Samsonov went from helpless to stellar in his sophomore campaign with Toronto and pulled his performance with the Maple Leafs out of a nosedive.
Samsonov went from helpless to stellar in his sophomore campaign with Toronto and pulled his performance with the Maple Leafs out of a nosedive.
The Toronto Chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association has voted Ilya Samsonov as its nominee for the 2024 Bill Masterton Trophy recognizing the NHL player who best exemplifies ‘sportsmanship, perseverance and dedication to hockey’.
After an excellent first season in which he helped the Maple Leafs win their first playoff round in 19 years, the Russian goaltender's sophomore campaign got off to a troubling start. The goaltender was placed on and cleared waivers in a month that saw him post an .828 save percentage in five appearances.
In January, Samsonov spent nearly 10 days away from the Leafs, working with Toronto Marlies goaltender coach Hannu Toivonen. Once he returned, Samsonov found his game and turned his game around. Between Jan. 21 and March 30, Samsonov’s record was 15-3-1 with one shutout and through March he recorded save percentages well over .925. Through his recovery, he acknowledged the support of family, teammates and coaches; they in turn recognized his determination to work and regain his physical and mental edge to become one of the league’s best netminders approaching playoffs.
Each of the NHL’s 32 cities nominates a Masterton candidate, the award originating in 1968 in honour of hard-working Minnesota North Star Bill Masterton who died as a result of an accidental head injury in a game.
Previous Leaf nominees have been Mark Giordano, Morgan Rielly and 2008 Masterton winner Jason Blake. The full PHWA votes on the winner as part of the NHL’s 2024 awards ceremony.
With seven games remaining in the season, Samsonov has outperformed Joseph Woll down the stretch and holds the inside track to become the team's Game 1 starter for the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, which will begin no earlier than April 20.
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