When it comes to rookies in the NHL this season, it’s all about one name: Connor Bedard. The 18-year-old is expected to take the league by storm and is already tearing up the ice in training camp and the preseason. The first-overall pick from the 2023 Draft is a heavy favorite to win the league’s top trophy for rookies, the Calder Memorial Trophy.
But if trophies were awarded based on preseason odds, there’d be no reason to play the games at all, and Connor McDavid would have won the Calder Trophy in 2016 (due to an injury, it was Artemi Panarin who took the spotlight). There are plenty of talented rookies in this year’s class, and in this article, we’ll focus on a few that are not in the spotlight. Looking at these rankings for favorites, we’ll discuss four of the players lower down the list who at least have a shot at unseating Bedard for this prestigious honor.
Adam Fantilli (Columbus Blue Jackets): +2000
Adam Fantilli didn’t have to wait much longer than Bedard to hear his name called in the 2023 NHL Draft, as he went just two picks later at third overall. He is also no stranger to end-of-season hardware, as he won the Hobey Baker Trophy, the NCAA top honor for college hockey players. He did that by registering 30 goals and 65 points in 36 games. The Toronto-area native, who has developed in the American system in the USHL and NCAA, also won gold with Team Canada at the U-20 World Junior Championship (WJC) playing alongside Bedard last winter.
Related: Adam Fantilli – 2023 NHL Draft Prospect Profile
Fantilli will join a Blue Jackets team this season in desperate need of a turnaround. Last summer saw them make a shocking splash by adding Johnny Gaudreau in free agency, but a disastrous season followed by the Mike Babcock debacle have fully removed the good vibes in the Buckeye State. Though his past might be with the archrival Michigan Wolverines, Fantilli is the future in Columbus, and he could well shock some people and outperform Berdard in his first season. he certainly will have better weapons on his flanks if he gets to play alongside Gaudreau and Patrik Laine. Fantilli was once considered the second-best prospect in a loaded top-10 this summer. He’ll be motivated to prove all the scouts correct, and a strong first season could lead to more hardware.
Devon Levi (Buffalo Sabres): +2000
The last goaltender to win the Calder Trophy was Steve Mason in 2009. He entered the league at 20 and became the workhorse goaltender for the underrated Blue Jackets, starting 61 games, winning 30, and leading the league with 10 shutouts. Most importantly, he led Columbus to its first playoff berth in the near-decade history of the franchise. Devon Levi of the Buffalo Sabres has a chance to follow a very similar path. Despite his youth (he’ll turn 22 just after Christmas), the Sabres seem to prefer him as their starter this season. He looked fairly strong in his first stretch of games last season.
If Levi does get the lion’s share of starts in Buffalo, he has a chance to lead the Sabres to their first playoff berth in well over a decade. If he does that while starting 50+ games, he’ll have to be a strong contender for the Calder Trophy. The odds are against him, as goaltenders always have to go above and beyond to win any award other than the Vezina Trophy. But things are lining up right for Levi to give the Calder Trophy a run.
Shane Wright (Seattle Kraken): +2000
It wasn’t that long ago that Shane Wright came with nearly as much hype as Bedard. Like Bedard, he was granted exceptional status to play in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) as a 15-year-old. Unfortunately, his OHL career was shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic. But in his draft year, he still showed out, dropping 94 points in 63 games as the Kingston Frontenacs’ captain. For ages, he was projected as the first-overall pick in his draft year (2022). But when the dust settled, he slid to fourth, where the Seattle Kraken happily drafted him. Why did it happen?
Apparently, draft analysts were not convinced that Wright was truly “special.” While his stats were incredible, nothing about his game rang as “elite.” And the doubts were enough to push Juraj Slafkovský, Šimon Nemec, and Logan Cooley above him in the draft.
Because of that unexpected slide, Wright will have a lot to prove in his first full season. And he’ll be looking to do it on a far better team than Bedard or Fantilli get to play on. That could be to his benefit or detriment in this race. He’ll have to work harder to earn minutes than the competition, but if he does earn them, he’ll be playing them with better linemates in more critical situations. If he becomes a major reason that Seattle returns to the playoffs, he could be the second-consecutive Kraken to win the Calder Trophy, after Matty Beniers did it last year.
Simon Nemec (New Jersey Devils): +4000
Last but not least, one of the players who got drafted ahead of Wright in 2022. Nemec certainly has the most significant uphill battle to win the Calder Trophy. For one thing, Luke Hughes, his soon-to-be teammate with the New Jersey Devils, is actually currently ranked as the top underdog behind Bedard, at +700. Nemec will have to be the best rookie defenseman on his own team to even have a chance at the trophy.
But there is precedent for a stay-at-home defenseman to upset some pretty fantastic, young forward talent. Look no further than 2002-03, when Barrett Jackman won the award over both Henrik Zetterberg and Rick Nash. When a young defenseman arrives in the NHL as a mature “total package,” he can often impress the voters, and Nemec has a good chance to look like the most mature rookie defenseman in the game this season. If he does that at a high enough level on a team with sky-high aspirations this season, he could shock the world and take home the top rookie honor.
Who Did We Overlook?
Bedard is the favorite. Hughes and Cooley are not far behind him. But there are plenty of other talented rookies besides the four we’ve discussed here. So who did we miss? Who do you think has the best “long shot” chance at winning the Calder Trophy? And why? Let us know in the comments! These players’ rookie campaigns will start just days from now, and it won’t be long before we know who truly stands out among first-year players.
