NEW YORK (May 6, 2026) – Anthony Cirelli of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Brock Nelson of the Colorado Avalanche and Nick Suzuki of the Montreal Canadiens are the three finalists for the 2025-26 Frank J. Selke Trophy, awarded “to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game,” the National Hockey League announced today.
Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association submitted ballots for the Selke Trophy at the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists.
Anthony Cirelli, Tampa Bay Lightning
Cirelli’s two-way excellence contributed to the Lightning ranking second in the NHL in goal differential (+57) and third in goals against (229), not including shootout-deciding goals, as Tampa Bay skated to its ninth consecutive Stanley Cup Playoff berth. He recorded a career-high plus-minus rating for the second consecutive season (+38) to rank fourth among NHL forwards, took a team-leading 1,075 face-offs (48.2%) and led all Lightning forwards in shorthanded ice time (186:51) for the NHL’s third-ranked penalty-killing unit (82.6%) despite missing 11 games. The Lightning outscored the opposition 76-42 at even strength when Cirelli was on the ice, with his 64.4% ratio leading the team and marking the best figure in his eight full NHL seasons. Cirelli is a Selke finalist for the second consecutive season; he became the first Lightning player in franchise history so honored last season, when he finished third in balloting behind the Florida Panthers duo of Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart.
