Overview
- Members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association released the full 32-player slate Wednesday, with one nominee named by each NHL club’s local chapter.
- The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy honors perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication, and each team’s nominee comes from its market’s PHWA writers.
- The list highlights comeback stories, including Jonathan Toews returning after long COVID, Brenden Dillon’s recovery from neck surgery, and Jordan Eberle’s return from a rare pelvic injury.
- Veteran leaders are in the mix, with Alex Ovechkin producing another 30-goal season at age 40 and Oliver Ekman-Larsson driving a rebound year on Toronto’s blue line.
- Utah captain Clayton Keller earned recognition after playing through his father’s death and leading the Mammoth in scoring, as PHWA voting now moves toward naming three finalists and a June winner following recent wins by Connor Ingram (2024) and Sean Monahan (2025).