EDMONTON – Sean Couturier of the Philadelphia Flyers is the 2019-20 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.
Couturier was named on 163 of the 170 ballots, including 117 first-place selections, for 1,424 voting points, ahead of second-place Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins, a Selke finalist for an unprecedented ninth consecutive year and with a record-tying four Selke wins. Bergeron received 21 first-place votes in accumulating 884 points. Ryan O’Reilly of the St. Louis Blues, the 2018-19 Selke Trophy winner, finished third in voting with 816 points (11 first-place selections).
Couturier (22-37—59 in 69 GP) paced the NHL by winning 59.6 percent of his face-offs (542-for-909). Only one player in Flyers history has recorded a higher single-season total (since the statistic began being tracked in 1997-98, minimum: 500 FO): Eric Lindros in both 1997-98 (60.1%) and 1998-99 (60.0%). Couturier was consistent throughout the ice, winning 59.5 percent of his face-offs in the defensive zone, 60.4 percent in the neutral zone and 59.1 percent in the offensive zone – no other NHL player topped 58 percent in all three zones. Couturier also led all Philadelphia skaters with a +21 rating while pacing team forwards in both total time on ice (1,368:23) and shorthanded time on ice (140:29).
The 27-year-old center – who finished second in Selke Trophy balloting in 2017-18 – is the third player to win the award with the Flyers, following Bobby Clarke (1982-83) and Dave Poulin (1986-87).
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