Ranking Every NHL Rookie of the Year (1990s)

Photo Credit: The Goalies Archive

By Zane Miller

10. Bryan Berard (1996-97)

After being taken with the first overall pick of the 1995 NHL draft, Berard never played a game for the team that drafted him as the Ottawa Senators traded him less than a year after that draft. Making his NHL debut with the New York Islanders, Berard initially made the Senators front office look like they made a mistake, winning the Calder Trophy in 1996-97 on eight goals and 40 assists after playing in all 82 games. However, he never quite lived up to the hype of his rookie season after sustaining multiple injuries. As a journeyman defenseman (though over a third of his career was spent with the Islanders), Berard registered 76 goals, 247 assists and a career plus-minus of -98 before retiring from the NHL in 2007-08. In addition, he had an average time on ice of just over 21 minutes since the stat was recorded in 1997-98.

9. Sergei Makarov (1989-90)

One of the more controversial selections in the history of the Calder Trophy, Makarov etched his name into the history books as the oldest rookie to ever win the award. After being drafted by the Calgary Flames in 1983, Makarov was unable to leave his home nation of the Soviet Union until the 1989-90 season, by which point he was 31 years of age. As a Flame, Makarov came out with 24 goals and 62 assists, winning the Calder as he was technically an NHL rookie. This prompted a later rule change stating that future winners must be below 26 years old to qualify. Due to his late start in the league, Makarov only ended up playing in 424 games at the NHL level before retiring in 1996-97, though he made the most of it with 134 goals and 250 assists for 384 points, most of which coming with the Flames.

8. Sergei Samsonov (1997-98)

Yet another Sergei makes the list, this time with Sergei Samsonov as he scored 22 goals and 25 assists for the Boston Bruins to win the award in 1997-98. Despite never reaching a superstar level in his NHL career, Samsonov carved out a lengthy career as a consistent third-line forward. Playing for the Bruins and the Carolina Hurricanes the majority of his career, Samsonov produced 235 goals and 336 assists for 571 points in 888 games played before hanging it up after the 2010-11 campaign, with his highlight being a 2000-01 season where he scored 29 goals and 46 assists for Boston.

7. Chris Drury (1998-99)

The current general manager for the New York Rangers was a Calder winner in 1998-99, as he put up 20 goals and 24 assists as a member of the Colorado Avalanche. Drury went on to lift the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2001, scoring 11 goals during the playoff run. Similar to Samsonov, Drury became a reliable addition to multiple teams over the course of his 12-year long career. Playing primarily for the Avalanche, Rangers and Buffalo Sabres, Drury netted 255 goals and 360 assists for 615 points in 892 games before retiring in 2010-11.

6. Pavel Bure (1991-92)

Minor spoilers here, but I have to mention how stacked this decade’s rookie of the year class was if a player like Bure only made it to number six. Playing in just 65 games in 1991-92, Bure still captured the Calder Trophy after getting 34 goals and 26 assists for the Vancouver Canucks. However, the league hadn’t seen nothing yet as Bure potted 60 goals and 50 assists just one season later. In 1993-94, Bure took home first-team All-Star honors with a league-best 60 goals to go along with 47 assists. Despite some subpar injury-filled seasons later down the line, Bure rebounded in a big way with the Florida Panthers in the 1999-2000 season. He claimed the Rocket Richard Trophy for most goals scored (the award didn’t yet exist in 1993-94), finding the back of the net 58 times to finish third in the race for the Hart Trophy. Bure defended his Rocket Richard title in 2000-01, doing one better with 59 goals. Announcing his retirement after the 2002-03 season, Bure was credited with 437 goals and 342 assists for 779 points in just 702 career games, most of which as a member of the Canucks and Panthers. Despite his relatively short career and never winning a Stanley Cup, the Russian Rocket was nonetheless elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012. His #10 jersey number was also officially retired by the Canucks in 2013.

5. Daniel Alfredsson (1995-96)

Alfredsson captured the Calder in 1995-96 as a member of the Ottawa Senators, becoming one of the lone bright spots for the floundering expansion team with 26 goals and 35 assists. While the first half of Alfredsson’s career was incredibly consistent, he propelled himself to the next level in the 2005-06 season. That year, Alfredsson pocketed 43 goals and 60 assists for 103 points, while also having the distinction of being the first player in NHL history to score a shootout goal. He continued to reliably score between 70 and 90 points for the next handful of seasons, eventually retiring after the 2013-14 season with 444 career goals, 713 assists and 1,157 points in 1,246 games, most of which as a Senator. Prior to his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2022, Alfredsson’s #11 jersey was officially retired by the Ottawa Senators in 2016.

