Toronto Maple Leafs Year in Review: 2019-20 Season Awards

TORONTO, ON - MARCH 25: Nikita Zaitsev #22, John Tavares #91, Zach Hyman #11, Auston Matthews #34, Mitch Marner #16, William Nylander #29, and Andreas Johnsson #18 of the Toronto Maple Leafs sit on the bench while playing the Florida Panthers during the first period at the Scotiabank Arena on March 25, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images) /

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TORONTO, ON – DECEMBER 17: Ilya Mikheyev #65 of the Toronto Maple Leafs.(Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /

Calder Memorial Trophy – Ilya Mikheyev

Ilya Mikheyev came into the league and shocked the hockey world as he was competing as the early favourite candidate for rookie of the year, putting up 23 points through his first 39 games.

Mikheyev’s speed, skill, and offensive consistency being transferred effortlessly from his time in the KHL led him to be a complimentary piece to any of the top three forward lines, finishing 8th on the Leafs in expected goals for with 27.7.

After suffering a wrist laceration in late December which would put him out for the remainder of the season, there was a pretty wide window of opportunity for a lot of other rookies to step in and eliminate Mikheyev from the Calder conversation.

While Rasmus Sandin could definitely enter the conversation for the best rookie on the Toronto Maple Leafs, his individual impact was not nearly as noticeable as Mikheyev’s, but he has shown that he has the makeup of a star offensive defensemen for the future.

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