Top NHL draft prospect Caleb Malhotra etches his name in the Brantford Bulldogs' history books, setting the record for most points by a rookie in a season.
Brantford Bulldogs forward Caleb Malhotra (27). Credit: Logan Taylor/OHL ImagesNikita Klepov wasn’t the only player to set an all-time single-season rookie points record for his franchise. With Klepov etching his name in the Saginaw Spirit history books, Brantford Bulldogs rookie forward Caleb Malhotra did the same.
On Friday night, Malhotra scored a goal and an assist in Brantford’s 5-1 win over the Erie Otters. Those two points brought him to 66 points (24 goals, 42 assists) on the season, surpassing his captain’s (Jake O’Brien) single-season rookie record.
O’Brien set the previous record at 65 points during the 2023-24 season, where he took home Rookie of the Year (ROTY) honors. Malhotra hopes to follow in his captain's footsteps in more ways than one, taking home the Rookie of the Year and getting drafted in the top ten of the upcoming NHL draft.
It looks like it’s currently a two-horse race for the Emms Family Award (ROTY) between Malhotra and Klepov.
The Saginaw forward has the edge in the points department, with six more goals and eight more points than Malhotra at the time of writing this. However, Malhotra has been a player who has performed and excelled in all situations for Brantford this season, a team that may finish first in the entire league. Will that be taken into consideration by the voters?
All Malhotra has done is elevate his game, therefore raising his draft stock. He started the season as a possible first-round candidate. Then, scouts started labelling him as a top ten prospect. Now, many scouts believe he could go in the top five, because they believe he is the top-ranked center available in the draft (Tynan Lawrence would like a word).
His upcoming playoff run with the Bulldogs will greatly determine his final spot, and everyone expects Malhotra to elevate his game even more, with early indications that he possesses that “Playoff DNA” trait NHL teams so desire.
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