Calder Trophy Race: Aaron Ekblad Most Deserving Heading into All-Star Break

With the All-Star break quickly approaching, it is time to acknowledge some of the best players during the first half of the NHL season. To be more specific, one of the more interesting stories going into the second half of the year is the NHL Calder Trophy race.

More often than not, a strong candidate sticks out like a sore thumb, similar to Nathan MacKinnon last year. This season, NHL fans have been privileged to witness a very strong campaign from several players around the league, with top three honors going to Filip Forsberg, Johnny Gaudreau and Aaron Ekblad. There are also a few dark horses worthy of mention, including Mark Stone and Mike Hoffman of the Ottawa Senators, and the darkest of horses in Jonathan Drouin of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

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Forsberg leads all rookies with 15 goals and 39 points in 44 games. He has become an integral part of the Nashville Predators’ offense and will be a mainstay on the top unit. Gaudreau has also been a major part of his teams’ success, as the surprising Calgary Flames sit fourth in the Pacific Division. He is currently third in team scoring with 13 goals and 33 points. For the Sens’ duo, Stone has been a reliable player with 11 goals and 13 assists, while Hoffman is tied for the rookie lead with 15 goals. In terms of pure skill, Drouin has to potential to turn things around in a big way, but he will need the playing time to do so. With that said, Ekblad has a lot of competition to overthrow, but there are several reasons he should have the edge moving forward.

First and foremost, the Florida Panthers’ first overall pick is the only defenseman in the running, outside of John Klingberg and Damon Severson. His six goals and 19 assists put him third in rookie scoring, and he has maintained a plus-8 rating through 43 contests. Check out Ekblad’s first goal as an NHL player.

Not only did he demonstrate good decision-making and passing ability, but his shot exhibited pinpoint accuracy with a sleek touch of finesse in the follow-through. In terms of offense, he has continued to impress on the score sheet, which has kept him alive against such a competitive rookie class.

In terms of team success, Forsberg cleans house in that department. However, Ekblad deserves a lot of credit for the Cats’ 20-13-10 record. He has played about 22 mins per game and has yet to miss a contest. His plus-8 rating is good for second on the team and best among defensemen. He is also second on the team in assists (19), powerplay points (5) and shots (94). When asked about his success, Ekblad told Fox Sports the following: “After I got out of the way in Nashville there, that rough first shift, got hit a couple of times pretty good. That was kind of my welcome-to-the-NHL-moment and on from there, I just felt like I kind of belonged and felt like I could play in the league, obviously with a lot of help and support from the guys that are in this room.” He is very mature for his age and has proven his skill at both ends of the ice. This should be enough to make him the number one candidate for the Calder right now, but there are even more reasons to consider him the top dog.

As it stands, Ekblad is 18 years old and will be turning 19 on February 7th. He has never played professional hockey outside of the NHL and jumped straight into the league from the OHL. His counterparts, Forsberg and Gaudreau, have very different stories coming into the NHL. Forsberg, who is currently 20 years old, spent almost three full seasons in Sweden’s second tier professional league and had a very productive season in the AHL last year. Gaudreau is a 21-year-old rookie who spent his early years in the NCAA with Boston College after a full season of junior hockey. Both players have had a tremendous amount of time to improve their game and have used it wisely, while Ekblad is an 18-year-old rookie learning on the fly.

In terms of position, Gaudreau and Forsberg are wingers playing with very capable units on their respective teams. Though Ekblad benefits from playing with Brian Campbell, he is still just a kid manning an NHL blueline. If not anything else, this should be the leading reason for his number one status in the Calder race. In the past, top defensive draft picks have tried to perform on a similar level but have failed tremendously. Using Seth Jones, Ryan Murray, Adam Larsson and Erik Gudbranson as examples, all four players were projected to be top three picks but have yet to find their footing in the NHL. Ekblad is not only a top rookie this year, but one of the best at his position in the last five years.

“That was kind of my welcome-to-the-NHL-moment and on from there, I just felt like I kind of belonged and felt like I could play in the league, obviously with a lot of help and support from the guys that are in this room.”-Aaron Ekblad

Barring an injury, Ekblad should make a very strong case for the Calder Trophy as the season concludes. Even though all three players are superb NHL talents with bright futures, Ekblad has been an absolute dream for the Panthers. He seems to be improving with every game and is truly an elite-level talent from the blueline. His rare combo of skill and youth at his position needs to be honored, and there may not be a more deserving player than Aaron Ekblad for a very long time.

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