MONTREAL – The National Hockey League announced on Friday that the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) has selected Montreal Canadiens forward Nick Suzuki as the winner of the Frank J. Selke Trophy for the 2025-26 season.
Suzuki tallied 101 points (29G, 72A) in 82 games with the Canadiens this season , leading the team in points, differential (+37), power play points (43) and average ice time among forwards (20:49). The London, ON, native ranked sixth in the NHL in points.
Suzuki produced numbers that placed him among the NHL’s elite despite facing the opposition’s best players on a nightly basis. The 26-year-old centerman showcased his excellence in the defensive aspects of the game by posting a plus-37 differential, ranking fifth among forwards and 10th among all NHL players. Suzuki, who reached the 100-point plateau and the 70-assist mark for the first time in his career, enjoyed the third-most productive season ever by a centerman in the team’s history.
Suzuki also excelled in the faceoff circle, finishing the regular season with a faceoff win percentage above 50% for a third straight year (50.4%). Among all NHL centers who maintained a FOW% of 50% and above, Suzuki ranked second in points.
The Frank J. Selke Trophy is awarded to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game. The winner is selected by a poll among the 32 chapters of the PHWA at the end of the regular season. The trophy was named after Frank J. Selke, former general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Canadiens, and was first awarded after the 1977-78 season.
Suzuki joins forwards Bob Gainey (1978, 1979, 1980, 1981) and Guy Carbonneau (1988, 1989, 1992) as the only Canadiens players to have been awarded the Frank J. Selke Trophy.
