The Journey: Calder Race Check-in & NCAA Standouts

Hadi Kalakeche

2021-11-13

Welcome back to The Journey, where we follow hockey prospects and their paths to the NHL, providing Fantasy predictions and analysis along the way.

This week, I wanted to circle back to the Calder trophy race and highlight the prospects who have set themselves up to win the award. It's early on — some prospects haven't even played their fifth NHL game — but with players such as William Eklund and Hendrix Lapierre being returned to their development clubs in order to save a year of their contract, the race  is becoming a bit clearer.

First off, we'll start with the rookie scoring leader, the Red Wings' very own Lucas Raymond.

Lucas Raymond, RW — Detroit Red Wings

The Swedish winger has managed to anchor himself onto the top line with Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi, the Wings' best center and left winger respectively. As a result, the prospect has tallied 14 points through his first 14 games, using his deceptive and quick skating to find soft ice all over the offensive zone. His ability to release the puck quickly and accurately has made him a staple of the Wings' top power-play unit, along with the next player on this list. For me, he's the most likely prospect to win the Calder, but he wouldn't be my pick.

Moritz Seider, RD — Detroit Red Wings

Another Red Wing makes the Calder shortlist; Seider would be the player I'd award the Calder to. I have never seen a 20-year-old defenseman enter this league and just make it seem like a piece of cake. Seider's ability to identify and stifle threats in the quickest, most efficient way possible makes hockey seem like a breeze, and he has earned more than his fair share of points so far with 11. He has quarterbacked the Wings' top power-play unit with smarts and purpose, moving the box at will using his four-way mobility, and has thrown a couple of bone-crushing hits already. His adaptation to the NHL game has been seamless.

Jonathan Dahlén, LW — San Jose Sharks

The 23-year-old rookie has started his rookie season with a bang, coming over after a 45-game, 71-point season in the Swedish Allsvenskan to earn a rookie-leading six goals in 11 games, for eight points total. His release is strong and accurate enough to make him a regular power-play threat, but what makes him stand out above the rest is his ability to pop up unmarked in open areas. He has been more than able to exchange the puck quickly with his teammates to create open ice for himself. He seems to have earned his spot on the Sharks, and is making a very good first impression.

Bowen Byram, LD — Colorado Avalanche

Byram has been elevated into a role on the Avalanche that best suits his ability to dictate the pace of play. Over the past five games, the prospect has seen his minutes reach a high of 26 and a low of 22, while prior to that he had played 21 minutes as his highest amount. The prospect is now out there on the power-play, the penalty-kill, in the last minutes of periods and in moments where the team needs a goal. He even managed a two-goal, three-point night against the Blue Jackets in a 5-4 overtime loss, and is looking more like a top-pair blueliner every day. He should absolutely be in the mix for the Calder.

Anton Lundell, C — Florida Panthers

Lundell's defensive abilities have been a staple of his game since day one, but his offensive upside was often questioned. The prospect has managed a respectable six points in his first nine NHL games, and he seems poised to remain with the Panthers for the year. Although his faceoff percentage has not been anywhere near what it was in Finland, the prospect has still managed to influence play positively and create more chances than he gives up. Although he's a dark horse to win it, Lundell could turn it up a notch with some added faceoff wins and catapult himself into Calder territory.

Dawson Mercer, C/RW — New Jersey Devils

When Mercer made the Devils' opening night roster last month, he made it without leaving any doubt in anyone's mind that it was the right decision. He has proven the Devils right so far, dominating play at both ends while earning seven points through his first 11 games. He will be remaining the full year with the team and has even earned additional responsibilities as the team's 2C with Jack Hughes out with an injury. His intensity and tremendous smarts have been on display night in, night out — nothing but good things to say about this prospect.

Alex Nedeljkovic, G — Detroit Red Wings

Nedeljkovic, despite being a Calder runner-up last year, is still considered a rookie goaltender, and has been the most impressive of them so far. He has managed a 3-2-0 record on a rebuilding Red Wings team, with a 2.89 goals against average and a .914 save percentage. The fact that he is somehow in the running for the Rookie of the Year trophy for a second year in a row is both very impressive and very strange, but the netminder is making the most of it with regular ten-bell saves. Here's to a healthy season for Ned — he certainly deserves it.

NCAA Standouts

The NCAA season is well underway, and I wanted to take a quick look at the prospects, especially rookies, who have stood out in their respective programs. Let's jump right into it:

Scott Morrow, RD (UMass) — Carolina Hurricanes

I told you all — Scott Morrow is legit. I said it maybe 40 times last year: don't sleep on Scott Morrow. Well, he has eight points in his first eight NCAA games now. I hope you're all happy.

Seriously, there is very little to dislike about the way Morrow sees and plays the game of hockey. He fakes and jukes his way to the offensive zone with what can only be described as an urgent poise, using just the right amount of delay to connect plays fluidly while tricking the opponent into thinking he's going to up the tempo with a shoulder drop or a stick fake.

He's scored some big goals already, and is only going to get better from here. If he continues on this development curve, he should very well be a productive NHL offensive defenseman at some point in the near future.

Sean Farrell, LW (Harvard) — Montréal Canadiens

Farrell's rookie NCAA season has been stellar so far, with 10 points in only five games played for Harvard. He has been dominant on the power-play, and lethal in-transition with his dual-threat offense, high-end processing and dynamic skating. The 124th overall pick in 2020 was called a steal by Cole Caufield immediately after his selection by the Canadiens, and it's shaping up to be pretty true. The ECAC conference in which Farrell plays isn't the strongest, but he managed an assist against Northeastern's stalwart blue line, so it can't be the only factor in his production.

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Hadi K.

Follow me on Twitter @HadiK_Scouting for all of your fantasy prospect needs!

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