NHL Award Winners List and Discussion Part 2: Connor Hellebuyck, Alex Ovechkin and More

We are back with the second half of the awards given and officially announced in an hour-long special awards ceremony prior to game four of the Stanley Cup finals.

Let's break down the second batch of each of these awards in part two of this two-part series with a brief summary of what they mean, who won, and how that player did this season.

Let's keep the trophy train rolling!

Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy - Leon Draisaitl

This one is pretty well known, as it's awarded to the players with the most goals. Pretty self explanatory.

Draisaitl had 52 goals, 54 assists, and 33 powerplay points as a forward in 71 games played. He also had 240 shots on goal, 22 hits, and 27 blocked shots.

Clearly a deserving stud, and a top-five player in any fantasy league format. Certainly a low number of goals to take home this award, though. The previous three seasons were all 60+ goals, with last year being one shy of 70.

Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award - Alex Ovechkin 

This is a newer award, and is given to a player who is considered a superior leader. Considering that Ovi broke Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal scoring record this year and had every media outlet following him and counting down until the record is broken, this is a great pick.

Ovi brought so many new eyeballs to the sport that the whole world was excited, and as soon as the record was broken, social media and the internet were broken with congratulatory messages and videos being sent from other sports legends and celebrities alike.

Truly a once in a generation achievement, and Ovi did this while suffering a broken leg and coming back to still have the third-most goals this season, missing seven weeks, and in his 20th season. What a Russian machine!

James Norris Memorial Trophy - Cale Makar

Was there ever any doubt? The Norris is another notorious award that is well known and recognizes the best defenseman in the league.

Makar won for the second time, having previously won this prestigious award back in 2022. This year, he was the first defenseman to post back-to-back 90 point seasons since Paul Coffey. What an achievement.

Makar had 30 goals, 62 assists, and 35 powerplay points as a defenseman in 80 games played. He also had 246 shots on goal, 51 hits, and 128 blocked shots.

Makar is as elite as elite comes. A generational franchise defenseman, and this will not be the last Norris in his career. Luckily for Makar, he is on a star-studded roster to help him continue to produce year after year. 

Makar is also a 200-foot player who is not only defensively sound, but offensively gifted. His hockey sense is second to none on the blueline and although there may be an argument to be made for the likes of Zach Werenski or Quinn Hughes, it's clear that Makar is head and shoulders above his competition.

Vezina Trophy - Connor Hellebuyck

The Vezina goes to the best goaltender in the league, and like the Norris this one was not even close. As I mentioned in part one of this two part series, Hellebuyck was easily the best goaltender in 2025, and it wasn't close either.

Again, Hellebuyck had 47 wins in 62 starts as a goaltender. He also had a .925 save percentage, a 2.00 goals against average, and an impressive eight shutouts.

Spoiler alert: more on Hellebuyck later.

Art Ross - Nikita Kucherov

This prestigious award is for the player who scores the most points. No surprises here with Kucherov. This is his third Art Ross win, and his second straight. Nobody in the league has been as consistent as Kuch, and night in and night out he is on the score sheet, not only as a playmaker, but nearly netting 40 goals as well.

Again, Kucherov had 37 goals, 87 assists, and 46 powerplay points as a forward in 78 games played. He also had 265 shots on goal, 23 hits, and 33 blocked shots.

Fun fact: In Kucherov's last seven seasons played, he has scored over 100 points in five of them. 

Another fun fact: In one of those seven seasons (2022), he only played 47 games, but still put up 69 points. What a phenom.

Jack Adams -  Spencer Carbery

The Jack Adams is the trophy awarded to the best coach in the regular season. I don't think it's far-fetched to say that Carbery is deserving, given the Washington Capitals' season this year, especially compared to last season.

Each season under Carbery the Caps have improved. Coming off of a 100-point season, Carbery's Capitals posted 80 points in 2023. They improved to 91 points in 2024, and an Eastern Conference-leading 111 points this year.

For reference, 2023 saw a 35-win season, 2024 saw a 40-win season, with this season posting an impressive 51 wins.

Could this season have been riding Alex Ovechkin's goal scoring record countdown? Probably, but let's not forget that Ovi was out for approximately seven weeks, and the Caps saw a plethora of depth chip in this year for what seemed to be a coming together party of excellent line chemistry. Carbery certainly had a hand in that success, and is deserving of the Jack Adams this year. 

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy - Anze Kopitar

Nicknamed the gentlemans award, or the sportsman award, the Lady Byng is awarded to the player who shows the most sportsmanlike behaviour at a high level of performance. Often coupled with a league low penalty minutes, it's no surprise that Kopitar brought home this award for the third time in his career.

If you're wondering, Kopitar had four penalty minutes this year, equivalent to two minor penalties called on him all season. Considering how many minutes the captain of the Los Angeles Kings logs, that is quite impressive.

Kopitar had 21 goals, 46 assists, and 22 powerplay points as a forward in 81 games played. He also had 98 shots on goal, 31 hits, and 67 blocked shots.

A veteran player who continues to be sneaky good, with not a lot of theatrics to his game. His nose is always on the grindstone, and his reputation among the league, and his peers, is exemplary. A true gentleman of the sport, who continues to compete at the highest of levels.

Hart Memorial Trophy - Connor Hellebuyck

The Hart is considered the league's most valuable player as voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association. These are the media moguls whose job it is to study and report on anything and everything NHL.

I will note that despite the “what have you done lately” taste we have from the nearly finished postseason, and witnessing the epic implosion of Hellebuyck's game - we still cannot deny the magic we saw him put together in the regular season.

This is his third award of the year, and let's also not forget the Vezina performance he put together with his staggering eight shutouts.

Was he the league MVP this year? Maybe, maybe not. But as far as goaltenders go, there were none better during the regular season, and he put together a string of wins to win the Winnipeg Jets the Presidents Trophy in 2025 with 116 points. Nobody can deny that a lot of those wins were on Hellebuyck's back. Good for him, but let's see what he brings next season, and more importantly, next postseason.