Deryk Engelland of the Vegas Golden Knights won the Mark Messier Leadership award, presented to the NHL player who exemplifies great leadership qualities on and off the ice and who plays a leading role in his community growing the game of hockey, at the 2018 NHL Awards presented by Hulu at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas on Wednesday.
"Just to be up there with Mark Messier, for what he's done for the game, it's a huge honor," Engelland said. "I think every guy in our sport wants to be in the community they're playing in and get out there and do what they can, whether it's charities or schools. I'm sure there's a handful of guys, just on our team, that could be up here. Honestly, it's an honor."
Engelland, 36, had NHL career highs in assists (18) and points (23) for the Golden Knights. He was a fixture in the Las Vegas community following the mass shooting of Oct. 1 and made a passionate pregame speech at the home opener Oct. 10.