The PHWA voted on the midseason awards for the first time since 1968, they used to show their midseason awards annually before that. We follow suit with our midseason awards for the NHL.
Do you disagree with any of the below winners? Let us know in the comment section or on Twitter
The Hart Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the “player judged most valuable to his team” in the National Hockey League.
Winner: Nathan MacKinnon
Runner-up: John Tavares
This may surprise some people, mostly due to Lightning players Stamkos and Kucherov doing so well, but by the definition of the award MacKinnon or Tavares are more deserving.
The Norris Trophy is awarded annually to the National Hockey League’s top defenseman.
Winner: Alex Pietrangleo
Runner-up: Drew Doughty
Before getting injured Victor Hedman was on pace to be a lock for this award; whether he can come back in a timely matter will be a big difference maker on who will take the Norris at the end of the year.
The Calder Trophy is awarded annually to the National Hockey League’s best rookie player.
Winner: Mathew Barzal
Runner-up: Brock Boeser
Mathew Barzal joined Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin as one of only three other rookies in the past 20 years to score 50 points in 50 games. Boeser is having an incredible year, but Barzal is on another level.
The Frank J. Selke Trophy is awarded annually to the National Hockey League forward who demonstrates the most skill in the defensive component of the game.
Winner: Patrice Bergeron
Runner-up: Anze Kopitar
Patrice Bergeron should cruise to his fifth Selke, which will break his current tie with Bob Gainey for the most all-time. He’s simply the best defensive forward in the league year after year.
The Lady Byng Memorial Trophy is an annual award given to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.
Winner: Auston Matthews
Runner-up: Johnny Gaudreau
Auston Matthews is a pure professional on and off the ice, while being one of the best talents in the league. This was a hard award to pick for because the NHL has so many stand up guys, we tend to stay away from the drama that other leagues have.
The Vezina Trophy is awarded annually to the best goaltender in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Winner: Andrei Vasilevskiy
Runner-up: Jonathan Quick
This is a no contest. Quick is having an amazing year and his stats would probably a warrant a Vezina any other year. Vasilevskiy is lights out. Posting a 29-9-2 record with a 2.18 GAA and .931SV%, and a league-high 7 shutouts, he’s dominating the competition.
The Jack Adams Award is awarded annually to the best National Hockey League (NHL) coach.
Winner: Gerard Gallant
Runner-up: John Hynes
Hynes has coached a very young team in New Jersey to an impressive record half way through the season. However, Gallant has lead the expansion Vegas Golden Knights to a historic record in their inaugural season. Gallant gets the award for achieving something never done before.
GM of the Year Award.
Winner: George McPhee
Runner-up: Jim Nill
Jim Nill has made some amazing changes to the Dallas Stars to make them a strong team, such as signing Radulov and getting Ben Bishop in a trade from L.A. George McPhee wins this for building a historic expansion team; while some like to discredit their accomplishments due to the expansion draft rules, he built the team from scratch and has made them a contender in year one.
Comeback Player of the Year Award
Winner: Steven Stamkos
Runner-up: Claude Giroux
It’s nice to see Giroux finally playing at an elite level again. However, Stamkos wins the Comeback Player of the Year Award due to the injuries he has come back from. Stamkos when healthy has proven time and time again that he’s one of the best goal scorers in the league.
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