Canes’ Jordan Martinook, Sebastian Aho recognized by Carolina PHWA chapter

Carolina Hurricanes forward Jordan Martinook has been chosen as the recipient of the 2020 Josef Vasicek Award, recognizing cooperation with the media, by the Carolina chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

The PHWA chapter also selected center Sebastian Aho as the team’s MVP for the 2019-20 season, which was suspended in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Aho had a career-high 38 goals and finished with a team-high 66 points in 68 regular-season games. He joined former Canes captain Eric Staal as the only three-time winner of the chapter’s MVP award.

Goalie James Reimer was the chapter’s nominee for the 2020 Masterton Trophy.

Martinook serves as an alternate captain for the Hurricanes and has one of the most outgoing personalities on the team. Last year’s Vasicek Award recipient was Justin Williams.

Vasicek played for the Canes in parts of six seasons and the big center was a member of the 2006 Stanley Cup champions and the 2002 Stanley Cup finals team. He died in September 2011 when his KHL team perished in an airplane crash in Yaroslavl, Russia.

Chip Alexander

The News & Observer

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In more than 40 years at The N&O, Chip Alexander has covered the N.C. State, UNC, Duke and East Carolina beats, and now is in his 15th season on the Carolina Hurricanes beat. Alexander, who has won numerous writing awards at the state and national level, covered the Hurricanes’ move to North Carolina in 1997 and was a part of The N&O’s coverage of the Canes’ 2006 Stanley Cup run.