Sharks Have Multiple Calder Trophy Favorites

The San Jose Sharks will be flooded with young talent that should be in the running for Rookie of the Year in 2024-25.

Jun 28, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Macklin Celebrini is selected with the 1st overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft by the San Jose Sharks at The Sphere. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports / stephen r. sylvanie-usa today sports

The race for the NHL’s Calder Trophy will be tight in 2024-25 with numerous rookies expected to stand out, but the San Jose Sharks may have an extra edge. The NHL believes there could be as many as seven youngsters in the hunt for Rookie of the Year, and the Sharks have two players of note.

2023 first-round pick Will Smith and the most recent first-overall selection Macklin Celebrini are already getting hit with high expectations at the NHL level. Neither have played a game of professional hockey, but are already being looked at as the leaders of a turnaround in San Jose.

Celebrini will likely capture most of the attention considering his potential and being the No. 1 pick. NHL.com believes he’s the early leader for the Calder Trophy with some unique reasoning.

“He’ll have the comfort of his family being close by,” Mike Zeisberger writes. “His dad, Rick, works 45 minutes north in San Francisco in his role as director of sports medicine and performance for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.”

NHL.com also points out that Celebrini is playing for a rebuilding Sharks team that is sure to put him on the ice as much as possible. The training wheels will be off right away as he looks to prove his worth on the biggest stage.

“It’s unlikely the Sharks will coddle him,” Zeisberger said. “Instead, he’s likely to see plenty of minutes and play in multiple situations, including the power play.”

Along with Celebrini, the Sharks also have Smith as a potential sneaky pick for the Calder Trophy. It’s Celebrini’s presence that may open the ice a bit more for Smith to succeed.

“Is Smith going to be one of the young Sharks players targeted by opponents?” Tracey Myers asked. “Sure, but probably not as much as Celebrini, and I think he’ll take advantage of that.”

No matter what way you cut it, the NHL will have a tight race for the Calder. Anaheim Ducks forward Cutter Gauthier, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Rutger McGroarty, and Philadelphia Flyers forward Matvei Michkov were also among those mentioned by NHL.com.

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