Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron won his sixth career Frank J. Selke Trophy as the league's top defensive forward.
The award is voted on annually by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association at the end of the regular season and is presented "to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game."
Bergeron took home the coveted honor for a record fifth time last season. This victory marks the second time he's captured the award in back-to-back campaigns.
He received all but nine first-place votes. One voter left him off the ballot entirely.
Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner and New Jersey Devils forward Nico Hischier were the other finalists.
Bergeron was again a fantastic two-way force for the Bruins in his 19th NHL season. The 37-year-old potted 58 points (27 goals, 31 assists) in 78 contests and averaged 17:24 of ice time per game as the Bruins' top center. Bergeron won 61.1% of his faceoffs while taking the second-most draws in the league (1,706).
The veteran posted some of the top underlying numbers among all players to see at least 500 minutes at five-on-five: The Bruins controlled 63.2% of the expected goals, 62.7% of the scoring chances, and 60.4% of the shots while outscoring opponents 46-18 with Bergeron on the ice.
Bergeron also had 38 takeaways compared to just 21 giveaways and ranked fourth among all NHL forwards in defensive goals above replacement (6.5).
Marner led all skaters with 104 takeaways while averaging the fifth-most ice time (21:17) out of all forwards. He also averaged the most shorthanded time per game (2:17) out of the three finalists while leading the Maple Leafs with 99 points in 80 games.
Hischier paced the Devils with 64 takeaways and ranked second on the team with 80 points (31 goals, 49 assists) in 81 outings while leading New Jersey forwards in shorthanded ice time per game (2:06).
Marner and Hischier were both first-time nominees for the Selke Trophy.
(Analytics sources: Natural Stat Trick, Evolving Hockey)
