Blackhawks’ Jason Dickinson: Motive To Consider For Selke Trophy
Before Friday’s deadline, members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association are putting the last touches on their award votes for the 2023–24 NHL regular season, which officially ends on Thursday and kicks off the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Saturday.
Aside from Connor Bedard and the Calder Trophy, the Chicago Blackhawks won’t have many players competing for honors. However, Blackhawks’ Jason Dickinson is a player who also merits mention for winning the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward.
With one game remaining, Dickinson has not only broken his previous record of nine goals this season with a career-high 22 goals, but he has also done so while facing the best lines on the other team each night. This is why the following statistic is so astounding.
Natural Stat Trick indicates that the team have a +9 goal difference while Blackhawks’ Jason Dickinson is on the ice during 5-on-5 play. They are down -94 points while he is not in the game.
With the NHL switching to 80+ games in 1974, that represents a 103-goal disparity for a rebuilding Blackhawks squad that would end with the fewest points in franchise history. That statistic alone puts Dickinson squarely in the running for team MVP.
Things become clearer.
Of the forwards who played at least 1,000 minutes of 5-on-5 hockey as of Wednesday, Dickinson was one of 130. He will also be the only member of the Blackhawks to have participated in all 82 games.
With a start percentage of 39.3, Dickinson was third out of 130 players in terms of least offensive zone starts, meaning that nearly one-third of his shifts began in the neutral or defensive zone. With an offensive zone start percentage of 86.7, Artemi Panarin leads that group, followed closely by Alex Ovechkin (83.4).
Moreover, Dickinson, whose 167:13 penalty kill percentage ranks 29th among forwards in the NHL, was the Blackhawks‘ most prolific forward in terms of minutes played. No other Blackhawks player has taken more than 30 draws on the penalty kill, while he has taken 240 of the team’s 401 face-offs when shorthanded.
It’s okay that Dickinson has little chance of winning the honor. Nevertheless, he is making a name for himself as a top-tier lockdown center man after leading the Blackhawks to a season worthy of the Selke Trophy.
When questioned in February about what receiving a Selke Trophy nomination would mean to him, Blackhawks’ Jason Dickinson responded.
“I truly wouldn’t need more; I take great pride in my defensive play, so any kind of acknowledgement for it, whether it comes from the management or the coaches, would be greatly appreciated. It is comforting to know that others are observing it, though, especially with the recognition from the media, other participants, and external noise.”
