SUNRISE, Florida – The National Hockey League announced today that Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov has been chosen a finalist for the 2023-24 Frank J. Selke Trophy, which is given annually “to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game.” The other two finalists this season are Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Jordan Staal (Carolina Hurricanes).
Barkov, 28, played in 73 regular-season games for Florida in 2023-24, scoring 80 points (23-57-80). Florida’s captain led all Panthers forwards with a plus-33 rating and a career-high 57.3 percent faceoff win rate. He finished second on the club in assists (57), third in points (80), power-play points (29), and fourth in goals (23).
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Tampere, Finland native topped all NHL skaters who played at least 70 games this season in on-ice goal percentage during five-on-five action (69.7%). He also became the Panthers’ all-time leader in assists (445), games played (737), and shots on goal (1,948), after previously holding the club record for goals (266), points (711), power-play goals (75), and game-winning goals (48).
This season, Barkov exceeded 700 games played and points, becoming the fourth fastest Finnish-born player in NHL history to do so. 2023-24 was his ninth consecutive season with at least 50 points, tying Olli Jokinen (9 from 2002-03 to 2011-12) for the second-most consecutive 50-point seasons by a Finnish-born player, trailing only Jari Kurri (10 from 1980-81 to 1989-1990).
Florida picked Barkov in the first round (second overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft, and he became the first Panthers skater in team history to win the Selke Trophy following the 2020-21 season. He was again a finalist for the prize in 2021–2022. Former Panthers captain Brian Skrudland was a finalist in Florida’s first season in 1993-94.
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