Kings Announce Team Award Winners for 2023-24
It is time for NHL teams to release their annual team award winners for the 2023–24 season. These awards recognize players for their performance and contribution to the team and the community. The media, players, and the organization vote on all winners.
There are nine awards in total, and here are the winners:
Bill Libby Memorial Award (Most Valuable Player):
Adrian Kempe is the winner of this award. He is tied for the team lead in points going into the last game of the season. Kempe has 27 goals and 46 assists for 73 points in 76 games, which is a career-high.
Mark Bavis Memorial Award (Best Newcomer):
Cam Talbot has been named the winner of this award. He is in his first season with the Kings and has helped them get to the playoffs for the third straight season. Talbot was also selected as the team's All-Star Game representative. He has a 26-20-6 record with a 2.47 GAA and .915 SV% in 51 starts.
Outstanding Defenseman:
To no one's surprise, Drew Doughty has been named the award winner. This also sets a franchise record with his 13th time winning the Outstanding Defenseman award. He will end up leading all defensemen in points this season, and that will be the fourth season in a row. He has 15 goals and 35 assists for 50 points.
Best Defensive Player:
Again, to no one's surprise, the Kings' captain, Anze Kopitar, is the winner. He has been named the team's best defensive forward seven times in his career, which is the most in team history. He has 26 goals, 44 assists for 70 points, 55.1% FO%, and only 22 PIMS on the season. He will most likely get Frank J. Selke votes this season; he won the Selke twice in his career, in 2016 and 2018.
Most Inspirational Player (Ace Bailey Memorial Award):
This award is voted on by Kings players, and the winner is Viktor Arvidsson. He has battled this entire season to make a comeback to the NHL following his back surgery in October 2023. Unfortunately, he only was able to appear in 17 games but still managed to score four goals and eight assists for 12 points. If Arvidsson can stay healthy throughout their playoff run, he will be a crucial member of the Kings' lineup.
Unsung Hero Award:
Blake Lizotte has been named the winner of this award for the second time in his career. This award is also named by his peers, which shows the appreciation that they have for him. Although he doesn't score a ton of points every season, he is the type of player who does the little things right. He is known as a reliable, hard-working forward who is excellent on the PK for the Kings.
Most Popular Player & Jim Fox Community Service Award:
Kevin Fiala is the only Kings player to walk away as the winner of two awards. The most popular player is the first one, which was voted on by the LA Kings Booster Club. This is the first time in his time with the organization that he has won it. He is tied with Kempe for the team lead in points with 73. Fiala has 29 goals and 44 assists for those 73 points and has a chance to take home the team-scoring title in the final game of the season.
Fiala is also the winner of the Jim Fox Community Service Award as well as the Kings; nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy. He spends a ton of time helping foundations such as the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles (CHLA). He is also involved in hockey clinics to help local children with their hockey skills, and the money goes to the CHLA. Lastly, he has the "Fiala Friends" program, where he helps patients at CHLA and their families.
Daryl Evans Youth Hockey Service Award:
Phillip Danault is the winner of the last Kings team award for the 2023–24 season. The Daryl Evans Youth Hockey Service Award is given to the player who is engaged and committed to working with the Kings Learn-to-Play program and other forms of hockey in the Los Angeles communities.