The National Hockey League officially closed the 2023-24 season with their NHL Awards ceremony at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, with eleven IHLC holders representing four countries taking home trophies handed out over the past month, culminating with tonight’s gala.

Nathan MacKinnon, who notched an astonishing 140 points in the regular season on the backs of a 2023 Stanley Cup title defence, captured the Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP for the first time in his career, in his fourth nomination. MacKinnon was also named as the League MVP as voted by his peers, winning the Ted Lindsay Award. MacKinnon, a former Calder and Lady Byng Trophy winner, defeated Art Ross winner Nikita Kucherov in both categories, while beating out Conn Smythe winner Connor McDavid in the Hart voting, and Rocket Trophy winner Auston Matthews in the Lindsay voting.

Connor Hellebuyck was the other dual winner on the evening, with the Jets goaltender capturing his second Vezina Trophy as Top Goaltender while also winning his first Jennings Trophy for allowing the least goals against this season, only conceding 199 goals in 60 games.

Six players won repeat awards in Las Vegas, with Kucherov and Matthews winning their second Art Ross and third Rocket Richard Trophies for top points and goal scorer, respectively. Hellebuyck (Vezina), Alexander Barkov (Selke) and Jaccob Slavin (Lady Byng) won their second trophies each, while Dallas general manager Jim Nill won his second straight Jim Gregory Award. McDavid, who last year swept the NHL Awards with four wins, this year won his first Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, a historic title despite a losing effort in the Stanley Cup Finals.

The other six winners marked the first individual trophies of any kind in the NHL, with Quinn Hughes (Norris), Connor Bedard (Calder), Jacob Trouba (Messier), Rick Tocchet (Adams), Connor Ingram (Masterton) and Anders Lee (Clancy) rounding out the evening’s proceedings.

The NHL Award winners and nominees for the 2023-24 season (with winners in bold and an asterisk denoting former IHLC holders) are as follows:

Hart Memorial Trophy (League MVP)
🇷🇺 Nikita Kucherov (Lightning)*
🇨🇦 Nathan MacKinnon (Avalanche)*
🇨🇦 Connor McDavid (Oilers)*

Ted Lindsay Award (MVP Voted By Players)
🇷🇺 Nikita Kucherov (Lightning)*
🇨🇦 Nathan MacKinnon (Avalanche)*
🇺🇸 Auston Matthews (Maple Leafs)*

Vezina Trophy (Top Goaltender)
🇷🇺 Sergei Bobrovski (Panthers)*
🇺🇸 Thatcher Demko (Canucks)*
🇺🇸 Connor Hellebuyck (Jets)

James Norris Memorial Trophy (Top Defenceman)
🇺🇸 Quinn Hughes (Canucks)*
🇨🇭 Roman Josi (Predators)*
🇨🇦 Cale Makar (Avalanche)*

Calder Memorial Trophy (Rookie Of The Year)
🇨🇦 Connor Bedard (Blackhawks)*
🇺🇸 Brock Faber (Wild)*
🇺🇸 Luke Hughes (Devils)*

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (Most Gentlemanly Conduct)
🇺🇸 Auston Matthews (Maple Leafs)*
🇸🇪 Elias Pettersson (Canucks)*
🇺🇸 Jaccob Slavin (Hurricanes)

Frank J. Selke Trophy (Top Defensive Forward)
🇫🇮 Alexander Barkov (Panthers)*
🇺🇸 Auston Matthews (Maple Leafs)*
🇨🇦 Jordan Staal (Hurricanes)*

Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy (Perseverance & Dedication)
🇩🇰 Frederik Andersen (Hurricanes)*
🇨🇦 Connor Ingram (Coyotes)*
🇸🇪 Oliver Kylington (Flames)*

Jack Adams Award (Coach Of The Year)
🇨🇦 Rick Bowness (Jets)
🇨🇦 Andrew Brunette (Panthers)
🇨🇦 Rick Tocchet (Canucks)*

Jim Gregory Award (General Manager Of The Year)
🇸🇪 Patrik Allvin (Canucks)
🇨🇦 Jim Nill (Stars)*
🇺🇸 Bill Zito (Panthers)*

Mark Messier Leadership Award (Top Leader)
🇺🇸 Jacob Trouba (Rangers)*

King Clancy Memorial Trophy (On & Off-Ice Leadership)
🇺🇸 Anders Lee (Islanders)*

A few trophies for the evening were already pre-determined, whether based purely on seasonal statistics, or in the case of the Conn Smythe Trophy, being awarded at the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Final.

Art Ross Trophy (Most Points, Season)
🇷🇺 Nikita Kucherov (Lightning)*

Rocket Richard Trophy (Most Goals, Season)
🇺🇸 Auston Matthews (Maple Leafs)*

William M. Jennings Trophy (Least Goals Against, Season)
🇺🇸 Connor Hellebuyck (Jets)

Conn Smythe Trophy (Playoff MVP)
🇨🇦 Connor McDavid (Oilers)*

Photo Credit: NHL – IIHF – HHOF – IOC