Top Shelf Prospects: Calder Trophy 2013 Predictions
By Ben Kerr
A new NHL season brings with it a fresh crop of rookies, and a fresh set off hopes for the futures of nearly every NHL team. Along with helping their teams win, those rookies will also be chasing a prestigious individual award – the NHL’s Calder Trophy. The following article looks at pre-season favorites and predictions for who will be the NHL’s best freshman this season.
Hot off my success last season, when I successfully predicted the Calder Trophy win for Gabriel Landeskog. I’ve expanded this year’s list to twenty names. So without further ado, here we go.
TopShelfProspects20. Jacob Markstrom, G, Florida Panthers: Markstrom is the best goalie prospect in the world in my opinion. The 22-year old tender had a 0.927 save percentage in the AHL last season and has a 0.913 so far this season. He’s a tall goalie with good reflexes and a good glove hand. So why so low on the list? Markstrom is still stuck in the AHL as the Panthers have Jose Theodore as their starter and Scott Clemmenson as the backup. He might have to wait one more year, but if Theodore is hit with an injury and Markstrom gets an opportunity in net, he could steal the Calder this season.
19. Chris Kreider, RW, New York Rangers: Following last year’s playoffs, Kreider was the talk of the NHL and the young forward straight out of Boston College was everyone’s hot pick for this season’s Calder Trophy. However, the adjustment to pro hockey hasn’t gone quite as smoothly this season, as the young budding power forward has just five goals in 33 AHL games. His performance in last year’s playoffs can’t be ignored, so he makes the list. However, his current form also has him placing extremely low.
Darren Helm has inked a four-year contract worth $8.5 million with the Detroit Red Wings. In 68 games with the Wings in 2011-12, he had 9 goals and 17 assists. Helm would've been a restricted free agent in July. His regular season was cut short by a sprained knee and he sustained a torn left forearm tendon in Game 1 of the opening round against Nashville. However, he is expected to fine for training camp. Read more...
A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.
Wayne Gretzky
A series of rumors about my attitude, as well as derogatory remarks about myself and my family showed me that the personal resentment of the Detroit general manager toward me would make it impossible for me to continue playing hockey in Detroit.
Ted Lindsay
All hockey players are bilingual. They know English and profanity.
Gordie Howe
Baseball happens to be a game of cumulative tension but football, basketball and hockey are played with hand grenades and machine guns.
John Leonard
Basketball isn't as popular in Canada as it is in the US. Hockey is by far the most popular sport in Canada.
Steve Nash
But if kids take up things like hockey and football they will go back to it.
Daley Thompson
But inside of me I knew that the Olympics were still there. I was still young enough. I knew that once I transitioned out of hockey, it would be really hard to go back.
Angela Ruggiero
But the truth is, growing up in California, we knew nothing about hockey.
Leigh Steinberg
By 1946, I knew Detroit was the best hockey city in the Original Six.
Ted Lindsay
Canada is hockey.
Mike Weir
Canadian hockey fans... They boo me every time I go anywhere. Because I play for Team USA.
Brett Hull
Canadians send us great hockey players. You also send us wonderful performers, from the beginning, with Mary Pickford.
Jamie Farr
Every day is a great day for hockey.
Mario Lemeiux
Figure skaters have awful perceptions of hockey players.
Kristi Yamaguchi
For as long as I can remember I wanted to be a professional hockey player.
Mario Lemeiux
For the next approximately three years, I have got Nathan to take care of. I know that once he graduates from high school, he will be off doing whatever it is he is going to be doing - probably playing ice hockey.
Barbara Mandrell
Free agency screws everybody's allegiances up. Whether it be football, baseball, hockey, basketball, whatever it may be. It's really hard.
Bill Goldberg
Growing up, if I hadn't had sports, I don't know where I'd be. God only knows what street corners I'd have been standing on and God only knows what I'd have been doing, but instead I played hockey and went to school and stayed out of trouble.
Bobby Orr
Hockey has given me everything, most importantly it brought me to Swift Current, where I met my wife Deb.
Joe Sakic
Hockey is a sport for white men. Basketball is a sport for black men. Golf is a sport for white men dressed like black pimps.
Tiger Woods Read more...
Has the Devils' Martin Brodeur made a convincing case for winning the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP?
If the Devils come back and win I think he gets it no doubt.
Can you imagine him getting that even if the Devils lose? What would it take?
From the Puck Daddy Blog:
We need to start talking about Brodeur Giguere'ing this thing.Brodeur is the reason the Devils are still vying for the Cup, outplaying Quick in Games 4 and 5 while continuing to be the catalyst for his team. His GAA is 2.00 and his save percentage is .922. If the Kings win the Cup in Game 6, it's difficult to imagine Quick not getting MVP honors; that said, if Brodeur is the difference in Game 6 and then plays valiantly in Game 7, might a sentimental media voting block decide to give him the Conn as a tribute and for the odd nostalgic twist after Jean-Sebastien Giguere won MVP in a losing effort against the Devils in 2003?
Dustin Brown was not on the ice at all during the last 3:56 minutes of Game 5 Saturday. Brown has struggled offensively during the Stanley Cup Final and one has to wonder if he is injured as he has only one point in five games in addition to not playing at the end of Saturday's game. We guess we will find out for sure once the Stanley Cup is over and all injuries are finally revealed.
Source: Los Angeles Times Read more...
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