An inside look at the gender gap in college hockey
Monique Lamoureux-Morando knows there will be a day when she and her son will walk around the Ralph Engelstad Arena concourse at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks.
Her son will see the display honoring his mom and aunt, Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson, as the school’s two greatest women’s hockey players, not to mention two of the greatest athletes — regardless of sport — to play at UND.
They will then have what Lamoureux-Morando knows will be a difficult conversation.
“Someday, my son is going to ask why women don’t play here anymore and I have to explain that,” Lamoureux-Morando said. “I want to give [her children] opportunities. You hope when your daughter grows up, she has a chance to flourish and excel in what she’s passionate about. But you are also aware of the opportunities she does or does not have.”
At some point in the college hockey season, the questions will be asked: Why aren’t there more Division I women’s college hockey programs and for every school that fields a D-I men’s program, why is there not a women’s equivalent?
This season, there are 62 active D-I men’s programs compared to 37 D-I women’s programs. (The highest level of women’s hockey technically is called the National Collegiate division and includes the 37 Division I teams plus five Division II programs.) Syracuse has a Division I women’s team but not a men’s squad.
But of the 62 colleges and universities with a Division I men’s program, 25 do not have a comparable women’s team.
For example, there are contrasts between two of the nation’s most prominent states for the sport in Minnesota and Michigan. Minnesota has an equal number of men’s and women’s squads — six — that offer D-I hockey. Michigan, however, has seven D-I schools that have a men’s program but none of them have a women’s.
Another area of notable difference is what would be considered the western region. There are about 380 student-athletes actively playing D-I women’s hockey who are from west of Wisconsin given one of the regular lines of demarcation — the Mississippi River — cuts through Minnesota.
As expected, many of those D-I women’s hockey players who are from that western region are from Minnesota. Others come from California, Colorado and Texas, where the game continues to grow. There are also players from Canadian provinces such as Alberta and British Columbia.
Yet, the nation’s western-most women’s D-I program is at Bemidji State in Minnesota. Meanwhile, there are men’s programs at Alaska, Alaska-Fairbanks, Air Force, Arizona State, Colorado College, Denver, Nebraska Omaha and North Dakota.
That means Colorado — a state that has the NHL, AHL, three D-I men’s programs and has seen growth in boys and girls youth hockey — does not have a single D-I women’s program.
“My initial reaction is we have a lot of work to do to continue to grow the highest level of hockey on the western side of the country,” said Kristen Wright, who is a USA Hockey manager for player development. “We’ve seen it at the grassroots level in so many areas. Those players are developing and it’s a matter of how long does it take to grow our collegiate programming?”
So why is the current landscape like this and what, if anything, is being done to potentially add D-I women’s programs at colleges or universities where there is already a D-I men’s equivalent?
ESPN reached out to numerous colleges and universities with a men’s hockey program that do not have a women’s equivalent. Colorado College was the only one that made an administrator available to speak on the record about why its institution does not have a women’s program.
CC vice president/athletics director Lesley Irvine said the school is a Division III institution that has an enrollment of 2,100 students. The school competes at the Division I level in two sports: men’s hockey and women’s soccer. Irvine said men’s hockey has been “tremendous at CC and has a history.” The team has won two national titles, has 20 NCAA tournament appearances and has been around since the 1930s.
As for women’s soccer, Irvine said there was a post-Title XI realization in the 1980s that led to CC pushing to have one D-I women’s sport. The school chose soccer, with the program being a member of Conference USA before joining the Mountain West, whose headquarters are located in Colorado Springs and has several teams within driving distance.
One of the challenges CC would face in adding a women’s program is that there are no nearby schools and every game trip would require a flight.
“It is not as simple as institutions deciding they will add [a women’s hockey program] because they have a male equivalent program,” Irvine said. “You go back to the history here, it makes sense why we have those two sports. The other piece for us is we are on a small campus with 2,100 students and a 12 percent admission rate.”
Some of what Irvine laid out is part of the conversation that numerous administrators are having throughout the changing face of collegiate athletics.
While college athletics is a lucrative industry, particularly at the highest levels of football and men’s basketball, it went through a significant shift during the pandemic because of a drop in revenue. There’s a perception that athletic departments sit on piles of cash when many spend what they take in to stay current with the demands of being a competitive D-I program. Schools were examining their approach to athletics before the pandemic intensified those concerns, especially in this era of conference realignment, which has proven critical to some programs surviving, thriving or going extinct.
College hockey has felt this already. Alabama-Huntsville discontinued its men’s program in May 2021, among other sports, because of the financial challenges of the pandemic along with not being a member of a conference.
Robert Morris cut its men’s and women’s programs in May 2021 just months after the school hosted the men’s Frozen Four. In December 2021, the school announced both programs would be reinstated for the 2023-24 season thanks to fundraising efforts.
