ELMONT, N.Y. — Forward Bryan Rust was named the Pittsburgh Penguins’ nominee for the NHL’s King Clancy Memorial Trophy.
The league announced nominees for all 32 teams on Wednesday.
Named after Hockey Hall of Famer Frank “King” Clancy, the award recognizes “the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.”
Previously a nominee in 2022, Rust has worked with the National Association of Young People Who Stutter (the group’s name is often presented simply as “Friends”) for several years.
A stutterer himself, Rust holds personal meetings with children with speech impediments after virtually every home game at PPG Paints Arena to pose for photos, sign autographs and offer encouragement on how to navigate life with a stutter.
“Obviously, something that’s close to my heart,” Rust said to TribLive in January. “Something that’s really important to me and my family. Something that might get overlooked. … It’s something that I’ve gone through, and I’ve tried my best to go through that adversity and tried to get better. It’s something that for me was important because it gets overlooked.”
A selection committee headed by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman will determine the winner who will receive a $25,000 donation to to be directed to a charity or charities of his choice.
No member of the Penguins has ever won the award.
All 32 nominees:
Anaheim Ducks - Cam Fowler
Arizona Coyotes - Nick Bjugstad
Boston Bruins - Linus Ullmark
Buffalo Sabres - Alex Tuch
Calgary Flames - Andrew Mangiapane
Carolina Hurricanes - Jaccob Slavin
Chicago Blackhawks - Connor Murphy
Colorado Avalanche - Cale Makar
Columbus Blue Jackets - Zach Werenski
Dallas Stars - Jake Oettinger
Detroit Red Wings - Dylan Larkin
Edmonton Oilers - Darnell Nurse
Florida Panthers - Aleksander Barkov
Los Angeles Kings - Kevin Fiala
Minnesota Wild - Marc-Andre Fleury
Montreal Canadiens - Nick Suzuki
Nashville Predators - Roman Josi
New Jersey Devils - Jack Hughes
New York Islanders - Anders Lee
New York Rangers - Jacob Trouba
Ottawa Senators - Brady Tkachuk
Philadelphia Flyers: Scott Laughton
Pittsburgh Penguins - Bryan Rust
San Jose Sharks - Luke Kunin
Seattle Kraken - Jaden Schwartz
St. Louis Blues - Brayden Schenn
Tampa Bay Lightning - Nicholas Paul
Toronto Maple Leafs - Auston Matthews
Vancouver Canucks - Quinn Hughes
Vegas Golden Knights - Jack Eichel
Washington Capitals - Tom Wilson
Winnipeg Jets - Josh Morrissey
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.