Sports
All-Time NHL Rookie of the Year Rankings
The greatest Calder Memorial Trophy winners and rookie seasons in National Hockey League history.
World Ranking
▲ Top 5
#1
Bobby Orr - Boston Bruins (1967)
Revolutionized the defenseman position as an 18-year-old rookie, scoring 13 goals and 41 points while winning second-team NHL All-Star honors.
+57
#2
Mario Lemieux - Pittsburgh Penguins (1985)
'Super Mario' scored on his first career shot and first career shift, racking up 100 points (43 goals, 57 assists) and winning All-Star Game MVP as a rookie.
+40
#3
Teemu Selanne - Winnipeg Jets (1993)
'The Finnish Flash' shattered the all-time NHL rookie records by scoring an astonishing 76 goals and 132 points in an untouchable season.
+29
#4
Alexander Ovechkin - Washington Capitals (2006)
'The Great Eight' scored 52 goals and 106 points with 425 shots on goal, famously scoring 'The Goal' on his back against Phoenix.
+28
#5
Mike Bossy - New York Islanders (1978)
Pure goal-scoring sniper broke the NHL rookie goal record by scoring 53 goals and adding 25 power-play tallies for the Islanders.
+23
▼ Bottom 5
#1
Matty Beniers - Seattle Kraken (2023)
Two-way center scored 24 goals and 57 points with a +14 rating, leading the second-year Kraken to their first playoff berth and series win.
-60
#2
Moritz Seider - Detroit Red Wings (2022)
German defenseman logged heavy top-pairing minutes, scoring 50 points (seven goals, 43 assists) with physically punishing defense.
-45
#3
Aaron Ekblad - Florida Panthers (2015)
First-overall pick stepped into top-pair minutes at age 18, scoring 12 goals and 39 points with a +12 rating on the blue line.
-39
#4
Mathew Barzal - New York Islanders (2018)
Playmaking center posted 85 points (22 goals, 63 assists), including three separate five-point games during an electric rookie season.
-17
#5
Tom Barrasso - Buffalo Sabres (1984)
Jumped straight from high school to the NHL to win both the Calder Trophy and the Vezina Trophy with 26 wins and a 2.85 GAA.
-6
You should check out
The Game by Ken Dryden
View on Amazon
Gretzky: An Autobiography by Wayne Gretzky
View on Amazon
Orr: My Story by Bobby Orr
View on Amazon
Hockey-Reference
NHL Calder Memorial Trophy Winners Complete History
NHL.com
Official NHL Calder Memorial Trophy History and Recipients
Prices and availability shown are from Amazon and may change. T5B5 participates in the Amazon Associates Programme and may earn a commission on qualifying purchases.
Similar Lists
All Items (38)
Bobby Orr - Boston Bruins (1967)+57
Mario Lemieux - Pittsburgh Penguins (1985)+40
Teemu Selanne - Winnipeg Jets (1993)+29
Alexander Ovechkin - Washington Capitals (2006)+28
Mike Bossy - New York Islanders (1978)+23
Ken Dryden - Montreal Canadiens (1972)+3
Bernie Geoffrion - Montreal Canadiens (1952)—
Glenn Hall - Detroit Red Wings (1956)—
Tony Esposito - Chicago Black Hawks (1970)—
Gilbert Perreault - Buffalo Sabres (1971)—
Denis Potvin - New York Islanders (1974)—
Bryan Trottier - New York Islanders (1976)—
Ray Bourque - Boston Bruins (1980)—
Peter Stastny - Quebec Nordiques (1981)—
Dale Hawerchuk - Winnipeg Jets (1982)—
Luc Robitaille - Los Angeles Kings (1987)—
Joe Nieuwendyk - Calgary Flames (1988)—
Brian Leetch - New York Rangers (1989)—
Ed Belfour - Chicago Blackhawks (1991)—
Pavel Bure - Vancouver Canucks (1992)—
Martin Brodeur - New Jersey Devils (1994)—
Peter Forsberg - Quebec Nordiques (1995)—
Evgeni Malkin - Pittsburgh Penguins (2007)—
Patrick Kane - Chicago Blackhawks (2008)—
Nathan MacKinnon - Colorado Avalanche (2014)—
Artemi Panarin - Chicago Blackhawks (2016)—
Auston Matthews - Toronto Maple Leafs (2017)—
Cale Makar - Colorado Avalanche (2020)—
Kirill Kaprizov - Minnesota Wild (2021)—
Connor Bedard - Chicago Blackhawks (2024)—
Frank Mahovlich - Toronto Maple Leafs (1958)-4
Daniel Alfredsson - Ottawa Senators (1996)-4
Elias Pettersson - Vancouver Canucks (2019)-5
Tom Barrasso - Buffalo Sabres (1984)-6
Mathew Barzal - New York Islanders (2018)-17
Aaron Ekblad - Florida Panthers (2015)-39
Moritz Seider - Detroit Red Wings (2022)-45
Matty Beniers - Seattle Kraken (2023)-60
Image credits (38)
