Calder Trophy Rankings Update: Hutson, Celebrini, Wolf fighting for top spot

Feb 6, 2025

Lane Hutson, Macklin Celebrini and Dustin Wolf (Imagn Images)

Credit: Imagn Images

You can ask three different people who the favorite to win the Calder Trophy is, and you’ll get three different answers.

And that’s because, at least based on January, there are three legit threats to win the coveted award. Montreal’s Lane Hutson, San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini and Calgary’s Dustin Wolf lead the way in the fifth month of the NHL season, with a quiet stretch slowing down Matvei Michkov’s case in Philadelphia.

Still, it’s an intriguing Calder Trophy battle – one that should go down to the wire. And that’s what fans want to see: a tightly contested battle between future NHL stars. It’s fine watching someone skate away with the award with a truly unmatched performance, but the majority of fans would rather watch a few players trying to outdo each other every single night. Anyone who tells you there’s a clear No. 1 is lying.

For Ottawa Senators fans wondering about Leevi Meriläinen: we aim to keep this list to just active NHLers. Meriläinen has been outstanding, but with Linus Ullmark back in the lineup, the Finnish goaltender was sent back to the AHL.

Here’s a look at Daily Faceoff’s Calder Trophy rankings to kick off the month:

1. Lane Hutson, D (Montreal Canadiens)

Hutson was a big reason for Montreal’s surge in December and most of January, helping the team push into the playoff conversation. In fact, Hutson actually still leads all rookies in scoring, which is remarkable for a defenseman. Recently, though, it feels like the skilled blueliner has maybe played a little too much, with Hutson sitting second on the team with an average of 22:38 a game. That includes plenty of power-play time, where Hutson quarterbacks the top unit. That’s remarkable for a rookie. It’s still early days, but the Canadiens have to be happy with how Hutson’s game has translated to the NHL – many scouts, rightfully, were concerned he wouldn’t be able to exploit the space he has. That’s what makes him so intriguing. Right now, I’m still giving him the edge over Celebrini just because the numbers Hutson has put up as a defenseman are remarkable.

2. Macklin Celebrini, C (San Jose Sharks)

Celebrini has been San Jose’s best player this year, playing at a pace of 64 points. He had 12 points in 15 games in January and kicked off February with a two-point effort against Hutson and the Canadiens. He’s generating around three shots a night on the team’s top line while being defensively responsible, as expected. He holds 3.8 goals above replacement and 0.6 wins above replacement, which is near the top among all rookies. It’s not easy having to lead a bottom-feeding team (one that looks destined to challenge for the No. 1 draft pick yet again) but Celebrini has been everything advertised – and then some.

3. Dustin Wolf, G (Calgary Flames)

Wolf was one of the best goaltenders in January, posting the third-best goals saved above expected at 10.18. Only Logan Thompson (13.82) and Darcy Kuemper (12.66) were better. Wolf went 7-3-0 in 10 games, just two wins off Jake Oettinger for the league lead. The American keeper is the clear No. 1 in Calgary now, as many expected he would be by the halfway point in the season. That’s because nothing seems to bother him mentally, and he’s as athletic as they come. Wolf is already a legit star goalie, and he’s giving the Flames a shot to make the playoffs – something nobody saw coming into 2024-25. Not too shabby for a seventh-round pick.

4. Matvei Michkov, RW (Philadelphia Flyers)

Concerns about Michkov’s play away from the puck and fluctuating ice time have hurt Michkov’s stock a bit. He only had two goals and five points in 15 games last month, the worst of his short NHL career. In fact, it was the 13th-highest output among freshmen despite still seeing more ice time than the majority of the rookie class. He’s still on pace for more than 50 points, though, which is still an excellent number for a first-year NHLer. He was tasked with playing a big role for the Flyers right out of the gate, and there have been some understandable growing pains along the way. But at his best, Michkov is an electrifying player who has shown signs that he’s well on his way to NHL stardom.

5. Logan Stankoven, RW (Dallas Stars)

Stankoven was also quiet last month, registering just two goals and six points through 15 games. He did, however, get half his season’s power-play output with three of his six points on the man advantage coming last month. He’s carries a 5.1 shooting percentage this year, which isn’t great. But he at least has been near the top in shots in each month of the season – eventually, things are going to start panning out for him. For now, he’s on Dallas’ top line, playing alongside Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson – I hope to see better numbers this month.

6. Will Smith, RW (San Jose Sharks)

He’s a natural center, but a move to wing has really helped Smith unlock his real potential. He finished the month off with a six-game point streak while averaging anywhere from 16-18 minutes a night. Smith is currently looking good on San Jose’s second line, and if the move to the wing becomes the right solution in the long run, it could open up the potential for drafting James Hagens in the 2025 NHL Draft as a center. For now, it’s good to see Smith playing as well as he is – only three rookies outproduced him last month.

7. Jackson Blake, RW (Carolina Hurricanes)

Blake has found himself on a line with Mikko Rantanen and Sebastian Aho the past few games, which should only help his output. It’s been a bit of a slow burn early on, but while the other two have been the creative masterminds, Blake’s energy and improving physical play has worked well on the right side. He’s still working on becoming more consistent, but he is on track to finish with close to 20 goals in his first year of pro hockey. All things considered, he’s having a decent first year after getting selected 109th overall back in 2021.

8. Marco Kasper, LW (Detroit Red Wings)

After starting the season in the AHL, Kasper registered an assist in his first game up with Detroit on Oct. 19. He then went without a point for over a month and entered December with just five points in 19 games. But then January rolled around and everything changed. Kasper finished just one point behind Hutson for the most points among rookies last month with 12, and had the most goals with seven. All but one of the points came at 5-on-5, too. His ice time improved to 14:35, and now he’s skating on Detroit’s top line with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond. Kasper looks so comfortable right now, and his two-way game hasn’t wavered even after moving to the wing.

9. Maxim Tsyplakov, LW (New York Islanders)

It was a month to forget for Tsyplakov, who was suspended for three games midway through the month. He only had one assist through eight games despite averaging just under 15 minutes a game. He has played some difficult minutes and even dropped the gloves with Scott Laughton, but it was disappointing to see Tsyplakov’s production dip. The 6-foot-3 undrafted free agent signing is still near the top among rookies in hits and takeaways, and he has been a solid support piece alongside Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri overall.

10. Justus Annunen, G (Nashville Predators)

Annunen went 4-1-0 in January, giving some life to a struggling Predators team. His analytics were average at best, but it’s hard having to steal wins on a bottom-feeder. At the very least, he’s playing much better than he did in Colorado to kick the season off, and he has consistently found a way to make his name appear on these Calder lists while others come and go. While he primarily faces off against non-playoff teams, he did record impressive wins against Calgary, Vegas and Dallas in his past 10 games. You want your backup to give you a chance, and he does every time he skates into the crease.