Habs captain Suzuki up for Selke Award along with Cirelli, Nelson

Montreal Canadiens centre Nick Suzuki (14) moves around Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov (86) during the first period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

NEW YORK — Montreal's Nick Suzuki, Tampa Bay's Anthony Cirelli and Colorado's Brock Nelson are the finalists for this season's Frank J. Selke Trophy, the NHL announced Wednesday.

The award is given annually to the league's top defensive forward as voted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

Suzuki, the Canadiens' captain, led the team with a career-best 101 points in 82 games while winning 50.4 per cent of 1,449 faceoffs and averaging 20:49 of ice time.

"I feel he's always tried to play to that identity," Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said Wednesday in Buffalo ahead of Game 1 of Montreal's second-round series with the Sabres.

"To finally get recognized at this level ... I know it's an honour for him. We're very excited for him."

Cirelli recorded 52 points and a career-best plus-38 rating in 71 games for the Lightning, winning 48.2 per cent of 1,075 faceoffs and leading Lightning forwards in short-handed minutes.

Nelson scored 65 points in 81 games for the Avalanche, helping the team secure the Presidents' Trophy as the top regular-season team and lead the NHL in penalty kill percentage.

Aleksander Barkov of the Florida Panthers won the award in the two previous seasons.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2026.

The Canadian Press