Macklin Celebrini did not become the second Calder Trophy Winner in San Jose Sharks history as the forward finished 3rd in Rookie of the Year voting.
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson won the award with 165 first-place votes out of a possible 191.
Celebrini suffered an injury during the Sharks’ first game of the season but played through it. The lower-body injury caused him to miss the next 12 games. Despite being the youngest player in the NHL, the 2024 No. 1 pick finished with 25 goals and 38 assists in 70 games.
The San Jose Sharks’ pending superstar was named a finalist for the Calder Trophy the same week he found out that Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby were joining him on Team Canada’s World Championship roster.
Gilroy, CA native Dustin Wolf finished second in Calder Trophy voting.
Voters gave Will Smith the love he deserved
Fellow San Jose Sharks rookie Will Smith finished 6th in voting for the Calder. Smith got two 4th-place votes and 56 5th-place votes.
In 74 games, Smith scored 18 goals and 27 assists. He certainly wasn’t a top-three rookie in the NHL this season, but his play during the second half of the season deserved recognition.
Smith and Macklin Celebrini shared a special bond that neither of them saw coming.
“Probably not this much to be honest,” Smith said after the season. “I think everyone knows that we were rivals before that, and we didn’t say a word to each other. It’s pretty cool, and now it is what it is.”
Smith, Celebrini, and whoever the San Jose Sharks pick at No. 2 at the 2025 NHL Draft are expected to be the cornerstones of the franchise.
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