WINNIPEG, Apr. 8, 2026 – The Winnipeg Jets Hockey Club is proud to announce that forward Jonathan Toews has been named the team's nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy by the Winnipeg chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association (PHWA). The Masterton Trophy is awarded annually by the National Hockey League to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
Toews, 37, was selected by the Winnipeg chapter of the PHWA for his ability to endure a multi-year, health-relatedabsence from the NHL and persevere to make his comeback for his hometown Jets for the 2025-26 season.
Toews, who signed a one-year deal with the Jets for 2025-26, has played all 77 games for Winnipeg this season and recorded 27 points (10G, 17A) and 34 penalty minutes. Toews, a three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Chicago Blackhawks, is among the NHL’s leaders in faceoff percentage (61.4%) this season and posted his 16th consecutive double-digit goal season. He has played 1,144 career NHL games and tallied 910 points (382G, 528A) and 641 PIMs. Toews has already won several marquee NHL awards: the 2010 Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, the 2012-13 Frank J. Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward, and the 2014-15 Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award.
Toews stepped away from hockey at the end of the 2022-23 season after dealing with numerous health issues, including Long COVID and Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, that had plagued him since 2020. In addition to his play on the ice, Toews has been a valuable mentor to his Jets teammates and contributed to a variety of causes in the community.
"I’m honoured by the recognition,” Toews said about his Masterton nomination. “If I stop to look back at what the last four or five years have been like, it’s definitely been super unpredictable. Something that I never thought I would have to go through in my life, but at the same time I am thankful for all the struggles because honestly, it’s cliché, but it’s where I’ve learned the most about myself, about hockey, about life, so I’m thankful… This season, it’s been a struggle. Every day I’m digging deep and trying to find the energy and find a way to contribute.”
The Masterton Trophy was first presented by the NHL Writers' Association in 1968 to commemorate the late William Masterton, a player for the Minnesota North Stars, who was originally from Winnipeg and exhibited to a high degree the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Masterton died on Jan. 15/68 from an injury he sustained during a hockey game.
Toews is one of 32 candidates around the NHL. The winner is selected in a poll of all chapters of the PHWA and will be revealed when the NHL holds its annual awards. A grant from the PHWA is awarded annually to the Bill Masterton Scholarship Fund, based in Bloomington, MN, in the name of the Masterton Trophy winner.
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