RALEIGH, NC. - Carolina Hurricanes Captain Jordan Staal received some recognition for his outstanding defensive abilities on Saturday, finishing second among all NHL forwards in Selke Trophy voting.
Awarded annually to the forward who demonstrates the most skill in the defensive component of the game, Staal finished as the runner-up to Florida Panthers forward Alexander Barkov, who won the award for the second time in his career.
Receiving four first-place votes, Staal's teammate Jesper Fast was not surprised at all.
"Ever since I've been here, he's been a leader. He's shown what type of player and person he is," the longtime linemate praised. "He definitely deserves that. He's such a big part of this team with the way he plays and the role he has. I'm really proud of him."
Carolina was the only team in the NHL to have four players receiving votes, as Seth Jarvis, Sebastian Aho, and Jordan Martinook all finished in the top 50 in addition to Staal.
"It was cool to get a little recognition. It's a long way from first and I've still got Jordo to jump over," Jarvis said with a laugh on Sunday. "I have great role models in that aspect of that game and guys who I'm still learning a lot from."
The Canes have won the Selke Trophy twice in organization history, as Rod Brind'Amour won the award in both 2006 & 2007.
