Calder Trophy Rankings: Another goalie enters the race

It's time for another rookie class vibe check with our first edition of the Calder Trophy rankings of 2023!

It looked like Arizona Coyotes winger Matias Maccelli was going to make his debut on these rankings, but he's expected to miss about five more weeks with a lower-body injury, which threw a wrench into those plans.

There are still two new faces on the list this time around, so let's get into it.

5. Wyatt Johnston, Stars

Johnston may not have been on everyone's Calder Trophy shortlist to start the season, but he went ahead and earned his debut on these rankings thanks to a strong December. He found the back of the net five times last month, drawing him even with Matty Beniers for the most goals by a rookie so far this campaign. Perhaps more impressive, Johnston sees the least amount of ice time out of all first-year players that have reached the 10-goal mark in 2022-23.

In addition, nine of the youngster's goals have come at even strength, good for the third-most on the Stars. Johnston's producing at a fantastic rate of 1.15 goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five, which is the highest clip among all rookies to play at least 300 minutes this season and ranks within the top 40 when accounting for all skaters. Not too shabby for a 19-year-old working through his first few months in the NHL.

Johnston has also been centering a line with Jamie Benn and Mason Marchment recently with some promising results despite the small sample size. The trio could potentially pay dividends for the Stars if Johnston continues to exceed expectations.

4. Logan Thompson, Golden Knights

Let us start by acknowledging that Thompson has cooled down considerably from his red-hot start. He went 5-5-1 in December, posting a .905 save percentage and 2.92 goals against average, as well as an increasingly shoddy minus-4.64 goals saved above average and minus-5.49 goals saved above expected at five-on-five.

All that said, his 18 wins on the season are tied for the second-most in the league, alongside Connor Hellebuyck, while his save percentage and goals against average rank within the top 20 of goalies to make at least 10 starts this campaign.

To be completely fair to Thompson, the Golden Knights have been grappling with substantial absences, especially on the back end, with the likes of Shea Theodore, Alec Martinez, Alex Pietrangelo, and Zach Whitecloud all missing time in December. This is also Thompson's first year as a starting goalie; the 25-year-old has already far surpassed his previous career high of 17 starts in a single season, so his little slump might just be growing pains as he continues to find consistency at the NHL level.

Either way, Vegas is one of the top dogs in the Western Conference, so Thompson will likely continue to rack up wins while discovering his groove.

3. Owen Power, Sabres

Here's Power on the podium, to no one's surprise.

We've mentioned Power's playing time as a major factor in his Calder Trophy contention in the past, and guess what? We're going to do it again. The Sabres defenseman sees almost three more minutes of ice time per game than Jake Sanderson, the league's second-busiest rookie.

What's more, Power's underlying metrics only got stronger in December. The 20-year-old ranks within the top three among all rookies to play at least 300 minutes at five-on-five in goals for percentage (60.9%) and shot attempts for percentage (54.2%) while placing in the top 10 in expected goals for percentage (51.8%) and shots for percentage (50.4%) this season. That's impressive, especially considering his workload.

Power missed three games with a lower-body injury last month, but he returned to action with a two-point performance on Dec. 29. He has yet to score a goal this season, but it feels like a matter of time as Power continues to grow his game. Buffalo is an exciting team to watch, and Power is a key member of the youth movement that drives the Sabres.

2. Pyotr Kochetkov, Hurricanes

Clearly, Kochetkov thought we were all fawning over Thompson too much, so he decided to force his way into the spotlight.

You may be wondering why it has taken until now for Kochetkov to debut on these rankings, and the answer is playing time. He suited up for just seven contests during the entirety of October and November, but he made seven starts in December, including a run in which he won five straight games while surrendering just five goals.

The 23-year-old is rocking a record of 10-1-4 and is tied for the most shutouts this season alongside the likes of Ville Husso, Darcy Kuemper, Hellebuyck, and Ilya Sorokin despite seeing significantly less game action than his peers. He boasts the second-best save percentage and goals against average of all netminders to make at least 10 starts in 2022-23, trailing only Vezina Trophy candidate Linus Ullmark.

The only threat to Kochetkov's Calder case is what might happen once all of Carolina's goaltenders are healthy, seeing as Frederik Andersen has been sidelined since Nov. 6. Andersen and Antti Raanta won the William M. Jennings Trophy last season as the league's top tandem, so the Canes may be reluctant to part with that duo. Kochetkov also hasn't played since Dec. 20, and coach Rod Brind'Amour said he hasn't been 100%. Carolina has since turned to Raanta, whose stellar play will make it hard for Kochetkov to seize the crease.

1. Matty Beniers, Kraken

We'd love to switch things up by picking someone else for the No. 1 spot, but Beniers keeps forcing our hand.

The Kraken youngster hasn't been as hot lately - only registering one goal and four points in 11 games since the last publication of these rankings on Dec. 6 - but he still tops all rookies in points while tying for the lead in goals. It's also important to mention that his shooting percentage during his mini-lull dropped to a mere 5%. For comparison, his career average is 16.3%, so it's reasonable to expect a few more goals from him in the near future. Even with the drought, Beniers is on pace for a respectable 59 points over the course of an 82-game season.

Beniers seemingly has had no problem carrying the pressure as the Kraken's first-ever draft pick. He's been producing at a rate of 2.38 points per 60 minutes at five-on-five, good for the highest pace among all rookies to suit up in at least 10 games this season. He's also second in the class in goals above replacement (7.8) and wins above replacement (1.3).

The 20-year-old center is still the front-runner for the Calder Trophy, but Kochetkov certainly has the potential to push him for the top spot if he sees substantial playing time down the stretch.

Honorable mentions: Mason McTavish (ANA), Maccelli (ARI), Jack Quinn (BUF), Kirill Marchenko (CBJ), Stuart Skinner (EDM), Shane Pinto (OTT), Sanderson (OTT), Cole Perfetti (WPG)

(Analytics sources: Natural Stat Trick, Evolving-Hockey)