Utah Mammoth captain Clayton Keller has been named a finalist for the IIHF Male Player of the Year.
The six finalists were announced by the IIHF's historical committee and include: Sven Andrighetto, Denis Malgin, Clayton Keller, Jeremy Swayman, Nathan MacKinnon, and David Pastrnak.
Keller earned the nomination after helping lead Team USA to their first World Championship gold medal since 1933. Heading into the tournament, there was some belief that the Americans didn’t have the firepower to win. But Keller and the rest of Team USA battled hard and ended up capturing gold for the first time in 92 years.
As per IIHF.com: "The IIHF Male Player of the Year Award is given every year to a player who has best demonstrated exceptional skill, determination, team success, and sporting character on and off the ice during the most recent season."
To be eligible for the award, a player must compete in at least one IIHF tournament (Men’s World Championship, World Juniors, or U18s), as well as in their respective professional league (NHL, SHL, DEL, etc.).
The voting breakdown is 70% media and 30% IIHF members, with 125 total voters taking part. The winner of the 2024 IIHF Male Player of the Year will be announced on June 13.
If Keller wins, he’ll become just the third recipient of the award, joining Roman Cervenka (Czechia, 2023) and Connor Bedard (Canada, 2022).
