NHL Calder Trophy Tracker: Islanders' Schaefer And Canadiens' Demidov Look Like Olympians Already

The NHL is on its Olympic break as the best players from each country have taken off to try to capture gold.

For the first time in their careers, we're seeing some of the NHL's brightest stars, such as Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews, in best-on-best international competition. 

While most teams have opted for players in their prime, there are a few young, notable NHLers at this year's event. Macklin Celebrini is the first teenager to suit up for Canada in an Olympic event with NHLers. Alberts Smits will look to boost his draft stock on Latvia's blueline.

There are even some NHL rookies, such as Dalibor Dvorsky and Sandis Vilmanis, who are getting a chance to play at the Olympics for their national squad. 

What about this year's top NHL rookies, though?

When will they find themselves suiting up for the national squad, and what role could they be playing?

Let's take a look at the Calder Tracker with an eye toward future Olympic Games. 

While he was under strong consideration to make Canada's squad this year, ultimately, they made the choice to leave the rookie off the team. Celebrini seems to be the exception to the rule for Hockey Canada rather than a sign of things changing in its team-building philosophy. 

If we are being blatantly honest, Schaefer has been more effective than at least a handful of the defenders who made Team Canada. He easily could have been there as an extra defender and two-way presence the team could bring into the lineup if it needed to shake things up.

His skill set is versatile, and he could have filled in just about anywhere. With all that said, Schaefer seems like a lock to make the next Canadian Olympic roster in four years. 

If Russia were participating in the Olympics this year, you can almost guarantee that Demidov would have made the cut. He's already one of the most dynamic players in the NHL with some of the silkiest mitts in the game. Demidov has had a number of truly awe-inspiring moments already in his young NHL career. 

Demidov getting the chance to learn and play alongside the likes of Nikita Kucherov, Evgeni Malkin, Kirill Kaprizov and, of course, Alexander Ovechkin, would have been a sight to behold. The young Russian is already emerging as a star in the game of hockey, and an Olympic opportunity would have only brightened his glow. Maybe he gets that chance in 2030. 

It might be bold to say, but Sennecke really could be at the Olympics the next time it comes around in four years. He's already shown game-breaking flashes for the Anaheim Ducks, sitting second in rookie scoring with 44 points and currently tied with Oliver Kapanen to lead all freshmen in goals with 18. Sennecke still has some raw elements to his game despite that success. 

Canada will see quite a few of their older players move on from international competition by the next time the Games are held. Players like Mark Stone and Brad Marchand are in the twilight years of their careers, and they likely won't be playing at the level you'd want to see for them to make Team Canada.

If Sennecke continues to improve and grow the way he has this year, we could see him on the next Olympic iteration of Team Canada.  

While we might not see Wallstedt at these Olympics as he seems to be the third goalie for Sweden, he is technically an Olympian already, and he's almost certainly the future of the position for his national squad. Wallstedt has all of the tools you want from a netminder, and he's been dominant in stretches as a rookie for Minnesota. 

After a bit of a shaky game against Italy, Wallstedt's Minnesota Wild teammate, Filip Gustavsson, allowed three goals against Finland. If he loses his handle on the starting job, Jacob Markstrom may be the next starter. But we can't rule out Wallstedt just yet.

Of any rookie, Wallstedt has the potential to be the difference-maker at this year's event, even though players like Dvorsky or Vilmanis might have a bit clearer paths to a role with their nations. 

Much like Demidov, if Russia were playing at this year's Games, Nikishin would almost surely be a major piece for this team.

With just Mikhail Sergachev (38 points) and Dmitri Orlov (23) sitting ahead of him among Russian defenders in scoring league-wide, and the fact that Nikishin might already have a better defensive game than either of them, he might have had a legitimate shot at the top pair. 

The American Olympic roster is loaded, with a ton of young talent throughout and even more who wound up just outside the team. Leonard might have one of the hardest paths to making his Olympic team for that reason.

Even as a specialist – a true power forward – the Americans have plenty of them, such as the Tkachuk brothers or Matt Boldy. They also have guys like Matthew Knies in waiting.

If Leonard has plans to put on Team USA's jersey as he once did at two world juniors, he will have his work cut out for him.

Yet another player who is already suiting up for his Olympic squad, Kapanen is a perfect fit on the Finnish squad. His dedication to the defensive side of the puck and a blend of physical play with intelligent tactical work allow him to find success.

He's tied for the rookie goal-scoring lead with Sennecke, but he isn't riding shotgun with Demidov at the Olympics as he does with the Habs. 

Much like Leonard, it might be tough for Askarov to make the Olympic squad because of the plethora of high-end Russian netminders. If he were Canadian, there might be a case for him being their starter this year. (I'm only partly kidding).

But Team Russia boasts veterans, such as Andrei Vasilevskiy and Sergei Bobrovsky, as well as younger, prime-aged stars like Igor Shesterkin and Ilya Sorokin. Russia has been a goalie factory of late, which makes finding a spot on an international squad tough for a guy like Askarov, but we could see it as soon as 2030 if he can continue to refine his game. 

This is where the real drop-off seems to be among potential future Olympians. Minten has been very good this season, and he could continue to improve, but he's already exceeding expectations.

He would need to continue to grow and develop, solidify himself as a top-six center on a good team and find his way onto the Canadian squad as a niche role player in the bottom six in all likelihood. It's not impossible, but it's a bit unlikely despite the outstanding recent run as a rookie for the Boston Bruins. 

When the Pittsburgh Penguins selected Kindel at the 2025 NHL draft, even the most optimistic Kindel fans wouldn't have thought he would not only make the opening night roster in the NHL but also work his way into a key role as a middle-six contributor for the Pens.

Kindel has been an impressive two-way center who has come into the league with a maturity beyond his years. If he can continue to improve, he likely has a bit of a better shot than Minten at that niche role player spot, if not in 2030, potentially in 2034, when he will still be just 26 years old.

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