St. Louis Blues forward Sammy Blais was nominated for the Masterton Trophy by the St. Louis chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association on Monday.
Blais, a Canadian-born forward, is 26 years old and in his second tenure in St. Louis, Mo. He returned to the Blues after the New York Rangers traded him back to St. Louis for defenseman Niko Mikkola and forward Vladimir Tarasenko. He subsequently signed a one-year, $1 million contract extension with the Blues on March 2, 2023.
The Blues traded Blais and a 2022 second-round pick to the Rangers in exchange for forward Pavel Buchnevich on July 23, 2021. He suffered a season-ending torn ACL that required surgery in his first season in New York City in 2021-22. He recorded four assists in 14 games before dangerously colliding with then-defenseman P.K. Subban.
Upon returning to St. Louis, Blais has set a new career-high of nine goals and 11 assists in 29 games with the Blues. He was initially drafted 176th overall in the sixth round by the Blues in the 2014 NHL Draft.
According to NHL.com, only two St. Louis Blues have won the Masterton Trophy since it was first awarded in 1967-68. The two Blues were Jamie McLennan in 1998 and Blake Dunlap in 1981.
The Masterton Trophy’s awarded annually to an NHL player that “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.”
The 2023 NHL Awards will be held on Monday, June 26, in Nashville, Tennessee.
Sammy Blais Nominated for Masterton Trophy
IIHF Game Recap: Team USA vs Team Slovakia | 04\25\2024
- Karen Zehner
- April 25, 2024
Today, the International Ice Hockey Federation kicked off the 2024 IIHF ICE HOCKEY U18 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP tournament. The tournament will be played in Espoo and Vantaa, Finland, from April 25, 2024, through May 5, 2024. The 10 teams are divided into two five-team groups in the Preliminary Round. Today’s game featured Team USA against Team Slovakia […]
Read MoreLightning’s Playoff Fate Hinges on Kucherov Showing Up
- Lauren Burg
- April 25, 2024
Staring at an 0-2 deficit against the Florida Panthers, the Tampa Bay Lightning are in real danger of getting swept out of the first round for the first time since 2019. If that occurs, one key reason would be the play of top-line winger Nikita Kucherov. For the current Art Ross Trophy winner with 144 […]
Read MoreCapitals Head Back to DC in a Major Deficit
- Hayley Paljug
- April 25, 2024
The first two games of the playoffs have been nothing short of disappointing for the Washington Capitals. With only four goals and 46 shots on goal in two games, the Capitals have not been performing at the level they need to be to win out over the New York Rangers. Notably, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin […]
Read More