Calder Memorial Trophy 2022-23: Way-Too-Early Rankings for the NHL's Top Rookie

The Calder Memorial Trophy is awarded annually “to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League” as voted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Previous winners include superstars such as Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Patrick Kane, Auston Matthews and Cale Makar.

Eligible candidates must be no older than 26 by Sept. 15 of their rookie season. They also cannot have played more than 25 games in any single preceding season, nor in six or more games in each of the preceding two seasons in any major professional league.

This season features such notable rookies as Buffalo Sabres defenseman Owen Power, Seattle Kraken center Matty Beniers and Anaheim Ducks forward Mason McTavish. They were the top three picks in the 2021 NHL draft.

With the 2022-23 NHL season over two weeks old, this is a good opportunity to present our way-too-early rankings of the top 10 candidates to take home the Calder. On-ice performance and draft position factored into this compilation.

Did we overlook anyone? Have we ranked a player too high or too low? Feel free to express your views on this topic in the comments section below.

A first-round pick (ninth overall) by the Arizona Coyotes in 2021, Dylan Guenther earned a roster spot this season by impressing head coach André Tourigny with his preseason play. After being a healthy scratch for their season opener on Oct. 13 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the 19-year-old right winger played in each of their next four contests.

Guenther has been making the most of his opportunity thus far with the Coyotes. Though he's been limited to third-line duty, the 6'2” 175-pounder has two points in those four games, including his first NHL goal. With the Coyotes rebuilding with youth, he could end up sticking with them for the remainder of the season.

A promising scoring winger, Guenther tallied 45 goals and 91 points in 59 games last season with the WHL's Edmonton Oil Kings. It will take time for him to develop his offensive game at the NHL level. Nevertheless, he could be worth watching over the course of the season as a potential Calder candidate.

The fifth overall pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2021 NHL draft, Kent Johnson turned a strong preseason performance into a regular-season roster spot. He's making the most of his opportunity thus far with a goal and two assists in his first five games.

A creative and versatile forward who can play center or on the wing, the 20-year-old Johnson has averaged 12:42 of ice time per game. However, an injury to Patrik Laine moved him up to left wing on the Blue Jackets' second line alongside Jack Roslovic and Jakub Voráček.

Johnson also benefited from a brief nine-game debut last season with the Jackets. If he continues to improve and make the most of his opportunity on their second line, he could garner more playing time as the season progresses.

The Minnesota Wild opened this season with rookies Calen Addison and Marco Rossi in their lineup. Rossi garnered more attention as a former first-round pick (ninth overall, 2020) but has struggled to score and was a healthy scratch from their Oct. 17 game against the Colorado Avalanche. Meanwhile, the 22-year-old Addison is enjoying a better start.

A second-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2018, Addison was acquired by the Wild as part of the return in the Jason Zucker trade on Feb. 10, 2020. After playing a total of 18 games over the previous two seasons, the 5'11”, 173-pound defenseman leads this season's rookie scorers with six points, including four power-play points.

A skillful and mobile blueliner, Addison is averaging 17:32 of ice time per game and is skating on the Wild's first power-play unit. He'll have a difficult time supplanting Matt Dumba or Jared Spurgeon on the right side of the Wild's top-two defense pairings. However, he could move up if Dumba or Spurgeon become injured.

Selected in the first round (10th overall) by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2020 NHL draft, Cole Perfetti saw 18 games of NHL action in 2021-22. However, his season was cut short after suffering an upper-body injury on Feb. 17 against the Seattle Kraken.

Perfetti, 20, is wasting little time making a positive impression early this season. Skating on the Jets' second line alongside Pierre-Luc Dubois and Blake Wheeler, the 5'11”, 177-pounder has a goal and three assists to sit among the rookie scoring leaders with four points.

Should Perfetti continue to produce on the Jets' second line, he'll help to provide them with some much-needed secondary scoring this season. Meshing well alongside veterans like Dubois and Wheeler could also help him become a serious Calder Trophy candidate.

The Ottawa Senators feature two promising rookies this season in center Shane Pinto and defenseman Jake Sanderson. Pinto leads all NHL rookies thus far with four goals as the Senators' third-line center, but Sanderson is playing a larger role as a second-pairing blueliner.

