It's time for the poll that is always the first I run after the start of the season, where you get to choose the Calder Trophy finalists. While there are some who are seemingly frontrunners, at least it's not like last season when one finalist was basically a done deal before the puck even dropped on game one.

Before I get to the nuances of voting, I do want to emphasize one thing. You're voting for who will get nominated for the Trophy; and although the three who achieve that honour often were also the three best when it came to fantasy, that is not always the case. Something to keep that in mind.

As for the voting, I've put together a list of the 17 players I think have the best chance at being a Calder finalist. You should pick exactly three – no more, no less. There are three exceptions though, which allow you to indicate whether you think that one, two, or even all three of the finalist will not be among the 17 I've listed.

The first is "Three rookies not listed here", which you should choose as your only vote if you think none of the 17 will indeed be a Calder finalist. The second is "Two rookies not listed here", meaning you think one of the 17 players will be a finalist but two who are not among the 17 will be the others. If you choose this option, you should vote for it as well as the one player among the 17 you do believe will be a finalist, for a total of two votes. Lastly, there is a "One rookie not listed here" choice, meaning you believe two finalists will be among the 17, but one won't. In that case, vote for the two you think will, plus that as your third vote. Oh, and if you think the finalists are guaranteed to be among the 17, consider that last season Brock Faber, who ended up a finalist, was not among the voting options, yet a mere two voted for the "One rookie not listed here" choice. Something to ponder.

With all that out of the way, what follows are the 17 voting choices, listed in alphabetical order. The link to cast your votes will be at the end of the column. 

Justus Annunen

With Alexandar Georgiev's trouble from last season having seemingly seeped into 2024-25, the door has swung open for Anunen to become if not the outright #1, then at least a 1A. Let's not forget that goalies don't have to play lots of games to be a Calder finalist, as look no further than Alex Nedeljkovic in 2020-21, who was a finalist despite playing in only 23 contests.

Jackson Blake

After a dominant 2023-24 that saw him average 1.5 points per game and be named a finalist for the for the Hobey Baker Award, the thinking was Blake could go directly to the NHL, which he has. So far he's played quite well despite quite low TOI, averaging over a point per every other game and nearly two SOG per contest. With how Carolina juggles lines, if Blake continues to impress he could see more TOI, and likely a spot on a scoring unit.

Joel Blomqvist

With a combined nearly $8M going to Tristan Jarry and Alex Nedlejkovic, most felt they'd be the two who'd see all the action for the Pens in net for 2024-25. That was before both have played terribly. Enter Blomqvist, a former second rounder who's arguably looked the best of the trio, at least in the early going. Could we see a repeat of Jake Oettinger displacing Braden Holtby and Anton Khudobin a few seasons ago? If so, Blomqvist likely would be a shoe in for a Calder spot.

Macklin Celebrini

The Hobey Baker winner and consensus first overall draft pick wasted no time making an major NHL impression, scoring barely seven minutes into his NHL, which is the fastest time for a first overall pick to net his first goal since some guy named Mario Lemieux. Sidelined since that first game, where he looked strong with a goal and an assist, Celebrini will likely vault right back into the Calder conversation when he makes his return.

Cutter Gauthier

Yet another Hobey Baker finalist, Gauthier has not looked at all out of place in the NHL, shooting the puck left and right. If he can up the ice time he's getting, including on the PP, he could start to pile on the points, especially since very few Duck forwards really have a "spot" locked up.

Lane Hutson

For sure Hutson oozes talent, but Mike Matheson, who has kept on getting better with each passing season, is not going to cede his gig as the team's option for blueline offense without a fight. Hutson is small in stature, which has historically not been a recipe for big production among NHL d-men. But maybe he can break the mold, and secure a Calder nomination in the process?

Nikolai Kovalenko

The young Russian posted two impressive totals in the KHL, setting the bar high for what he'd be able to do at the NHL level. Given all the injuries the Avs have encountered, plus no one other than Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Casey Mittelstadt guaranteed top six spots, Kovalenko could hit the line lottery, in which case he could grab a Calder finalist spot.

Victor Mancini

Don't look now, but the largely unheralded Mancini is playing great hockey for the Rags. Yes, the team has Adam Fox, K'Andre Miller and Jacob Trouba commanding major minutes, but that still leaves room for Mancini to be a second or at worst third pairing d-man. With the Rags' potent offense Mancini could score enough to merit Calder consideration.

Rutger McGroarty

Somehow McGroarty's 52 points in 36 NCAA games did not earn him a Hobey Baker finalist spot. But it did seemingly get him a ticket to Pittsburgh. Although he's yet to make a major impact, with Pittsburgh's top-six more wide open than it's been in a long time, he just might get put in the perfect spot to thrive.

Matvei Michkov

Thought by many to be likely take as long or even longer than Kirill Kaprizov to come stateside, instead Michkov is here as a teen, and, so far, as good if not even better than advertised. He is not shooting a ton, and is a minus player; yet he seems to be instant offense, and the Flyers need every bit of that they can get. He has to be considered a favorite to be a finalist.

Arturs Silovs

After looking great for stretches of the 2024 playoffs, Silovs was thought by many to have earned the back-up gig in Vancouver. But some early stumbles, coupled with the success of Kevin Lankinen, have kept Silovs largely glued to the bench. Still, Lankinen probably will be the odd many out once Thatcher Demko returns, which could be enough to allow Silovs to recapture his magic and earn a Calder nod.

Will Smith

Expected by many to score as much if not more than Celebrini given that he has an extra year under his belt, thus far Smith has largely struggled in the NHL, although in fairness many on the Sharks have done poorly as well, and he had a multipoint game just last week. There likely is not a universe in which he doesn't stick with the Sharks, in which case he should get every chance to play his way out of the early slump he's had.

Logan Stankoven

After looking plenty NHL ready late last season and during the playoffs, thus far it's been Stankoven who's been slotted in the coveted third spot alongside Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz, not Wyatt Johnston. Even if that were to change, with the balanced system that the Stars run chances are Stankoven could still thrive if he gets bumped off the top line.

Jack Thompson

Going into 2024-25, no one knew who'd lay claim to the PP QB spot for the Sharks. But based on early indications Thompson could indeed be in the mix. Although as indicated above the Sharks may have difficulty scoring, should Thompson's land the PP1 QB gig it could help him get enough points for a nomination.

Maxim Tsyplakov

Eligible for the Calder by a mere four days, the now 26-year-old Tsyplakov comes to the Isles with three years of KHL experience, so he should be able to hit the ground running. That is exactly what he's done, seemingly entrenching himself in the top six in doing so. The Isles will need all the scoring they can get, and if Tsyplakov gives it to them he will leaned on more and more, boosting his Calder odds in the process.

Dustin Wolf

Entering the season with a shot to be the everyday goalie for the Flames, Wolf has looked quite impressive in the early going. With stellar numbers at every stage of his career thus far, Wolf just might be the next Jake Oettinger or Andrei Vasilevskiy, sewing up a starter gig despite not even being 24 years old.

**********

Remember that your task is to vote for the three of these players you believe will be the Calder finalists for 2024-25. As noted, there are options to vote instead for one, two, or even all three not being listed; just follow the instructions above if you choose to go that route. The link to cast your votes is here.

************

Questions for Mailbag Column

My monthly mailbag column is next week and I'm still looking for questions. To get yours to me, either private message “rizzeedizzee” via the DobberHockey Forums or, instead, send an email to [email protected] with “Roos Mailbag” as the subject line.