Arseny Gritsyuk has been a pleasure to watch, both on and off the ice. The New Jersey Devils rookie has made it fun for fans to follow him both on and off the ice, performing well through three games, and blogging his thoughts and feelings on Russian social media, Telegram. He’s not just making noise on socials, however. In the betting-sphere, he’s firmly planted his flag in the Calder Trophy race.
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Now, I know it’s super early to be talking about seasons-end awards. However, Arseny Gritsyuk didn’t have a dog in the fight just a few weeks ago, so it’s worth noting.
In other words, if you searched for Gritsyuk in the Calder Trophy odds just three weeks ago, you wouldn’t even find his name. Instead, you’d see the likes of fellow rookies Matthew Schaefer, Michael Misa, and Ivan Demidov, to name a few.
However, through three games in 2025-26, Gritsyuk is scoring at a point per-game pace, notching three assists in that span. And it’s not just the points that’s been impressive. It’s the poise with the puck, vision, patience, and defensive responsibility.
It’s true that Gritsyuk isn’t your average rookie. At 24 years old, he has several years of professional experience at the KHL level. Yet, that transition is rarely apples to apples. In fact, we’ve seen evidence of that plenty of times, such as players like ex-Vegas Golden Knights forward, Vadim Shipachyov, or New York Rangers/Vancouver Canucks forward, Vitali Kravstov.
Instead, Gritsyuk has made chemistry with just about anyone he’s played with. Paul Cotter for starters, then Connor Brown when he was elevated.
As a result, his game looks strong early, and he’s since a top rookie candidate in the Calder Trophy race.
Whereas Fanduel Sportsbook had Gritsyuk unranked before, he now owns the sixth-highest odds at +2500, behind Demidov (+240), Schaefer (+350), Jimmy Snuggerud (+650), Zeev Buium (+1000), and Beckette Senneke (+1900).
Again, it’s so early in the season that this can quickly change. But, the significant recognition by the sportsbooks just go to show the impact Gritsyuk is making.
Will he be the next successful KHL to NHL import, perhaps like teammate Evgenii Dadonov is, or perhaps like an Ilya Mikheyev?
Early indications are that it’s certainly possible. We’ll revisit this near the midway point of the 2025-26 season.