Alaska Anchorage had its hockey program, along with other sports, cut in September 2020, but the team was reinstated in August 2021 following a grassroots $3 million fundraising campaign in which the NHL’s Seattle Kraken were involved.
The schools that didn’t cut programs were left asking themselves if they could afford them at what they would consider to be a championship level or one that would allow them to remain competitive while also driving revenue.
In January, California lawmaker and former San Diego State basketball player Chris Holden presented a bill that would force schools to shape how they share earnings under what would be known as the College Athlete Protection Act. The bill would force schools that play major collegiate sports to pay their athletes in addition to covering the cost of six-year guaranteed scholarships along with post-college medical expenses.
And while the bill is in California, where there are no D-I collegiate hockey programs, the state was the first to pass a law in 2019 that allowed college athletes to make money from their name, image and likeness, or NIL.
There are considerable costs associated with introducing a new program. Schools would have to fund the hires for coaches and support staff. Then, there are the scholarship costs that come with their own dynamics, including whether scholarships come from a school’s general funds or the athletic departments.
Perhaps the most notable cost? A facility, and figuring out how to pay for it.
“If you are a school and you want to add a sport, if you add lacrosse, you might have to restripe an existing field and that is your facilities challenge,” said College Hockey Inc. executive director Mike Snee. “If you don’t have access to an adequate hockey facility, you have a $75 million nut you have to raise,” referring to the approximate cost to build a 3,000-to-4,000-seat arena.
Accessibility and cost remain long-standing issues when it comes to why the game has not grown compared to other sports.
The natural inclination is that it would be easier for a school with a men’s program to add a women’s team. That’s true, but there would still be facilities challenges. There might be the need to add two more dressing rooms, more office space and expanded strength and conditioning areas to an arena. And that doesn’t take into account other items such as increased maintenance costs and managing ice time.
There is another question to consider when it comes to adding either men’s or women’s college hockey teams.
Is there demand for it?
Irvine said some fans have asked about adding a women’s program. She said it “comes up once in a while” because Colorado College opened the Ed Robson Arena, an on-campus facility, in 2021.
Growing the game is one of the functions of College Hockey Inc. Snee said it does not typically receive a heavy number of calls from colleges and universities about adding a hockey program, which means it’s usually College Hockey Inc. that is calling schools.
Snee said the need to expand hockey is why College Hockey Inc., in conjunction with the NHL and NHLPA, offers prospective schools a feasibility study to assess if they are in a position to add a men’s or women’s program or both.
In total, 11 studies have been completed. Some have included women’s hockey and one explored only a women’s team, Snee said.
There are ongoing feasibility studies with two schools. Both are for women’s hockey only, but Snee couldn’t disclose the schools’ identities for privacy reasons.
“A feasibility study does not mean they are doing it,” Snee said. “But there is legitimacy to it and there is very much legitimacy to both of these. It is important that we grow D-I, D-III and even club women’s hockey. It’s more opportunities for young women to continue playing into early adulthood. It’s also more aspirational opportunities. We need it within women’s hockey for young girls to see women and the opportunities they can aspire to having.”
Morris Kurtz, the former longtime athletic director at St. Cloud State, oversees the feasibility studies. Snee said Kurtz was responsible for helping St. Cloud transition from a D-III men’s program to D-I in 1987 while adding a women’s team in 1998 that became D-I in 2000.
Kurtz also worked with Penn State when it added men’s and women’s hockey teams along with a new facility in 2013.
Snee said the study concentrates on the financial impact of adding hockey. Can schools account for adding scholarships internally? How much would it cost athletics department in terms of coaching and support staff? There is also a conference assessment to determine if a team has realistic options to join a league, which helps make the endeavor more feasible.
Wright said there are ACHA programs — also known as club hockey teams — in the western region that continue to grow, which was a catalyst for how Arizona State transitioned to D-I. There are several women’s club teams in the west, such as Air Force, ASU, the University of Colorado, Colorado State, Denver, Montana State, the University of Utah and the University of Wyoming.
“Arizona State exists on the men’s side because there was someone who was really passionate and had a really robust club program,” Wright said. “At the end of the day, there is a dollar component to creating college hockey programs. But how do we convince everyone it’s not the chicken or the egg? The visibility is going to be there. People do watch it. If it exists, they are going to go.”
To Wright’s point, the number of girls who might play college hockey are there and the numbers of them continue to grow in the western region.
In 2021-22, USA Hockey reported there were 87,971 women registered hockey players across all ages.
More than 31,000 of those registered players west of the Mississippi are between the ages of 11 and 18. That figure does not include Minnesota. There are eight states with more than 1,000 registered girls in that age range, with the largest number in California (7,282), Colorado (5,800) and Texas (3,985).
Only two of those states — Alaska and California — fielded a girls high school program during the 2021-22 academic year, per the National Federation of State High School Associations. Alaska had 24 programs while California had one.
