There weren’t many players on the Vancouver Canucks who elevated their game this season, but a few did. One of those players is Linus Karlsson, and at least one NHLPA member believed recognized as such.

On Wednesday, the New York Islanders announced that defenceman Matthew Schaefer has won the 2026 Calder Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year – doing so unanimously, becoming the first player since Teemu Selanne in 1992-93.

Shortly after, the voting results were released and revealed that one NHLPA voter gave Canucks forward Linus Karlsson a fifth-place vote for the Calder Trophy.

After a successful 2025 Calder Cup run with the Abbotsford Canucks, in which he led the entire AHL in playoff goals (14) and points (26) – also scoring the Calder Cup winning goal – Karlsson was rewarded with a full season with Vancouver in the NHL.

The 26-year-old was scratched for the first three games of the season, but once he drew back into the lineup for Game 4 against the Dallas Stars, Karlsson proved he could not be taken out of the lineup.

Karlsson went on to score 15 goals and 20 assists for 35 points in 79 games. The 6’1″, 178-lb winger played up and down the Canucks’ lineup, from the first to the fourth line, and was a main feature on the second power play unit as the netfront presence. Karlsson added two power play goals and four power play points with the man-advantage.

The Swede’s impressive rookie year turned enough heads to earn him a spot on Team Sweden’s final roster for the IIHF World Championships, which begins later this week. Karlsson is one of four Canucks to make their respective countries’ roster: Filip Hronek (CZE), Aatu Räty (FIN), and Max Sasson (USA). Nils Höglander and Liam Öhgren joined Karlsson on Sweden’s preliminary roster. However, an injury to Höglander kept him off the team, while Öhgren was cut in favour of undrafted prospects and a handful of SHL players.

Who gave Karlsson the fifth-place vote for the Calder has yet to be released, but we will update this story when that information comes in.