Hockey Mathew Barzal named finalist for Calder Trophy by Chris Passarelli April 23, 2018 In probably the least surprising news of the NHL season, Mathew Barzal was named a finalist for the Calder Trophy. The Calder Trophy is the award given to the NHL’s top rookie during the regular season. Barzal is joined by Clayton Keller of the Arizona Coyotes and Brock Boeser of the Vancouver Canucks. It should be an easy decision, but all three candidates are well deserving. After being sent down after just two games during the 2016-17 season, Barzal lit up the league with 85 points. He compiled 22 goals and 63 assists, and was usually the most dynamic player on the ice at any given time. He is the future of the Islanders with or without John Tavares, and he’s going to turn into a perennial All-Star and maybe a Hall of Famer down the road. It’s very tough putting those kind of expectations on the 20 year old, but he deserves all the praise he can get. Garth Snow actually hit it out of the park with this pick, taking Barzal with the 16th overall pick in the 2015 draft. Barzal has swagger, some serious skating skills, and a knack for the dramatic. He is a game changing forward and will continue to improve as the years go by. It’s an incredible honor to win the Calder Trophy, and he will surely do so at the NHL Awards after the Stanley Cup playoffs end. It’s not the end that Barzal imagined but the Calder will be the icing on the cake of a great season. Hopefully by next year the Islanders will be able to get back to the Stanley Cup playoffs and Barzal will be going for a trophy a little more prestigious. Until then, he’ll relish in victory as he wins the Calder Trophy and will continue to be one of the best young players in the league. Post Views: 1,596 The following two tabs change content below.BioLatest Posts Chris Passarelli Football Editor - Hockey Editor - New York Islanders Lead Writer - New York Lizards Lead Writer - UConn Football Lead Writer Latest posts by Chris Passarelli (see all) NFL Network to Premiere ‘The Top 100 Players of 2020’ on July 26 - July 22, 2020 The ‘Toilet Bowl’ may be coming to Western New York - July 16, 2020 Bigger is Better; SoFi Stadium Completes Largest Videoboard in Sports - July 1, 2020 Smoltz, Vrabel and Brown talk American Century Championship and Everything in Between - June 30, 2020 Related TopicsCalder Trophymathew barzalNew York IslandersNHL Awards Click to comment You must be logged in to post a comment Login Leave a Reply Cancel replyYou must be logged in to post a comment. Newsletter Subscription Can't Miss Posts! Women in Sports: NHL Network Host, Jackie Redmond by Nicholas Durst | posted on March 4, 2019 From Paramus High School to CBS Sports, Spero Dedes is making waves in sports broadcasting by Sunil Sunder Raj | posted on October 27, 2020 Women in Sports: Podcast Host, New York Riptide Sideline Reporter, Dani Wexelman by Luke Porco | posted on March 3, 2020 Lochte, Dressel and Ledecky all Chasing Gold at 2021 Tokyo Olympics by Anthony Paradiso | posted on April 18, 2021 You Know I’m Right, Episode 109: The Athletic’s Marc Carig (Audio/Video) by Nicholas Durst | posted on April 19, 2021 More in Hockey Tim Peel is Discharged After Caught on Hot Mic Tim Peel was Discharged from the NHL After He was Caught on the Hot... NHL, Amazon Web Services Partner to Develop New Stats, Data, and Insights The National Hockey League (NHL) is partnering with Amazon Web Services (AWS) in an... You Know I’m Right, Episode 81: ESPN’s Arda Ocal (Audio/Video) On the 81st episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 80: MSG Network’s Bill Pidto (Audio/Video) On the 80th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... Game 6: Penguins attack for 8, Guentzel scores 4 in series clincher NHL: The Metro Division is here to stay