標籤: Calder

Two Washington Capitals rookies were recognized for the 2025-26 Calder Trophy. Ryan Leonard and Justin Sourdiff both received top-12 votes for the NHL’s Rookie of the Year.

Leonard finished eighth in the voting with one third-place vote, four fourth-place votes and 19 fifth-place votes. Meanwhile, Sourdough finished in 12th place with a fourth-place vote and a fifth-place vote.

Meanwhile, New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer won this year’s Calder unanimously. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft did so by earning all 198 first-place votes.

Leonard made his NHL debut at the end of the 2024–25 season, recording one goal and an assist in nine regular season games and eight playoff games. He then returned for his first full NHL season and finished with 20 goals and 25 assists in 75 games.

Additionally, Leonard was a vital part of the lineup and helped spark the Capitals’ power play. Although he missed a period due to injury, he returned and led the team in goals by March.

Meanwhile, the Sourdough Capitals had a new addition via trade with the Florida Panthers. After some call-ups and time in the AHL he made quite an impact in his first full NHL season.

Following an injury to Pierre-Luc Dubois in late October, Sourdiff moved from the fourth-line wing to full-time centre. In 78 games, the 24-year-old player recorded 15 goals and 20 assists for 35 points.

Harry Lichtman is an award-winning journalist who covers the Washington Capitals for SportsNut. He also contributes to the sites… More about Harry Lichtman

The NHL has announced the winner of the Calder Trophy, given annually to the first-year player who makes the most impact, and although a few Montreal Canadiens players were in the running, the trophy was awarded to New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer.

It’s a fair decision, considering that Schaefer is an 18-year-old defenseman who somehow managed to score 23 goals. Full marks to the young blueliner for a fantastic year in an incredibly difficult situation.

Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks

Ivan Demidov was the runner-up for the award, having a remarkable rookie season where he recorded 62 points in 82 games, leading all rookies in scoring in the process.

That being said, it was not a close vote. Schaefer won every first-place vote, leaving Demidov to receive the majority of second-place votes.

Demidov was given 120 votes in second place, while Beckett Seneca (Anaheim Ducks) was given just 41 votes.

Interestingly, Canadiens netminder Jacob Dobbs received the fourth-most second-place votes, enough to finish fourth in all Calder Trophy voting.

Coming into the season, there was no guarantee that Dobbs would play more than a handful of games, and yet, he not only managed to take over as the team’s de facto starter, but he has also been their most valuable player in the playoffs.

Full voting table for the Calder Trophy for Best Rookie, won unanimously #island Defender Matthew Schaefer. pic.twitter.com/mlxsfErw9v

– NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) 13 May 2026

We should also note that Oliver Kapanen received some votes, and despite the fact that he is currently in the playoffs, it cannot be denied that he was the surprise story of the season for the Montreal Canadiens.

Playing the majority of the season alongside Ivan Demidov, Kapanen scored 22 goals in 82 games. Yes, Demidov gave them plenty of high-end scoring chances, but Canadiens history is littered with players who failed to capitalize on their scoring opportunities, while Kapanen did a great job of complementing the team’s offense during his first season in the league.

Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The… More about Mark Dumont

Here are the Montreal Canadiens and NHL news items you may have missed Tuesday.

montreal canadiens news

• The Buffalo Sabers should be considered the favorites in the second round of the NHL playoffs, but the discrepancy between the Sabers and Habs is not significant. Statistically speaking, they are much more evenly matched than the Canadiens and Lightning. All things considered, this should be another tightly contested series. [Canadiens Vs. Sabres Series Preview: Head-To-Head]

• Slovak forward Juraj Slafkowski is not feeling any effects from the first-round series against the Lightning, and he has a great way to describe his current health status.

Juraj Slafkowski today explains how he’s feeling after a physical series vs. the Lightning:

“I think I’m good, you know? I can’t really be too stupid. I don’t know what to say, I’m fine, you know? It didn’t really hurt, I’m just ready to go. I didn’t even waste any time. I just… pic.twitter.com/dTQcVLIoRE

– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) 5 May 2026

• Canadian prospect Bryce Pickford was named the top defenseman in the WHL, which is not surprising when we consider he enjoyed a standout season from an offensive standpoint. In 55 regular season games, Pickford scored an incredible 45 goals and 38 assists. He would add 12 more points to his tally in the playoffs.

🐅 discrepancy 🐅

Congratulations to Tigers Captain Bryce Pickford on being named the 2026 WHL Defenseman of the Year! 🏆#WHLAwards | #GoHabsGo | @CanadiensMTL pic.twitter.com/hkUufVvgg1

– Medicine Hat Tigers (@tigershockey) 5 May 2026

• It’s hard not to avoid naming Darren Reddish’s wasted goal in Game 1 of the first-round series against the Lightning as the NHL’s ‘Moment of the Round’. Does someone want to tell the NHL that the Lightning actually lost that game, let alone the series?

Some notes if possible.

1 – The series ended a few days ago.
2 – The Lightning actually lost the series.
3 – This powerplay goal was boring.
4- The boring goal was from a game the Lightning lost, in a series they lost.
5 – The NHL really had a moment with this one. https://t.co/QTqAnJKDfe

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 5 May 2026

• It is to Nikita Kucherov’s credit that he loses with much more grace than he wins, although there is a very low threshold to explain this.