4. Peter Forsberg (1994-95)

Forsberg won the Calder Trophy while playing for the Quebec Nordiques (now Colorado Avalanche) in the lockout-shortened 1994-95 campaign, scoring 15 goals and 35 assists in 47 games played. Once the Nordiques became the Avalanche the next season, Forsberg’s NHL career truly took flight with an 86-assist season on the way to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup championship. In 1996-97, Forsberg finished second to the Sabres’ Michael Peca for the Selke Trophy, which is given to the league’s best defensive forward. The Swedish forward kept the momentum going into the next season, taking first-team All-Star honors with 25 goals and 66 assists, then repeated the accomplishment in 1998-99 with 30 goals and 67 assists.

After an injury-shortened 1999-2000 season, Forsberg bounced back in 2000-01 with 27 goals and 62 assists. Although Forsberg was injured halfway through the Avalanche’s 2001 playoff run and unable to play in the finals, he was still credited with his second Stanley Cup title as the team went on to win at all once again. Sadly, injuries would be a recurring theme for the rest of Forsberg’s career, as he missed the entire 2001-02 season and played his final full season in 2002-03. However, that 02-03 campaign would be one of Forsberg’s best, as he led the league in assists with 77 and took home the Art Ross Trophy thanks to his 106 points. In addition to grabbing the first-team All-Star for the third time, Forsberg was named the Hart Trophy winner for league MVP. If not for the near-constant injuries plaguing the latter part of his career, Forsberg easily could have cleared the 1,000-point barrier, but was instead held to just one final good season in 2005-06 where he had 56 assists in 60 games for the team that had originally drafted him in the Philadelphia Flyers. After a brief comeback attempt with Colorado in 2010-11, Forsberg retired with 249 goals and 636 assists for 885 points, mostly with the Avalanche. Despite only playing in 708 games, Forsberg was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2014. His #21 jersey was officially retired by the Colorado Avalanche in 2011.

3. Teemu Selanne (1992-93)

The Finnish Flash wasted no time in making a huge impact on the NHL, easily winning the Calder in 1992-93 for the original Winnipeg Jets with a whopping 76 goals and 56 assists. The 76-goal season is not only still a record amongst rookies, but it was also a league-best for all players that year. This allowed Selanne to take his first of two first-team All-Star nods, though he would run into a sophomore slump the next season and had a good, but not great, 1994-95 season. Unable to reach the same heights as his rookie year in Winnipeg, Selanne was traded to the recently-formed Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (now Anaheim Ducks), where he secured another first-team All-Star nomination in 1996-97 with 51 goals and 58 assists. He remained a major piece of the Mighty Ducks in 1997-98, scoring a league-leading 52 goals to go along with 34 assists, allowing him to claim the third spot in Hart Trophy voting.

In 1998-99, Selanne became the first player to officially earn the Rocket Richard Trophy with a league-best 47 goals, with his 60 assists also giving him his fourth career 100-point season. Although he never won another major individual award in his NHL career, Selanne played an important role in bringing Anaheim their first (and, as of this writing, only) Stanley Cup in 2007, coincidentally occurring the same year as the name change from the Mighty Ducks to the Ducks. Playing well into his 40s, Selanne amassed 684 career goals, 773 assists and 1,457 points in 1,451 games played. Most of these were with the Mighty Ducks/Ducks organization, with a significant portion as a member of the original Jets and San Jose Sharks. In 2017, he was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame, with his #8 jersey being officially retired by the Anaheim Ducks two years prior. Despite never playing for the current franchise, Selanne was also inducted into the Winnipeg Jets Hall of Fame in 2022.

2. Ed Belfour (1990-91)

Eddie the Eagle burst onto the scene in 1990-91 with the Chicago Blackhawks, winning 43 games to not only earn the Calder Trophy, but also collect both the Jennings and Vezina trophies with four shutouts and a save percentage of .910 in 74 games played. Belfour also got a significant number of votes for the Hart as well, finishing third in that race while also taking a first-team All-Star. After leading the NHL in shutouts in 1991-92, Belfour got his second Vezina in 1992-93, to go along with another Jennings and first-team All-Star nod thanks to his 41 wins, league-leading seven shutouts and .906 save percentage in 71 games. He remained atop the shutout scoreboard in both 1993-94 and 1994-95, with the latter season seeing him get his third Jennings Trophy and a runner-up spot in the Vezina voting.

