Top draft picks Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin had slow starts but have found their stride while more unlikely players have emerged as young talents at forward, defense and goaltender positions.
The Calder award is largely statistically driven and therefore typically given to forwards – since 1990 only three defensemen have won top rookie honors.
We took that into account but also recognized the difficulty of breaking into the NHL as a defenseman or goalie.
So who is No.1? Let's have a look.