NEW YORK -- The NHL Awards™ will return to Las Vegas this summer at the world-famous Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, the National Hockey League announced today. The 2016 NHL Awards will be held on Wednesday, June 22, at The Joint, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino's state-of-the-art concert and entertainment venue and hosted by world-renowned actor Will Arnett. In addition, Encore at Wynn Las Vegas will serve as NHL® Headquarters during the 2016 NHL Awards.
It marks the first year that the NHL Awards™ will be held at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, home to world-class entertainment, dining and party hotspots, as well as concerts and special events. This will be the eighth year of a successful partnership between Las Vegas and the League and the seventh time the NHL will honor the best hockey players in the world and the top performances of the season in Las Vegas. Other Las Vegas venues that have hosted the NHL Awards include Palms Hotel (2009-2011), Encore at Wynn Las Vegas (2012, 2014) and MGM Grand (2015).
"We look forward to being back in Las Vegas, which has been an ideal destination for our NHL Awards celebration," said Steve Mayer, NHL Executive Vice President and Executive Producer of Programming and Creative Development.
"The end of June marks a special time on the NHL calendar for our players and their families, fans, partners as well as our Clubs. By adding the talents of Will Arnett and a new, exciting setting at the The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel, the League hopes to make this year's show the best one ever."
"We are excited for the NHL Awards to once again call Las Vegas home for their ultimate season ending celebration," said Cathy Tull, senior vice president of marketing for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. "The partnership between two globally recognized brands combine for a weekend full of unparalleled customer experiences that can't be found anywhere else."
Arnett will next star in Paramount's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, which comes out on June 3. He also currently stars in Netflix's Flaked, a show that he created, wrote and produced. Next year, his iconic voice will return for The Lego Batman Movie from Warner Bros.
"I'm excited to host the 2016 NHL Awards because we all know in 2017 I'll be too busy celebrating the Leafs winning the Stanley Cup®," said Arnett.
The 2016 NHL Awards™ will honor the best regular-season players in a wide range of categories, including most valuable player (Hart Trophy), outstanding goaltender (Vezina Trophy), outstanding defenseman (Norris Trophy) and outstanding rookie (Calder Trophy); the Ted Lindsay Award, which is presented annually to the "most outstanding player" in the NHL as voted by fellow members of the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA), also will be awarded.
A full line up of presenters and entertainment, information on broadcasting and tickets, as well as hospitality and travel packages through PrimeSport will be announced at a future date. In addition, fans can tweet about the event using the official hashtag #NHLAwards.
Finalists for each award will be announced beginning Wednesday, April 27, with nominees for each award revealed daily. Following is the schedule of nominee announcements. Please note that all announcement dates are subject to change.
Wednesday, April 27
Vezina Trophy (top goaltender)
Thursday, April 28
Selke Trophy (forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game)
Friday, April 29
Norris Trophy (top defenseman)
Saturday, April 30
Lady Byng Trophy (player best combining sportsmanship and ability)
Sunday, May 1
Masterton Trophy (perseverance and dedication to hockey)
Monday, May 2
Calder Trophy (top rookie)
Tuesday, May 3
NHL Foundation Player Award (community service)
Wednesday, May 4
Mark Messier Leadership Award
Thursday, May 5
Ted Lindsay Award (most outstanding player as voted by the players)
Friday, May 6
Jack Adams Award (top head coach)
Saturday, May 7
Hart Trophy (most valuable player to his team)
The winners of the NHL's regular-season statistic-based awards also will be recognized. This season, Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane captured his first career Art Ross Trophy as the League's scoring champion, Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin claimed his sixth career Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the League's goal-scoring leader, and the Anaheim Ducks tandem of Frederik Andersen and John Gibson earned the William M. Jennings Trophy as the goaltenders who play at least 25 games for the club allowing the fewest goals.
