The final five NHL awards are being handed out.
The second award of the night was the Calder Memorial Trophy, handed out to the NHL’s top rookie. Detroit Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider took home the trophy after a stellar first season.
Toronto Maple Leafs winger Michael Bunting and Anaheim Ducks center Trevor Zegras were the other two finalists.
The 21-year-old was the sixth-overall pick by Detroit back in 2019 and spent his post-draft season with AHL Grand Rapids before playing in Sweden last season. The extra season certainly was beneficial as he led all rookie defensemen with 50 points (seven goals and 43 assists), the third-highest point output from a rookie rearguard in the last 30 years. Seider also led all rookies (including forwards) in assists and power-play points while logging more than 23 minutes a game to lead all Detroit defensemen.
As a result, the vote wasn’t particularly close. Of the 195 PHWA members to cast a ballot, Seider was ranked first on 170 of them while he was the only player to appear in the top three on every ballot.
The full results of the voting can be found here.
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