Calder Trophy odds 2027: the NHL rookie of the year market

Calder Trophy odds are the most readable award market in hockey and, on the evidence of the last decade, one of the worst places to back a favourite. Matthew Schaefer won the 2026 vote unanimously for the New York Islanders after opening at +1700. The 2026-27 board opened in July with Porter Martone of Philadelphia a shade ahead of Gavin McKenna, the first overall pick now in Toronto. This page carries the current prices, ten years of winners with the odds they opened at, the eligibility rules and the patterns worth betting on. Our awards hub covers the other trophies.

Calder Trophy odds 2026-27

Prices below are from Bet99, taken on 30 July 2026, and will have moved since. Rookie markets shift harder than any other futures board once training camps open and roles are confirmed, so treat these as the opening shape of the race rather than a live price. We will refresh the table through the season and date each update.

Prices from Bet99, 30 July 2026. American odds; a +310 price returns $310 in profit on a $100 stake if it wins.

Odds movement: why the first overall pick is not the favourite

McKenna arrives with the loudest name on the board and opened second. Martone edged ahead because he has already played NHL games and scored in them, and because Philadelphia will give him a top-six role from opening night. That is the whole logic of this market in one line: voters reward production, production needs ice time, and a confirmed role is worth more than draft position.

Two other things stand out. Chicago has two live candidates in Frondell and Kantserov, and only one of them can take the first-line minutes. And Toronto, which has produced more Calder winners than any franchise, has not had one since Auston Matthews in 2017. McKenna would be the eleventh.

Ten years of Calder winners and the odds they opened at

This is the table that should shape how you bet the market. Opening prices are the pre-season numbers each winner was available at.

Only two of the last ten winners opened as the favourite, and both were first overall picks walking into a guaranteed first-line job: Matthews at -130 and Bedard at -135. The other eight opened between +240 and +1800. Three of them, Schaefer, Barzal and Seider, were available at +1200 or longer in September. Backing the pre-season favourite at +275 has been the losing side of this market far more often than not.

What the voters reward

Rookie of the year rewards raw production more openly than any other NHL award. Team success barely registers: Bedard won on a Chicago side that finished near the bottom, and Hutson won in a Montreal season that ended in the first round. That makes the Calder easier to model than the Hart, where voters weigh the standings.

Defencemen do better here than the scoring bias suggests. Four of the last seven winners were blueliners, because voters credit a young defenceman playing 22 minutes a night against top competition. Schaefer and Hutson back to back are not a coincidence, and Cole Hutson at +675 is priced with that in mind.

Goaltenders are the opposite case. Only 16 have ever won the award and none since Steve Mason in 2009, so a goaltender at +2000 is a much longer shot than the number suggests. Fowler needs a starting job and a top-ten save percentage just to be in the conversation.

The ice-time trap

The most common losing Calder bet is a gifted forward buried on the third line. Draft pedigree does not score; minutes do. Before backing a name in September, check three things.

1. Where the club intends to play him. A top-six forward role or a top-four pairing is the floor for a realistic candidate. Pre-season line rushes and power-play units are the tell.
2. Whether the roster has room. Two rookies on one team split the minutes and the votes. Chicago in 2026-27 is the live example.
3. Whether he can be sent down. A junior-eligible player who starts slowly can be returned to his club team and the bet is dead by November. College and European players do not carry that risk in the same way.

Who is eligible for the Calder Trophy

Eligibility is stricter than most bettors assume. A player cannot have appeared in more than 25 NHL games in any single previous season, nor in six or more games in each of two previous seasons. He must also be under 26 on 15 September of the season in question. The age limit was added in 1990 after Sergei Makarov won at 31 following a long Soviet career. Age itself is not otherwise a factor, which is why Kantserov, a 22-year-old with three professional seasons in Russia, is a rookie in every sense the trophy recognizes. Martone’s nine games last spring keep him well inside the 25-game line.

Calder Trophy records worth knowing

• Most winners by franchise: Toronto, with 10. The most recent was Auston Matthews in 2017.
• Rookie scoring records: Teemu Selanne, 76 goals and 132 points for Winnipeg in 1992-93, both still standing.
• Oldest winner: Sergei Makarov, 31, in 1990. The rule that followed caps eligibility at 26.
• Goaltenders: 16 winners in the award’s history and none since 2009.
• First overall picks: they win it less often than their prices imply. Only ten have taken the Calder, and Connor McDavid was not one of them: Artemi Panarin won in 2016.
• Unanimous winners: Schaefer in 2026 swept every first-place vote as an 18-year-old defenceman.

How to bet the Calder market

1. Do not buy the favourite in July. Ten years of openers say the winner is usually at +400 or longer in the summer. Two or three names at +600 to +1800 beat one at +275.
2. Wait for opening-night lineups. The last week of September moves this board more than anything else in the season. A confirmed first-unit power-play spot is the strongest single signal.
3. Re-check at American Thanksgiving. By late November the field is usually three or four names and the early longshots have either been sent down or have separated.
4. Respect the position skew. Defencemen at long prices have paid four times in seven years. Goaltenders at any price have paid once in seventeen.
5. Hold the stake in mind. Money is tied up until June. Our futures betting guide covers how that affects sizing.

Rookie futures are available at the private sportsbooks licensed in Ontario and Alberta, and on a narrower basis through the provincial lottery operators elsewhere. Where these markets are legal in your province is set out on our NHL betting hub. The Norris Trophy market is the natural companion for the defencemen on this board, and official voting results are published by NHL.com.

Frequently asked questions

19+ (18+ in AB, MB and QC). Odds are approximate at the time of writing and change constantly. Please play responsibly. ConnexOntario: 1-866-531-2600 for Ontario residents. Helplines for every other province are listed on our gambling awareness page.