NHL Calder Trophy Tracker: Frondell Leads The Way As McKenna And Others Have Up And Down Starts To Their Rookie Campaigns

Rookies need time to adjust to the NHL. The pace, the strength, the size, and the speed of opponents are just better than in any other league in the world. Whether a player is coming from junior hockey in Ontario or pro hockey in Sweden, the NHL is just a different beast.

This year’s crop of rookies has already had some impressive moments, but the adjustment to NHL hockey has been a harsh reality for many. For every highlight-reel moment, there’s been a learning experience they can carry forward as they move on.

In the first in-season installment of the Calder Trophy Tracker, we're looking at where rookies stand early in the rookie-of-the-year race and who's off to a hot start. This list is bound to change as the year goes on and rookies work through the trials and tribulations of their first full NHL season.

The rookie scoring leader is also leading his squad early in the season. The Chicago Blackhawks haven’t been very good, but Anton Frondell has been a difference-maker. He’s played big minutes in the Hawks' first nine games, and it doesn’t look like he’ll be eased into the NHL.

Now that Connor Bedard is back from his off-season injury, Frondell will be leaned on less, which may open him up to playing against other teams' depth defenders and improve his offensive chances. Frondell is likely to be near the top of the rookie scoring leaders as long as he keeps getting top-six opportunities and power-play time.

There may not be a rookie on this list who has had the kind of ups and downs as the first overall pick from this past June. Gavin McKenna has had some moments of magic with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the early going, dangling and dishing the puck all over the ice. He’s also had some moments where he looks overpowered and overwhelmed.

His game isn’t perfect, but this is the exact player that we saw last year in the lead-up to the draft. A magician who can be a game breaker with mixed results away from the puck. McKenna will be just fine this year, and he should be right near the top of this list every month.

Amidst the chaos that has been the Detroit Red Wings season, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard has quietly been very effective. The power winger has been a physical presence, laying big hits in open ice and grinding along the wall and in the corners, but he is also showing the offensive instincts that made the Red Wings so high on him in his draft year.

Brandsegg-Nygard has six points in eight games, second on the Wings behind the newly signed Alex DeBrincat. If Brandsegg-Nygard can keep playing the physical two-way game he’s known for while also finding the scoresheet somewhat consistently, we could see him near the top of the Calder Tracker all year.

Much like McKenna, there have been some up-and-down moments through the 2026 NHL draft picks game, but overall, Ivar Stenberg has looked quite solid in the NHL. He’s still finding his way, but the Swedish winger has been very good at the little things, and his offense has started to click over the last few games. There is plenty of reason to be hopeful that Stenberg has a very solid year for the San Jose Sharks.

Goalies are always a bit of a crapshoot in small samples, but at this point, you could argue Dylan Garand belongs higher on this list. His most recent game was by far his worst, but he has helped solidify the New York Rangers' net in the wake of the injury to franchise netminder Igor Shesterkin. Garand is getting the shot he wanted coming into the season, and now he could find himself in the Calder conversation.

We all knew Jacob Fowler would get into the net in Montreal at some point, but Sam Montembault's injury allowed that to happen earlier than expected. Fowler is an uber-talented netminder with all of the tools, as well as the mindset to be a high-level NHL goalie. Fowler could easily finish atop this list, but playing time could be the only thing standing in his way.

The start of the season has been quite solid for Cole Hutson, one of the few truly impactful blueliners in this year's rookie class. He’s doing much more than just staying afloat, bringing dynamism to the Washington Capitals blueline and playing a key role on the power play. Hutson could climb this list if the Caps can get their power play going, because that is where he’ll shine.

The current rookie leader in goals with four has played more games than anyone else, but he’s looked like the spark plug the Vegas Golden Knights needed offensively. He has the luxury of playing with Tomas Hertl on the third line, and he’s seen power-play time all year so far. Connelly has a chance to put up some solid numbers as a rookie, and if he does, he’ll easily find his way up this list.

James Hagens has flashed quite a bit of promise in the early going, so it will be fun to see how he develops as a rookie in the NHL. It feels inevitable that we'll eventually see Hagens with David Pastrnak, as the two fit perfectly on paper, but the Boston Bruins are making the rookie earn every minute, playing on the third line for now. If he earns more time with the top-end players, Hagens could explode up the Calder Tracker.

With just one point in nine games, the Calder favorite heading into the season is plummeting at the moment. The Philadelphia Flyers have been an absolute mess in general, and Martone has suffered because of it. He’s a talented player, but the Flyers need to turn it around before Martone can find the success we all thought he could.

Honorable Mentions: Ilya Protas (WSH), Roman Kantserov (CHI), Noah Warren (ANA), Owen Michaels (EDM), Luca Cagnoni (SJS), Victor Eklund (NYI)

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