Canadiens Rookie Demidov Named Calder Trophy Finalist

Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

The good news keeps coming for the Montreal Canadiens. Fresh off a tightly-contested series win versus the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the NHL Playoffs, Habs rookie Ivan Demidov has been named a finalist for the Calder Trophy, awarded annually to the best first-year player in the league.

Demidov, 29, finished the year as the highest scoring rookie in the NHL, with 19 goals and 43 assists in 82 games to his credit. He will be up against Matthew Schaefer (New York Islanders) and Beckett Sennecke (Anaheim Ducks), two very solid freshman players in their own right.

This is the second consecutive season in which a Canadiens player is a finalist for the illustrious trophy, with phenom Lane Hutson having taken it home in 2024-25 after a jaw-dropping campaign that saw him produce 66 points on Montreal’s blue line.

It’s also the second consecutive season in which Demidov will be in the running to take home the Rookie of the Year award in a professional hockey league. He was awarded the KHL Aleksei Cherepanov Trophy in the KHL last year, the Russian equivalent of the Calder Trophy.

Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks

Schaefer is considered the favourite to take home the trophy due to the fact that he’s an 18-year-old defenceman who somehow scored 23 goals, a ridiculous feat. He played big minutes for the Islanders, and was even in the mix for a role with Team Canada at the Olympics.