It’s a stark contrast to Minnesota. The NFHS reports Minnesota had 240 high school girls programs and 3,232 girls who participated in high school hockey during the 2021-22 season.
Of Division I women’s hockey players, 57% who are from west of Wisconsin are from Minnesota. And while that’s not a big surprise, it does show there is growth in other western provinces and states.
“I think if you are in the hockey world, you know that it is growing in these hot pockets like Vegas, which saw its youth programs explode when they got an [NHL] team,” Lamoureux-Davidson said. “It’s the same in Arizona and California. It is growing so fast. Since I played, which feels like so long ago, it’s crazy how fast the sport has grown, specifically on the girls’ side. The skill and speed the girls are growing up playing is in a different ballpark.”
Long Island University women’s hockey coach Kelly Nash grew up in California and played at the University of Wisconsin. She played six professional seasons before she got into coaching and was hired by LIU in June 2022. Nash has 12 players on the LIU roster who are from the West, including Alaska, British Columbia, Colorado, Manitoba and Idaho.
Nash said the options to play hockey were limited when she was growing up. She did not start playing until she was 12. Nash initially played with boys, then found out about an all-girls team that required a trip of nearly 90 miles from San Diego to Huntington Beach. It was around that time when she found out about women’s college hockey.
Getting recruited meant those western club teams would have to travel to tournaments in Minnesota or somewhere further east to be seen.
“Now there is something every single weekend we could be at,” Nash said. “Whether it is a big tournament, a U-16 jamboree. There are players from the Midwest, West Coast, Europe and Canada. When it comes to the U.S. and recruiting on the West Coast, that is still probably the place people go the least. I don’t think there are as many events held out there.”
United States national team goaltender and two-time Olympic medalist Nicole Hensley grew up in Colorado, where hockey has carved a place. But there were certain realities Hensley faced playing the sport when she was young.
Hensley and her family did not know there was a girls’ association in Colorado until after she started playing. She wanted to keep playing, but realized it was likely she would have to play somewhere in Minnesota or on the East Coast.
Hensley grew up going to both Colorado Avalanche and Denver University games. It allowed her to receive more exposure to the sport. There was a time when Hensley had dreams of playing in the NHL, but that was before she understood the path available for women in hockey.
She played at Lindenwood University right after the St. Charles, Missouri, school transitioned from playing club hockey in the ACHA to becoming a D-I program. Hensley was at Lindenwood for four years prior to playing professionally and representing Team USA.
“Now that I’ve been able to go back to Colorado and kind of have my own hand in growing the game in that aspect, I look at the programs that are out there, like Air Force, Colorado College and Denver,” Hensley said. “They’re all premier Division I programs. I just think it would be a real opportunity for those girls programs to flourish in those environments where hockey is already a big deal at those schools.”
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Pete Thamel, Senior College Sports Insider
Former Florida State and Alabama wide receiver Malik Benson, who has an extra year thanks to the recent NCAA ruling on junior college players, told ESPN that he has committed to play at Oregon next year.
Benson told ESPN on Tuesday that he picked the Ducks because he was impressed with the coaching staff and was intrigued by the opportunity to play with quarterback Dante Moore, who projects as Oregon’s starter next year.
Until the ruling on Diego Pavia‘s eligibility changed the paradigm for junior college players, Benson had been set to start training for the NFL draft process.
“I’m just glad that the Lord blessed me with another opportunity and another year,” Benson told ESPN upon entering the portal. “I will not take this for granted.”
Benson began his college career at Hutchinson Community College, where he emerged as the nation’s top junior college prospect regardless of position. He played one season at Alabama, where he had 13 receptions in 14 games for 162 yards and a touchdown.
He transferred to Florida State, where he caught 25 balls for 311 yards and a touchdown this season. On his career, he averages 12.5 yards per catch.
Oregon’s receiving room lost star Tez Johnson to the NFL and is awaiting on an NFL decision from Evan Stewart, who missed the Rose Bowl with a back injury and slumped late in the year for the Ducks.
They do bring in the country’s top receiving prospect in Dakorien Moore, who is ESPN’s No. 3 overall prospect in the 2025 recruiting class.
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Greg Wyshynski, Senior NHL writer
Some NHL awards races are actual races. There are leaders, but ones that are looking over their shoulders at a pack of candidates closing in fast.
Other NHL awards races currently look at lot like when Michael Phelps or Usain Bolt would race: Everyone is just going to have to be content with second place because their leads are that insurmountable.
Again, the operative word is “currently.” This is the NHL Awards Watch for January. We have a lot of season to go.
We’ve polled a wide selection of Professional Hockey Writers Association voters anonymously to get a sense of where the wind is blowing for the current leaders. We’ve made sure it’s a cross-section from the entire league, trying to gain as many perspectives as possible.
