Kaprizov claims Calder Trophy as NHL's top rookie

Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov won the Calder Trophy on Tuesday night as the NHL's best first-year player in 2021.

Here's how the voting went:

Kaprizov led all rookies with 27 goals and 51 points over 55 games this season. The 24-year-old ranked second in the class with 24 assists while leading all first-year forwards with an average ice time of 18:18.

The talented Russian led the Wild in goals and points while placing second on the team in assists. Kaprizov also drove possession with an expected goals for percentage of 50.34 at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.

Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson and Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic were the other finalists.

Robertson led all rookies with 28 assists while tying for second among his counterparts with 17 goals and ranking second in the group with 45 points. The soon-to-be 22-year-old's average ice time of 16:53 was second only to Kaprizov among forwards in the class.

Nedeljkovic played only 23 games in 2021, but the 25-year-old proved more than capable of handling the Hurricanes' No. 1 netminding job amid Petr Mrazek's injury. Nedeljkovic went 15-5-3 with a .932 save percentage. He also posted the NHL's second-best goals saved above expected (12.04) and fourth-best goals saved above average (13.62) at five-on-five, according to Evolving Hockey.

The Professional Hockey Writers Association votes annually to determine the Calder Trophy finalists and winner.