Devan Dubnyk's long journey from the minor leagues to leading the Minnesota Wild to the playoffs this past season led him to being named the winner of the NHL's Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
Dubnyk is the second Minnesota player to win the award in three years after goaltender Josh Harding, who battled back from multiple sclerosis, was honored in 2013.
"It's a tremendous honor to be the recipient of the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy . . ." said Dubnyk. "I could not have achieved this recognition without tremendous support from my family and my teammates. I would like to thank everyone for believing in me. This past season was a remarkable experience and it was wonderful to reaffirm the joy that comes from playing hockey."
A former first-round draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers, Dubnyk was traded for the first time in his career two seasons ago and eventually finished the season in the American Hockey League in the Montreal organization. He signed a one-year contract with the Arizona Coyotes as a backup to Mike Smith before being traded to the Wild on Jan. 14.
Dubnyk, with his fifth organization in two seasons, started a franchise-record 38 straight games after the trade and helped Minnesota to its third consecutive playoff appearance. Dubnyk was 27-9-2 with a 1.78 goals-against average and .936 save percentage with the Wild, tallying five shutouts.
Also named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy for the league's top goaltender, Dubnyk was second in the NHL with a 2.07 goals-against average and .929 save percentage with Arizona and Minnesota. Montreal's Carey Price won the Vezina Trophy awarded Wednesday at the league's awards ceremony.
The Masterton Trophy is named after former North Stars player Bill Masterton, who died in 1968 after an on-ice injury and is awarded to the player who "best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey."
A $2,500 grant from the Professional Hockey Writers of American will be awarded to the Bill Masterton Scholarship Fund in Dubnyk's name.
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