The 2010-2011 NHL Awards Show is currently underway on VERSUS and they just announced that Carolina Hurricanes center Jeff Skinner won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the most outstanding rookie this season. Skinner is the first player in Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers history to win the award. Skinner finished the season leading all rookies in points as he finished with 31 goals and 32 assists and played in all 82 games.
↵San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture and New York islanders right wing Michael Grabner was were also nominated for the award. Couture and Grabner finished second and third behind Skinner in points. While both scored more goals than Skinner, they were not able to rack up quite the same number of assists. While Skinner is a worthy winner, it's interesting to note that both Couture and Grabner finished with a higher +/-. While +/- is not the be-all, end-all of statistics in any sport, it does provide a glimpse into how that player's unit performed as a whole.
↵Although Couture did not win, he deserves a hearty congratulations for a fantastic rookie season. The future is bright for him in San Jose.