NHL Calder Trophy Watch
With the 2023 NHL regular season coming to a close, we turn our heads to the rookie stats and start to look out to see which young skater will be taking home the Calder Trophy this year.
The Calder Trophy is awarded annually to the NHL's top rookie. With so much young talent in the league, it's always difficult to predict who will take home the honor.
Matty Beniers - Seattle Kraken
After busting out on the scene last year after finishing his college hockey days with the University of Michigan, Kraken Forward Matty Beniers was quick to make a presence last year toward the end of Seattle’s season.
Only playing in 10 games last season for Seattle, Beniers tallied nine points scoring three goals and recording six assists.
This season Beniers appeared in 80 out of 82 games for the Kraken. The young forward for Seattle recorded 24 goals and 33 assists, leading all rookies with 57 points.
Within the Kraken roster, Beniers finished second in goals with 24 behind Jared McCann’s 40, and finished fourth in points with 57 just under McCann again along with Vince Dunn and Jordan Eberle.
Beniers’ style of play was very disciplined throughout the year, ending the season with a plus-minus rating of +14 and only took a trip to the penalty box for two minutes once this year.
The 20 year old in Seattle also put the special in special teams with 10 power play points on the year, scoring four power play goals and six assists.
Overall just an unbelievable year for Beniers as he looks to become the first Kraken player to ever win the award in just their second ever season. He’s favorite to win the award at -650.
Stuart Skinner - Edmonton Oilers
Another young player to keep an eye out for is Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner. Skinner came out of nowhere earlier on the season to help Edmonton clinch another playoff berth and tie for second in the Western Conference at 109 points.
Going into the year Stuart Skinner was the last on everyone’s mind in Edmonton to be in between the pipes for the team. During the offseason, the team signed Jack Campbell in free agency coming over from Toronto for a five million, five-year contract.
While Campbell had early season struggles, Stuart Skinner got the call. The Edmonton netminder posted a record of 29-14-5, winning 29 out of the 50 wins for the Oilers.
Skinner had a goals against average of 2.75 and a save percentage of .914. The goaltender also recorded his first career shutout on the year.
In Skinner’s last 10 starts on the year, the young netminder went 9-0-1 helping make his case to earn the starting job in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Stuart Skinner was also named to the 2023 NHL All-Star game in Sunrise, Fla.
Matias Maccelli - Arizona Coyotes
Lastly, the last rookie who showed out this season to keep a lookout for Calder honors purposes is Matias Maccelli of the Arizona Coyotes.
Last Season for Arizona in 23 games Maccelli scored only one goal and five assists for six total points.
The young winger for Arizona stepped up his game playing in 64 contests this season and turning it on for 49 points.
The 49 points placed Maccelli just second in points tallied by a rookie behind Seattle Kraken’s Matty Beniers’ 57.
Maccelli registered 11 goals and 37 assists on the year finishing third for the Coyotes in points behind star players Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz.
Maccelli also registered 13 power play points scoring one goal, but dishing up 12 assists on the man advantage.
While the odds may not be in Maccelli’s favor, he still had an unbelievable first-year campaign.
Matt Cabram is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email mwc5817@psu.edu
