One of the more hotly contested NHL awards this season has been for the league’s top rookie. The Calder Trophy has gone to many deserving first-year players in the past, but with a deep rookie class this season, who stood out among the rest?
Calder Trophy 2016: Artemi Panarin, Shayne Gostisbehere and Connor McDavid named finalists
A strong rookie class has been trimmed down to three.
Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Blackhawks forward Artemi Panarin, Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and Oilers forward and former No. 1 overall pick from last year Connor McDavid have all been selected as nominees for the NHL's best rookie.
Panarin led all rookies this season with 77 points and was tops on both the goals and assists columns this season for first-year players. The rookie teamed up with line mate Patrick Kane and finished second on the Blackhawks in scoring. Panarin also played 80 games this season, the most of any of the three nominees.
Gostisbehere played 64 games for the Flyers and was a big reason for their playoff push this year. The 23-year-old had 46 points to lead all rookie defensemen and was top five among all rookies this season. Not only that, the defenseman’s 15-game points streak was the longest by any NHL defenseman in the last 20 years.
Former first overall pick McDavid rounds out the crop of rookies this year. With 48 points in 45 games, McDavid led all rookies in points-per-game by a wide margin. An injury sidelined him for almost half the season, but the body of work McDavid put up elevated him to Calder nominee status even with almost 20 fewer games played than Gostisbehere.
The winner for the Calder and the other awards will be announced at the NHL Awards on June 22 in Las Vegas.
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