Jaccob Slavin and Dougie Hamilton
It’s no secret that the Carolina Hurricanes have been gifted with an incredible defensive corps. Carrying 9 NHL defenders is proof of that enough I feel, but two this season have stood far above the rest in the form of Dougie Hamilton and Jaccob Slavin.
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Starting with the American first, Jaccob has done what Jaccob Slavin usually does. He plays the defensive aspect flawlessly, he plays the offensive aspect of the game superbly, and he plays the transition game as well as anyone on the team. He is a special player on the blue line and how Ron Francis got him on a contract as stellar as the one he’s on is beyond incredible.
Over to Dougie Hamilton, and the Toronto native exploded offensively this year. His season was truncated, but his totals and his production speak for itself. 40 points in 47 games and 2 shootout winners for a defenseman? That is beyond incredible. In those 40 points are also 3 game-winning goals. He became dependable in the clutch moments, and he had been amazing.
Why do I group these two? Both of them had recognition at the halfway point of the season. Dougie was 3rd in Norris trophy voting, and Jaccob Slavin won the Langway award which is awarded to the best defensive defender across the NHL.
Two #Canes defensemen appeared on the list of the PHWA's midseason award winners.
— Michael Smith (@MichaelSmithNC) January 23, 2020
Dougie Hamilton finished third in Norris Trophy voting.
Jaccob Slavin finished first in Rod Langway Award voting, a "non-traditional" award for the best "defensive defenseman."
Carolina has not had a player win an individual award for the team since Jeff Skinner won the Calder Trophy in 2011. It’s a major highlight to see someone in the race for a major trophy like Doogie was before his fractured fibula. Both Dougie and Jaccob getting league-wide recognition shows how talented they are, and how good they’ve been.