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.
