NEWS: Kubalik Named 2020 Calder Memorial Trophy Finalist
Forward led all NHL rookies with 30 goals during 2019-20 campaign
ByCarter Baum
Blackhawks.com
Dominik Kubalik is officially a finalist for the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie.
The Czech natvie led all rookies with 30 goals during the 2019-20 season and finished just three tallies shy of Patrick Kane's team lead in the category. He added 16 assists to lead rookie forwards with 46 points in 68 games played, while also leading all NHL rookies with 38 even-strength points, 26 even-strength goals and 157 shots on goal.
He is just the fifth player in Blackhawks history to score at least 30 goals as a rookie, joining Steve Larmer (43), Darryl Sutter (40), Artemi Panarin (30) and Eric Daze (30). The 24-year-old Plzen, Czech Republic, native became the first Czech-born player in NHL history to pace rookies in goals as well as the third to reach the 30‑goal plateau, joining Petr Klima(32 in 1985-86) and Petr Prucha(30 in 2005-06)
Kubalik is joined by Colorado's Cale Makar and Vancouver's Quinn Hughes as Calder finalists. The rookie defensemen posted 50- and 53-point seasons, respectively while logging north of 21 minutes per game in average time on ice.
