The NHL has announced the finalists for the 2019 Calder Memorial Trophy, awarded to “the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition.”
Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson, St. Louis’ Jordan Binnington and Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin have been named the three finalists for the top rookie trophy, whose winner was voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association at the conclusion of the regular season.
Pettersson paced both his team and all NHL rookies with 28 goals, 38 assists and 66 total points in his first campaign with the Canucks. Those 66 points also ranked as the most ever posted by a Canucks rookie, surpassing Pavel Bure’s 60-point high-water mark from 1992.
Fellow Swede Dahlin — the first-overall pick from the 2018 NHL Draft — led all rookies in terms of scoring from the back end, posting 44 points for the Sabres. In the process, the 19-year-old passed Bobby Orr for second-most points by an NHL defenceman before his 19th birthday.
Binnington debuted for the Blues in early January, stabilizing St. Louis’ net and helping the club claw their way to a post-season berth. He finished his first go-round in the NHL with a .927 save percentage and a 1.89 goals-against average.
All award winners will be announced on June 19 at the NHL Awards Show in Las Vegas.
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