Sanderson, 20, was chosen fifth overall in the 2020 NHL draft, two spots behind teammate and rising star Tim Stützle. The 6'3”, 195-pounder is a smooth-skating and talented defenseman who can play big minutes. Skating alongside veteran Travis Hamonic, he has three assists in five games and sits fourth among all rookies with an average ice time of 19:13.

The Senators' blue-line depth has been an issue over the course of their rebuild. Sanderson is already playing a significant role in improving their performance. His development over the course of this season will be worth monitoring in this season's race for the Calder.

On Aug. 11, the Vegas Golden Knights announced that Robin Lehner was expected to miss this season recovering from hip surgery. Lacking an experienced starting goaltender, they would turn to Logan Thompson to take over Lehner's role.

Thompson, 25, had appeared in 19 games last season as Lehner dealt with injuries. He finished with a record of 10 wins, five losses and three overtime losses with a respectable 2.68 goals-against average and .914 save percentage. He was among the few bright spots in an otherwise disappointing 2021-22 campaign for the Golden Knights.

An undrafted goalie who bounced around the minors from 2018-19 until his call-up last season, Thompson has picked up where he left off in 2021-22. He has a solid 2.29 GAA and .926 SP while leading all rookie netminders with four games played and two wins. He could become a Calder contender if he backstops the Golden Knights into the playoffs.

The rebuilding Montreal Canadiens have started this season with several rookies such as Jordan Harris, Arber Xhekaj and 2022 first overall pick Juraj Slafkovský in their lineup. While they've acquitted themselves well thus far, defenseman Kaiden Guhle has had the biggest positive effect on their roster thus far.

Chosen in the first round (16th overall) by the Canadiens in the 2020 draft, Guhle is playing a larger role because of veterans Joel Edmundson and Mike Matheson being sidelined by injuries. Skating on the Habs' top defense pairing, the 6'2”, 205-pound blueliner's 21:13 of time on ice per game ranks second among this season's rookie class.

On Oct. 18, the Montreal Gazette's Stu Cowan praised Guhle's maturity and all-around play, calling the 20-year-old a rising star on the Canadiens' blue line. He could also become a Calder Trophy candidate if he continues to impress over the course of this season.

This year was a notable one for Mason McTavish. He was named the most valuable player in the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship while leading Canada to a gold medal, played for Canada at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and helped the Hamilton Bulldogs win the Ontario Hockey League championship.

Chosen third overall by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2021 NHL draft, McTavish suited up for nine NHL games early last season before being returned to the Bulldogs. Now 19, the 6'0", 213-pound center is making a positive impression this season. With four assists in his first five games, he sits among the rookie scoring leaders.

A hard-working versatile forward who can play center or left wing, McTavish is seeing second-line duty alongside veterans Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano. If this combination continues playing well, they should provide the Ducks with much-needed scoring depth. It would also bolster McTavish's stock among this season's Calder class.

Chosen first overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2021 NHL draft, Owen Power showed some promise with two goals and three points during an eight-game debut late last season. The 19-year-old now faces heightened expectations in his first full big league campaign.

Skating on the Sabres' second defense pairing, Power has collected two assists in his first five games while his 22:14 of time on ice per game leads all NHL rookies. The 6'6”, 218-pound blueliner has the skills to become an elite puck-moving NHL defenseman. He could eventually move up to the top pairing with Rasmus Dahlin.

Power isn't the only rookie on the Sabres roster this season, sharing company with forwards JJ Peterka and Jack Quinn. However, he's under the most pressure given his status as a former first overall pick. The rebuilding Sabres' solid start to this season will alleviate some of that while he continues to adjust and develop his game.

The Seattle Kraken began this season with two rookie centers in Matty Beniers (second overall, 2021) and Shane Wright (fourth overall, 2022). While Wright has averaged 7:06 of time on ice per game and was a healthy scratch in two contests, Beniers is averaging 18:02 per game centering the Kraken's top line.

Beniers showed considerable potential as a future NHL star by netting nine points during a 10-game debut late last season. That brief experience helped the 19-year-old prepare for his first full rookie campaign. He's among the Kraken's scoring leaders and the top rookie scorers with four points in six games.

A skillful, hard-working two-way forward, Beniers has the making of an NHL star. He and Wright could one day become the Kraken's top-two centers. Beniers has already taken on a significant role with a club in its second year of existence, making him our way-too-early top candidate for the Calder Trophy.

Stats (as of Oct. 22, 2022) via NHL.com and line combinations via Daily Faceoff.