Calder Trophy Power Rankings: Matthew Schaefer takes lead over Ivan Demidov

The race for the 2026 Calder Trophy is officially on.

With a month of NHL action in the books, the battle for Rookie of the Year honours is heating up quickly. When we first checked in to start the campaign, four forwards filled the top six, with Ivan Demidov sitting at the top and Yaroslav Askarov the lone goaltender on the board.

Things have already shifted significantly.

Emmitt Finnie has burst onto the scene. Zeev Buium and Sam Rinzel have climbed. Ryan Leonard’s stock has slipped. And a new netminder is seeing his name in lights.

To capture the evolving battle for top freshman of 2026, we gathered seven scouts across the Elite Prospects network to submit their top-10 rankings. The first edition leaned on projections and pedigree; this month’s is grounded in performance and impact.

We’re star