One of the National Hockey League's top young rookies may have just been knocked out of any chance at contending for the Calder Trophy this season.
On Monday morning, Arizona Coyotes insider Craig Morgan broke the news that Coyotes rookie forward Matias Maccelli would miss the next 6 weeks as a result of a lower body injury he suffered prior to the Christmas break. Maccelli was injured during last Friday's game against the Los Angeles Kings, a 2-1 win for the Coyotes and their final game before the holiday break.
In spite of the fact that Maccelli was relatively unheralded coming into this season, he has been producing at an incredible rate for the Coyotes during the 2022-23 campaign with 3 goals and 19 assists for 22 points in just 30 games.
Those 22 points are good enough to rank him second in the entire league among rookies, with only forward Matty Beniers (25) of the Seattle Kraken having more. When you consider that Beniers is considered by many to be the clear favorite to win the Calder Trophy this season, that is pretty good company for Maccelli to be keeping.
Maccelli was a relatively late round draft pick selected in the 4th round (98th overall) of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and no doubt the Finnish forward's breakout season has been a pleasant surprise for the Coyotes this season.
Here's to hoping he makes a full recovery and continues to exceed expectations upon his return to the ice.
