The calendar has flipped to 2025, putting us almost halfway through the 2024-25 NHL season. This is a good opportunity to review and re-rank the leading candidates for the Calder Memorial Trophy.

Awarded to the NHL's Rookie of the Year as selected by the Professional Hockey Writers Association, eligible players must be no more than 26 years old by Sept. 15 of their rookie season. Recent winners include Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard, Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov, and Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar.

The award usually goes to the highest-scoring rookie, but that's not always the case. Makar finished second in scoring during his freshman season. Three goaltenders have taken home the Calder since 2000-01, with the last being Steve Mason in 2008-09 with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

We conducted a "Way-Too-Early" Calder Trophy ranking in July and also graded the top NHL rookies one month into this season. We're at the point in the regular season where the leading Calder candidates are separating themselves from the rest of the rookie pack.

The following is our midseason ranking of the top rookies. You can express your thoughts on this topic in our app comments below.

Honorable Mention

Jackson Blake, Carolina Hurricanes

After starring with the University of North Dakota for two seasons, Blake made his full-time NHL debut with the Hurricanes. The 21-year-old struggled through an 11-game pointless skid but regained his scoring touch in recent games. A pesky, energetic forward who can play center or wing, he's fourth among rookie scorers with eight goals.

Cutter Gauthier, Anaheim Ducks

Gauthier made headlines last season when his refusal to play for the Philadelphia Flyers forced his trade to the Ducks last January for Jamie Drysdale. The former Boston College star is still adjusting to the NHL pace but the 20-year-old winger has the makings of a power forward. He had five goals and 17 points in 37 games.

Emil Heineman, Montreal Canadiens

The 23-year-old winger has seen mostly fourth-line duty but is making the most of his playing time. Heineman is third among rookie scorers with nine goals and among the top 10 with 16 points in 36 games. A versatile forward who can play either wing, Hieneman's speed could earn him more playing time as the season progresses.

Will Smith, San Jose Sharks

Smith made the jump to the NHL following one season with Boston College. The 19-year-old center has been a healthy scratch for five games and missed three with an upper-body injury. His adjustment to the big-league pace is a little bumpier than teammate Macklin Celebrini, but he has a respectable 13 points in 33 games.

Maxim Tsyplakov, New York Islanders

Tsyplakov turned 26 on Sept. 19, making the eligibility date by four days. He spent seven seasons in the KHL before joining the Islanders. He leads all rookies in plus/minus (plus-9) and is fourth in points with 19 in 39 games.

5. Logan Stankoven, Dallas Stars

A player is eligible for the Calder Memorial Trophy by playing at least 25 regular-season games in one season. Logan Stankoven missed that cutoff last season by one game, allowing him to pursue Rookie of the Year honors in 2024-25.

Chosen by the Dallas Stars in the second round (47th overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft, Stankoven showed promise last season as an energetic (if undersized) scoring forward. The 5'8", 165-pounder had six goals and 14 points in 24 games, and eight points in 19 playoff games.

Employed this season as a middle-six forward with the Stars, Stankoven is fifth among rookie scorers with 18 points in 35 games, including three game-winning goals. The 21-year-old forward sits eighth among Stars scorers.

Stankoven enjoyed a strong start to this season with 14 points in his first 15 games. His production tailed off since Nov. 14 with just four points in 20 contests. That has him slipping down the rookie scoring race, but he has plenty of time to regain his form over the second half.

4. Dustin Wolf, Calgary Flames

As noted in our intro slide, it's been 16 years since a goaltender won the Calder Memorial Trophy. The last finalists since then were Jimmy Howard in 2009-10 with the Detroit Red Wings, Jordan Binnington in 2018-19 with the St. Louis Blues, Alex Nedeljkovic in 2020-21 with the Carolina Hurricanes, and Stuart Skinner with the Edmonton Oilers in 2022-23.

