Canadiens’ Nick Suzuki wins 2026 Selke Trophy

The leader of one of the NHL’s most prominent franchises has taken home some hardware.

On Friday, the NHL announced that Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki has been awarded the 2025-26 Frank J. Selke Trophy, given to the league’s top defensive forward.

Suzuki beat out the Tampa Bay Lightning‘s Anthony Cirelli and the Colorado Avalanche’s Brock Nelson for the honor this year.

The win for the London, Ont. native marks the eighth time a Hab has taken home the award. Bob Gainey, for whom the trophy was seemingly created, won it the first four times from 1978 to 1981, while Guy Carbonneau received the honor in 1988, 1989, and 1992.

It goes without saying how important Suzuki has been for Montreal in recent years. While he had a coming-out party during the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he had to endure a couple of lean years as the Habs went through a transition period. He was a key part in helping Montreal get back to the postseason last year, taking his game to a whole other level this season.

In 82 games, he scored a career-high 101 points, leading the club with 43 power-play points. Defensively, the Montreal captain led the team with a +37 rating, sitting sixth in the NHL with 1,449 face-offs. He also averaged 20:49 of ice time per game, leading all Habs forwards.

During the regular season, the 26-year-old posted a faceoff win percentage of 50.4%, marking the second consecutive campaign that he went 50% on the dot.

The captain’s efforts helped the Canadiens finish third in the Atlantic Division. Suzuki posted four goals and 16 points in the playoffs, helping Montreal make it to the Eastern Conference Final, ultimately losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in five games.

The award is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.