Blackhawks: Dominik Kubalik Voted Third In Calder Trophy Race

The Chicago Blackhawks had their very own Dominik Kubalik nominated for the Calder Trophy for his play during his rookie season in 2019-20. With the season now behind them, Kubalik finished third in the voting for the trophy.

While anyone would rather win instead of getting voted second or third for a trophy, when it comes to Kubalik I think just getting nominated was an award in itself. For a long time this year, Kubalik did not look like he would be a top-line NHL player. When January came around, Kubalik started to score more goals for the Blackhawks, which led to more ice time, which led to even more goals. Now here we are, and he has been voted the third best rookie in the league.

Kubalik might be a little older than Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar, but at the same time, being a rookie presents its unique challenges no matter the age. Dominik Kubalik did a great job translating his game to the NHL ice, and now a year later, he is set to be paid by the Blackhawks.

Cale Makar finished first in the voting for the Calder Trophy, while Quinn Hughes was voted second. Both of those guys had crucial roles in their rosters making the playoffs and were critical pieces in their teams getting out of the first round.

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Kubalik is going to have a great NHL career, and I know that he is only going to get better. Hopefully, the ‘Hawks can get him under contract before next season begins as he is going to be a critical piece in the Blackhawks offense.

Dominik Kubalik joins a rare group of ‘Hawks players from the past 15 or so years to be nominated for the Calder Trophy. Both Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin won the trophy during their rookie seasons. Hopefully, we will be able to add another player to the list next season after Pius Suter breaks into the NHL and lights things up as a rookie!

Although Kubalik was only voted third, he was nominated to the all-rookie team for his play this past season. He also showed up during the Blackhawks playoff run and presented some very historic moments for the team with how many goals he scored in his first playoff game.