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The NHL’s top three rookies in the Calder Trophy race look crystal clear at the 4 Nations Face-Off break.
Macklin Celebrini and Lane Hutson are at the front of the pack, but Dustin Wolf is right behind them.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of good rookies around the NHL.
Matvei Michkov has been a jolt in the arm for the Philadelphia Flyers for much of the season, providing one-shot scoring ability and a dynamic element to their power play. But he’s received some tough love from coach John Tortorella at times as well.
Maxim Tsyplakov has been such a nice addition to the New York Islanders, arguably being their best forward on more than a few nights.
Logan Stankoven’s been hot and cold offensively with the Dallas Stars, but his energy and relentlessness have fit right in on the Stars.
In general, this year’s NHL rookie class is solid, but there has been a slight drop in production after the first handful of players. Let’s examine how the top three rookies earned their place and how they could improve to ascend to the next level.
Macklin Celebrini, C, San Jose Sharks
There hasn’t been much the Sharks haven’t tasked Celebrini with this season. He’s been their best player on most nights.
With 40 points in 45 games, Celebrini is tied with William Eklund for the most points among current Sharks. He centers their top line and plays on their top power-play unit. The Sharks use him like a true No. 1 center, with nearly 20 minutes of average ice time. Celebrini is arguably the team’s best transition forward as well.
A big part of Celebrini’s case for winning the Calder Trophy is that there really isn’t much more he could do for this San Jose squad. He is a rookie, and his defensive game is already decent, but there is room to grow.
One thing Celebrini could do to solidify himself as the NHL’s rookie of the year is to put the team on his back a couple of times down the stretch and get the Sharks a couple of exciting wins against teams with much more to play for. Hutson also has one more point than Celebrini but has played 56 games, so Celebrini should keep up his 0.89 points per game to take the lead.
Lane Hutson, D, Montreal Canadiens
Despite doubts about whether his game would translate to the NHL, Lane Hutson has been fantastic.
After a cup of coffee in the league last season, he stepped into the Canadiens lineup and became one of their most lethal offensive players. He’s been their most productive rookie blueliner in almost 40 years.
Hutson even has an outside shot of cracking the top 10 for single-season scoring by a defender in Canadiens history. Sheldon Souray, Andrei Markov and Chris Chelios are tied for ninth with 64 points. Hutson has 41 points in 56 games, which has him on pace for 60 points.
Related: Lane Hutson Could End Up With The Canadiens’ Best Rookie Season Of The Quarter-Century
Needless to say, Hutson has been every bit the creative dynamo everyone hoped he could become before the Canadiens drafted him.
For all of the fantastic play at the offensive end of the ice, there are some concerns defensively, but even those are a tad overblown.
Hutson has learned to leverage his mobility when defending the rush, closing in on and angling opponents to the outside. There are certainly moments in the defensive zone when Hutson is overpowered, but he rarely lacks effort.
If Hutson can figure out how to limit those defensive situations where he’s hemmed in, his defensive concerns will dissipate. He’s just behind his former Boston University teammate, Celebrini, in the NHL rookie of the year conversation, but a strong finish and maybe leading the Habs on a last-grasp playoff push could help cement him up top.
Dustin Wolf, G, Calgary Flames
The dark horse of the Calder race is the Flames’ rookie netminder, who is singlehandedly keeping them in the playoff race.
When Dustin Wolf is in net, the Flames are comfortably playing at over a 100-point pace, which would get them into the post-season with ease. When he’s not in net, the team is playing at nearly a 70-point pace.
That should say it all, but Wolf’s .912 save percentage ranks 10th among all NHL goalies with at least 20 games played, and his 19 wins in 33 games are tied for the 13th-most and one victory back of the top 10.
Expecting Wolf to do more isn’t fair to him, but with Celebrini and Hutson having very good rookie years, Wolf will have to do something special to get ahead in the race. The Flames are currently three points out of a playoff spot, but if Calgary leans on Wolf more, and he can continue his stellar play and backstop them to the post-season, his name will come up much more in the Calder conversation.
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