When you think of the Calder Trophy what names come to mind?
Is it Mikael Renberg with 38 goals and 44 assists during Martin Brodeur’s rookie season?
Is it Marek Svatos posting 32 goals in 2005-06 as Sidney Crosby managed 102 points and still didn’t win?
Or most recently, is it Beckett Sennecke posting 23G-37A-60pts, only to be overshadowed by the spectacular play of Matthew Schaefer?
The truth is, every year, there are breakout young talents who might not get the hardware in spite of putting up one hell of a rookie campaign.
As training camps have begun, we take you through our 3 picks for Calder Trophy Darkhorses in the 2026-‘27 NHL season.
ROGER McQUEEN
The 10th Overall pick from the 2025 draft is set to make his NHL debut this year, and do so in a big way. After recording 27 points in 36 games for Providence College last season, he earned Hockey East Rookie of the Year honours. But talent and skill aren’t everything when looking at potential breakout young talent. One must also consider opportunity and filling a role, and McQueen comes with both.
An unprecedented off-season saw the Anaheim Ducks endure a mass exodus of players while navigating the earth-shattering contracts for Leo Carlsson and [soon to be] Cutter Gauthier. With the likes of Mason McTavish, Olen Zellweger, and most recently, Chris Kreider going out, not to mention, injuries to key players like Troy Terry, this is a Ducks team desperate for support beyond their top line.
That’s where McQueen comes in.
At 6’5″, 197lbs, he’s a large-frame Centre with high-offensive skill. Think poor man’s Tage Thompson. He’s a young talent with great hands, a booming shot, and a massive frame he is still filling out.
With one main caveat. This kid can win draws.
In his 36GP last season, he went 313 for 568 (55%) in the dot and is regarded as very responsible defensively. By comparison within the Ducks, Mikael Granlund in the number 2 role, comes with a career faceoff percentage of 48.6%. Leo Carlsson in the number 1 spot is far worse, averaging a meagre 41% in the dot over his 3 NHL seasons.
The bottom line: Anaheim is starving for secondary scoring, an answer in the faceoff circle, and a well-rounded centre to anchor the second line. Roger McQueen checks every single one of those boxes. The opportunity is staring him right in the face, leaving only one final question:
is he ready to take the reins?
5 FOR FIGHTING PROJECTIONS
The Moonshot: Best Case Scenario he takes over 2nd Line Centre, plays occasional Penalty Kill, and gets moved up to take faceoffs on Power Play 1 in lieu of Leo. With Time on Ice coming in around 18-19 minutes a game, McQueen could manage 20G-40A-60pts (or higher).
The Baseline: Most likely, he’ll be in the 45pt range, but play some very meaningful minutes down the stretch as his game starts to adapt to the NHL level.
ROMAN KANTSEROV
While Montreal seems to have their finger on the pulse for top-tier young Russian talent, like Demidov and Zharovsky, it seems the
Chicago Blackhawks have found their own Siberian sensation.
Drafted 44th Overall in the 2023 NHL draft, Roman Kantserov is ready to transition from the KHL and into the Show.
Possibly possessing the greatest statistical upside of the three on this list, Kantserov looks to be the dual threat they’ve been craving alongside Bedard. Last season he scored 36G-28A-64pts in 63 GP for Magnitogorsk of the KHL. That was good enough to not only be the highest goal total for a player under age 22, but to also lead the entire league in goals. The last time a 21 year old accomplished that feat? 2018-2019 by none other than Kirill “The Thrill” Kaprizov, scoring 30G-21A-51pts in 57 GP.
…appeal starts with his processing speed, skill and ability to create in tight spaces, but what makes him even more compelling is how competitive and translatable his game looks despite his smaller frame.
dobberprospects.com
Coming in at just 5’9″ 176lbs, it’s a concern, but his success against seasoned KHL pros tells me he can manage just fine. Currently slotted in on Line 1 and PP1 for the Blackhawks, he fills a role they need desperately;
a counterpart to work off perennial superstar Connor Bedard.
While there is some competition to fill that position, the one bright spot on Chicago’s roster is young talent up the middle. Riding shotgun for either Bedard, Anton Frondell or Frank Nazar is a nice luxury for the rookie winger to have.
