HabsWorld.net -- 

Following Tuesday’s initial draw for the Draft Lottery (won by Toronto), the NHL named the three finalists for the Calder Trophy.  As expected, Canadiens winger Ivan Demidov was listed among them.

The other two finalists for Rookie of the Year are Islanders defenceman Matthew Schaefer and Ducks winger Beckett Sennecke, the number two and three point-getters among freshmen.  Jakub Dobes and Oliver Kapanen were also eligible for the award but didn’t land in the top three in voting.

Demidov got a brief taste of NHL action last season in the final two regular season games and the playoffs but didn’t play enough to take away his rookie eligibility.

This season, he led all rookies in assists with 43 and points with 62 while finishing sixth in goals.  He finished fifth on the Habs in scoring behind their three top-line forwards and Lane Hutson while averaging 15:30 of playing time per game.

However, despite all that, Schaefer is widely believed to be the favourite for the award.  He tied for the rookie lead in goals with 23 and was tied for third in points with 59.  He also logged nearly 25 minutes per game of ice time, a number virtually unheard of for a rookie.

Demidov is now the second Hab that is known to be a finalist for an end-of-season award.  He joins Cole Caufield, one of the remaining contenders for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy.  At this time, it’s unclear when the winners will be announced.