Bear in mind that the PHWA votes for the Hart, Norris, Calder, Selke and Lady Byng finalists; broadcasters vote for the Jack Adams; and general managers handle the Vezina.
All stats are from Hockey-Reference.com, Natural Stat Trick and Evolving Hockey.
Jump ahead:
Ross | Richard | Hart
Norris | Selke | Vezina
Calder | Byng | Adams
Art Ross Trophy (points leader)
Click here for the updated point-scoring standings.
Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard Trophy
Click here for the updated goal-scoring standings.
Hart Trophy (MVP)
Leader: Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild
Finalists: Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers; Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
A couple of things happened since the last NHL Awards Watch.
After leading the MVP race last month, Kaprizov’s lower-body injury put him out of the Wild lineup. Through Sunday, he had missed six of Minnesota’s 40 games this season. His stats remain stellar — 23 goals and 27 assists for 50 points — but other Hart contenders haven’t spent that kind of time off the ice.
The other significant happening was the entirety of Nathan MacKinnon’s December. The Avalanche star had seven goals and 18 assists for 25 points in 13 games, helping Colorado go 10-3-0 while being named the NHL’s first star for the month. Through 40 games, MacKinnon led the NHL with 65 points and 51 assists and led the Avalanche in scoring by eight points over Mikko Rantanen.
MacKinnon won the Hart last season. The NHL hasn’t had back-to-back MVPs since Alex Ovechkin won the award in 2007-08 and 2008-09. The way MacKinnon’s going, it could happen again.
And yet, Kirill Kaprizov still got the majority of the first-place votes from those canvassed this month.
“In the true spirit of the award, there is just no way Minnesota is anywhere close to the unexpectedly good team they are this year without Kaprizov,” a voter said.
But the MVP race behind the Wild star has changed dramatically. Last month, Kaprizov finished atop the Hart straw poll with 88% of the vote. This month, he earned only 37% of the first-place votes. MacKinnon is right behind him. So are the other players who received first-place votes this month: Draisaitl, Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel, Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes, Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov and Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner. All of them have compelling MVP cases.
“It’s getting crowded at the top, but Kaprizov is still producing more at even strength than any other player,” a Kaprizov voter declared. “MacKinnon has Rantanen, Draisaitl has McDavid, Kucherov is too power-play dependent.”
“I’m picking Kirill Kaprizov,” another noted. “But if Colorado gets their stuff sorted for good and takes off, MacKinnon might run away with it. Central Division is where it’s at.”
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Kirill Kaprizov scores goal for Wild
Kirill Kaprizov nets goal for Wild
MacKinnon won the Hart last year with 51 goals and 140 points. He’s nowhere near that goal pace, but his points-per-game pace (1.63) isn’t far off from his pace in his MVP season (1.71). He was the clear second choice with 26% of the first-place votes. MacKinnon was in the top three in the November Awards Watch, didn’t receive a first-place vote in December and has come roaring back this month.
“MacKinnon’s surge and Kaprizov’s injury changed the face of that Hart race,” a voter concluded.
“He not only leads the NHL in scoring but kept the Avalanche afloat long enough for them to swap out both goalies and look more like a serious contender,” another explained.
Draisaitl was third in the voting (16%), right ahead of Eichel (11%). The Oilers star led the NHL in goals through Sunday with 29 tallies, well ahead of the five players tied with 23 goals. His 59 points were second to MacKinnon for the NHL lead. According to Evolving Hockey, Draisaitl leads the NHL with 22.6 expected goals above replacement.
Draisaitl helped keep the Oilers on point as teammate Connor McDavid dealt with an injury. But McDavid has played only three fewer games than Draisaitl — and trailed him by only five points for the team lead. The season Draisaitl won his only Hart Trophy (the COVID-shortened 2019-20), he played seven more games than McDavid and tallied 13 more points.
Eichel’s having the best regular season of his career. Through Sunday, the 28-year-old center led the Golden Knights with 52 points in 39 games — nearly 20 points clear of the second-highest scorer, Mark Stone (33 points).
That Eichel had played 14 more games than Stone is exactly the point: As Vegas has had more guys out of action than a casino where the house always wins, Eichel has been the constant, playing every game and playing extremely well. His career high for points is 82 in 2018-19 with Buffalo. He’s on pace for over 109 points this season.
“He’s the best player on the best team, but most impressive is how Eichel has emerged as a defensive force,” one Jack backer explained.
They’re right about his defense, which has been improving each season since his 200-foot game earned accolades during the 2023 Stanley Cup run. Internally, Vegas has talked about Eichel getting a Selke push this season. The Knights give up just 2.16 goals-against per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 with Eichel on the ice. It should be noted, however, that Kaprizov has him bested in goals-against per 60 (1.88) and expected goals against per 60 (2.05) this season.
