Marc Dumont
The NHL has announced the winner of the Calder Trophy, given annually to the first-year player judged to have made the greatest impact, and though a few Montreal Canadiens players were in the running, the trophy was given to New York Islanders defenceman Matthew Schaefer.
It’s a fair decision, given that Schaefer is an 18-year-old defenceman who somehow managed to score 23 goals. Full marks to the young blueliner for a fantastic year in an incredibly difficult situation.
Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks
Ivan Demidov was the runner-up for the award, fresh off a remarkable rookie season that saw him register 62 points in 82 games, leading all freshman players in scoring in the process.
That being said, it was not a close vote. Schaefer swept every single first-place vote, leaving Demidov with the majority of the second-place votes.
Demidov was given 120 second-place votes, whereas Beckett Sennecke (Anaheim Ducks) was given just 41.
Interestingly, Canadiens netminder Jakub Dobes received the fourth-most second-place votes, which was enough to finish fourth among all Calder Trophy voting.
Coming into the season, there was no guarantee Dobes would end up playing more than a handful of games, and yet, he managed to not only take over as the team’s defacto starter, he’s been their most valuable player in the playoffs as well.
Full voting table for the Calder Trophy for best rookie, won UNANIMOUSLY by #Isles defender Matthew Schaefer. pic.twitter.com/mlxsfErw9v
— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) May 13, 2026
We should also note that Oliver Kapanen received a few votes, and despite the fact that he’s currently benched in the playoffs, there’s no denying he was the surprise story of the season for the Montreal Canadiens.
Kapanen scored 22 goals in 82 games, while playing the majority of the season alongside Ivan Demidov. Yes, Demidov fed him a lot of quantity of high-end scoring chances, but Canadiens history is littered with players who failed to capitalize on their scoring chances, whereas Kapanen did a fantastic job supplementing the team’s offence during his first season in the league.
