Three Blackhawks Rookies That Are Early Picks For The Calder Trophy

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Philipp Kurashev #23, Chicago Blackhawks (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

3. Philipp Kurashev

Right behind Suter in the rookie leaderboard for goals is Philipp Kurashev. Kurashev has been a pleasant surprise this season for the Blackhawks. When training camp started in January it was expected that Kurashev would be a taxi squad player ready to get a few chances in the NHL, but he has done more than that.

Philipp Kurashev is sixth on the Blackhawks in points with nine, and he is doing that with the least amount of minutes a night. Kurashev is currently averaging 12:46 minutes of ice time a night, and he has two-point play goals and two power-play assists. Not bad for a forward that is not cracking the top power-play unit.

Check out the highlight reel power-play goal Kurashev scored the other night:

WHAT A GOAL, PHILIPP KURASHEV! ??@NHLBlackhawks | #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/d1yFVRnp9n
— NHL on NBC Sports (@NHLonNBCSports) February 18, 2021

As the season goes on, Philipp Kurashev’s confidence is only going to grow, and with that confidence boost will definitely come more goals. There is no doubt that in the next few seasons Kurashev could become a top-six forward for the Blackhawks.

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Kurashev also has a face-off percentage of 47.4 that is in the top five for the Blackhawks. I would not mind seeing Kurashev spend some more time playing at center in the next few games, as the 21-year-old will only get better with more time and experience.

The Blackhawks’ next matchup is on Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and Chicago definitely is going to need all three of these guys to be great to get the win.