After a pair of somewhat disappointing seasons, Belfour looked to revive his career with the Dallas Stars in 1997-98. He did just that with an impressive 37-win campaign in his first season in the Lone Star State, but the biggest season of his career would come in 1998-99. After getting another Jennings Trophy on the strength of 35 wins, five shutouts and a .915 save percentage in 61 games, Belfour led the Stars on a furious charge in the 1999 playoffs. Dallas swept the Edmonton Oilers in the first round, then got through the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche to face the Sabres for the Stanley Cup. In the Finals, Belfour was next to unbeatable, as he not only never allowed more than three goals in any game but also had a shutout in game five. Although he lost the Conn Smythe Trophy to teammate Joe Nieuwendyk, Belfour was the only goalie in net for the Stars’ postseason run as they won the Cup in six games for their first (and, as of this writing, only) championship in franchise history.

After a couple more good seasons in Dallas, Belfour found himself on the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2002-03 season. With the Leafs, he not only captured his 400^th career win on April 1^st, 2003, but was also a finalist for the Vezina once again with 37 wins, seven shutouts and a .922 SV% in 62 games played. Belfour left the NHL after the 2006-07 campaign, finishing his illustrious career with 484 victories, 76 shutouts and a career .906 SV% in 963 games, the majority of which coming with the Blackhawks, Stars and Maple Leafs. After being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011, Belfour also joined the Dallas Stars Hall of Fame in 2023.

1. Martin Brodeur (1993-94)

Brodeur took home the 1993-94 Calder Trophy as a member of the New Jersey Devils, posting 27 wins, three shutouts and a .915 save percentage in 47 games while splitting the net with veteran goalie Chris Terreri. However, Brodeur would officially take over the net as a starter in the shortened 1994-95 season, as he played in 40 of the 48 games. Although the regular season stats weren’t particularly impressive, Brodeur had his moment to shine in the 1995 playoffs. He got all 16 wins for the Devils on their path to the first Stanley Cup in franchise history, putting up a postseason-leading .927 SV% in the process. With a championship now under his belt, Brodeur went on to take the Jennings Trophy for 1996-97 with 37 victories, an NHL-best 10 shutouts and a .927 SV% in 67 games as he was also named a Vezina finalist that season. He retained his Jennings title in 1997-98, scoring a league-high 43 wins with 10 shutouts and a .917 SV% in 70 games played, though he again came up just short of winning the Vezina.

Brodeur led the league in wins again in 1998-99 with 39, but the next season would be where he solidified his case for future Hall of Fame status. After winning 43 games to lead the NHL for a third time, Brodeur did not allow any other goalies to take the net for the Devils during the ensuing playoff run. Winning all 16 games of the 2000 playoffs for another save percentage of .927, Brodeur and the Devils lifted the Stanley Cup for a second time. He topped the league in wins again in 2000-01, this time getting 42, but just missed out on the Vezina Trophy despite being named as a finalist for a third time. However, Brodeur would break through at last in the 2002-03 campaign.

Leading the NHL in wins (41) for the fifth time in his career, Brodeur had his first Vezina Trophy and, strangely enough, his first career first-team All-Star selection as he also collected a league-high nine shutouts with a .914 save percentage over 73 games to claim his third Jennings Trophy as well. In the 2003 playoffs, Brodeur was again credited with all 16 of the Devils’ wins for both his and the team’s third Stanley Cup crown. Although the Devils themselves were unable to go back-to-back in 2003-04, Brodeur essentially repeated all of his regular season accolades from the year before. Leading the way in wins and shutouts with 38 and 11 respectively, Brodeur maintained an impressive .917 SV% in 75 games to hold down the Vezina, Jennings and first-team All-Star honors as he also got his 400^th career win on March 23^rd, 2004. The 2005-06 season saw him get the runner-up spot in the Vezina race with an NHL-best 43 victories, but 2006-07 would arguably be the best regular season showing of Brodeur’s entire career.

In that season, Brodeur set a new record for wins in a single season with 48, breaking the previous record set by Flyers goalie Bernie Parent in 1973-74. In addition to that, Brodeur notched a career-high 12 shutouts and a dominant .922 save percentage in 78 games (a mark no goalie has surpassed since) for his third Vezina award and first-team All-Star. Despite turning 35 years old in the 2007-08 season, he would obtain his fourth Vezina Trophy with 44 wins (which included his 500^th win on November 17^th, 2007), four shutouts and a .920 SV% over the course of 77 games. Although Avalanche goaltender Patrick Roy beat him to the punch by a few years as the first goalie to reach 500 wins, Brodeur would establish a club of his own during the 2009-10 season as he was the first to earn 600 wins on April 6^th, 2010. This capped off an excellent season in which Brodeur posted a league-best 45 victories and nine shutouts to go along with a .916 save percentage in 77 games. Brodeur announced his retirement during the 2014-15 season, playing nearly his whole career with the Devils as he collected a record 691 career victories and 125 shutouts with a .912 save percentage overall in 1,266 games played. Obviously, Brodeur was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as soon as he was eligible in 2018, with the New Jersey Devils officially retiring his #30 jersey number in 2016.