NHL: Matthew Schaefer headlines trio of Calder Trophy finalists

Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer, Canadiens winger Ivan Demidov and Anaheim winger Beckett Sennecke were named as finalists for the Calder Memorial Trophy on Tuesday.

The award, given annually to the "player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition," will be given out in June at the NHL Awards ceremony.

Schaefer, the No. 1 pick in last summer's draft, tied the NHL record for goals by a rookie defenseman (23) and set league records among 18-year-old defensemen in goals and points (62). His 2,023:59 minutes of ice time were over 500 minutes more than any other rookie this season and the second-highest total for a rookie since ice time started being tracked in 1997-98. Should Schaefer win, he would become the youngest Calder Trophy winner in history, a day younger than Nathan MacKinnon in 2013-14.

Demidov, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, led all 2025-26 rookies in points (62) and assists (43). He's the seventh 60-point rookie in franchise history and the fourth Montreal rookie to reach 40 assists. Should Demidov win after Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson won the award last season, Montreal would be the first team with consecutive Calder Trophy winners since Bobby Orr and Derek Sanderson won it for the Boston Bruins in 1966-67 and 1967-68.

Sennecke was tied with Schaefer for the rookie lead in goals (23) and finished two points behind Demidov with 60 points. His goal total was the third-most by a Ducks rookie and he finished one assist and one point shy of Trevor Zegras' franchise records set in 2021-22, helping the Ducks break their seven-year playoff drought. Anaheim has never had a Calder Trophy winner, with Sennecke becoming the franchise's fourth finalist.

-Field Level Media/Reuters