New York Rangers' captain Jacob Trouba has been awarded the league's leadership award.
The National Hockey League has announced New York Rangers defenceman Jacob Trouba as its 2023-24 Mark Messier Leadership Award winner.
This recognition is presented annually to the player who "exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice, during the regular season and who plays a leading role in his community growing the game of hockey.”
The now 30-year-old began his career in Winnipeg, where he suited up for six seasons for the Jets. Next year in New York will be his sixth in the Big Apple.
Trouba was hand-selected by Messier for the award, to which the former NHL star gathers suggestions from teams across the league, and chooses his annual winner following the regular season of play.
2023-224 marked Trouba's second year as captain of the Rangers, and he helped the club to a record 55 wins and 114 points (97-year history) while taking home the league's Presidents' Trophy as the first-place club.
Statistically, the year was a bit of a dud for Trouba, but it was his contributions on the room, in the bench and within the greater community that have him earning the leadership award.
He remains active in New York with his contributions to the Rangers Youth Hockey Camp, The Garden of Dreams Foundation, the Epilepsy Foundation in New York, the Trouba Creative Expressions Art Program, Hockey Fights Cancer and AstraZeneca's Get Body Checked Against Cancer.
Trouba put up 179 points in 408 regular season games with the Jets. His New York Rangers currently lead their best-of-seven, second round playoff series 3-2 over the Carolina Hurricanes.