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Jack Eichel scores goal vs. Sabres
Jack Eichel scores goal vs. Sabres
Kucherov, who won the Hart in 2018-19, has led the Lightning in scoring all season. Through 35 games he had 55 points, 10 points better than the team’s second-leading scorer Brayden Point.
Marner received a first-place vote for holding down the fort while Auston Matthews was out with an injury. Marner has 56 points in 41 games, 13 more than the Leafs’ second-leading scorer William Nylander, while continuing to be an exceptional defensive forward, too. It’s a heck of a case he’s making in a contract year.
Marner has never finished in the top 10 for the Hart. Quinn Hughes was seventh for the award last season, when he won his first Norris Trophy. So he’s on the radar in the MVP race and pulled in one first-place vote.
In a tumultuous season for the Canucks — from infighting to injuries — Hughes has easily been their best player: 42 points in 34 games, including 34 assists. He’s not leading all defensemen in points nor ice time, but he’s leading the Canucks in both. Hughes leads Conor Garland (29 points) by 13 points for the team lead.
So it’s a very crowded field and could become even more crowded if Connor Hellebuyck starts getting the credit for the Winnipeg Jets‘ outstanding season. The NHL hasn’t had a goalie win MVP since Montreal’s Carey Price in 2014-15.
“I was this close to putting Hellebuyck down for MVP,” said a voter who ultimately broke for Kaprizov instead.
While he didn’t earn a first-place vote, it would be foolish to discount McDavid from the race. He’s won NHL MVP three times and been a finalist for the award six times in 10 seasons. With 54 points in 36 games — his 1.50 points per game average is fourth in the NHL — he’s just a stride behind the rest of these players.
Norris Trophy (top defenseman)
Leader: Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
Finalists: Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks; Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets
No major changes in the Norris race order, which we’re sure will go over well in Vancouver.
Makar’s lead has narrowed from earning 75% of the first-place votes to 58% from our panelists this month. His 49 points in 40 games led all defensemen through Sunday’s games. That’s impressive, but not nearly the total Makar’s incredible start (24 points in 15 games) seemed to portend. He’s a plus-13, skating more on average (25:31) than Hughes (25:08) but less than Werenski (26:28).
After getting dinged for his defense in last season’s Norris voting, Makar’s underlying numbers are strong: The Avalanche are giving up 2.04 goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 when he’s on the ice and have an expected goals-against of 2.14. Makar won the Norris in 2021-22 and finished third in the next two seasons.
One Makar voter anticipated some backlash for their choice. “Blah, blah, blah, you only pick points. But the dude is unreal and controls the game from the blue line. A total freak show,” they quipped.
“He leads all blueliners in goals and assists,” another Makar voter noted. “Quinn Hughes’ injury may prove the difference in what was shaping to be a tight race.”
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Cale Makar tallies goal vs. Sabres
Cale Makar tallies goal vs. Sabres
Hughes, last season’s Norris winner, missed four games after Christmas with an undisclosed injury. His return is imminent, which is good news for a Vancouver team whose offense struggled to score just seven goals in his absence. Hughes (42 points in 34 games) had a razor-thin points-per-game lead (1.24) on Makar (1.23) entering Monday’s games.
Another factor for Hughes: He’s second in the NHL in expected goals above replacement (18.5) and has added three wins to the Canucks, per Evolving Hockey. Makar (13.7 xGAR, 2.3 WAR) was a distant fifth in both categories.
Hughes garnered 26% of the votes.
“The Canucks’ performance without the injured Hughes over the past few games underscores his importance to the team and gives him a slight edge over Cale Makar this time around,” a Hughes voter noted.
“It’s hard to argue with a plus-18 goal differential at 5-on-5,” another added.
Hughes play a ton at 5-on-5 (21:12) — more than Makar, in fact (19:34). He doesn’t play much at all on the penalty kill (11 seconds per game), while Makar does (2:12).
Werenski also plays in all three situations for the Blue Jackets. In fact, he plays more than any other skater in the NHL, at 26:28 per game on average. Werenski has 12 goals and 33 assists in 40 games. He entered Monday second to Makar in goals and points on the season.
“More people should be talking about Zach Werenski,” a Makar voter declared.
“The thing that stuck out to me the most [since December’s Awards Watch] was how much better the Blue Jackets are with Zach Werenski on the ice,” a Werenski voter said. “His impact is noticeable on both ends of the ice — the way he drives play, his defensive ability — and that is how he manages to be a plus-player on that bad of a team. He should be rewarded for that.”
“The Columbus Blue Jackets sit nowhere near sniffing-distance of a playoff spot if Werenski isn’t averaging 1.13 points per game while logging almost 27 minutes every night,” another Werenski voter pointed out.
These three defensemen dominated our voters’ ballots. The only other two names mentioned were Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey, who was seventh for the Norris last season after finishing fifth one year earlier; and Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson, who continues to thrive under head coach Spencer Carbery. He was second for the Norris in 2019-20.