Nikita Kucherov on early exit: “I think it’s on us to be able to create chances at 5-on-5 and on the power play. Credit to (Montreal) they did well, but we have to be a lot better.” pic.twitter.com/1eswreh1Ov

– Rachel West (@rachelwest__) 5 May 2026

• We have to give it to Jacob Dobbs, this is a solid chuckle in the heat of the moment, and it turns out he was right.

Jacob Dobbs explains what he said to Nikita Kucherov in Game 7:

“I know you guys are nervous. I know you’re nervous.” pic.twitter.com/kYJrfo1hk4

– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) 4 May 2026

• The Laval Rocket evened their series against the Toronto Marlies (2-2) with an impressive 4-0 win on Tuesday. Alex Belzile (2), Samuel Blais (2, 3), and Laurent Dauphin (2) provided the goals for Laval, while Kaapo Kahkonen stopped all 18 shots sent his way to secure the shutout.

On PK 🚀 https://t.co/Y2XWzaB9gZ pic.twitter.com/W3BhI96gx9

– xy – Rocket de Laval (@RocketLaval) 6 May 2026

Sportsknot Network

• The NHL Draft Lottery took place on Tuesday night, and believe it or not, the Toronto Maple Leafs were awarded the No. 1 overall pick.

2026 #nhldraft Lottery results are in! ➡️

Now, who will be the first overall pick? Find June 26th in 2026 #nhldraft! pic.twitter.com/dGheSkDPTd

– NHL (@NHL) 5 May 2026

• It was believed that the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights would be a classic encounter of heated rivals who have stood in each other’s way for many years. Instead, it was the upstart Anaheim Ducks, who proceeded to play one of their best defensive games of the playoffs and send the Golden Knights to overtime in Game 1 of their round two series. [Vegas Golden Knights]

• New Jersey Devils forwards Nico Hischier and Timo Meier are set to represent Switzerland at the 2026 IIHF Men’s World Championship, being held from May 15 to May 31, 2026 in Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland. [New Jersey Devils]

Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The… More about Mark Dumont

The good news keeps coming for the Montreal Canadiens. Habs rookie Ivan Demidov has been named a finalist for the Calder Trophy, awarded annually to the best first-year player in the league, after winning a tightly contested series against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the NHL playoffs.

The 29-year-old Demidov finished the year as the highest-scoring rookie in the NHL with 19 goals and 43 assists in 82 games. He will be matched up against Matthew Schaefer (New York Islanders) and Beckett Seneca (Anaheim Ducks), two very solid rookies in their own right.

This is the second consecutive season a Canadian player has been a finalist for the coveted trophy, with phenom Lane Hutson taking it home after a tremendous campaign in 2024-25 in which he scored 66 points on Montreal’s blue line.

This is the second consecutive season in which Demidov will be in contention for the Rookie of the Year award in any professional hockey league. He was awarded the KHL Alexei Cherepanov Trophy, the Russian equivalent of the Calder Trophy, in the KHL last year.

Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks

Schaefer is considered the favorite to take home the trophy because he is an 18-year-old defenseman who somehow scored 23 goals, which is a ridiculous feat. He played a big role for the Islanders and was even considered for a role with Team Canada at the Olympics.

As for Seneca, he also enjoyed a 23-goal campaign while playing a second-line role for the rising Anaheim Ducks. The 20-year-old winger finished fourth in Ducks scoring with 60 points.

Demidov was the most productive player of the first year, but according to many analysts this would not be enough to capture the trophy. Regardless, the fact that he was one of four rookies in the Canadiens’ lineup this season shows the team’s dedication to a rebuilding mantra, favoring youth enthusiasm over experience.

Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The… More about Mark Dumont

The Washington Capitals’ AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, clinched a spot in the Calder Cup playoffs. They did so on Wednesday with a dominant 5-1 win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Ivan Miroshnichenko, Ilya Protas and Clay Stevenson all returned after being called up by the Capitals. He helped Hershey clinch a playoff berth for the sixth consecutive season and first under head coach Derek King.

Miroshnichenko recorded his 13th goal of the season on the power play with one assist, while Protas finished with two assists. Protas has 64 points in 67 games, which leads all AHL rookies and is sixth in the league. Meanwhile, Miroshnichenko now has 100 career AHL points.

Stevenson started in net a day after stopping 27 of 28 shots to help the Capitals defeat Columbus. He played even better with 32 saves on 33 shots in the Bears’ win.

Corey Schueneman and Matt Strome, Dylan’s younger brother, also contributed goals for Hershey. Then, in the third period, Alexander Suzdalev and Sam Bitton both recorded empty-netters to seal the victory.

Unfortunately, Bogdan Trineyev suffered an upper body injury in the second period and did not return. It’s bad enough that the Bears were already missing some key players in the lineup.

With the win, Hershey improved to 31–30–6–3 and is currently in fifth place in the Atlantic Division. They have two games left to decide who their first round opponent will be.

Harry Lichtman is an award-winning journalist who covers the Washington Capitals for SportsNut. He also contributes to the sites… More about Harry Lichtman