2021-22 CBJ Team Awards

COLUMBUS, OH - Now that the 2021-22 season has come to a close, it’s time to hand out the season awards! Columbus was lucky enough to have a few players nominated for league awards in both the NHL and AHL this year. Unfortunately the Jackets weren’t able to take home any NHL awards, but the team’s minor league affiliate was able to win three league awards for the season. 

First, the Blue Jackets would like to congratulate goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury on his third place finish in the Vezina voting this season. Marc-Andre finished the season with 39 wins in 65 games played, second only behind Vezina winner Jacob Markstrom who posted 40 victories. Fleury also posted solid counting stats, with a .920 SV% and 2.39 GAA, among the league leaders in both categories. 

Columbus would also like to congratulate the Cleveland Monsters’ Gabriel Vilardi on taking home three AHL league awards. Vilardi won the John B. Sollenberger Trophy given to the American Hockey League's leading points scorer for the season, and also took home the Les Cunningham Award, given to the league’s MVP of the regular season. Vilardi was far and away the best player in the minors this season, putting up 88 points, 12 more than his next closest competitors, and was also one goal shy of the Willie Marshall award for the most goals on the season. The third award is the equivalent of the NHL’s Lady Byng for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct, with Vilardi finishing the year with no penalty minutes in over 1650 minutes played.

Now for the Blue Jackets team awards for this season. It was a disappointing year for the Jackets offensively, failing to produce a single player who even sniffed the point per game mark. Hard to believe with Columbus starting the year with a top line of Patrick Kane, Mika Zibanejad, and Max Pacioretty, but all three finished the year below 65 points. 

Most Valuable Player & Top Point Scorer - David Krejci - 22 Goals, 43 Assists, 65 Points

The longtime leader and captain of the Jackets franchise, David Krejci once again proved his worth as the team’s most valuable player. Krejci was able to put up the most points on the team while driving the Jackets second line for a majority of the season, finishing fourth in TOI for team forwards. With 22 goals and 43 assists, David was the only Columbus player to eclipse 65 points on the season. 

Top Goal Scorers - Max Pacioretty & Nazem Kadri - 30 Goals

Pacioretty was acquired in the offseason to help the Blue Jackets scoring and delivered on that goal, scoring a team leading 30 goals. Nazem Kadri also matched Pacioretty’s 30 goals on the season, most of them coming while finishing the year on the top line alongside Max and Patrick Kane.  

Top Goalie - Marc-Andre Fleury - 65 Starts - 39 wins

Marc-Andre was again the team's leading goaltender, starting 65 games on the season for the Jackets and winning 39 games for a win percentage of 60%. 

Top Defenseman - Quinn Hughes - 4 Goals, 37 Assists, 41 Points

Hughes led all defenders in the Columbus organization putting up 41 points this season, scoring 4 goals and 37 assists. Quinn also finished second in plus minus for defenseman, putting up a +6.

Top Defensive Forward - Nic Dowd - AVG 1:00 SHTOI/G

Dowd played the year on the top penalty killing unit and finished the season with 81:41 of short handed time on ice, leading all Jackets forwards. Dowd also posted a plus 1 rating on the season. 

Qualities of Perseverance and Sportsmanship - Mika Zibanejad - 26 Goals, 32 Assists, 58 Points

Zibanejad was brought in to be the team's number one center and struggled with that role all season long. Still Zibanejad displayed great sportsmanship accepting his role as he was juggled up and down the lineup. Mika was able to up up a respectable 58 points, which in a low scoring season was good for third overall on the Jackets. 

Player who Displays Gentlemanly Conduct - Alex Pietrangelo - 4 PIMS

Pietrangelo led all Columbus players with 2073:12 in ice time this season, throwing 67 hits, and only finding himself in the box for two minor penalties this season. 

Rookie of the Year - Tyce Thompson - 7 Games Played, 1 Assist

The only option for rookie of the year this season, Thompson was the winner by default. Tyce was on hand to serve as a fill-in for injuries, getting into 7 games this year and posting an assist.