The National Hockey League announced today the three finalists for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy finalists on Thursday, May 2nd. The trophy is awarded to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen, Arizona Coyotes goaltender Connor Ingram, and Calgary Flames defenseman Oliver Kylington were named the three finalists for the 2023-24 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
The local chapters of the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) submitted nominations for the Masterton Trophy at the end of the regular season and the three top-voted players were designated as finalists.
Andersen started the regular season with a win-loss record of 4-1-0 before a blood clotting issue was discovered affecting the 11-year NHL veteran. He would then miss the next 49 games over a four-month span which ranged from November 4th to March 7th. After the 34-year-old returned to the NHL, he posted a win-loss record of 9-1-0 including a 1.30 goals-against average (GAA), a 0.951 save percentage (SV%) and three shutouts. Carolina is currently in the second round of the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs with Frederik Andersen leading the charge in net for the team.
Ingram almost had to hang up his professional skates after lingering depression and obsessive compulsive disorder. He eventually entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance program on January 15th, 2021 to seek help. Before making the NHL, he played seven seasons in the ECHL, AHL and Sweden before finally making his NHL debut with the Nashville Predators during the 2021-22 season. He was then claimed off waivers by the Arizona Coyotes on October 10th, 2022 and posted a win-loss record of 23-21-3 with a 2.91 GAA and a 0.907 SV%. He was also tied for the NHL lead with six shutouts in 50 games this season.
Kylington spent 18 months away before returning on January 25th, 2024 which included him missing the entire 2022-23 season attending to his mental health. The 26-year-old did not share the details of his absence other than it was mental health-related. He was worried he may not be able to continue playing professional hockey during this absence. He recorded eight points (3G, 5A) and averaged 17:14 TOI during his 33 games throughout the 2023-24 season.
Kris Letang won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in the 2022-23 season. The NHL announced the finalists for the Jack Adams Trophy today, Friday, May 3rd.