Calder Trophy (top rookie)
Leader: Macklin Celebrini, San Jose Sharks
Finalists: Lane Hutson, Montreal Canadiens; Matvei Michkov, Philadelphia Flyers
Last month, we likened Macklin Celebrini to a marauding T-Rex chasing a Jurassic Park jeep, as Matvei Michkov frantically glanced in his side mirror to discover that objects may be closer than they appear.
In other words, it was only a matter of time before the San Jose Sharks rookie had the body of work voters needed to put him over the Philadelphia Flyers rookie in the Calder race, and here we are.
“Sometimes, the obvious answer is the correct answer,” a Celebrini voter concluded.
After finishing second to Michkov in the December NHL Awards Watch, Celebrini pulled nearly 90% of the first-place votes from our panelists to take control of the rookie of the year race.
“A must-watch player already,” a Macklin backer said. “He’s absolutely electric despite having little help around him.”
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Macklin Celebrini lights the lamp for Sharks
Macklin Celebrini lights the lamp for Sharks
Entering Monday’s action, Celebrini (28 points) trailed Michkov (29 points) by one point despite playing eight fewer games thanks to an early-season injury. Celebrini’s 0.93 points-per-game average was tops among all rookies. He also led all rookies with 13 goals, one more than Michkov.
“Matvei Michkov had the head start, but the wonder kid in San Jose has made up for lost ground,” a voter said.
Celebrini is seeing significantly more ice time (19:48) than the Flyers rookie (16:31) on average. In fact, Celebrini is second only to Hutson, a defenseman, in average ice time for rookie skaters.
“Not many rookie forwards skate almost 20 minutes per game,” a voter declared.
“I lean Macklin over Michkov because of the two-way skill and effort he regularly shows on a lesser team,” another added.
Michkov still has a strong case and could end up sweeping the goals and points titles among rookies, both of which have been harbingers for forwards winning the Calder. He’s feasted on the power play for the Flyers, with five goals and 12 points, which led all rookies. While Celebrini has managed to keep up with Michkov as far as highlight-reel moments, Michkov has thrived under — or despite? — the “tough love” of John Tortorella’s coaching.
“Michkov has restructured a broken power play with ease. He’s reminded us the extent of impact one majestic player like him can truly have on a team’s complexion,” a voter explained. “I anticipate changing this to Celebrini by the end of the year, but I’m also anticipating an extremely close call.”
Michkov is the only other player to earn first place votes for the Calder. Based on the number of mentions he received on voters’ ballots, we’re comfortable putting Hutson in that third spot just ahead of Calgary Flames goalie Dustin Wolf.
Hutson has 27 points in 39 games while skating 22:34 per game for the Canadiens. To put into perspective how much Hutson has lapped the field among rookie defensemen: The next highest scoring rookie defenseman, Nolan Allen of Chicago, is 21 points behind.
The Canadiens defenseman is a minus-8, fourth worst on the Habs for players with at least 15 games played. That’s with Montreal having sheltered him with 63% of this zone starts coming in the offensive zone.
Wolf, who was third overall last month, is 12-6-2 in 20 games, with a .913 save percentage and a 2.63 goals-against average, to go along with two shutouts. Those are easily the best numbers for any rookie goalie with at least 10 appearances. With the Flames in the thick of the wild-card race, he should not be counted out for Calder consideration.
But right now, it’s just “consideration.” It remains Celebrini vs. Michkov, with Celebrini clearly ahead in the race.
Vezina Trophy (top goaltender)
Note: The NHL’s general managers vote for this award
Leader: Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
Finalists: Jacob Markstrom, New Jersey Devils; Logan Thompson, Washington Capitals
This is Connor Hellebuyck’s Vezina to lose, but our voters didn’t make it unanimous.
Hellebuyck is 24-6-2 for the dominant Jets, with a .926 save percentage, a 2.09 save percentage and five shutouts — leading the NHL on all of those categories for goaltenders with at least 20 appearances.
He won his second Vezina Trophy last season and looks very much poised to win a third. Since 1981 — when the NHL changed the criteria of the Vezina Trophy to no longer just honor the goalie who played the most games on the team that gave up the fewest goals — only three goalies won the Vezina more than twice: Dominik Hasek, Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy. All legends and all Hockey Hall of Famers.
“It is ‘Helle-back?’ Perhaps ‘Helle-back-to-back?'” a voter quipped.
“Five shutouts and the season isn’t half over. He’ll be on Hart ballots, too,” another voter predicted.
There was another goalie that snagged a first-place vote and it was a surprise: Thompson, the Capitals netminder who came over from Vegas in the offseason.
