NEW YORK -- Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov is the 2023-24 recipient of the Frank J. Selke Trophy, recognizing “the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game,” as selected by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
Barkov is a Selke winner for the second time in his career, having become the first winner in franchise history in 2020-21. Adding a third-place finish in voting in 2021-22, the Panthers captain has been a Selke Trophy finalist in three of the past four seasons.
As the first choice on 165 of the 194 ballots and a top-five pick of 192 voters, Barkov was a runaway winner with 1,817 voting points. Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal, a Selke finalist for the first time since 2009-10, finished second in voting with 539 points. Staal was followed closely by first-time Selke finalist Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who garnered 514 points for third place.
Barkov was a key contributor to the Atlantic Division champion Panthers finishing the season tied for first place in the NHL in goals-against per game (2.41, excluding two GA for shootout losses). It also marked the lowest such figure in franchise history, topping the 2.44 set in 2015-16. Barkov took a team-leading 1,100 face-offs and posted a win rate of 57.3%, ranking ninth in the NHL (min. 50 GP/500 face-offs). He placed fifth among NHL forwards in plus-minus with a +33 rating, the second-highest figure in his 11-year NHL career. The puck was in the offensive zone for 46.3% of the time Barkov was on the ice at even strength according to NHL EDGE tracking data, ranking in the 97th percentile among NHL skaters, and in the defensive zone for just 35.3% of the time (97th percentile).
