Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki is officially the 2025-26 recipient of the Frank J. Selke Trophy, presented annually to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game.
The 26-year-old centerman captured the award in a landslide, receiving 151 of the 198 first-place votes from the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Suzuki finished with 1,726 voting points, placing him far ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning's Anthony Cirelli (467 points) and the Colorado Avalanche's Brock Nelson (406 points). With the victory, Suzuki becomes just the third player in Canadiens history to win the award, joining franchise legends Bob Gainey and Guy Carbonneau.
Notre capitaine Nick Suzuki a remporté son premier trophée Frank-J.-Selke! 🏆
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) June 5, 2026
Captain Nick Suzuki has won his first Frank J. Selke Trophy!#GoHabsGo | #NHLAwards pic.twitter.com/jj7IR0G0nY
In a heartwarming moment shared by the NHL, Suzuki was surprised with the news in the locker room by his teammate Cole Caufield, who was concurrently awarded the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy.
In 82 games, he scored a career-high 101 points, leading the club with 43 power-play points. Defensively, the Montreal captain led the team with a +37 rating, sitting sixth in the NHL with 1,449 face-offs. He also averaged 20:49 of ice time per game, leading all Habs forwards. During the regular season, the 26-year-old posted a faceoff win percentage of 50.4%, marking the second consecutive campaign that he went 50% on the dot.