This season, no one could keep up with Nikita Kucherov's offense, as he tore up league records on his way to the Maurice Rocket Richard and Art Ross Trophies with 59 goals and 114 points. Fun fact: his huge season also put him only 1 point behind Sidney Crosby for the CCHL's career points lead! Can you say GOAT? Don’t even start, Eles. Getzlaf is great, but Kucherov is greater. Another Tampa Bay player led the league in +/- claiming the Orr-Robinson award: Victor Ejsdell did so while putting up 70 pts for the resurgent Lightning. Brenden Dillon of the Jers takes the Scott Stevens award with 255 hits. Matt Niskanen (Colorado) and Jon Merrill (Philadelphia) will have to share the Craig Ludwig as they finished tied with 147 blocked shots. Corey Crawford takes home the Jennings for the Islanders after they allowed only 196 goals all season.
While no one could keep up with Kucherov offensively, it’s the Joneses no one could keep up with when it comes to nominations. Seth Jones lead all defensemen with 83 points, followed closely by Mark Giordano and Erik Karlsson. They are your Norris nominees. Jones was so impressive he even got some Hart trophy love. Michael Grabner is the other nominee, leading the Bruins second half resurgence playing in all situations and putting up 91 points. Kucherov is the other candidate, and let’s face it, the favourite. Phillip Danault, Elias Lindholm and Paul Stastny are your Selke nominees. All three are among the leaders in PK TOI and boasted excellent faceoff numbers. Leon Draisaitl, Patrice Bergeron and Ryan O'Reilly all played huge minutes, faced tough competition, and yet only combined for 2 PIM (Draisaitl is the one with a penalty). They are the nominees for the Lady Byng. Mark Giordano's Norris worthy season is that much more impressive when you consider he's over 37. He may not be the front runner for the Norris, but he is the front runner for the Jaromir Jagr award. Jason Spezza and Thomas Vanek both produced as solid middle six forwards for their teams, getting the other 2 nominations. Kasper Bjorqkvist led all rookies with 29 goals and 64 points. Victor Mete had an impressive rookie season for a defenseman with 44 points while also playing on the PK. Barrett Hayton, with 20 goals and 48 points rounds out the Calder nominees. Not only did he provide offense, but he played a regular role on the PK and provided some physical play with 100 hits. Tough guys Mark Borowiecki (163 PIM, 5 fights, 239 hits), Dylan McIlrath (157 PIM, 5 fights, 249 hits) and Wayne Simmonds (155 PIM, 9 fights, 237 hits) are up for the John Scott award. In net, Corey Crawford is hoping the Jennings isn’t the only trophy he’ll walk away with. His .917 save percentage and 2.28 GAA make him a worthy Vezina candidate. His 42 wins don’t hurt either. Braden Holtby was part of the Devils return to relevance. He carried a huge workload playing 73 games, posting a .914 save percentage and 2.51 GAA. Martin Jones led the league with 43 wins, and his .914 save percentage and 2.26 GAA are equally impressive.
While the Joneses are dominating on defense and in net in the CCHL, Benjamin Jones is hoping to add the Les Cunningham as CCAHL MVP after already taking home the John Sollenberger for leading the league with 79 points. Alexandre Texier however might have something to say about that. He was right behind Jones with 76 points, but also played regularly on the PK and provided a physical presence with 227 hits. Fabian Zetterlund finished the season with 72 points in 71 games, a better rate than anyone else in the league. His 55.66 faceoff percentage was also impressive. Uhro Vaakanainen led all defensemen with 69 points. Call Foote's 65 points may be even more impressive considering he did it with less support, and led his team in points. Dennis Cholowski's 63 points in only 72 games lead all 3 in points per game. They are your nominees for the Eddie Shore award as the AHL's best defenseman. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen played an incredible 74 games, amassing 48 wins with a .922 save percentage and a 2.32 GAA. Callum Booth led the league with a .924 save percentage, while also posting a 2.32 GAA and 34 wins. Vitek Vanecek was equally impressive in his 44 wins, posting a .923 save percentage and 2.37 GAA. Martin Dzierkals took home the Willie Marshall award after leading the league with 40 goals. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen takes home the Harry Hap Holmes memorial award as the Citadelles allowed the fewest goals this season.
Voting for the awards will open in the next few days!