The finalists for the 2023 Frank J. Selke Trophy has been announced and it includes Toronto Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner.
Every year The Selke Trophy is awarded to the forward who excels and demonstrates the most skill in the defensive aspect of the game. This year, the three nominees include Boston Bruins Centre Patrice Bergeron, New Jersey Devils center Nico Hischier, and Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner, voted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. One of them will go home with the honor of The Selke Trophy at the NHL Awards on June 26.
Marner has earned votes for The Selke Trophy in five consecutive seasons, but until this year has never been a finalist. Marner had a phenomenal season this year and set a career-high in assists and points with a total of 30 goals and 99 points. He also led the NHL in takeaways with a whopping 104, making him one of seven players to reach the century mark since the statistic was introduced in 1997-1998. This truly comes as no surprise as Marner spent a lot of time on the ice this year. He logged a career high 1702:06 (21:17 per game). Only four NHL forwards received more ice time than Marner this season. Much of this ice time came from his duty on The Leafs’ top penalty-killing unit; he positioned second among Toronto forwards and thirteenth among all NHL forwards in all out short-handed time (182:59).
Bergeron has brought home The Selke Trophy five times in his career and owns the record for the most Selke Trophies won by an NHL player. This season Bergeron totaled 27 goals and 58 points.
Nico Hischier is a first-time nominee and has never been a finalist for any NHL award. This season he set a career-high in every major category, including goals, assists, points, and the fewest penalty minutes. He scored 31 goals and 80 points, sitting second on the Devils behind Jack Hughes.
The winners will be revealed at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on June 26.