Kubalik finishes third in Calder Trophy voting originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar was named the winner of the 2019-20 Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie. Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks finished second, respectively.
Blackhawks rookie Dominik Kubalik came in third, but that certainly doesn't diminish his accomplishments. He scored 30 goals in a season where no other rookie had more than 20, and that's despite the fact he was a healthy scratch twice and averaged only 14:22 of ice time.
But far more impressively: Kubalik scored 26 of his 30 goals at even strength. To put that into perspective, only three other rookies have scored more than that in the last 20 years: Auston Matthews (32), Alex Ovechkin (28) and Patrik Laine (27).
Pretty good company.
While the voting was conducted prior to the 24-team Return to Play tournament, Kubalik took his game to a different level in the postseason by recording four goals and four assists for eight points in nine contests. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews were the other two players on the Blackhawks that finished with more points (nine).
Kubalik, who was acquired for a fifth-round pick, has been a hidden gem for the Blackhawks and could be a perennial 30-goal scorer in the NHL. And his pro career is just getting started.
