Online Table Games

NHL Rookies Trivia (Calder Winners + Notable Rookie Seasons)

Rookie seasons define careers. The Calder Trophy recognizes the NHL's best first-year player, but some incredible rookie performances never won the award due to stacked competition. From Teemu Selänne's 76-goal explosion to Auston Matthews' four-goal debut, rookie trivia covers the most impressive NHL introductions. This quiz tests your knowledge of award winners, record-breaking debuts, and the rookies who announced themselves as stars immediately.

January 24, 2026

The Calder Trophy

Q: Which trophy is awarded to the NHL's top rookie each season?

A: The Calder Memorial Trophy.

Q: Which Finnish winger scored 76 goals as a rookie for the Winnipeg Jets in 1992-93?

A: Teemu Selänne, still the single-season rookie goal record.

Q: Which Washington Capitals winger won the Calder Trophy in 2005-06?

A: Alex Ovechkin with 52 goals and 106 points.

Q: Which Chicago Blackhawks forward won the Calder Trophy in 2007-08?

A: Patrick Kane with 72 points.

Q: Which Avalanche center won the Calder Trophy in 2013-14 as a teenager?

A: Nathan MacKinnon with 63 points.

If these trivia questions were easy, you'll love Gridzy Hockey, it turns NHL trivia into a daily 3×3 puzzle with only 9 guesses.

Q: Which Toronto Maple Leafs center won the Calder Trophy in 2016-17?

A: Auston Matthews with 40 goals and 69 points.

Q: Which Vancouver Canucks forward won the Calder Trophy in 2018-19?

A: Elias Pettersson with 66 points.

Q: Which defenseman won the Calder Trophy in 2009-10 with the Buffalo Sabres?

A: Tyler Myers.

Q: Which Colorado Avalanche defenseman won the Calder Trophy in 2019-20?

A: Cale Makar with 50 points in just 57 games.

Q: Which New York Islanders center won the Calder Trophy in 2017-18?

A: Mathew Barzal with 85 points.

Record-Breaking Debuts

Q: How many goals did Auston Matthews score in his NHL debut?

A: Four goals in his first game for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Q: Which player scored the most goals in a single rookie season?

A: Teemu Selänne with 76 goals.

Q: Which rookie defenseman set a franchise record for points by a first-year defenseman with Colorado?

A: Cale Makar with 50 points in 57 games.

Think you really know hockey history? Put it to the test with Gridzy, a daily NHL grid game where players, teams, trophies, and milestones all collide.

Goalie Calder Winners

Q: Which New Jersey Devils goalie won the Calder Trophy in 1993-94?

A: Martin Brodeur, beginning a legendary career.

Q: Which Columbus Blue Jackets goalie won the Calder Trophy in 2008-09?

A: Steve Mason.

Q: Which Chicago Blackhawks goalie won the Calder Trophy in 1990-91?

A: Ed Belfour.

Unusual Calder Wins

Q: Which 30-year-old Russian winger won the Calder Trophy in 1989-90 despite being a veteran in international hockey?

A: Sergei Makarov with the Calgary Flames. The NHL changed the age limit for Calder eligibility after this controversial win.

Q: Which Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche center won the Calder Trophy in 1994-95?

A: Peter Forsberg with 50 points in 47 games during the lockout-shortened season.

Recent Calder Winners

Q: Which Seattle Kraken forward won the Calder Trophy in 2023-24?

A: Check current winner (article written before this season concluded).

Q: Which Anaheim Ducks forward won the Calder Trophy in 2021-22?

A: Trevor Zegras (finalist; actual winner was Moritz Seider of Detroit).

Q: Which Detroit Red Wings defenseman won the Calder Trophy in 2021-22?

A: Moritz Seider.

Want more than just trivia questions? Play Gridzy Hockey and see if you can complete today's NHL grid without reusing a single player.

Why Rookie Seasons Matter

First impressions define career trajectories. Teams invest heavily in young players, and strong rookie seasons justify draft positions, earn bigger contracts, and set expectations. Calder winners often become franchise cornerstones, while disappointing rookies struggle to recover lost confidence.

The Rookie Wall

Most first-year players hit a wall around January when the NHL's 82-game grind wears them down. College and junior seasons are shorter, schedules are less demanding, and competition is weaker. Calder winners are the ones who maintain performance through exhaustion.

Rookie Scoring Trends

Modern rookie scoring has changed. Expansion increased NHL rosters, giving more rookies ice time. Rule changes opened up the game, allowing skilled rookies to produce immediately. Today's Calder winners put up numbers that would have been unthinkable in the defensive-focused eras of the past.

Play Gridzy Hockey Free Every Day

Gridzy Hockey is Shurzy's daily NHL grid game where you pretend you're "just messing around" and then suddenly you're 15 minutes deep arguing with yourself about whether some 2009 fourth-liner qualifies as a 40-goal guy.

You get nine guesses to fill a 3×3 grid, you can't reuse players, and every pick is either a genius flex or instant regret. So yeah, it's basically hockey trivia with stakes.

New grid drops every day at 6:00am ET, which is perfect because nothing says "healthy morning routine" like panicking over who won the Lady Byng in 1998. If you think you know puck, prove it.

Go play Gridzy right now!

‍

Share this post: