Josh Morrissey named the Winnipeg Jets nominee for the King Clancy award

The nominations for the King Clancy Memorial trophy were announced by the NHL Public Relations this morning, and the nominee for the Winnipeg Jets is defenceman Josh Morrissey.

The award is presented each year to one player in the league that showcases leadership qualities both on and off the ice, and someone who’s done a significant humanitarian contribution in their community.

If you’re wondering how the nominees are determined, well, each of the thirty-two teams selects their own nominee. The winner will be picked at the 2024 NHL Awards ceremony by a committee that includes Gary Bettman, as well as a new addition of former King Clancy winners. The criteria for selecting a winner includes inspiration, involvement and impact on the player’s contribution to his community.

The nominee who gets the most votes from the committee will by declared the winner of this award, and will get a $25,000 donation to a charity of their choice. Something else that the winner will receive, which was just added this year, is that the winner will be eligible to get a grant of up to $20,000 which they can use to help organize a humanitarian cause within their organization.

If you’re unfamiliar with the history of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, it was first awarded in 1988, making it one of the “newer” trophies to be awarded during the NHL awards ceremony. This award first honoured Frank “King” Clancy, someone who was adored around the league for several decades. Clancy wasn’t just a player, he was a referee, a coach, a manager and off the ice, a goodwill ambassador. Clancy also won the Stanley Cup 3 times and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame back in 1958.

Going back to Josh Morrissey, the decision for him to be this year’s Jets nominee is well earned. The 29-year old is one of the team’s assistant captains, and has showed time in, time out that he is rightfully one of the leaders on this team. On the ice, Morrissey came close to matching his career best season, putting up 10 goals and 59 assists for 69 points in 81 games, just 6 goals, 1 assist, and 7 points from his career bests last season. Off the ice, Morrissey continues to prove why he is part of the Jets leadership group, alongside fellow teammates such as Adam Lowry, Mark Scheifele, and Nino Niederreiter.

Congrats to Josh Morrissey on the nomination! If you want to see the full list of nominees, you can see them here in the Winnipeg Jets official press release.