Defenseman Brock Faber of the Minnesota Wild just won the NHL Rookie of the Month award, something that not even star player Kirill Kaprizov has accomplished.
After leading all rookies with 11 assists and 13 points, Faber was named the NHL’s top rookie for January. Minnesota finished the first month of 2024 with a record of 5-8-1 and was 27th overall in the NHL at the All-Star break, but they were just seven points out of a wild card place.
Faber is currently the second favorite to win the Calder Memorial Trophy, awarded to the league’s rookie of the year, behind Chicago’s Connor Bedard. The Chicago forward has been out since fracturing his jaw on Jan. 5 and is expected to miss at least several more weeks.
Bedard’s injury combined with consistent play from Faber has seen his chances of winning the award climb over the last month from +1400 to +430, according to FanDuel.
Despite being almost unanimously selected as the 2020–21 Calder Trophy winner, Kaprizov never received the rookie of the month award during the COVID–shortened season. As members of the Minnesota North Stars, Bobby Smith and Danny Grant were the previous winners of the rookie of the year award; Kaprizov was the first player from the Wild to do so.
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