Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks has been the favorite for the Calder Trophy, awarded to the top rookie in the NHL, all season long and continues to cement his status as the best in his class.
But after Bedard, who is living up to high expectations by averagng nearly a point per game (56 points in 59 games) and having a strong finish to the season (16 points in 13 games so far in March), many of the other top rookies either have had swings in production (e.g. Brock Faber, Pyotr Kochetkov, Luke Hughes, Samuel Ersson) or dealt with injuries (Adam Fantilli, Joseph Woll, Leo Carlsson).
There also has been a wave of late-season impact rookies from this season's class who are thriving in various NHL EDGE stats and remain eligible for the Calder Trophy next season:
Logan Stankoven, F, Dallas Stars
Age: 21
No. 47 pick in 2021 NHL Draft
One of two players in the Western Hockey League (also Bedard) to average at least 2.00 points per game last season, Logan Stankoven has thrived since his late-season call-up from Texas of the American Hockey League. Stankoven is playing on arguably the best third line in the NHL with breakout forward Wyatt Johnston and veteran Jamie Benn, and the rookie’s EDGE highlights include him being in the 89th percentile in offensive zone time percentage (43.4 percent) and the 93rd percentile in average skating distance per 60 minutes (10.12 miles).
With such high-end linemates, Stankoven has cashed in on his Grade-A scoring chances so far and, with only 16 games played (eight games left for Dallas), should be one of the top Calder Trophy contenders next season. Stankoven’s shooting percentage (15.0 percent; 87th percentile) is well above the NHL average (10.1 percent). Three of his six goals so far have been high-danger goals, and his top shot speed (84.10 miles per hour) is near the League average (84.96 mph).
Josh Doan, F, Arizona Coyotes
Age: 22
No. 37 pick in 2021 NHL Draft
The son of longtime Coyotes forward Shane Doan, Josh Doan is off to a dominant start to his NHL career with four points (two goals, two assists) and 11 shots on goal in his first two games since being recalled from Tucson of the American Hockey League. In terms of his underlying metrics, Doan ranks in the 92nd percentile in average skating distance per 60 minutes (10.06 miles), and his average shot speed (50.39 mph) is above the League average (44.73).
Playing mostly on the third line with a strong playmaker Matias Maccelli (tied with Clayton Keller for Arizona's lead with 36 assists each) so far, Doan has scored each of his first two NHL goals and attempted nine of his 11 shots on goal from high-danger areas. Doan has an even higher shooting percentage (18.2; 96th percentile) than Stankoven, Bedard (11.4; leads rookies with 21 goals) and the NHL average and is part of a promising Coyotes’ young forward group with Keller, Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther.
Justus Annunen, G, Colorado Avalanche
Age: 24
64th pick in 2018 NHL Draft
The Avalanche, who won the Stanley Cup in 2022 and have a workhorse starter in Alexandar Georgiev (leads NHL with 37 wins this season), have found a viable backup in Justus Annunen, who is 5-3-1 with a .926 save percentage and two shutouts in nine NHL games this season. Per NHL EDGE stats, Annunen ranks in the 97th percentile in high-danger save percentage (.844) and 93rd percentile in mid-range SV% (.917).
Sure, playing behind Colorado’s elite skater group, led by Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar, is why Annunen has benefited from the third-most goal support (3.90 per game) in the NHL behind Martin Jones (4.05) of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Frederik Andersen (4.01) of the Carolina Hurricanes. But the Avalanche have already signed Annunen to a two-year contract March 26, setting him up to be their secondary option in net this postseason and beyond.
