There has been a lot of surprises in team performances in the 2024-25 season and in the contributions of rookies. A number of rookies have played well this year with Montreal Canadians defenseman, Lane Hutson, leading the way with 66 points (60 assists). Others include: Macklin Celebrini (63 points, 25 goals), Matvei Michkov (63 points, 26 goals), Dustin Wolf (2.62 GAA and 0.910 save percentage), Will Smith (45 points, 18 goals) and Cutter Gauthier (43 points, 20 goals). Celebrini was the #1 pick in the 2014 draft while Hudson was picked 62nd overall in the second round by Montreal in 2022 and Matvei Michkov picked 7h overall in 2023. All of these rookies have demonstrated amazing hockey IQ, skill and team play in their first year.
Montreal Canadians defenseman, Lane Hutson
Hutson leads all NHL rookies in assists (60), points (66) and power-play points (26) in 82 games. He has more points than Quinn Hughes (53) and Cale Makar (50) had in their rookie years and one more than Ray Bourque had in his rookie year. Lane has the most points by a rookie defenseman since the 1988-89 season when Brian Leetch entered into the NHL. He finished the season tied with Phil Housley for the #4 most points by a rookie defenseman. In addition, he ended the season tied with Larry Murphy for the most assists by a rookie defenseman in NHL history (60). Lane is performing at the level of a Hall of Fame defenseman and will be one to watch in the coming years.
Lane is an impressive, smart and fast first year hockey player that has given the Montreal Canadians a major lifeline as a franchise. He is a big reason why they finished in the second wild card spot and now headed for a showdown with the Washington Capitals. Hutson is creative on the ice, has Paul Coffey like end-to-end rushes and has elements of McDavid’s control of the puck at either ends of the ice. He has fit right into the style of play of the young Montreal Canadians and he will be an integral part of Montreal’s playoff run.
San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini
Macklin Celebrini is on the worse defensive team in the league with a -102 goal differential. The team is in a serious rebuild mode and they have a high chance of getting the #1 pick in the upcoming NHL draft in June. He is second in rookie points with 63 points and also second in rookie powerplay points with 22. Macklin just had an amazing performance of 2 goals, 3 assists for 5 points in a recent game against the Minnesota Wild. He also has amazing hockey IQ, is a very creative player and puts himself in scoring positions. It is very clear that his development was mature enough to start in the NHL. My prediction is that San Jose will get the #1 or #2 pick this year and build around Celebrini and Will Smith and the other young pieces to the San Jose Sharks. Look for San Jose to have a much better year in the 2025-26 hockey season.
Calgary Flames goalie Dustin Wolf
The Flames have had a rotating door of goalies in the past two years. The arrival of Dustin Wolf (picked 214th overall in 2019) has stabilized the goaltending duo of Wolf and Vladar with Wolf playing 53 games in his rookie year with 29 wins, a 2.64 goals-against average and .910 save percentage. His performances this year defined him as a reliable starter in the NHL and one of the main reasons why the Flames almost made a push to get into the post-season but were just a few wins short. The Calgary Flames in fact had 5 more points than the New Jersey Devils or Montreal Canadians who are in the post-season with 91 points each! The Calgary Flames will be better next year, and Dustin Wolf will be a key piece of that success.
The three most recent goaltenders to win the Calder Trophy are Steve Mason in 2009, Andrew Raycroft in 2004 and Evgeni Nabokov in 2001 so Dustin Wolf is in good company for being the most outstanding goaltender amongst rookies. He is a good positional goaltender that has great vision of the play in front of him and has emerged this year to be one of the top 20 goalies in the league. Wolf will get votes for rookie of the year but will most likely not get it as Celebrini and Hutson have also had incredible years.
Philadelphia Flyers forward Matvei Michkov
Philadelphia Flyers forward Matvei Michkov has had a great rookie year after being picked 7h overall in 2023 draft year. His first year was impressive with 26 goals and 63 points tied for 2nd in overall points by rookies. He is not the usually big size selection for the Flyers but his stats speak for themselves. He had 5 points in the last 5 games to end the season for a team that did not make the playoffs. But, with their 29th place finish, the Flyers should get good draft picks this year and in fact have three first round draft pick selections from trades in the 2024-25 season. Thus, they may get players that they can build around Michkov and be competitive in the next 2-5 years. Although not a fast skater, he is a skilled skater with excellent agility, quick feet, and the ability to change direction and accelerate quickly. His quick movements is somewhat similar to McDavid’s and this allows him to create space and time for himself to score or pass the puck. The Flyers will find players to complement Mickhov in the coming years.
Other Notables
There are several other honorable mentions for the Calder this year including Logan Stankoven (traded to Carolina in the Mikko Rantanen deal), Will Smith (the San Jose Sharks center) and Cutter Gauthier (left wing for the Anaheim Ducks).
They should be recognized as first year talents that have played well and are NHL ready. They are all integral members of the future of their respective teams. Like most rookies, they will be challenged to do as well or better in their sophomore year and will be judged in comparison to their performances in year 1. Some will excel past year 1 and others may take as small step back before they leap into superstardom in the NHL. Leon Draisaitl is a superstar for the Oilers and for the NHL but he started with 9 points in 37 games in year 1 and had to be sent down to the farm team in year 1. That matured him and has never looked back as he emerged as a superstar in the NHL.
In the upcoming post-season, the Montreal Canadians will face off against the Washington Capitals in round 1. The Canadians have several key pieces in place this year and are a competitive team. Lane Hutson represents the future for that storied franchise and this will be his first playoff series. It is likely that Lane Hutson will get the most votes for the Calder Trophy this year for how he has excelled this year with a “hall of fame” defenseman rookie year and for how he has helped Montreal get into the playoffs. It will be an interesting and highly competitive round 1 of the playoffs that will certainly bring a few surprises.