Defenseman Jacob Trouba of the New York Rangers is the recipient of the Mark Messier Trophy this season.
This honor is given to the player who demonstrates leadership both to his team and to the community in order to promote the growth of the sport.
Trouba has scored three goals this season and had 19 assists in 69 games.
Last year, Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos was honored. He succeeded Anze Kopitar (2022) and Patrice Bergeron (2021).
Off the ice, the 30-year-old Michigan native has played a vital role in promoting the sport by participating in the Rangers’ annual week-long hockey camp for boys and girls. As an aspiring artist, Trouba also sold prints of his original work to help raise money for the Fondation Garden of Dreams and the city’s Epilepsy Foundation.
Trouba and the Rangers lead their series ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes 3 to 2. Game 6 will take place Thursday. Trouba is the first Rangers player to earn the honor after helping his team to a record 55 wins and the Presidents’ Trophy for leading the NHL with 114 points.
He and his wife Kelly, who has epilepsy, founded the Trouba Creative Expressions art program to help connect adults with epilepsy and seizures to therapeutic art. The couple also participated in promoting the initiative Hockey Fights Cancer of the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association to encourage people to get tested regularly.
The winner is personally selected by Messier and awarded since 2007.