Rookie Status

The current definition of rookie status in the NHL has existed since 1990-91, but this definition has varied quite a bit over the years. Our rookie search is programmed to handle these definitions:

• 1918-19 through 1941-42
  1+ GP in a single season and you are no longer a rookie
• 1942-43 through 1943-44
  1+ GP in regular season and you are no longer a rookie, but previous playoff participation does not affect rookie status
• 1944-45 through 1946-47
  3+ GP in single season or playoffs and you are no longer a rookie
• 1947-48 through 1967-68
  20+ games in a single season or 6+ in any two preceding seasons and you are no longer a rookie
• 1968-69 through 1989-90
  25+ games in a single season or 6+ in any two preceding seasons and you are no longer a rookie
• 1990-91 to the present
  same as before, but you must also be under 26 years old on September 15 of that season

What we are not currently accounting for in the code is the wrinkle added to deal with WHA players, which stipulated that "To be eligible for the award, a player cannot have played more than 25 games in any single preceding season nor in six or more games in each of any two preceding seasons in any major professional league." The key language there is "any major professional league." This means players like Wayne Gretzky were not eligible to win the Calder Trophy. At this time, that definition is not coded in, so you'll still see Gretzky (and other WHA players) when you run rookie searches

Also, right after World War II, some players were granted exemptions to still be considered a rookie.