Sam Malinski has been selected as the Colorado Avalanche's 2025-26 King Clancy Trophy nominee.
The NHL has revealed its 2025-26 King Clancy Memorial Trophy nominations, and defenseman Sam Malinski of the Colorado Avalanche is among them.
The trophy is awarded “to the player who best exemplifies leadership on and off the ice, with one nominee selected by each team across the League.”
When it comes to considering a player to represent their team, it's a committee that includes NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, former winners of the King Clancy Trophy, and past winners of the NHL Foundation Player Award, who will take into account each player's involvement and impact on the community and vote to see who the winner is.
Along with winning the trophy itself, the winner gets awarded $25,000 to donate to any charity of their choice, as well as the option to receive a grant of up to $20,000 from the NHL to help organize an activation supporting their humanitarian cause.
The last time a player from the Colorado Avalanche won the King Clancy award was back in 2001, when Shjon Podein won it. He won it with the help of his own foundation, “The Shjon Podein Children’s Foundation,” which was started in 1998, when he met a family in Minnesota affected by Ataxia Telangiectasia (A-T).
Or known as Louis-Bar syndrome, it's a rare inherited neurodegenerative disorder appearing in early childhood, typically before age five. It causes progressive loss of coordination (ataxia), small dilated blood vessels in the eyes/skin, which causes immune system failure and a high cancer risk.
The foundation, still running today, helps run charity events in Rochester, Minnesota, bringing together current and former NHL players and celebrities, all while raising money for research and assisting families with medical costs.
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