Cale Makar Wins Calder Trophy

The National Hockey League announced this evening that Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar is the recipient of the 2019-20 Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year.
Makar received 1,538 voting points, including 116 first-place votes, beating Vancouver defender Quinn Hughes (1,337 points) and Chicago forward Dominik Kubalik (554 points). The Calder Trophy, which dates back to 1933, is awarded "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League." The winner is chosen by the Professional Hockey Writers Association in a poll at the end of the regular-season schedule.

Makar is the first defenseman in Avalanche/Nordiques history to win the Calder Trophy. He is the sixth player in franchise history to win the award and the fourth since the team relocated to Denver, joining Chris Drury (1998-99), Gabriel Landeskog (2011-12) and Nathan MacKinnon (2013-14). Peter Stastny (1980-81) and Peter Forsberg (1994-95) both won the Calder during the organization's time in Quebec.
The franchise's six Calder Trophy winners are the most of any team since the Nordiques entered the league in 1979-80. The Avalanche's four Calder winners since relocating to Denver in 1995-96 are also the most of any team. In NHL history, only Original Six members Toronto (10), Chicago (nine), Boston (eight) and the New York Rangers (eight) have had more Calder winners (Montreal also has six).
The Calgary, Alberta, native is just the 12th defenseman in NHL history to win the Calder and only the second in the last 10 seasons, joining Aaron Ekblad in 2014-15.
Makar finished second among NHL rookies in scoring with 50 points (12g/38a) in 57 games. His 0.88 points-per-game average led all rookies and tied for the third-highest total by a rookie defenseman in NHL history (min. 50 GP). Only Brian Leetch (1.04, New York Rangers, 1988-89) and Larry Murphy (0.95, Los Angeles Kings, 1980-81) averaged more.
The 21-year-old led all rookie blueliners with 12 goals and tied for first among all rookies with four game-winning tallies. His 0.21 goals-per-game average was the highest by a first-year defenseman since 2015-16 (Shayne Gostisbehere, 0.27). Makar's 38 assists ranked second among all rookies. He was first among rookie blueliners in even-strength goals (eight) and points (31) as well as power-play goals (four). He finished second among all rookies in power-play points (19) and power-play assists (15).
Makar and Hughes, who led all rookies with 53 points in 68 games, became the first defensemen to rank 1-2 in rookie scoring in the NHL's modern era (since 1943-44). Overall, only 17 rookie defensemen in NHL history have reached the 50-point mark in a season, with Makar and Hughes the first since Vladimir Malakhov (52) in 1992-93 with the New York Islanders. This was also just second season in league history to feature multiple rookie defensemen with 50 or more points; Barry Beck, Reed Larson and Stefan Persson combined for the feat in 1977-78.
Makar led Colorado's blueline in points, goals and assists, all franchise records for a rookie defenseman. His four game-winning tallies were also a franchise mark for a first-year backliner.
Makar went on to record 15 points (4g/11a) in 15 contests during the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. His 15 points were the second most ever by an NHL rookie defenseman in a single postseason, trailing only Hughes' 16 points (2g/14a) in 17 contests this year. Makar currently leads all rookies this postseason in points-per-game (1.00) and plus/minus (+12), while ranking second in assists and third in both points and goals (tied).
Makar is just the fifth rookie ever-and the only defenseman on that list-to average at least a point-per-game during a single postseason (min 15 GP). He joined Don Maloney (1979, NY Rangers), Dino Ciccarelli (1981, Minnesota), Marian Stastny (1982, Quebec) and Ville Leino (2010, Philadelphia) as the only players to do so.
Makar began the 2019-20 regular season with points in each of his first five games, becoming the fifth defenseman in NHL history to open his career with a five-game point streak. He was named the NHL's Rookie of the Month for November after leading all defensemen in points (16) and goals (seven) in 14 November games. His 16 points were the third-most ever by a rookie defenseman in November and the most by a rookie defenseman in ANY month since Alexei Zhitnik (19) in March of 1993. Makar surpassed the 20-point mark on Nov. 16, becoming just the fourth defenseman in NHL history-and the first since 1980-81-to record 20 or more points in his first 20 career games.
Selected by Colorado in the first round (fourth overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft, Makar spent two seasons at the University of Massachusetts, where he became the first player in school history to win the Hobey Baker Award as a sophomore in 2018-19. He led the Minutemen to their first-ever No. 1 ranking that year and eventually a spot in the 2019 NCAA Frozen Four Championship Game.
Seventy-two hours after winning the Hobey Baker and 48 hours after playing in the NCAA title game, Makar scored his first NHL goal on his first shot in the opening period of Colorado's Game 3 victory against Calgary on April 15, 2019. He became the first defenseman in history to score his first career goal while making his NHL debut in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Despite playing just 10 games, Makar ended up leading all NHL rookie defensemen with six points (1g/5a) during the 2019 postseason.
Internationally, Makar helped Team Canada win the gold medal at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo. He was named to the tournament's all-star team after recording eight points (3g/5a) in seven games, tops among Canadian defensemen and tied for first among all blueliners.
The highest-drafted defenseman in Avalanche history, Makar was named the 2016-17 Canadian Junior Hockey League's Most Valuable Player, Alberta Junior Hockey League Most Valuable Player and the AJHL's Most Outstanding Defenseman in his final season with the Brooks Bandits.
In addition to the Calder Memorial Trophy, Makar tonight was also named to the 2019-20 NHL All-Rookie Team. He is the first Avalanche defenseman to be named to the All-Rookie Team since John-Michael Liles in 2003-04.