie played on a very stacked team that is favored to win the cup. Knies did play a little bit in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs before Sam Bennet slammed his head into the ice and gave him a concussion. It's amazing that Bennet didn’t get suspended, and Knies was taken out of the playoffs. Knies is good but he just isn’t producing at a fast enough pace to keep up with some other players. With only eight goals and six assists in thirty two games, Knies has still to prove himself, and is being viewed as a less valuable player.
Adam Fantilli, of the Columbus Blue Jackets, is another skilled player from the 2023 draft. Fantilli was picked third overall by the Blue Jackets, but I think he is better than Leo Carrelson who was picked second overall in the same draft by the Anaheim Ducks. Fantilli is a strong power forward who can deliver big hits to get some offense going and knock opponents off the puck. Fantilli has played thirty eight games and has eleven goals and twelve assists, and has layed some big hits. I haven’t watched him for a long time, but I can see that he will get better over time.
Luke Hughes of the New Jersey Devils has been a popular name when talking about skilled young players. The name Hughes might sound familiar because with Luke there are three of them. The oldest one, Quinn Hughes, is a defenseman who was drafted seventh overall by Vancouver in 2018. Quinn was just named the fifteenth captain of the Vancouver Canucks, and over his career, he has played 319 games, scored thirty six goals, and has 250 assists, for a grand total of 286 points. A more popular Hughes brother is Jack who has quickly become one of the NHL’s top centermen. Jack Hughes was drafted first overall by The Devils and plays alongside Luke. Jack actually assisted in Luke’s first goal against the Washington Capitals on April thirteenth. Luke Hughes, like his oldest brother, plays defense and was drafted fourth overall by New Jersey in the 2021 entry draft. Since then he has played thirty five games, scored seven goals, and fourteen assists totaling twenty one points on the season. I think Luke Hughes is a candidate for the Calder and will go far, but I don’t think he will win the Calder Memorial Trophy with other candidates like Bedard, and Matthew Poitras.
Speaking of Matthew Poitras, Poitras, of the Boston Bruins has made a name for himself after being picked 54th overall. He has amassed five goals, and eight assists for thirteen total points. His first two goals came in a game against the Anaheim Ducks on October 22nd. He scored the game-tying goal six and a half minutes into the third period and then got the game-winning goal with nine minutes and forty seconds left in the third. This was a great game to have as a rookie, showing the coach he can perform under pressure. Poitras is a centerman and has a faceoff percentage of 44%. Even though Poitras is a good player, he won’t make the first line on a good team like the Bruins.
Now that you have the information on the players, who do you think will win the Calder Memorial Trophy? This year it will be tight, believe it or not, but there are even more Calder contenders that I didn’t mention, such as Leo Carlsson, Logan Cooly, Devon Levi, and Matt Coronato. In my opinion, Bedard will win, with a shot like his, he is bound to make goalies fearful when he’s on the ice. Place your bets now because we are in for a hectic NHL Calder Memorial Trophy race!
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