The Capitals have been one of season’s best teams and Thompson has been a big reason why. In 20 games, he’s an incredible 16-2-2, with a .916 save percentage and a 2.39 goals-against average. Compare those numbers to what Washington’s other netminder Charlie Lindgren has posted (10-8-1, .900 and 2.70) and the contrast is stark.
“Thompson has been so incredibly efficient. Sixteen of his 20 appearances qualify as quality starts (80%),” the Thompson voter noted. “When the goals dried up for the Capitals following their hot start — and Alex Ovechkin was injured — Thompson kept them on track.”
The other Vezina spot could go to Filip Gustavsson of the Minnesota Wild, who was in the top three in last month’s NHL Awards Watch. He certainly has the numbers: 18-6-3 in 27 games, with a .926 save percentage and a 2.20 goals-against average. He also leads the NHL with 13.5 goals saved above expected per Stathletes.
But the goalie with the highest down-ballot mentions was Markstrom. He’s 19-8-2 with a .911 save percentage and a 2.18 goals-against average. He hasn’t been perfect, and has just 3.1 goals saved above expected this season, but a handful of voters believe he belongs in the Vezina conversation, such as it is.
“This is not a conversation by any stretch of the imagination,” a Hellebuyck voter opined.
Selke Trophy (best defensive forward)
Leader: Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers
Finalists: Nico Hischier, New Jersey Devils; Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs
Barkov earned 42% of the first-place votes, which slightly down from his total last month (50%) but puts him in position to win back-to-back Selke trophies and his third Selke in five seasons.
The Panthers have a 2.06 goals-against and a 1.87 expected goals-against per 60 minutes with Barkov on the ice. The Panthers get 60% of the high-dander chances. He’s also winning an exceptional 61% of his faceoffs this season while putting in work on the penalty kill as well.
“Aleksander Barkov is still the guy,” a voter concluded.
While Barkov remains on top of the Selke leaderboard, the finalists from the December Awards Watch have changed. Out are Anthony Cirelli of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Sam Reinhart of the Florida Panthers; in come Hischier and Marner.
Hischier was second in the Selke voting in 2022-23. He wins 55.8% of his faceoffs and leads the fifth best penalty kill in the NHL, as the forward with the most short-handed ice time on average for New Jersey. His underlying numbers aren’t stellar from a defensive standpoint, although he wins a good amount of puck battles. But he’s a player that certainly passes the eye test as a defensive force for New Jersey.
The same goes for Marner, a winger whose speed and tenacity make him a terrific defensive player. He leads the NHL in turnovers created (8.67) and steals per 60 (2.18) for players with at least 700 minutes of ice time, per Stathletes. He’s the ice time leader for the eighth best penalty kill in the NHL.
It’s here we note that a non-center hasn’t won the Selke Trophy since 2002-03, when Dallas Stars winger Jere Lehtinen captured the award for the third time.
Reinhart was one of five other players to receive a first-place vote, is listed as a center although he plays on Barkov’s wing. He has slightly better defensive metrics than his center, and also plays on the penalty kill.
Cirelli also received a first-place vote. He wins 51.7% of his faceoffs and he’s an outstanding penalty killer, with two goals and two assists shorthanded. His underlying numbers (3.51 expected goals against per 60 minutes) don’t mount a strong argument at the moment. Keep in mind that Cirelli was selected for Team Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off as a defensive specialist, and that certainly raises his profile.
Anze Kopitar won the Selke in 2015-16 and 2017-18. He’s having an outstanding season for what might be the best defensive team in the NHL. The Kings have a 1.66 goals-against per 60 minutes when Kopitar is on the ice.
Jordan Staal has been searching for his first Selke win for 15 years, and finished second for the award last season. He’s once again the linchpin at forward defensively for the Hurricanes, who have a 1.69 goals-against average per 60 minutes when the center is on the ice.
The other player to receive a first-place Selke vote was Jack Eichel. As mentioned earlier, the Golden Knights believe his name should be in the hat for this award. Vegas gives up 2.16 goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 with Eichel on the ice, and he’s an effective penalty killer, too.
Barkov leads, but this is certainly still a competitive race.
Lady Byng Trophy (gentlemanly play)
This is the part where I mention that the Lady Byng Trophy for gentlemanly play should be voted on by the league’s on-ice officials or by the NHL Players’ Association instead of the PHWA.
Traditionally, this award goes to a player with a top 20 point total and the lowest penalty minutes among those players. Brayden Point is 16th overall in scoring with 45 points, and had only two penalty minutes through 33 games. But keep an eye out for Anze Kopitar, who won the award in 2015-16 and 2022-23. He’s 34th in scoring (39 points in 38 games) and also has just two penalty minutes. What a race!
Jack Adams Award (best coach)
Note: The NHL Broadcasters’ Association votes on this award.
