5 Best New Jersey Devils Rookie Seasons Of All Time

2. Scott Gomez 1999-00

Scott Gomez won the second Calder Trophy in the history of the New Jersey Devils. It’s remarkable how few times the Devils were in the running for rookie of the year when there were so many great rookie seasons in team history. Nico Hischier’s great 2017-18 campaign only netted him a 7th-place finish. Meanwhile, Gomez came out of nowhere to take the 2000 Calder on his way to a Stanley Cup Championship.

It was quite the rookie campaign for the Alaska native. He scored 70 points for a powerhouse Devils team that included the “A” line and a decent core of scorers down the middle. Gomez didn’t play on the “A” line, but he was the best scorer outside of it. Patrik Elias was the only player on the team to score more points than he did.

In the playoffs, Gomez was once again scoring points, although not at the clip he was during the season. He had ten points over 23 games. The points in the playoffs came in spurts, as Gomez scored multiple points in three games.

Gomez’s rookie season was a ton of fun, as he jumped right from juniors to the NHL and dominated. He never really hit the heights his rookie season suggested, beating his 70-point mark just once in his career, but Gomez still put together a nice career with the Devils overall. The Calder Trophy-Stanley Cup combo makes it one of the more decorated rookie years in team history.