- Aaron Ekblad - Florida Panthers (2015) — Arc1294 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Alexander Ovechkin - Washington Capitals (2006) — All-Pro Reels from District of Columbia, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Artemi Panarin - Chicago Blackhawks (2016) — Tlop2000 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Auston Matthews - Toronto Maple Leafs (2017) — Quintin Soloviev · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Bernie Geoffrion - Montreal Canadiens (1952) — Ralrton-Purina Company, maker of Chex cereals · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Bobby Orr - Boston Bruins (1967) — Aaron Frutman · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Brian Leetch - New York Rangers (1989) — Håkan Dahlström from Helsingborg, Sweden · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Bryan Trottier - New York Islanders (1976) — Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Cale Makar - Colorado Avalanche (2020) — Quintin Soloviev · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Connor Bedard - Chicago Blackhawks (2024) — Jenn G · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Dale Hawerchuk - Winnipeg Jets (1982) — Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Daniel Alfredsson - Ottawa Senators (1996) — Michael Miller · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Denis Potvin - New York Islanders (1974) — Charny · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Ed Belfour - Chicago Blackhawks (1991) — Egon Eagle · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Elias Pettersson - Vancouver Canucks (2019) — Matt.davs · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Evgeni Malkin - Pittsburgh Penguins (2007) — Pens Through My Lens · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Frank Mahovlich - Toronto Maple Leafs (1958) — Ralston-Purina Company · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Gilbert Perreault - Buffalo Sabres (1971) — Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Glenn Hall - Detroit Red Wings (1956) — Ralston-Purina Company, makers of Chex cereals · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Joe Nieuwendyk - Calgary Flames (1988) — Resolute · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Ken Dryden - Montreal Canadiens (1972) — Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Kirill Kaprizov - Minnesota Wild (2021) — Jenn G · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Luc Robitaille - Los Angeles Kings (1987) — No machine-readable author provided. JamesTeterenko assumed (based on copyright claims). · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons
- Mario Lemieux - Pittsburgh Penguins (1985) — Michael Miller · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Martin Brodeur - New Jersey Devils (1994) — Resolute · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Mathew Barzal - New York Islanders (2018) — Michael Miller · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Matty Beniers - Seattle Kraken (2023) — Jenn G from Seattle, WA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Mike Bossy - New York Islanders (1978) — New York Islanders/NHL · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Moritz Seider - Detroit Red Wings (2022) — Sandro Halank, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Nathan MacKinnon - Colorado Avalanche (2014) — Quintin Soloviev · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Patrick Kane - Chicago Blackhawks (2008) — Lisa Gansky from New York, NY, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Pavel Bure - Vancouver Canucks (1992) — Håkan Dahlström ( dahlstroms, at flickr) · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Peter Forsberg - Quebec Nordiques (1995) — Magnus Ragnvid / Kanal 5 · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Peter Stastny - Quebec Nordiques (1981) — Andre Pichette · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Ray Bourque - Boston Bruins (1980) — Henry Shifrin (Massachusetts Governor’s Press Office) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Teemu Selanne - Winnipeg Jets (1993) — Hockeybroad/Cheryl Adams · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Tom Barrasso - Buffalo Sabres (1984) — Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Tony Esposito - Chicago Black Hawks (1970) — Chicago Blackhawks / NHL · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
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