Barzal Named Finalist For Calder Memorial Trophy

The National Hockey League announced today that New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal is one of three finalists, along with Brock Boeser and Clayton Keller, for the Calder Memorial Trophy. The award is given annually to "the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League."
The winner is selected by a poll of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association members at the conclusion of the regular season and will be announced Wednesday, June 20, during the 2018 NHL Awards presented by Hulu at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

Barzal, 20, led the Islanders in points (85) and assists (63) in 82 games this season. The Coquitlam, BC native is one of five rookies in NHL history with at least 63 assists in a season; the only other active NHL player with at least 63 assists in his rookie season is Sidney Crosby. Barzal's 63 assists matched Bryan Trottier's Islanders rookie record.

Barzal joined Denis Potvin as the only rookies in Islanders history to lead the team in both assists and points. Barzal's 85 points are the third most of any Islanders rookie behind Trottier (95 points in 1975-76) and Mike Bossy (91 points in 1977-78).
In his first season, Barzal was one of four Islanders to appear in all 82 games this season. He recorded nine games with at least three points, including three five-point games. On November 5 vs. Colorado and February 9 vs. Detroit, he set an Islanders rookie record with five assists in a game. Barzal scored his first NHL hat trick on December 23 vs. Winnipeg and was named the NHL's Rookie of the Month for January.
The Islanders selected Barzal in the first round (16th overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft