NHL Trophy Watch: Carl Hagelin Deserves More Calder Trophy Recognition

In a league where players like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Gabriel Landeskog, Adam Henrique and Matt Read are all having great rookie seasons, it is easy to understand why Carl Hagelin may not be on the radar of most fans when the Calder Trophy comes to mind.

However, Hagelin has shown that if he were with the New York Rangers for the full 82 game season, he likely would have had a good chance at taking home the Calder Trophy. Hagelin has only appeared in 54 games thus far and only trails the top scoring rookie by 10 points. 

This may sound a bit ridiculous, but when further looking at all the stats and facts, Hagelin has put up quite the performance for the Rangers thus far.

One of the first pieces of information used to judge potential Calder Trophy candidates is scoring. Players may light up the score sheets with big numbers in the minors, but showing that a young player can score in the NHL is very important.

Hagelin is fifth amongst rookies in scoring with a total of 37 points in 54 games.While 37 points may not be a lot to put things in perspective, in 20 extra games played, leading rookie scorer Landeskog only has 10 more points than Hagelin. That calculates to a point-per-game average of 0.64 points per game on the year.

Had Hagelin played in those extra 20 games, there is a good chance he would be leading the NHL in rookie scoring. That can be reflected in Hagelin's point-per-game average of 0.69 points per game. Hagelin is a player that earned most of his points on the Rangers' second and third line before being promoted to the top line.

However, Nugent-Hopkins has only appeared in 53 games, yet he has 45 points. This is an area that could hurt Hagelin's case, but for the better part of Hagelin's 54 games played, he hasn't been a top-six player and hasn't had the linemates RNH has had. Despite that, Hagelin has impressed since cracking the top six full time, which may show Hagelin has the potential to possibly score more.

Since Hagelin has emerged as a top-six player, he has been clutch and very reliable for the Rangers. In the last 13 games, he has recorded 14 points, and his offensive burst has really helped a stagnant Rangers' offense. However, despite Hagelin's offensive prowess, he brings a lot more than scoring to the Rangers.

While scoring should play a huge role, hockey is more about just scoring goals. A player deserving of the Calder Trophy should also be smart in their own end. Defensively, Hagelin has emerged as one of the Rangers' top penalty killers and defensive forwards. This is reflected in Hagelin's plus-minus rating of plus-22. This leads all NHL rookies and is 17th overall in the NHL.

A big part of why Hagelin is so beneficial on the penalty kill is his speed. Hagelin is the fastest skater in the NHL and uses that to his full advantage. When killing penalties, if the Rangers can maintain possession of the puck, Hagelin's speed allows him to break up the middle on a breakaway or odd man rush, which has led to Hagelin scoring two shorthanded goals thus far.

Hagelin's speed also enables him to skate quickly between positions in the defensive zone in order to block or close an opponent's shooting lane. If necessary Hagelin will also throw his weight around and has no problem blocking shots.

He also has been very effective working along the boards for loose pucks and feeding his teammates, who may be further along up the ice. For a player with little experience, Hagelin's on-ice vision is incredible. He seldom makes mistakes with the puck and is never caught out of position.

He really honed his craft at the University of Michigan and further polished his game with the Connecticut Whale of the AHL. Hagelin is a smart two-way hockey player and a valuable asset to the Rangers. There is a reason why the team didn't want to part with him in a potential trade for superstar winger Rick Nash.

The chemistry Hagelin has developed with Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik has been very key to the Rangers. Hagelin's hockey IQ is so developed that he studied old footage from when Richards played with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He watched some of the set plays Richards had with Cory Stillman and Fredrik Modin and has attempted to implement them with Richards in New York.

This clip is a result of that hard work studying footage. That is something quite impressive for a rookie player.

Overall, for a player that has only had 54 games of NHL experience, Hagelin has had a remarkable season. He has adapted well to the NHL and is one of the most important players on the Rangers. His speed, offensive prowess, defensive abilities and special teams play makes him one of the league's top rookies.

While Nugent-Hopkins, Landeskog or Henrique will likely walk away with the Calder Trophy at the NHL awards ceremony this summer in Las Vegas, Hagelin should really get some recognition for putting up some impressive numbers in such a short time span. Hagelin is a tremendous two-way player with huge upside and he will be very important to the Rangers in the playoffs and in the immediate future.

Tom Urtz is an NHL featured columnist.

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