Less than a month after freshman hockey star Adam Fantilli won the Hobey Baker Award — given to the best player in college hockey — former Michigan hockey studs Owen Power and Matty Beniers were named finalists for the Calder Memorial Trophy, which is given “”to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League.”
The recent accolades — or nominations in the case of Power and Beniers — illustrate the recent success of the Michigan hockey program. Power and Beniers went first and second overall, respectively, in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, and they both made the jump to the professional level after two seasons with the Wolverines.
Power’s rookie season was one of extreme consistency as the 20-year-old played in 79 of the Buffalo Sabres’ 82 games. He tallied four goals and 31 assists for a total of 35 points. He fired off 130 shots, one of which was an overtime game-winner in a 3-2 affair against the Dallas Stars in January.
The Sabres missed out on the playoffs by just one point, but for a team that finished 25 points out of a playoff spot a season ago, things are trending in the right direction.
Meanwhile, Beniers and the Seattle Kraken find themselves in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Seattle defeated the reigning NHL champion Colorado Avalanche in seven games to advance to take on the Stars, a series in which the Kraken hold a one-game-to-none lead.
Like Power, Beniers was a model of consistency throughout the 2022-23 season, playing in 80 regular-season games. He totaled 57 points on 24 goals and 33 assists as he helped the Kraken to their first-ever playoff appearance.
The other finalist, Stuart Skinner, a goaltender for the Edmonton Oilers, has had a fantastic year. Skinner started in 48 games during the regular season and posted a 29-14-5 overall record. He helped Edmonton to the playoffs, where it defeated the Los Angeles Kings in six games.
The Oilers are now set to take on the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
This year’s Calder Memorial Trophy winner will be awarded at the 2023 NHL Awards on June 26.
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