The Washington Capitals were well-represented in voting for the Frank J. Selke Trophy, as Tom Wilson, Aliaksei Protas and Justin Sourdif all received consideration for the award.
The Selke is presented to the “the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game,” as selected by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Nick Suzuki was this year’s recipient.
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Wilson finished 24th in voting, receiving three third-place votes and three fifth-place votes. Through 72 games this past season, Wilson put up 30 goals and 32 assists for 62 points and was a plus-15, while playing a shutdown role and logging time on the penalty kill.
In addition to Wilson, Protas finished 29th with a second-place vote and third-place vote, and Sourdif finished 33rd with one second-place vote.
Protas, who earned Selke consideration last season, had 25 goals and 27 assists for 62 points in 76 games and was a plus-20. He continued to show dominance at 5-on-5, but also played a vital role on D.C.’s penalty kill.
Sourdif, in his rookie season, had 15 goals and 20 assists for 35 points in 78 games and was a plus-17, and stepped into a defensive center role with Pierre-Luc Dubois out long-term due to injury. He played a strong two-way game and also took on more minutes and responsibility as the season went on.
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Along with the Selke, the Lady Byng award was also presented to Suzuki’s teammate, Cole Caufield. The Lady Byng is given “to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability” as selected by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
Matt Roy and Logan Thompson finished 79th in voting with each earning a fifth-place vote.