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The voting results for the Selke Trophy are in. Aleksander Sasha Barkov of the Florida Panthers won the award, capturing overwhelming 165 first-place votes.
While Barkov was the leading candidate for the Selke Trophy, there were some surprises when the official voting results were revealed.
Here is a look at five surprises in this year’s Selke Trophy voting.
5 surprising Selke Trophy voting results
#1. Sasha Barkov runs away with the Selke
While it’s no surprise to see Barkov capture his second Selke Trophy, his margin of victory does seem surprising.
Barkov captured 165 first-place votes, with second-place Jordan Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes capturing four.
A tighter vote might have been expected. But in the end, voters felt Barkov was overwhelmingly deserving of the award.
#2. Auston Matthews finishes third
Auston Matthews took a significant step forward as an elite defensive forward. Some analysts believed he had a good chance of capturing the Toronto Maple Leafs’ first Selke Trophy since Doug Gilmour in 1993.
However, Matthews finished third with two first-place votes. At 26, Matthews still has time to improve, potentially capturing the Selke Trophy at some point down the road.
#3. Anze Kopitar failed to capture any first-place votes
Los Angeles Kings’ Anze Kopitar is a two-time Selke winner. However, this season, voters failed to consider him for the award.
Kopitar finished fourth, tied with Florida Panthers’ Sam Reinhart with 440 votes apiece. But it seems surprising that none of the voters considered Kopitar worthy of a first-place vote, especially when Mitch Marner of the Maple Leafs got one first-place vote.
#4. Roope Hintz makes the top ten
There’s no questioning Roope Hintz’s role on the Dallas Stars. He’s shown to be a reliable offensive and defensive forward. His impact is felt throughout the game. Hintz is a major reason the Stars are in the conference finals this season.
But it’s surprising to see Hintz finishing sixth. Hintz got more consideration ahead of more established players, particularly Sidney Crosby.
Like Matthews, Hintz still has room to grow. He’s 27 and should have plenty of productive years ahead of him. So, making the top ten this year may be a sign that voters feel Hintz’s overall play deserves more recognition.
#5. Sebastian Aho finishes out of the top ten
Carolina Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho finished 11th, capturing a single first-place vote.
It’s surprising to see voters push Aho so far down the list. While he may not be the frontrunner for the award, Aho could have gotten more consideration from voters.
Aho’s 52 total votes placed him seven back of 10th-place finisher Joel Eriksson Ek of the Minnesota Wild. But as players like Staal and Kopitar enter the back end of their careers, Aho and Hintz could steadily climb in voters’ minds.