Leader: Spencer Carbery, Washington Capitals
Finalists: Dean Evason, Columbus Blue Jackets; John Hynes, Minnesota Wild
Alex Ovechkin has 19 goals in 23 games this season. When he fractured his leg in November, there wasn’t just concern about the state of his NHL all-time goals record chase. There was concern that it might derail what had been a stellar start for the Capitals, who went 13-4-1 with Ovechkin in the lineup through Nov. 18.
In between his injury and Ovechkin’s triumphant return to the lineup on Dec. 28? The Capitals went 13-6-2, thanks in no small part to the steady leadership and strong fundamental systems of Spencer Carbery.
The second-year coach had Washington with the Eastern Conference’s top points percentage heading into Monday’s games. They were the top scoring team in the league (3.72 goals per game) and sixth in goals against (2.64).
Perhaps that’s why Carbery was the only unanimous choice in any category in this month’s NHL Awards Watch.
“He’s going to run away with this, and for justifiable reasons,” a voter declared.
While Evason and Hynes didn’t get any first-place votes, they both received a lot of love down the ballot from our voters.
Hynes coached the Wild through some injury adversity to get near the top of the Central Division, with strong underlying defensive numbers.
“Hynes deserves a little love here,” a voter argued.
Evason, in his first season with the Blue Jackets, has Columbus right at the Eastern Conference wild-card bubble after 40 games. He also has something that other candidates don’t have: an emotional backstory, as Evason helped lead this Blue Jackets team through its grief following the tragic death of star forward Johnny Gaudreau before the season.
“The job Dean Evason is doing in Columbus, given everything that franchise has endured, is remarkable. To have them remotely close to a playoff spot is a huge feather in his cap,” a voter explained. “If Columbus gets in, he may beat Carbery and Hynes, but those two have their teams playing consistently solid hockey.”
Other coaches mentioned by our voters include Los Angeles Kings first-year coach Jim Hiller, Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper and Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar. The Winnipeg Jets‘ Scott Arniel, who was in the top three last month, did not receive a mention.
“Steven Stamkos is gone, Mikhail Sergachev was traded and they’re one of the highest scoring teams in the league, one of the top in goal-differential, and radically turned their 5-on-5 play around,” a Cooper backer noted.
“Considering injury list and goaltending woes, though, Jared Bednar should get more love in this category,” another voter said.
Other coaches will get love. But it’s hard to imagine any one of them breaking through the infatuation with Carbery this season.
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Jeff Passan, Senior MLB Insider
Designated hitter Brent Rooker and the Oakland Athletics are in agreement on a five-year, $60 million contract extension, sources told ESPN late Monday night, continuing a winter of uncharacteristic spending with a long-term deal for the late-blooming slugger.
Before he joined the A’s in 2023, Rooker had bounced among three teams without finding consistent playing time. The A’s saw Rooker blossom into an All-Star in his first season with them, a 10th-place MVP finisher last year and the receiver of the second-largest extension in franchise history.
The A’s, who will play in Sacramento for the next three seasons before a planned move to Las Vegas after leaving Oakland, already had spent $67 million this winter to sign right-hander Luis Severino and added left-hander Jeffrey Springs in a trade with Tampa Bay. The deals, as well as Rooker’s, continue to push the A’s payroll toward the $100 million range. If they do not spend at least 1½ times the revenue-sharing money they receive, the A’s run the risk of a union grievance.
The deal signals the latest in an attempt to rebuild after years of minuscule payrolls and lackluster results. Though the A’s were a success story of a team that managed to succeed in spite of meager support from ownership, recent seasons with slashed payrolls have yielded awful results and coincided with vitriol toward owner John Fisher as A’s bid the city of Oakland farewell.
Rooker becomes the lone A’s player under contract through their planned Las Vegas debut in 2028. The deal, which was first reported by The Athletic, will pay him $30 million over the first three seasons and includes a sixth-year vesting option for $22 million that can escalate by $10 million. The previous largest extension had gone to star third baseman Eric Chavez, who also held the record for largest contract at $66 million until Severino exceeded it.
The deal buys out a potential three years of free agency for Rooker, who three years ago wasn’t sure how much longer his big league career would remain afloat. After debuting with Minnesota in 2020, Rooker struggled and eventually was traded to San Diego in April 2022. Four months later, the Padres dealt him to Kansas City. Three months later, the Royals designated him for assignment, and the A’s claimed Rooker off waivers.
In his first season with the A’s, Rooker nearly doubled his previous career plate appearances and hit 30 home runs. He was even better last season, hitting .297/.365/.562 with 39 home runs and 112 RBIs.
The A’s surprised teams at the July trade deadline when they declined to discuss Rooker in trade discussions. Rooker was similarly off-limits this winter, as Oakland understood an extension for him would further push their payroll toward the number needed to avoid collective-bargaining issues. Rooker was set to make around $5 million in arbitration, but the contract will count for $12 million because that’s its average annual value.
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