New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes, Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brayden Point and Los Angeles Kings forward Anze Kopitar have been named the finalists for the 2023 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, the National Hockey League announced Tuesday.
The Lady Byng Trophy is awarded annually to the “player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.” Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor won the award in 2022.
Hughes, 21, collected a franchise-record 99 points (43 goals, 56 assists) while adding just six penalty minutes in 78 games with the Devils during the 2022-23 regular season. He added three goals and five points in seven games to help the Devils advance past the New York Rangers in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Point, 27, set new career-best marks with 51 goals and 95 points in 82 games with the Lightning in 2022-23, spending just seven minutes in the penalty box over that stretch. After helping the Bolts reach the last three Stanley Cup Final series, Point picked up four points in six games in the team’s quarterfinal loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Kopitar, 35, previously won the Lady Byng Trophy in 2016. The Slovenian forward took just two minor penalties in 82 games during the 2022-23 regular season, also recording 28 goals and 74 points. He racked up seven points (two goals, five assists) over the Kings’ six-game playoff series loss to the Edmonton Oilers.
Although all three of this year’s Lady Byng Trophy finalists are forwards, the award is not limited by position. However, only four defensemen have captured the award since it was introduced in 1925: Bill Quackenbush (1949), Red Kelly (1951, 1953, 1954, 1961), (Brian Campbell (2012) and Jaccob Slavin (2021).
The NHL also announced the finalists for the Frank J. Selke Trophy — awarded to the league’s top defensive forward (and which Kopitar has won twice previously) — on Tuesday evening. The finalists for the Calder Memorial Trophy (awarded to the league’s top rookie) will be revealed on Wednesday.
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