NEW YORK (June 7, 2025) – Spencer Carbery of the Washington Capitals is the 2024-25 recipient of the **Jack Adams Award** as “the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success,” as selected by the NHL Broadcasters’ Association.
Carbery believed he was sitting down for an end-of-season interview when members of his family – including his wife and children – surprised him with the trophy.
Carbery is the fourth Washington head coach to win the Jack Adams Award, following Bryan Murray (1983-84), Bruce Boudreau (2007-08) and Barry Trotz (2015-16). He also becomes the first individual to capture coach of the year honors at the ECHL, AHL and NHL levels, after winning the ECHL’s John Brophy Award in 2013-14 (South Carolina Stingrays) and the AHL’s Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award in 2020-21 (Hershey Bears).
The second-year Capitals head coach was a runaway winner, receiving 81 first-place votes among the 103 ballots cast for 464 voting points. Scott Arniel of the Winnipeg Jets garnered 16 first- place votes in finishing second with 249 points, followed by Martin St. Louis of the Montreal Canadiens (66 points).
Carbery led the Capitals (51-22-9, 111 points) to the No. 2 overall record in the NHL as well as the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2016-17. After seeing an 11-point improvement during his first season, Washington jumped 20 points this year – the third-largest gain from 2023-24 behind only Columbus (+23) and Anaheim (+21). The Capitals also boasted a 68-goal improvement in total offense (including shootout-deciding goals), rising from 28th place in 2023-24 (220) to second this season (288). The team additionally finished among the League leaders in comeback wins (1st; 25), road points (t-1st; 53), goal differential (t-3rd; +56), penalty killing (5th; 82.0%), home points (7th; 58) and goals against (9th; 232, including shootout-deciding goals).
The best players and coaches from the 2024-25 season will be celebrated in the 2025 NHL Awards, a one-hour special that will premiere on Thursday, June 12, at 6 p.m. ET on TNT in the U.S. and Sportsnet in Canada, before Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final. The show will highlight all NHL Award winners this season, including Carbery and others revealed in a series of special surprise video announcements across all League platforms leading up to the June 12 program.
