Brian Boyle, Roberto Luongo, Jordan Staal nominees for Masterton Trophy
Boeser, Barzal and Keller nominated for Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year
Forward Brian Boyle of the New Jersey Devils, goaltender Roberto Luongo of the Florida Panthers and forward Jordan Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes were named the finalists for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy on Saturday.
The award is given to the NHL player “who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey,”
Before Boyle set foot on the ice as a New Jersey Devil, he faced his biggest test. At the start of training camp the 33-year-old was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, a type of bone marrow cancer. He worked his way back into the lineup by Nov. 1 and scored 10 goals over his first 25 games, including a memorable goal on the Devils’ Hockey Fights Cancer Night at Prudential Center, a 3-2 win over Vancouver on Nov. 24.
Luongo, 39, overcame hand and groin injuries during the season and backstopped the Panthers’ drive for an Eastern Conference Playoff berth. Sidelined by injury since early December, the franchise’s all-time leader in wins, shutouts and appearances returned on Feb. 17 to help the Panthers defeat Calgary 6-3 and ignite a Florida rally in the East’s Wild Card race. In a 13-game span, Luongo went 9-3-1 with a 2.44 goalsagainst average and .928 save percentage.
In late February, Staal and his wife, Heather, announced their daughter, Hannah, was delivered stillborn due to a terminal birth defect previously diagnosed by doctors. Staal, who had assumed a bigger leadership role with the young Hurricanes by being named cocaptain before the season, missed just three games following the tragedy.
Calder Trophy
NEW YORK - Vancouver Canucks right-winger Brock Boeser, New York Islanders centre Mathew Barzal and Arizona Coyotes centre Clayton Keller were named the three finalists for the Calder Memorial Trophy on Sunday by the NHL.
The Calder Trophy is awarded “to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition.”
Boeser, the 23rd overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, ranked second among rookies with 29 goals and fifth with 55 points despite appearing in only 62 games.
Only two rookies have scored more goals in one season for the Canucks (Pavel Bure: 34 in 199192 and Trevor Linden: 30 in 198889), while just six have collected more points - each while playing more games.
Barzal, the 16th overall selection in the 2015 NHL Draft, led all rookies with 22 goals and 63 assists in 82 games, 20 points more than the next-closest rookie. He became the seventh rookie in League history to record at least 20 goals and 60 assists in one season - and first to do so since 2005-06 (Sidney Crosby with Pittsburgh).
Keller, the seventh overall selection in the 2016 NHL Draft, placed second among rookies with 23 goals and 42 assists while skating in all 82 games. His 65 points were the most by a Coyotes rookie since the club relocated to Arizona in 1996-97.