2025-2026 NHL Calder Trophy Odds - Rookie of the Year Favorites

The #1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, Macklin Celebrini, was unable to follow up on his predecessor, Connor Bedard, due to the incredible season of Lane Hutson. The 21-year-old Montreal Canadiens' defenceman took home the Rookie of the Year honors, receiving 1832 total points in the 2024-25 Calder voting, including 165 first-place votes.

With a new NHL season underway. We've got hockey fanatics covered with updated odds and prices for the award all season.

2025-26 NHL Calder Trophy - Best Odds Right Now

Odds as of November 3, 2025

* = the same odds are offered by multiple sportsbooks.

2025-26 NHL Calder Trophy Odds Comparison - TOP10 Candidates

Odds as of November 3, 2025

Current Favorites

Matthew Schaefer (NYI): After selecting Matthew Schaefer first overall in the 2025 Draft, the Islanders considered having him spend a season in college, but ultimately decided to place him on the roster. Well, so far, that has proven to be a wise decision, as Schaefer won Rookie of the Month for October, notching five goals and five assists through his first 12 games.

Ivan Demidov (MTL): The Canadiens drafted this Russian phenom with the 5th pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, and while it had the potential to be a franchise-altering pick, the question was when he would come to the NHL. Well, with two games left in the regular season, Demidov made the trip to Montreal for his NHL debut. After recording one goal and one assist in his debut, Demidov went on to play five postseason games in which he recorded two assists. To start the 2025-26 season, Demidov is up to 10 points in 12 games, as he's found the back of the net three times, while dishing out seven assists.

Jakub Dobes (MTL): In his second NHL season, Dobes is proving to be another vital piece of that Canadiens' young core. During the 2024-25 season, Dobes made 15 starts and went 7-4 with a .909% save percentage. Through six games this season, Dobes has been even more impressive, going 6-0-0 with a 1.97 GAA and .930% save percentage.

2025 Calder Winner: Lane Hutson (Montreal Canadiens)

Hutson led all rookies in assists with 60 and points with 66 on the year. While the defenseman had only found the back of the net six times this season, he was tied for 9th in the league in assists through 82 games. With such numbers, the 21-year-old didn't just surpass Chris Chelios for the most points by a rookie defenseman in Montreal Canadiens' franchise history but also tied for the most assists by a rookie defenceman in NHL history with Hall of Famer Larry Murphy.

While both Matvei Michkov (80 games, 26+37) and Macklin Celebrini (70 games, 25+38) delivered truly brilliant and Calder-worthy rookie seasons, Hutson's campaign still shines the brightest in this comparison. Therefore, it isn't a surprise that all US sportsbooks closed the market with Hutson as the favorite by a wide margin.

Hutson's Calder-Worthy Stat Line

2025 NHL Calder Voting

Past Rookie of the Year Winners & Odds

Although the Calder Trophy was first presented at the conclusion of the 1936–37 NHL season, the Rookie of the Year award has been given out annually since 1933. From there to now, after Lane Hutson won the trophy in 2024-25, only 14 rookie defencemen have been able to claim the ROTY honors.

When looking between the pipes, the last time a goalie was able to win the award was back in 2009 when Steve Mason (Columbus Blue Jackets) took home the title. However, despite the 15 years of no-goalie Rookie of the Year winners, a total of 16 goaltenders have been able to win the accolade throughout the Calder Trophy's history.

The Invisible Stats That Still Influence Calder Outcomes

The influx of talent into the NHL is at an all-time high, so betting on the Calder Trophy before and early in the season has never been more challenging. Sure, there are years when the opening favorite takes home the award, but more often than not, there are a handful of players who shuffle in and out of being favored all season.

With that said, the actual question becomes what stats separate the genuine contenders, and how can bettors use that knowledge in their handicapping process? There is no exact science to betting on the award, but by focusing on a few key statistics, bettors can make more informed decisions. 

To start, a sneaky stat to look for is power-play time on ice per game. While this stat won’t accurately reflect production, it can indicate which rookies receive the most opportunities to record points. Over the past five years, the Calder winner has been in the top five for rookies in this stat.

As far as scoring goes, trends have shown that points per game holds a lot of weight in voters' eyes for this award, as most Calder winners have either led all rookies in this stat or been within the top three. During the 2023-24 season, Connor Bedard led all rookies with .90 points per game, while the second closest rookie was Luke Hughes with .57 points per game.

Stats like goals and assists will always be at the forefront, as good numbers in one or both areas are a standard. However, bettors need to look past them to identify what the voters value.

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