The Capitals rookies got recongized after standout seasons.
ARLINGTON, V.A. — A pair of Washington Capitals freshmen were recognized for their first full NHL seasons, as Ryan Leonard and Justin Sourdif both finished top-12 in Calder Trophy voting.
The Calder is presented “to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition,” as selected by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
Leonard finished eighth in voting with one third-place vote, four fourth-place votes and 19 fifth-place votes, while Sourdif finished 12th with a four-place vote and fifth-place vote.
New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer, the first overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, won the trophy with an unanimous first-place finish that included 198 first-place votes.
Leonard, who had a goal and assist in nine regular-season games and eight playoff games in 2024-25, returned this season with more understanding of how to adapt to the highest level, and it paid off.
In 75 games, he picked up 20 goals and 25 assists while working his way up the lineup and also helping spark Washington's power play.
Though an injury interrupted the momentum he'd picked up earlier in the season, he got back to playing his style and finding consistency down the stretch and led D.C. in goals through the month of March.
Sourdif, who was acquired from the Florida Panthers in exchange for a second-round pick last summer, showed that he's a full-time NHLer and finally got his opportunity after just a handful of call-ups and years developing in the AHL.
Amid an injury to Pierre-Luc Dubois, the 24-year-old went from skating on the fourth-line wing to ultimately becoming a full-time center, playing a strong two-way game while helping inject speed and secondary scoring into the mix.
Through 78 games, he totaled 15 goals and 20 assists for 35 points, and ultimately added more depth to the Capitals' roster.