Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Your Selke Trophy Finalists

04/18/2018 at 7:00pm EDT

NEW YORK (April 18, 2018) – Centers Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins, Sean Couturier of the Philadelphia Flyers and Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings are the three finalists for the 2017-18 Frank J. Selke Trophy, which is 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 at the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists. The winner will be announced Wednesday, June 20, during the 2018 NHL Awards™ presented by Hulu at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas

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

Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins

Bergeron placed sixth in the NHL in face-off win percentage (57.3%, min: 750) and was a League-best 58.3% while shorthanded (min: 50). Bergeron also ranked first among NHL forwards in the individual puck possession metric SAT% (shot attempts percentage - min. 50 GP), as Boston registered 57.6% of all shot attempts when Bergeron was on the ice while each team had five skaters per side. The 14th-year Bruin has four career Selke wins, tied for the all-time lead with Montreal Canadiens forward Bob Gainey, who took home the prize in each of the first four years it was presented from 1978 through 1981. Bergeron is a finalist for a record seventh consecutive year, surpassing the six-year streak of Detroit’s Pavel Datsyuk from 2008 through 2013.

Sean Couturier, Philadelphia Flyers

Couturier tied for third place in the NHL in plus-minus with a +34 rating, the best by a Philadelphia player since John LeClair (+36) and Eric Lindros (+35) in 1998-99. Among forwards, he ranked second League-wide in total ice time (1,770:31) and third in average ice time per game (21:35). He logged an average of 1:53 in shorthanded ice time per game, nearly 50% more than the next Flyers forward. Couturier topped Philadelphia in puck possession with a shot attempts percentage of 53.2% (min. 50 GP) and ranked second on the team in face-off win percentage (52.8%, 529 of 1,001). The first-time Selke finalist is vying to become the first Flyer to capture the award since Dave Poulin in 1987 and third winner in franchise history (also Bobby Clarke, 1983).

Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings

Kopitar led all NHL forwards in total ice time (1,810:58), an average of 22:05 per game, on the club that led the League in team defense, allowing an average of 2.46 goals a contest. He topped Los Angeles forwards in shorthanded ice time (2:10 per game) on the NHL’s top-ranked penalty-killing unit (85.0%). The 12th-year King ranked third League-wide in total face-offs and face-off wins with 1,816 and 983, respectively, setting career highs in both categories. He took 37% of his team’s face-offs, the third-highest percentage in the NHL, and his face-off win rate of 54.1% led the Kingsand also marked a career best. Kopitar is a Selke finalist for the fourth time in five seasons; he placed second in 2014, third in 2015 and captured the award for the first time in 2016.

History

The trophy was presented in 1977 by the National Hockey League Board of Governors in honor ofFrank J. Selke, one of the great architects of Montreal and Toronto championship teams.

Announcement Schedule

The three finalists for NHL Trophies are being announced by NBC Sports in the United States and Sportsnet/TVA Sports in Canada during pregame programming for the Stanley Cup Playoffs through Monday, April 30. The series of announcements continues on Thursday, April 19, when the three finalists for the Norris Trophy will be unveiled.

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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