Nashville Predators defenseman Nick Blankenburg has been nominated for the 2025 Masterton Trophy. He was selected by the Nashville chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

The Masterton Trophy is awarded annually to “the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.” The winner is selected among a poll of all PHWA chapters at the end of the season.

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Blankenburg, 26, has played in 56 games for the Predators this season after starting the season with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. He’s scored three goals and added 12 assists while playing 19:26 minutes per game.

Here is the full bio of Blankenburg submitted along with his nomination:

“Nothing has been given to Nick Blankenburg, everything earned.  A look at the stops he’s made show he’s traversed North America and played in some locales and leagues not known for producing NHLers, but he kept going. Blankenburg walked on at the University of Michigan, eventually earning a scholarship for his senior year, when he also served as captain of the Wolverines. Undrafted, Blankenburg spent three seasons with Columbus, playing 55 NHL games. He signed with Nashville in the offseason and has been a regular in the lineup since being recalled in late November after starting in the AHL.”

Last season, the PHWA’s Nashville chapter nominated Michael McCarron for the Masterton Trophy. The award went to former Predators goaltender Connor Ingram.

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Former forward Steve Sullivan won the Masterton in 2009, the only Predators player to win the award.

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Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex atjdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Predators defenseman Nick Blankenburg nominated for Masterton Trophy