Top 10 Calder Trophy Candidates

NHL training camp has arrived, and veterans are honing their skills while rookies vie for a spot on theroster and a chance to live out their dreams. The vets are somewhat easy to predict, but the rooks present a true sports betting opportunity. NHL propsand futures can be an enjoyable way to spice up the traditionally dry pre-season.The Calder Trophy race is often the sexiesthockey futuresbet every fall, at least in terms of payout.Sure, you could lay it down on Sidney Crosby to win the scoring race at roughly 3:1, and sweat it outall season in hopes of tripling up. But the point of futures is to sprinkle on different things with big payouts and keep your fingers crossed waiting for the seemingly impossible to happen. (Note: Thisauthor is more and more proud each day of his one dollar, 150:1 bet on the Tampa Bay Rays to win theWorld Series last December.)With a little research, the Calder Trophy race can give you a nice payout from your online sportsbook .That being said, we've done all the studying for you - here's your NHL rookie betting cheat sheet, theTop 10 Rookie of the Year candidates.

1. Kyle Turris, Coyotes

Hockey Canada and Wayne Gretzky (I guess they're one and the same) are convinced Turris is the nextsuperstar. The 19-year old B.C. native will inherit top-six minutes on a youthful Coyotes squad, as wellas significant power-play time. Unheralded Martin Hanzal showed last year what a rookie can do if given a chance in Phoenix, and Turris figures to be the centerpiece for years to come.

2. Steven Stamkos, Lightning

Online sportsbooksand NHL betting lines will likely have Stamkos pegged as the favorite to win it all going into the season, and who could blame them? Stamkos' incredible talent aside, anyone playing inthe Tampa Bay lineup should rack up the points just by showing up. The general consensus around thescouting community is he’ll turn into a Steve Yzerman-type player, meaning his skills in the faceoff circle, in the defensive zone and simply his intangibles will give him a push when voting time comesaround.

3. Shawn Matthias, Panthers

Matthias might be a dark horse to the oddsmakers, but not to those who followed his career inBelleville and his brief call-up last season. The former Red Wings draft pick scored two goals in justhis second NHL game last season, so he already has that part figured out. What Matthias has that mostin this rookie class don't is tremendous power, and an innate ability to hang onto the puck. Florida has provided him a mentor, a similar player in Stephen Weiss - the two are now rooming together. Clearly,the Panthers have a tremendous vision for him, and he will factor into their 2008 plans in a big way.

4. TJ Oshie, Blues

The St. Louis Blues are quite lucky Oshie opted out of his final year at the University of North Dakota, because they need help desperately. The former Fighting Sioux center will be an integral part of theteam and will be relied upon heavily for secondary scoring - Brad Boyes can't do it all. If Oshie canreplicate his absolute dominance in the NCAA, he'll be a surefire Calder contender this season.