The odds may be against Dustin Wolf winning the Calder compared to the high-scoring forwards and defensemen among this season's rookie class. Nevertheless, his performance thus far merits inclusion among this season's top rookies.

Wolf, 23, has 18 games of previous NHL action since 2022-23. He's currently splitting the Flames' goaltending duties with Dan Vladar. The 6'0", 166-pound netminder leads this season's rookie netminders with 12 wins, five losses, and two overtime losses, with a 2.61 goals-against average, a .914 save percentage, and two shutouts.

A calm, promising goaltender, Wolf is establishing himself as the Flames' future full-time starter. A consistent effort in the second half could garner more Calder votes, especially if he backstops the Flames into the postseason.

3. Matvei Michkov, Philadelphia Flyers

Chosen seventh overall in the 2023 NHL Draft, Matvei Michkov was projected to become a scoring star. So far, the 20-year-old right wing has reached expectations for the Philadelphia Flyers, being named NHL Rookie of the Month for October 2024.

With 12 goals and 17 assists for 29 points, Michkov leads all rookie scorers as of Jan. 3, 2025. He's also second among Flyers scorers. Michkov leads all freshmen with 12 power-play points. A clutch scorer, he's the Flyers' leader with three game-winning goals.

Michkov has endured a couple of rough patches this season. He was a healthy scratch for two games in early November which head coach John Tortorella downplayed as "just part of the process." The young winger was mired in a seven-game pointless skid from Dec. 12 to 28 as the Flyers dropped four of those seven contests.

Despite those difficulties, Michkov has adapted well thus far to the NHL pace. If he can improve his consistency and overall performance in the second half, he'll stand an excellent chance of taking home the Calder Trophy.

2. Lane Hutson, Montréal Canadiens

Defensive depth has been an ongoing issue for the rebuilding Montréal Canadiens over the past three years. However, they received a big boost this season with the addition of Lane Hutson. The 20-year-old rookie defenseman has impressed observers with his puck-moving skills and ability to generate offense from the blue line.

The Canadiens selected Hutson in the second round (62nd overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft, the same draft in which they chose winger Juraj Slafkovský first overall. The 5'9", 162-pound defenseman is the latest in a growing wave of small but skillful defensemen playing significant roles in today's NHL game.

Hutson is third among Canadiens scorers with 26 points and second in assists with 24. He's third among rookie scorers in points and leads all freshmen in time on ice per game (22:26) as he gains more trust from the Canadiens' coaching staff. His 13-point performance in December earned him Rookie of the Month honors.

Skating on the Canadiens' first pairing with Mike Matheson, Hutson had the makings of a high-scoring defenseman in the same mold as Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes. His risk-taking style can sometimes lead to costly defensive mistakes, but he'll reduce those errors as he adjusts to the NHL pace.

1. Macklin Celebrini, San Jose Sharks

The first overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, Macklin Celebrini faced incredible pressure entering his first season with the San Jose Sharks. A nagging lower-body injury suffered during training camp saw the 18-year-old center sidelined for 12 games after playing his first regular-season contest on Oct. 12.

Returning to action on Nov. 5, Celebrini wasted no time showing everyone why he was chosen first overall. Having collected his first NHL goal and assist in his first game before his injury, the 6'0", 190-pound center has tallied 11 goals and 15 assists for 26 points in 28 games since his return to action.

Celebrini quickly rose in the rookie scoring race and is jockeying with Philadelphia's Matvei Michkov for the lead. He has a better points-per-game percentage (0.93) than Michkov and leads all rookies with 19 even-strength points. Centering the Sharks' second line, he's second in points (27) and their leader with three game-winning goals.

An outstanding playmaker with a high hockey IQ, Celebrini was named the league's Rookie of the Month for November 2024. The speed at which he overcame a significant scoring deficit to challenge for the rookie scoring lead makes him the favorite for the Calder at this stage.

Stats (as of Jan. 3, 2025) via NHL.com.