Noel Acciari Nominated for 2019-20 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

SUNRISE, Fla. - The South Florida chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association (PHWA) announced today that Florida Panthers forward Noel Acciari has been selected as the club's 2019-20 nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.

Acciari, 28, appeared in 66 games during his first season with Florida, registering career-highs in goals (20) and points (27). On Dec. 16, Acciari produced his first career multi-goal-game and first NHL hat trick, tallying three goals against the Ottawa Senators. He followed this performance with another hat trick in Florida's next game on Dec. 20 against the Dallas Stars, posting four points (3-1-4), completing his second consecutive hat trick on his first career penalty shot attempt.

With his consecutive hat tricks, Acciari joined Hockey Hall of Famer Pavel Bure (Feb. 10-14, 2001) as the only two players in Panthers franchise history to register hat tricks in consecutive games and was named the NHL First Star for the week ending Dec. 22.

The 5-foot-10, 203-pound native of Johnston, R.I., completed the 2019-20 season leading all NHL forwards with 103 blocked shots. He led the Panthers in game-winning goals (5) and hits (121), while averaging the club's sixth-most TOI per game (15:58).

Acciari signed a three-year contract with the Panthers on July 1, 2019, following a trip to the 2019 Stanley Cup Final with the Boston Bruins in which he recorded four points (2-2-4) over 19 games and sustained a broken sternum.

The Masterton Trophy is awarded each season under the trusteeship of the PHWA to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Panthers forward Jaromir Jagr was the recipient of the 2016 Masterton Trophy and goaltender Roberto Luongo was a finalist for the award in 2018.

The Masterton Trophy winner is selected from a poll of the 31 chapters of the PHWA at the end of the regular season.

A $2,500 grant from the PHWA is awarded annually to the Bill Masterton Scholarship Fund, based in Bloomington, Minn., in the name of the winner.

The PHWA first presented the Masterton Trophy in 1968 to commemorate the late Bill Masterton, a player with the Minnesota North Stars, who exhibited to a high degree the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Masterton died January 15, 1968 following an injury suffered in a game.

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