Vancouver Canucks Defenceman Noah Juulsen Nominated For The 2024 Bill Masterton Trophy
Juulsen has become a key piece of Vancouver's defence core this season.
Photo by Simon Fearn-USA TODAY Sports - Vancouver Canucks Defenceman Noah Juulsen Nominated For The 2024 Bill Masterton TrophyNoah Juulsen is this year's Vancouver Canucks nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy. Every year, the Professional Hockey Writers Association chapter for every NHL team nominates a player for the prestigious award. The Bill Masterson Trophy is awarded annually to the player who "best exemplifies qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey."
Below is the bio the Vancouver chapter submitted to the PHWA:
"Nine years after he was drafted, Juulsen, 26, has finally fulfilled his first-round promise. After six seasons of mostly being an AHLer — plus a devastating eye injury five years ago that nearly ended his career — he's become a hard-rock on the Canucks’ blueline. He started the year as the team's seventh defenceman. But a dedication to understanding the flaws in his game by working with Canucks assistant coaches Adam Foote and Sergei Gonchar has seen him evolve into a player who head coach Rick Tocchet has a hard time taking out of the lineup. He plays the game hard, regularly showing up on highlight reels for his big hits, and he's rarely, if ever, seen playing the game in the wrong spirit."
After spending the majority of the 2022-23 season in the AHL, Juulsen earned a spot on Vancouver's roster to start the season. Despite being a healthy scratch for 11 of the first 15 games this year, Juulsen continued to work on his game and has become a key part of the Canucks blueline. Juulsen has already set a new career high in points with seven in 53 games, while he ranks in the top four on the team in hits with 160 and blocked shots with 85.
Juulsen was initially acquired back in October 2021 as part of the Olli Juolevi trade. In 73 games with Vancouver, he has scored one goal and recorded nine points. Juulsen has also played 99 regular season games with the Abbotsford Canucks, and was part of the first-ever postseason win and series win in franchise history.
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