When the season started for the Boston Bruins back in October, nobody knew what to expect from the Black and Gold in 2025-26. There was roster turnover, some questionable free agent signings, and a coaching change with Marco Sturm hired by general manager Don Sweeney and the front office.
One thing that the front office brass has been preaching is injecting youth into the lineup, but their free agent signings of bottom-six forwards have blocked some of the younger players. However, one prospect did impress, as expected in training camp, and made the Opening Night roster. He ended up being one of the bigger surprises for the Bruins this past season. He certainly got a lot of national exposure for his first full NHL season.
Bruins forward Fraser Minten finishes in Top 10 Calder Trophy voting for 2025-26 season
When the New York Islanders won the NHL Draft Lottery last May, it became clear who they were going to select with the first overall pick last June. When the time came, they selected defenseman Matthew Schaefer, and boy, he didn't disappoint in his rookie season in the NHL. On Wednesday, he was the runaway winner for the Calder Trophy, given to the league's top rookie.
Matthew Schaefer was the unanimous choice for NHL rookie of the year. @NYIslanders pic.twitter.com/442zKiEJj8
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) May 13, 2026
As far as Minten goes, he finished 10th in the voting, receiving six fourth-place votes and 12 fifth-place votes. That shouldn't come as a surprise as to where he finished in the voting.
Acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs at the trade deadline in March of 2025 as part of the Brandon Carlo trade with Boston, Minten played in all 82 regular-season games for Sturm with 17 goals and 18 assists with a plus/minus of plus-21. He averaged 15:33 a night and scored two game-winning goals while winning 49.3% of his face-offs.
At 21 years old, Minten has solidified his spot in the lineup for the Bruins, and there is some hope that he could eventually slide into the top-line center position. He got some shifts up and down the lineup for Boston this season, including playing in all six first-round playoff games against the Buffalo Sabres.
The deal is a good one for Sweeney and the Bruins, but it would have been a little sweeter if they had landed the Maple Leafs' first-round pick in this June's draft. Instead, that's staying with Toronto, which won the top pick in the draft and will have a new coach when training camp begins in September for the 2026-27 season.
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