Alex Belzile named Canadiens' candidate for Bill Masterton Trophy

MONTREAL - The National Hockey League announced on Monday that the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) selected Montreal Canadiens forward Alex Belzile as the team candidate for the Bill Masterton trophy for the 2022-23 season.

Belzile played 31 games with the Canadiens this season, recording six goals and eight assists. The Saint-Éloi, QC native scored his first career goal in the NHL on February 12 against the Edmonton Oilers. Belzile sustained a season-ending fractured leg on April 1 against the Carolina Hurricanes.
After more than 400 professional games in the ECHL and AHL, Belzile made his NHL debut on May 8, 2021 against the Toronto Maple Leafs at 29 years old. The six-foot, 196-pound forward has registered 15 points (6 goals, 9 assists) in 44 career NHL games.

The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is awarded to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. The winner is selected by a poll among the 32 chapters of the PHWA at the end of the regular season. The trophy commemorates the late Bill Masterton, a player with the Minnesota North Stars, who lost his life following an NHL game on January 15, 1968.
Six Canadiens players have been awarded with the Masterton Trophy since its inception: Carey Price (2021-22), Max Pacioretty (2011-12), Saku Koivu (2001-02), Serge Savard (1978-79), Henri Richard (1973-74), and Claude Provost (1967-68), who was the inaugural recipient of the award.