The list of nominees for the NHL's 2026 Bill Masterton Trophy has been revealed, showing inspiring NHL players who've been outstanding for their perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication.
The Professional Hockey Writers' Association revealed its full list of nominees for the 2026 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy on Wednesday.
Each of the 32 teams' PHWA local chapter nominates one player to contend for the award, given to the NHLer "who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey."
The top three players who garner the most votes will be finalists for the Masterton, which will be awarded later this spring.
In 2025, the Masterton Trophy went to veteran center Sean Monahan of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Monahan played in 54 games in 2024-25, generating 57 points – the fifth-most points by a Jackets player in his first season with the team. Monahan dedicated that season to the memory of former teammate Johnny Gaudreau, who was killed by an alleged drunk driver in New Jersey in August 2024.
This year, there are two rare second-consecutive Masterton nominations.
The first is for Washington Capitals right winger Alexander Ovechkin. The second is for Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog. Landeskog has been battling severe injuries for many years now, but after missing three full regular seasons, he returned in time for the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs and was a nominee for last year's Masterton. This season, Landeskog has appeared in 56 games for the Avs, posting 12 goals and 33 points.
Here are this year's Masterton nominees:
Anaheim Ducks: Ville Husso
Boston Bruins: Charlie McAvoy (Read more)
Buffalo Sabres: Rasmus Dahlin (Read more)
Calgary Flames: Devin Cooley
Carolina Hurricanes: Taylor Hall (Read more)
Chicago Blackhawks: Spencer Knight (Read more)
Colorado Avalanche: Gabriel Landeskog (Read more)
Columbus Blue Jackets: Boone Jenner
Dallas Stars: Jamie Benn
Detroit Red Wings: Dominik Shine (Read more)
Edmonton Oilers: Connor Ingram
Florida Panthers: Brad Marchand (Read more)
Los Angeles Kings: Anze Kopitar (Read more)
Minnesota Wild: Jesper Wallstedt (Read more)
Montreal Canadiens: Mike Matheson
Nashville Predators: Ozzy Wiesblatt
New Jersey Devils: Brenden Dillon (Read more)
New York Islanders: Kyle Palmieri (Read more)
New York Rangers: Matthew Robertson
Ottawa Senators: Linus Ullmark (Read more)
Philadelphia Flyers: Garrett Wilson (Read more)
Pittsburgh Penguins: Anthony Mantha
San Jose Sharks: Laurent Brossoit
Seattle Kraken: Jordan Eberle
St. Louis Blues: Jordan Binnington
Tampa Bay Lightning: Darren Raddysh (Read more)
Toronto Maple Leafs: Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Utah Hockey Club: Clayton Keller
Vancouver Canucks: Kevin Lankinen (Read more)
Vegas Golden Knights: Akira Schmid
Washington Capitals: Alexander Ovechkin (Read more)
Winnipeg Jets: Jonathan Toews (Read more)
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.