The Calder Trophy is an annual award given "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League".
Past 10 Winners of the Calder Trophy:
2000-01: Evgeni Nabokov - G - San Jose Sharks
2001-02: Dany Heatley - RW - Atlanta Thrashers
2002-03: Barret Jackman - D - St. Louis Blues
2003-04: Andrew Raycroft - G - Boston Bruins
2005-06: Alex Ovechkin - LW - Washington Capitals
2006-07: Evgeni Malkin - C - Pittsburgh Penguins
2007-08: Patrick Kane - RW - Chicago Blackhawks
2008-09: Steve Mason - G - Columbus Blue Jackets
2009-10: Tyler Myers - D - Buffalo Sabres
2010-11: Jeff Skinner - C - Carolina Hurricanes
The three nominees for the Calder Trophy this year are:
Adam Henrique (82nd overall pick in the 2008 draft) - C - New Jersey Devils
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (1st overall pick in 2011 draft) - C - Edmonton Oilers
Gabriel Landeskog (2nd overall pick in 2011 draft) - LW - Colorado Avalanche
Adam Henrique notched 16 goals along with 35 assists and was a +8.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had 18 goals and 34 assists, but he was limited to only 52 games this year due to injuries.
Gabriel Landeskog had 22 goals and 23 assists this season, but he also led the Avalance with a +20 in the plus/minus category and was key piece to the Avalanche penalty kill.
League It To Us Predictions:
Yes, if Nugent-Hopkins was healthy all year he most likely would have been the favorite to win the Calder but the Calder is not just given out for offensive output, so that is why I think Gabriel Landeskog should win the Calder this year. The Colorado Avalanche rookie excelled in his first year in the NHL and deserves the Calder. He led his team in goal scoring with 22 and was third on the team in total points with 53. He was important to both the power-play and the penalty kill as he tallied 12 power-play points and 2 short-handed points. He led the Avalanche in plus/minus with a +20 which was +9 better than defenseman; Ryan Wilson who was ranked second on the team in that category. He led Colorado with 218 hits and added 58 blocked shots. He is a key component to every part of the game for the Avalanche. It is uncommon that you can find a complete player that excels in all of facets of the game at only age 19, but Landeskog has shown it is possible for rookies to have such a big impact. Landeskog is going to be a great player in the NHL and it showed from the great rookie season he had.
Jake's Prediction:
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. He only turned 19 in April and a lot can be said of a player that accomplishes so much at such a young age. Jeff Skinner was only 18 last year, if thats any indication to the age factor. RNH put up as many points as Landeskog but in 20 less games and on a team that finished 29th overall. Doing it younger and doing it better. Thats what will have a big impact on voting, it certainly helped Skinner. Matt Read had an exceptional rookie season and if he was 18 then he'd definately be in the conversation, but he is not, he's 25. Maybe its not fair but thats how it is. It would have been great to see RNH play a full season but I think he won players and fans over with his exceptinal ability in the games he did play. RNH for the win, without a doubt.
Scott's Prediction:
I'm handing my Calder out to Gabriel Landeskog. As flashy as Nugent-Hopkins is, Landeskog did it all for the Avalanche. Landeskog not only put up the offensive numbers, which as stated early, as very similar to Nugent-Hopkins and RNH played fewer games, but he was an all-around performer. Landeskog averaged 1:20 of penalty kill time per game, while Nugent-Hopkins averaged 0:01 per game. He also showed the durability to last all 82 games in his first NHL campaign, one of just 3 rookies to do that (plus Cody Hodgson, who played 83 games). His +20 was second among rookies, just 1 behind New York's Carl Hagelin who was a +21. Landeskog was also one of just two rookies to score more than 20 goals (Matt Read being the other), and was second in game-winning goals with 5, again behind Read who had 6. Not only was he great on the ice, he even interacts with his fans on Twitter! Not that it has any bearing on my pick of him as the Calder winner, I just think it's awesome to see him taking time out of playing so well to have some fun with his fans.
Greg's Prediction:
Though it is unlikely that he will get it, I will write on Henrique for the sake of debate. Though he isn't the name in the lights as Hopkins and Landeskog is Henrique was a real factor for the Devils this year. With Zajac and Josefson getting injured the middle was looking thin for the Devils. They had some wingers who or 3rd/4th line players who tried to fill in such as Elias and Zubrus, but it didn't seem to work very well for them. Then they tried Henrique. Now before this I predicted a 3rd/4th line future role for Henrique, so he came out of no where.
Dylan's Prediction:
I predict that Gabriel Landeskog will receive this seasons Calder Trophy. He was a huge impact this season for the Colorado Avalanche. Being the leading rookie in points speaks for itself. In my opinion Nugent-Hopkins can't win because he didn't play the full season. Henrique had a little bit more to work with, which opened him up to greater production. Landeskog was able to create play out of nothing and that proved to be a huge difference in his team’s season. He will be a pivotal piece of the puzzle for the Avalanches playoff run next season.
The Overall Prediction:
 |
| Landeskog happily accepting his Calder trophy |
With three of our five hockey experts voting for him, Landeskog takes the Calder trophy as voted on by the members here at League It To Us. He was one of the two coming out of last year's draft thought to be NHL ready right away (Larsson being the other). People expected great things from this kid and have already seen it. Though we don't know who will win the Calder trophy as picked by the NHL's selection committee, we know that these three kids will be exciting to watch, and they all had great season with each garnering at least a vote from one of us.
No comments:
Post a Comment