As per NHL.com, on Wednesday the league announced the team nominees for this season's King Clancy Memorial Trophy. Darnell Nurse will be the representative for the Edmonton Oilers for the third straight season.
Awarded since 1988, the King Clancy Memorial Trophy is presented annually. Again as per NHL.com, it is given to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.
On the ice, it's fair to state the 2013 seventh overall draft pick hasn't been at his best, with him seeming to take a step back from previous seasons. Mostly playing as part of the Oilers' second pairing, his 32 points and 21:53 average ice time are both set to be his lowest since the 2017-18 campaign.
You can make a case that Nurse has still to fully live up to the potential which saw the Oilers drafting him so high. At the same time however, there is no denying his talent, durability and willingness to engage in the physical side of the game.
The last point is highlighted by leading all Oilers players in blocks and being second in hits, which also lends credence to the 29-year-old's leadership abilities. However, it's off the ice where he really earns his nomination for this season's King Clancy Memorial Trophy.
As per the Oilers, Nurse is renowned for his work as an ambassador for Free Play for Kids and his scholarship at his high school alma mater in Hamilton. He is also a significant supporter of the Oilers' official community foundation.
Nurse was rested on Wednesday night for the 5-2 loss to the Arizona Coyotes, in preparation for the playoffs. While winning the Stanley Cup is of course the main goal, the Oilers would still be happy to see him become the fourth player in franchise history to win the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, following on from Kevin Lowe in 1990, Ethan Moreau in 2009 and Andrew Ference in 2014.