NHL 2021- 2022 Awards Finalists – Page 2

NEW YORK (May 18, 2022) – Winnipeg Jets left wing Kyle Connor, Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin and Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon are the three finalists for the 2021-22 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, awarded “to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability,” the National Hockey League announced today.

Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association submitted ballots for the Lady Byng Trophy at the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists. The winners of the 2022 NHL Awards will be revealed during the Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Final, with exact dates, format and times to be announced.

Following are the finalists for the Lady Byng Trophy, in alphabetical order:

Kyle Connor, LW, Winnipeg Jets

Connor produced the best offensive season of his six-year NHL career, setting personal highs and ranking among the League leaders in shots on goal (4th; 317), goals (t-5th; 47), game-winning goals (t-6th; 9) and points (13th; 93). Connor – who also established career highs in assists (46), power-play assists (20), power-play points (28) and shorthanded goals/points (3) – finished fourth among NHL forwards in average time on ice (21:47) and 12th among all skaters in takeaways (66). He did so while receiving only four penalty minutes during his 79 appearances – the fewest among the League’s top 100 scorers in 2021-22 (minimum: 50 GP). Connor, a first-time finalist, also is the first Lady Byng Trophy finalist in Jets/Atlanta Thrashers history and is seeking to become the first Winnipeg player (from the current or original Jets) to capture the award.

Jaccob Slavin, D, Carolina Hurricanes

Slavin, the reigning Lady Byng Trophy winner, logged the most total (1,858:52) and average (23:32) minutes for a Carolina defense that allowed a League-low 202 goals en route to claiming its first William M. Jennings Trophy in franchise history and second straight division title. Slavin – who offensively produced career highs in assists (38) and points (42) across 79 games – was assessed only five minor penalties while ranking among the 2021-22 leaders in shorthanded time on ice (2nd; 255:00), average shorthanded time on ice (3rd; 3:14), takeaways (t-4th; 74) and plus/minus (t-12th; +35). He is vying to become the first player (at any position) to win consecutive Lady Byng Trophies since Martin St. Louis in 2009-10 and 2010-11 (w/ TBL) and just the second defenseman to achieve the feat, following Red Kelly in 1952-53 and 1953-54 (w/ DET).

Jared Spurgeon, D, Minnesota Wild

Spurgeon, last season’s runner-up, topped Wild defensemen in goals (10), assists (30) and points (40) to help Minnesota (53-22-7, 113 points) post its best campaign in franchise history. Spurgeon, who is seeking to become the first Wild player to capture the Lady Byng Trophy, established career highs in assists, points per game (0.62) and power-play assists/points (14) while playing just 65 contests in 2021-22. He did so while also receiving only five minor penalties – the seventh time in his 12 NHL seasons he has been assessed 10 or fewer penalty minutes – and playing an average of 21:09. Only two other players, Spurgeon’s Lady Byng Trophy competition, averaged as much time on ice in 2021-22 while being assessed 10 or fewer penalty minutes (minimum: 10 GP): Slavin (23:32 TOI/GP, 10 PIM) and Connor (21:47 TOI/GP, 4 PIM).

History

Lady Byng, wife of Canada’s Governor General at the time, presented the Lady Byng Trophy during the 1924-25 season. After Frank Boucher of the New York Rangers won the award seven times in eight seasons, he was given the trophy to keep and Lady Byng donated another trophy in 1936. After Lady Byng’s death in 1949, the NHL presented a new trophy, changing the name to the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy.

Announcement Schedule

The three finalists for the 2022 NHL Awards are being announced through Friday, May 20. The series of announcements continues Thursday, May 19, when the three finalists for the Jack Adams Award will be unveiled.

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Attachments:

LadyByngFinalists051822.pdf

NEW YORK (May 17, 2022) – Centers Aleksander Barkov of the Florida Panthers, Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins and Elias Lindholm of the Calgary Flames are the three finalists for the 2021-22 Frank J. Selke Trophy, awarded “to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game,” the National Hockey League announced today.

Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association submitted ballots for the Selke Trophy after the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists. The winners of the 2022 NHL Awards will be revealed during the Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Final, with exact dates, format and times to be announced.

Following are the finalists for the Selke Trophy, in alphabetical order:

Aleksander Barkov, C, Florida Panthers

Barkov led all forwards on the 2021-22 Presidents’ Trophy-winning Panthers in average ice time per game (20:18), marking the fifth consecutive season he has led all Florida forwards and surpassed the 20-minute average. The Panthers captain ranked fourth among NHL forwards with a career-best +36 rating, exceeded only by the Calgary Flames trio of Johnny Gaudreau (+64), Lindholm (+61) and Matthew Tkachuk (+57). He also topped Florida in face-offs (1,252) and face-off wins (713) for a career-best 57.0% win percentage. Barkov, who captured the Selke Trophy in 2020-21, is looking to join Bergeron (2013-14 and 2014-15) as a repeat winner and add to a list that features Bob Gainey (1977-78 through 1980-81), Guy Carbonneau (1987-88 and 1988-89), Jere Lehtinen (1997-98 and 1998-99), Rod Brind’Amour (2005-06 and 2006-07) and Pavel Datsyuk (2007-08 through 2009-10).

Patrice Bergeron, C, Boston Bruins

Bergeron kept his familiar place atop NHL face-off and puck possession categories, leading the League in face-off wins (991) for the seventh time in his career and posting the top win percentage (61.9%). He also led the League in the puck possession metric SAT% (65.1), with Boston accounting for 65.1% of all shot attempts 5-on-5 when Bergeron was on the ice (min: 25 GP) – the best figure by any player since the statistic was first recorded in 2009-10. Bergeron is a Selke Trophy finalist for the 11th straight season, extending his own mark in that category, and surpasses the 10 consecutive years of top-three Hart Trophy finishes by Wayne Gretzky (1980 through 1989) as the longest ever for a voted NHL Award. Bergeron’s four Selke wins (2011-12, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2016-17) are tied for the most in NHL history with Bob Gainey, who captured the trophy each of the first four years it was awarded (1978-81 w/ MTL).

Elias Lindholm, C, Calgary Flames

Lindholm posted a +61 rating in 82 games, behind only linemate Johnny Gaudreau (+64) as the NHL’s best in the past 34 years. He led Flames forwards in several key categories on a team that posted its lowest goals-against total over an 82-game season (206) since 2009-10, including blocked shots (52), takeaways (t-1st, 55), time on ice (19:57 per game) and average time while shorthanded (2:07) for the League’s sixth-best penalty-killing unit (83.2%). He also was one of the NHL’s top face-off performers, ranking third overall in total face-offs (1,592) and fifth in face-off wins (842) for a 52.9% win percentage. Lindholm, a first-time NHL Awards finalist, is the first Flames player voted a Selke finalist in 20 years, following the second-place finish by Craig Conroy in 2001-02. He is aiming to become the first player in franchise history to take home the award.

History

The Frank J. Selke Trophy was presented in 1977 by the NHL’s Board of Governors in honor of Frank J. Selke, one of the great architects of Montreal’s and Toronto’s championship teams.

Announcement Schedule

The three finalists for the 2022 NHL Awards are being announced through Friday, May 20. The series of announcements continues Wednesday, May 18, when the three finalists for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy will be unveiled.

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