At the start of this season, many fans had the likes of Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, and even Sam Reinhart penned in is early Calder Trophy favorites. In fact, McDavid would probably be leading the Calder race if he hadn’t suffered from a nasty shoulder injury that caused him to miss nearly half of the season. While McDavid recovered from injury, Artemi Panarin took hold of the rookie scoring lead, and hasn’t let go. With 59 points in 64 games, Panarin is 15 points ahead of second place Jack Eichel, and 25 points ahead of Connor McDavid. There is, however, a massive difference between Panarin and the other Calder candidates this season. Panarin is 24 years old, and has played 6 full seasons of professional hockey, whereas other candidates are barely 20, and made the jump to the NHL this season straight from juniors or the NCAA. Let’s take a look at the top rookies who have a shot at winning the Calder Trophy this season:

5. Max Domi, LW, Age 21, 17G 26A 64GP

A veteran of the OHL, Max Domi played four full seasons with the London Knights before he solidified a spot on the Coyotes’ roster this season. Currently, he leads all Coyotes forwards in scoring, and he will play a key role in the rebuild of this Coyotes team. At just 5’10, Domi isn’t a big player, but he plays a fearless game. As a diabetic, Domi always has to be wary of his health, and as a result, he keeps himself in very good shape. Weighing in at 200 pounds, Domi is actually very strong for someone his height. In addition to being a strong, fearless player, Domi is also a very skilled one. His wrist shot is top notch, he has quick hands, and he’s a very creative player. Domi is on pace for 55 points this season, and hitting the 50 point mark in a rookie season is an impressive feat, but this year’s class of rookies is too strong. Domi won’t win the Calder simply because other rookies are outscoring him, but he certainly deserves consideration.

4. Dylan Larkin, RW, Age 19, 19G 20A 63GP

This season, the Red Wings have continued to prove that they are hands down the best organization in the league at drafting and developing players. Dylan Larkin specifically is proving to the NHL that he was a steal at number 15 overall in the 2014 draft. He has a fair chance at developing into the best player of his draft class, despite the fact he was picked outside of the top 10. Larkin is an absolute workhorse. He isn’t afraid to take a hit, and he never gives up on the play, making him a lethal weapon in the offensive zone. When he has the puck on his stick, Larkin can make defenders look absolutely ridiculous by blowing past them with his amazing speed. At the this years skill competition, Larkin set a new record for the faster skater event, showing the league that he might be the fastest player in the entire NHL. At just 19, Larkin has tons of room to grow as a player, and he will undoubtedly be one of the best players in the NHL as early as next season. He’ll receive consideration for the Calder, but he’s getting outscored by other rookie forwards, and probably won’t win the award.

3. Shayne Gostisbehere, D, Age 22, 12G 23A 46GP

This is where it gets tricky. “Ghost Bear” is one of the best stories of the season, and would probably win the Calder if he had played a full season. Unfortunately, Gostisbehere missed the first 18 games of the season, and that’s going to hurt his chances of being named rookie of the year. A product of Union College, Gostisbehere has been an underrated prospect for a while now, and he’s finally showing the NHL that he deserved more than just the label of an extraordinary collegiate level player. Gostisbehere went on a historic point streak this season, scoring points in 15 consecutive games, making him the first rookie defenseman to score points in 15 straight. Additionally, after scoring his fourth overtime goal of the season, Ghost Bear broke the record for most overtime goals scored by a rookie. He’s proven that he’s an extremely clutch scorer, both on the powerplay, and at even strength. Gostisbehere is an incredibly talented skater, and is capable of carrying the puck coast to coast, and setting players up for great scoring chances. Though he’s small for a defenseman at just 5’11, Gostisbehere has a hard, accurate slap shot, making him a perfect point man to feed pucks to on the powerplay. Defensively, Gostisbehere has also been pretty good. Typically, young, offensive defensemen are weak defensively, but Gostisbehere is an exception. He’s the complete package, and someday he could develop into a Norris Trophy caliber defenseman.

2. Jack Eichel, C, Age 19, 19G 25A 66GP

He would have been a first overall pick in any other draft class, but he just happened to be in the same draft class as Connor McDavid. Jack Eichel has been excellent this season, proving that he has the potential to turn the Buffalo Sabres into a respectable team. He’s incredibly strong, and possesses the ability to shield the puck away from opponents with his strength and long reach. His shot is lightning quick, and he has shown that he can snipe pucks past some of the best goaltenders in the world. His stride is powerful, and his speed is explosive and startling. Jack Eichel is, in a word, a powerful player. Though he already weighs 200 pounds, he could certainly benefit from putting on some extra weight. Given that he’s already such a powerful player, if Eichel puts on some weight this summer, he is going to be an extremely intimidating player to play against. Eichel will probably be named a Calder nominee at the end of the season, but he won’t win because of the competition he stands up against. Panarin is simply too far ahead of him in points, and Gostibehere’s impressive play could even cost Eichel some votes.

1. Artemi Panarin, LW, Age 24, 24G 37A 65GP

Panarin has been absolutely incredible this season. In terms of scoring, he is miles ahead of all other rookies, and is currently on pace to score 76 points. If he does reach the 70 point mark, Panarin will be the first rookie to have a 70 point rookie season since his linemate, Patrick Kane, scored 72 points in the 07-08 season. Speaking of Patrick Kane, Panarin has played a huge role in helping Patrick Kane reach the 80 point mark for the first time since 2010. Sure, Panarin’s numbers are impressive, but seeing the effect he has had on Kane’s scoring truly shows how good Panarin is. He’s the kind of player that makes the players around him better, and he will probably remain a threat to score 70 points a season for most of his career. Panarin is quick, creative, and incredibly dangerous when he has the puck on his stick. Whether he’s scoring goals, or setting them up, he is always a threat on the ice. Because Panarin is so far ahead in rookie scoring, and is such an important piece of a championship caliber Blackhawks team, he ultimately will be the one who wins the Calder.

Ever since the NHL started awarding the Calder Trophy in 1933, just 16 out of all 82 winners have won it at age 24 or older. In fact, nobody 24 or older has won it since Evegeni Nabakov won it at 25 in 2001. Will Panarin’s age hurt his chances of winning? Probably not. He is miles ahead of all other rookies in scoring, and he has played a huge role on a Blackhawks team that is destined to make another run for the cup. It could, however, be argued that Panarin has been so good this season because he has been NHL-ready for a couple of seasons now, and that his jump to the NHL wasn’t nearly as massive of a jump as Jack Eichel and Connor McDavid had to make. Should the NHL, then, consider revising Calder eligibility rules so that players who are over a certain age can’t win the award? Absolutely not. When Sergei Makarov won the award in 1990 at age 31, the NHL revised eligibility rules so that no player over the age of 26 could win the award, so there’s already a fair age enough age limit. The NHL could, however, change the rules of the award so that no player with more than a certain number of seasons or games played at the professional level can be eligible to win the Calder. This could include professional leagues in Europe, such as the KHL, SEL, or SM-liiga, and professional leagues in North America, such as the AHL. This way, the Calder will be awarded to the player who not only was the best rookie, but also was the most improved player.