The NHL has released the 2024 Bill Masterton Trophy nominees and San Jose Sharks forward Justin Bailey is the perfect candidate.
The NHL has released the 2024 Bill Masterton Trophy nominees and San Jose Sharks forward Justin Bailey is the perfect candidate.
The NHL has released the 2024 Bill Masterton Trophy nominees and San Jose Sharks forward Justin Bailey is the perfect candidate.
Bailey was chosen as the Sharks nominee by the San Jose PHWA chapter. Chapter chair Curtis Pashelka wrote a quick note on why Bailey was chosen:
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"Bailey bounced between the AHL and NHL throughout the first eight years of his professional career and didn't have a contract to start this season. After spending last season in the AHL, following two shoulder surgeries, the Sharks invited him to camp on a PTO.
Bailey earned an AHL contract after camp and impressed enough to sign a two-way deal with the Sharks just over six weeks later.
Bailey, who is biracial, experienced racism as a teenager and offers support to kids who have had similar experiences.
"The older you get, the more you realize things you went through as a kid are not really the way they should be," Bailey said, "and the more you want to step in and do everything you can to help."
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Bailey has persevered through multiple shoulder surgeries that almost halted his hockey career. Still, since playing his first game with the Sharks on November 27th, Bailey hasn't left the lineup for any extended period.
"I knew coming into camp, whether they knew me or they didn't, I wanted to make a name for myself from day one," Bailey told reporters.
Bailey has played 54 games this season, scoring five goals and adding nine assists. He's gone from the fourth line to playing on the Sharks' second line with Luke Kunin and William Eklund.
"I looked at San Jose late in the summer, wasn't sure where my home would be. [I] thought there'd be an opportunity here to make my mark and camp and just continue to work my way back to where I am right now," he said.
With how late Bailey signed his PTO, he was ready to do whatever it took to return to the NHL, including playing overseas.
"I think this summer was one of those where we were hoping to be signed early in July and didn't hear anything in July. I didn't hear too much in August, and you get to late August, and you start to kind of feel the pressure a bit," Bailey said. "My mentality was if I have to go to Europe, I'll go to Europe and try to be the best player and make an impact there."
Luckily for Bailey, that wasn't the case, and he scored his first NHL goal in nearly five years on December 12th, 2023.
"Getting on the forecheck and doing those things that I could control. At the same time, there's a little bit of offense inside there as well," Bailey said about his goal. "Getting that first one obviously out of the way was super special. It seems like it was just yesterday, the way the season's flown by, but [it was a] special night for sure."
From 2019 to 2022, Bailey had played just 19 NHL games with the Vancouver Canucks.
"That's one thing I really appreciate from this organization. I've been to a lot of places where they don't necessarily always see their minor league players play," Bailey said. "I feel like here with the Sharks, with it all being in the same area, having Grier and guys like that at practices and games, it's a little bit of added motivation, and they're rewarding guys that they're seeing on a daily basis."
"I think getting to the NHL and staying there is something they don't talk about too much. That's probably the hardest part," Bailey said. "I've understood that and it's something where to this day, every day it's been a try-out for me. This whole season, on a one-year deal, it's a try-out every single practice, every single game. I've just brought that mentality from the start of training camp and it's filtered into where I'm at right now."
Congratulations to Justin Bailey on his hard work and dedication to the game of hockey. He is a perfect candidate to not only be nominated for the Bill Masterton Trophy but also to win it.
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