Montreal Canadiens Captain Nick Suzuki Wins NHL's Selke Trophy In A Blowout
Montreal Canadiens center Nick Suzuki dominated the voting en route to winning the NHL's Frank J. Selke Trophy on Friday.
Suzuki was surprising teammate Cole Caufield with the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy inside the Canadiens' dressing room, not knowing Caufield was also surprising him with the Selke Trophy.
The award goes to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game.
Based on the voting from the Professional Hockey Writers Association, there was little doubt that Suzuki was the NHL's best defensive forward this season.
The Canadiens' captain received 151 first-place votes out of the 198 ballots and 1,726 voting points.
Tampa Bay Lightning center Anthony Cirelli, who finished third in Selke voting last year, finished second with 10 first-place votes and 467 voting points. Colorado Avalanche center Brock Nelson was the third finalist with four first-place votes and 406 voting points.
Suzuki, 26, recorded a career-high 72 assists and 101 points in 82 games this season. He took the sixth-most faceoffs in the league (1,449), winning 50.4 percent of them. He also led Canadiens forwards in average ice time, at 20:49, and the Canadiens outscored their opponents 94-58 at even strength while Suzuki was on the ice.
More to come.
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This story was originally published June 5, 2026 at 8:17 AM.