As he settles into North American lifestyle, expect big things from this high-octane Russian buzzsaw.
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The Moonshot: On the high end, Chicago hits the jackpot. Bedard, Frondell and Kantserov unite and form one of the best young offensive trios the league has seen since the early days of Matthews, Marner and Nylander.
Bedard pushes the 100pt+ pace, while Kantserov nets himself a cool 30G-40A-70pts en route to an A+ rookie campaign.
The Baseline: Finally showing some upside with multiple young prospects leading the charge, the Chicago rebuild is beginning to show its colours. They have several young pieces in play, and now they just need time to marinate.
With that comes growing pains, and I expect plenty for Kantserov. Especially given he will be the lone Russian on this team, making his off-ice acclimation just that little bit harder.
As he navigates this massive change in lifestyle, amidst the challenges of playing on a struggling team in the toughest league in the world, expect his production to be streaky, resulting in 45-55pts.
Viggo Björk
Third on this list is arguably the biggest long shot of the three,
but also my favourite.
Perhaps it’s from watching highlight clips of his performance at World Juniors last year where he posted 9pts in 7 GP
Or his time at World Championships when he posted 6pts in 8 GP as an 18 year old for Team Sweden
Or maybe I’m just biased from the numerous EA Franchises I’ve simulated with him on my roster.
Either way, something about Viggo Bjork just screams under the radar future star.
His stats from last season on the surface are a bit underwhelming, with 6G-9A-15pts in 42 GP.
That is until you realize he was only 17 years old playing in Sweden’s top professional league against men, a league notoriously known for lower-scoring and tight-checking defense.
As he moves over to NHL hockey, his size could be a concern at just 5’9″ and 181lbs. But much like Kantserov, his upside significantly outweighs his shortcomings.
Known for electrifying speed, a knack for reading the play 2 steps ahead, and a shot that can sizzle,
he’s a defensively responsible centreman who can make a living on the Power Play.
The biggest obstacle I see for this kid right now is opportunity. Unlike the Hawks and Ducks who’ve been in Rebuild or regressed from Free Agent losses, the Jets are still in the mix for a playoff spot. And it’s very difficult for a coach to clear up the necessary ice time prospects need to develop when it means limiting time for seasoned veterans like Adam Lowry or Morgan Barron.
On the flip side, the Jets have been desperate for a reliable 2C for years, and Lowry just doesn’t cut it.
If Bjork can elevate his game, and eventually take on the role that Winnipeg fans have had earmarked for Cole Perfetti the last three seasons, top-six minutes along with power play time, he could be the difference maker they need.
After a season where they went 16-24 in 1-goal games, secondary offense would go a long way to seeing the Jets making the playoffs again, and with some good fortune, Bjork might just be that missing piece.
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The Moonshot: Everything aligns, Bjork has a fantastic training camp and hits the ground running in his first 10 games. Think Elias Pettersson’s rookie campaign where he notches 17pts in his first 10 GP.
He solidifies top-6 minutes, power play stints, and even some penalty kill with injuries throughout the year. He starts hot, and will likely stumble to the finish, and once again in comparison to his fellow Swede, he’ll end the season with roughly 60pts and a nice bit of hardware to start off his NHL career.
The Baseline: The numbers game in Winnipeg catches up to him. Unless Bjork completely outplays Brad Lambert and Cole Perfetti in camp, Chevy and the Jets management likely opt for patience, sending him to the AHL for top-line minutes.
Make no mistake; this kid is a future star. But if he gets stuck centering a grinding fourth line with minimal ice time, the smart money is on him dominating the AHL this year
and winning the Calder next season instead.
While the rest of the hockey world fixates their attention on the blue-chip headliners like Gavin McKenna and Porter Martone, these are the three under the radar names I’ll be watching.
Roster battles, deployment, and health will dictate everything over the next 84 games. It wouldn’t surprise me if a couple of these guys need one more year to marinate — but the upside is undeniable.
If any of these three catch lightning in a bottle and explode into a massive rookie campaign, well, I think it’s safe to say I’ll be mentioning it on the pod, prefaced by the phrase
I fucking told ya!
Devin Pittman
5FF
This is an interesting perspective with a lot of research and facts/stats.
Let’s see how your predictions hold up.