San Jose Sharks Awards 2015

2015 San Jose Sharks Awards – Part Two

The aftershocks of the NHL Awards Show, the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, and the opening of the free agency are now calming down. NHL fans are getting into arguably the most boring part of the year – the dog days of summer. Before we hibernate for a good couple of months until our alarm goes off in September, let’s close out on the San Jose Sharks Awards for 2015.

The Sharks trophy room is quite modest when it comes to individual accolades, so we decided to reward the most deserving Sharks players with the intra-team awards. Do check the first part of the 2015 San Jose Sharks Awards that was posted here.

In the order of real awards presentation, today we present the last eight San Jose Sharks Awards for 2015.

Brent Burns Trophy (NHL Counterpart – NHL Foundation Award)

Jun 24, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Brent Burns (right) and his date on the red carper during the 2015 NHL Awards at MGM Grand. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

The Brent Burns Trophy is awarded annually to the Sharks player “who applies the core values of (ice) hockey—commitment, perseverance and teamwork—to enrich the lives of people in his community.” Brent Burns is synonymous with words like “offensive defenseman,” “power forward,” “community,” and “charity.” Burns has done a tremendous amount of good deeds in the community over the past several years. He is one of those good guys that look to be genuine when doing these things, not because the team management mandated to do a compulsory community event.

The 2015 winner is Brent Burns. As the winner of the real NHL Foundation Award, it is hard to pick anyone more deserving of this award than Burns. Even when compared to players from around the league – his candidacy is outstanding. You can read a plethora of good things that Burns has done to enrich the lives of people in his community here.

Joe Pavelski Trophy (NHL Counterpart – Art Ross Trophy)

The Joe Pavelski Trophy is an annual award given to the Sharks player who leads the team in scoring at the end of the regular season. This is another trophy that could theoretically bear Joe Thornton’s name considering the number of first place seasons he had for the Sharks in terms of points. However, the candidacy of Joe Pavelski has its own merits. He led the Sharks in scoring in the past two seasons, and has all the means to do it again during 2015-16 season.

The 2015 winner is Joe Pavelski. Pavelski edged Logan Couture by three points, over the same amount of games played (82). He may have been challenged by Joe Thornton who scored five fewer points but missed four regular season games.

Brad Stuart Trophy (NHL Counterpart – Calder Memorial Trophy)

Jan 14, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; San Jose Sharks goalie Antti Niemi (31) celebrates with Sharks defenseman Brad Stuart (7) after the Sharks

The Brad Stuart Trophy is an annual award given to the Sharks player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the NHL. Just a year before Evgeni Nabokov actually won this trophy, Stuart was waiting to hear his name called up for the 2000 Calder Memorial Trophy. Unfortunately, he finished second in voting, but he had a brilliant start to a long Stanley Cup winning career.

The 2015 winner is Melker Karlsson. It was a close call between Karlsson and Chris Tierney, but the Swede has shown just a tad more in his first season in North America.

Evgeni Nabokov Trophy (NHL Counterpart –Vezina Trophy)

The Evgeni Nabokov Trophy is an annual award given to the Sharks goalkeeper adjudged to be the best at this position. Evgeni Nabokov never won the Vezina Trophy, but came mighty close in 2008 when he finished second in voting. Arguably the best goalkeeper in the franchise history.

The 2015 winner is Antti Niemi. The choice would always be limited when it comes to this trophy – normally with only two or three goalies to choose from. With 61 starts, and a subpar season – Niemi was the best goalkeeper the Sharks had.

More from Blades of Teal

Antti Niemi Trophy (NHL Counterpart – William M. Jennings Trophy)
The Antti Niemi Trophy is an annual award given to the Sharks goalkeeper(s) having played a minimum of 25 games for the team with the fewest goals scored against it. Unfortunately, we couldn’t use Evgeni Nabokov again, so who was the second best goalie in the Sharks history? It is Antti Niemi. I really wanted to pick Arturs Irbe, but his 3.47 GAA would be counterintuitive for this award.

The 2015 winner is Antti Niemi. He was our only goalie who played more than 25 games. The Antti Niemi Trophy goes to Antti Niemi – makes perfect sense. Not rigged at all.

Marco Sturm Trophy (NHL Counterpart – Lady Byng Memorial Trophy)

The Marco Sturm Trophy is an annual award given to the Sharks player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability. Marleau finished third in voting for Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 2006, when he scored 34 goals during the 2005-06 season. Marleau was once again nominated for the trophy in 2014, but lost to Ryan O’Reilly. Marleau epitomizes the type of player that would be considered for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy nomination, but Marleau’s name is already being used for another award. I went with Marco Sturm due to his longevity with the organization (553 games), decent playing ability (273 points), and gentlemanly conduct (242 PIM).

The 2015 winner is Logan Couture. Couture took another step forward when he played all 82 games during the regular season, netted 27 goals (second best on the team), and scored 67 points (second best on the team) – all career bests. Couture received only 12 penalty minutes, which is his personal lowest PIM/game rate in the NHL. Growing up as an athlete, Couture has stepped up his game, and surpassed the old guard of Thornton and Marleau while playing a disciplined type of hockey.

Tony Granato Trophy (NHL Counterpart – Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy)