Vegas Golden Knights head coach Gerard Gallant was named winner of the Jack Adams Award as the league's best coach at Wednesday's NHL Awards.

Gallant coached Vegas to one of the most remarkable seasons in NHL history; the team captured the Pacific Division in its inaugural NHL campaign, the first expansion team from any of the four North American sports leagues to accomplish the feat. Meanwhile, the team also earned the most points ever by an expansion team.

Under Gallant, 11 players hit career highs with the Golden Knights. This is his second nomination for the award after finishing as runner-up to Washington Capitals' Barry Trotz in 2016 when he was with the Florida Panthers.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Los Angeles Kings forward Anze Kopitar won the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward for the second time in three years Wednesday night.

He played a major part in the Kings' league-best penalty kill and led all Los Angeles forwards in shorthanded ice time per game, while leading all NHL forwards in overall ice time per contest and posting career highs in goals (35), assists (57), and points (92).

The star Slovenian center last took home the honor in 2016.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

P.K. Subban will be the face of the NHL in video-game form.

The star Nashville Predators defenseman was announced as the cover athlete for EA Sports' NHL 19 at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas on Wednesday night.

"Growing up, and still to this day, my friends and I love seeing who is on the cover and ultimately getting to play the game," Subban said in a press release. "Being the cover athlete for NHL 19, for me, represents growth within our sport, embracing different personalities, and showing that anything is possible. I'm honored to be able to sport the Smashville colors on this year's cover."

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Expect the Pittsburgh Penguins to be interested in Jack Johnson's services if he reaches free agency, sources told Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The 31-year-old defenseman has been with the Columbus Blue Jackets since February 2012, but he's now less than two weeks away from unrestricted free agency. His current seven-year pact, signed with the Los Angeles Kings in 2010 prior to being traded to the Blue Jackets, carries a cap hit just shy of $4.4 million.

As for the Penguins, there are two obvious ties to Johnson. The first is Sidney Crosby after the two spent one season together as high school teammates in 2002-03. There's also Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford, who previously headed up the Carolina Hurricanes when they selected Johnson with the third overall pick in 2005.

It's also likely that Johnson is ready to move on from the Blue Jackets. He requested a trade in January, citing his reduced role with Columbus and a desire to better position himself ahead of free agency.

In 77 appearances with the Blue Jackets during the 2017-18 season, Johnson collected three goals and eight assists, while averaging 19:33 in ice time. He was scratched for all six of Columbus' playoff games.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

New Jersey Devils forward Brian Boyle took home the Bill Masterton Trophy on Wednesday, awarded annually to "the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey."

At the beginning of Devils training camp, Boyle was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, a type of bone marrow cancer. He was able to return on Nov. 1, and recorded 10 goals over his first 25 games.

Boyle also represented the Devils at the NHL All-Star Game in Tampa.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vegas Golden Knights forward William Karlsson claimed the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy on Wednesday, which is presented to the player voted to have "exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability."

It was a breakout season for Karlsson, who tallied 43 goals for the expansion Golden Knights, outpaced only by Alex Ovechkin and Patrik Laine. The Swedish center posted a league-best plus-49 rating - 13 points higher than the runner-up - while also finishing with just 12 penalty minutes.

Karlsson joined Vegas from the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he scored just six goals in 81 games during the 2016-17 season.

Buffalo Sabres forward Ryan O'Reilly and Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov were also 2017-18 finalists for the award.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal was awarded the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie on Wednesday night.

As expected, the voting wasn't particularly close:

Barzal had an impeccable first season, finishing tops among all rookies with 85 points (20 more than Arizona Coyotes forward Clayton Keller, who finished second in rookie scoring). He also led his team in scoring, notching one more point than captain John Tavares.

Barzal's 85 points mark the most by a Calder Trophy winner since Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin tallied 85 during the 2006-07 season.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vancouver Canucks forwards Daniel and Henrik Sedin claimed the King Clancy Memorial Trophy on Wednesday, awarded to the player who "best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community."

The Sedins retired in April after 17 seasons in the NHL, all with the Canucks organization. Their community involvement included a $1.5-million donation to the BC Children's Hospital Foundation to expand services and help fund a new hospital.

Since 2010, the Sedins have also helped raise $42 million for the Canucks for Kids Fund, in addition to advocacy work for the Canucks Family Education Centre and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Nashville Predators defenseman P.K. Subban and Minnesota Wild forward Jason Zucker were also finalists for the award.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Tampa Bay Lightning blue-liner Victor Hedman earned the first Norris Trophy of his career Wednesday night at the NHL Awards, beating out Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings and P.K. Subban of the Nashville Predators as the league's top defenseman for 2018.

Hedman tied the league lead among rearguards with 17 goals and ranked fourth with a career-high 63 points for the first-place Lightning.

The towering Swedish defenseman is one of several Lightning in the spotlight at the NHL Awards, as goaltender Andrei Vasilievskiy is up for the Vezina Trophy, while Steve Yzerman is a finalist for General Manager of the Year.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid took home his second Ted Lindsay Award in as many years Wednesday night in Las Vegas, earning the hardware as the NHL's most outstanding player, as voted on by members of the NHLPA.

McDavid is the first player in the history of the award to receive it twice before the age of 22.

The 21-year-old is coming off another sensational offensive campaign in which he paced the league by hitting triple digits in points (108) with 41 goals and 67 assists in 82 games.

No. 97's blistering speed and video-game-like handles put fans in the seats despite the Oilers' struggles. If McDavid can maintain his health and continue to rack up impressive offensive numbers, he could add several more Ted Lindsay Awards to his trophy case.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.