Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is presented annually to the NHL player who "best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey."
NEWARK, N.J. -- Defenseman Dougie Hamilton is the New Jersey Devils nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
He is coming off a career season with 22 goals and 52 assists. The Toronto, Ontario native appeared in all 82 games for New Jersey, and his 74 points were third-best in the league among defensemen behind Erik Karlsson (101), Quinn Hughes (76), and Josh Morrissey (76).
"For me it was the perseverance part of it, obviously going through injury last year," said Hamilton. "I (spent) a lot of time thinking about how to get better and wanting to get better and play better this year. I definitely had a good summer working on my game and it translated to this year."
Last season the 6-foot-6 blueliner missed a handful of games in November with a lower-body injury and suffered a broken jaw in January that required surgery. He returned to the ice at the end of February, but during his exit interview told media members he never felt the same as he did at the start of the season, and was still dealing with some numbness and nerve problems.
Feb 9, 2023; Newark, New Jersey, USA; New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton (7) walks to the ice before the start of their game against the Seattle Kraken at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY SportsHe also revealed during an interview with Matt Loughlin and Sam Kasan that the game before he broke his jaw, he suffered a broken toe that was a nagging injury he dealt with for the rest of the 2021-22 season.
The long summer break did him wonders as he returned to form and led the team's blue line in shots, game-winning goals, and time on ice. Hamilton etched his name into the record books surpassing Scott Stevens' 18 goals for the team record for the most goals earned in a single season and tied the franchise record for the most goals that a defenseman earned in a single season that Barry Beck achieved with the Colorado Rockies during the 1977-78 season.
The list of 32 nominees will be narrowed to three finalists and a winner will be named at the NHL Awards on June 26.
Below is the complete list of nominees:
Anaheim Ducks: Jakob Silfverberg
Arizona Coyotes: Clayton Keller
Boston Bruins: Nick Foligno
Buffalo Sabres: Craig Anderson
Calgary Flames: Mikael Backlund
Carolina Hurricanes: Jordan Martinook
Chicago Blackhawks: Alex Stalock
Colorado Avalanche: Andrew Cogliano
Columbus Blue Jackets: Boone Jenner
Dallas Stars: Jamie Benn
Detroit Red Wings: Robby Fabbri
Edmonton Oilers: Derek Ryan
Florida Panthers: Patric Hornqvist
Los Angeles Kings: Pheonix Copley
Minnesota Wild: Mason Shaw
Montreal Canadiens: Alex Belzile
Nashville Predators: Cody Glass
New Jersey Devils: Dougie Hamilton
New York Islanders: Zach Parise
New York Rangers: Jimmy Vesey
Ottawa Senators: Derick Brassard
Philadelphia Flyers: Nick Seeler
Pittsburgh Penguins: Kris Letang
St. Louis Blues: Sammy Blais
San Jose Sharks: Nikolai Knyzhov
Seattle Kraken: Brandon Tanev
Tampa Bay Lightning: Pierre-Edouard Bellemare
Toronto Maple Leafs: Mark Giordano
Vancouver Canucks: Brock Boeser
Vegas Golden Knights: Phil Kessel
Washington Capitals: John Carlson
Winnipeg Jets: Sam Gagner