Edmonton Oilers

Can Stuart Skinner Finally Break the Oilers Calder Trophy Curse?

Stuart Skinner is poised to become the first-ever Calder Trophy Winner for the Edmonton Oilers, which is amazing when you think about it.

by
NHL Trade Talk
June 26, 2023

On Monday night, one of Matty Beniers, Owen Power, or Stuart Skinner will win the Calder Trophy at the 2023 NHL Awards. For Skinner, he gets the nod after a stellar regular season as a rookie goaltender, taking over the starting job for Jack Campbell after Campbell struggled to find consistency in his first year with the team. After a 29-win 2022-23 campaign where he passed Grant Fuhr’s 28 wins in 1981-82 for the most in a rookie season, Skinner represents the Oilers’ best chance to win the trophy, something no Oilers rookie has ever done despite the team having some of the best players in the NHL to ever come through their system.

The Oilers as an organization have won 68 awards/trophies, but never the Calder. Could this be the first?

"I'm just very honoured, very grateful that I was able to be in the situation that I'm in."

Stuart Skinner looks to finish off his remarkable rookie season as the #Oilers first ever Calder Trophy winner. https://t.co/lypP2xCyhc
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) June 26, 2023

Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier, two NHL legends, couldn’t win the award due to WHA involvement. Gretzky’s eligibility would have made him a clear frontrunner. Despite their exceptional rookie class in the 1980-81 season, the Oilers’ trio of Glenn Anderson, Paul Coffey, and Jari Kurri fell short as the award went to Peter Statsny of the Quebec Nordiques, who amassed a remarkable 109 points (39G, 70A) in his first NHL season.

In more recent seasons, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid were both nominated, but due to injuries, others won the award. Skinner is the Oilers’ best shot, and he’s got some hefty competition, even if no rookie ran away with the proceedings this past season.

Find out who will receive the honor at tonight’s 2023 Awards ceremony. Skinner said of his nomination, “I’m just very honoured, very grateful that I was able to be in the situation that I’m in.” He added, “Looking back on the season, it’s awesome everything that happened, but it’s also very motivating because I want to be just so much better than I was last year. I want to be able to get to the same spots that I am right now. I want to be able to come to an event like this again, and at the end of the day, you want to lift the Cup.”

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