I Dig Sports
BARBERVILLE, Fla. Mondays DIRTcar UMP Modified racing from Volusia Speedway Park saw six drivers visit victory lane in the first chapter of the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals Big Gator chase.
Beginning the second week with a win included Gene Nicholas, David Wietholder, Trevor Neville, Bobby Bagley, Chase Holland and Kyle Strickler.
FEATURE #1
Gene Nicholas had been coming to Volusia Speedway Park for 10 years, and for 10 years leaving empty-handed. That changed Monday night during week two of Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals.
The Lowell, Ark., driver dominated the first DIRTcar UMP Modified feature of the night, crossing the finish with a 1.5-second lead and winning not only his first victory at Volusia, but his first- win in a UMP Modified.
Wed been coming down here for about 10 years, hoping to get one of these things, Nicholas said about winning his Little Gator trophy. Its tougher than you think running against these guys Its just come together this year. Its exciting.
Nicholas started on the pole of the 20-lap feature and made sure he never saw a car pass him all race.
Clayton Bryant, Daniel Sanchez and 2024 World of Outlaws Late Model Rookie of the Year Dustin Sorensen battled for second throughout the race with each taking their turn in the spot. Sorensen held it the longest, trying to put the pressure on Nicholas, but the veteran modified driver never missed his mark.
In the closing laps, Sanchez who had started the race in sixth stole second from Sorensen after a restart on Lap 16 but, again, Nicholas was long gone before Sanchez could attempt a hunt.
The finish:
Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 11N-Gene Nicholas[1]; 2. 463-Daniel Sanchez[6]; 3. 19-Dustin Sorensen[4]; 4. 114B-Clayton Bryant[2]; 5. 9R-JP Roberts Jr[3]; 6. 11D-Brian Diveley[5]; 7. 28C-Jeff Cotterman[12]; 8. 0K-Damian Kiefer[7]; 9. 77C-Jason Cox[13]; 10. 81C-Christopher Cole[11]; 11. 17-Chris Wilson[8]; 12. 77S-Jim Shipman[10]; 13. 321-Denny Schwartz[16]; 14. 6-Ryan Fowler[9]; 15. 23B-Ethan Boomsma[17]; 16. (DNS) 70H-Jim Britt; 17. (DNS) 81K-Kyle Cole
FEATURE #2
The theme of first-time winners at Volusia Speedway Park continued in the second feature with Dave Wietholder bringing a rocket ship to a car race.
The Liberty, Ill., driver launched his No. 05 modified ahead of the field like a rocket leaving Cape Canaveral.
While he ran away, Ray Kable and James Manka put on a show for second, taking turns on who would claim the spot. But after a caution on Lap 7, Brian Ruhlman settled that argument by making his way by both for the runner-up spot after the restart.
And even though Ruhlman was on the march, he still didnt have the car to run down Wietholder. By the time the checkered flag was shown, Wietholder had a 2.3-second lead over Ruhlman.
The car was really good, Id like to thank everyone, especially my wife, Wietholder said. The track has been phenomenal this week. We just aint had the best luck down here. Had a motor issue the other night, blew two head gaskets. So, we put our nine to one in. Its a little under horsepowered than the other ones here, but its pretty good.
Behind the top two, Austin Self was quietly the show of the field, charging his way from 12th to third by the end of the race.
The finish:
Feature 2 (20 Laps): 1. 05-David Wietholder[1]; 2. 49-Brian Ruhlman[4]; 3. 23Z-Austin Self[12]; 4. 90K-Ray Kable[10]; 5. 60M-James Manka[2]; 6. 51-Dalton Lanich[16]; 7. 11Z-Zane Oedewaldt[17]; 8. 155-Gavin Shaw[8]; 9. 91-Chris Beaulieu[5]; 10. 72S-Eric Shepherd Jr[15]; 11. 43A-Mark Anderson[3]; 12. (DNF) 15X-Justin Stone[6]; 13. (DNF) 1H-Ben Harmon[7]; 14. (DNF) 01-Brayden Weller[9]; 15. (DNF) 1-Randy Giroux[11]; 16. (DNF) 2K-Taylor Kuehl[13]; 17. (DNF) 11-Aidan Hinds[14]
FEATURE #3
While the first two winners of the night were able to run away with their wins, Trevor Neville had to work for his in the third feature of the night.
Ryan Thomas tried to be the third straight driver to pull off a green-to-checkered performance, leaving the rest of the field behind him on the initial start. But his reign out front started losing ground before the halfway point of the 20-lap race.
Neville made his way from fourth to second by Lap 7 and then started cutting a tenth to two-tenths of a second off Thomas gap each lap. That brought him to the bumper of the No. 9t by Lap 15 and the fight was on.
Thomas slid over the cushion in Turns 1 and 2 on Lap 16, allowing Neville to see a path to the lead. Running low, Neville pulled side by side with Thomas down the back stretch and darted into Turn 3 to pull ahead and take the lead.
From there, Neville was able to drive away with no issues, collecting his second career DIRTcar Nationals win and first victory of 2025.
The first couple nights we were down here were rough, Neville said. There were some emotional moments with the Strickler deal and the Mitch deal and everything else. But you know what? We pulled out and here we are now. Im really excited to go into the rest of the week.
The finish:
Feature 3 (20 Laps): 1. 777-Trevor Neville[4]; 2. 9T-Ryan Thomas[1]; 3. 66-Cole Falloway[5]; 4. 77D-George Dixon[3]; 5. 36-Kenny Wallace[2]; 6. 96M-Mike McKinney[6]; 7. 97-Mitch Thomas[9]; 8. 7D-Brad Deyoung[7]; 9. 77-Ray Bollinger[10]; 10. 45H-Kyle Hammer[12]; 11. 35A-Michael Altobelli[8]; 12. 114-Jordan Koehler[16]; 13. 21-Scott Ladner[13]; 14. 8W-Gregory Moore[15]; 15. 27G-Jason Garver[17]; 16. 57-Charlie Sandercock[14]; 17. 11J-Jesse Rupe[11]
FEATURE #4
Bobby Bagleys dream of visiting Volusia victory lane with a gator in his hand was realized on Monday night.
The Mineral Wells, W. Va., driver took immediate command from the start and fled away from the pack as the battle for positions occurred behind him.
Behind Bagley, Evan Koehler and Jordan Stotts made substantial gains to chase a podium position, with Koehler moving up from a ninth-place starting spot and Stotts.
By the time the two drivers solidified their spots in the top three, Bagley was long gone winning the feature by over five seconds in a flawless green-to-checkered performance.
It means everything to us, Bagley said. A lot of hard work put into this and its really a dream come true. Were not supposed to be here, so it is what it is and were excited to get this win.
The finish:
Feature 4 (20 Laps): 1. 5B-Bobby Bagley[1]; 2. 114K-Evan Koehler[9]; 3. S8-Jordan Stotts[6]; 4. 3F-Rob Fuqua[5]; 5. 07K-Curtis King[3]; 6. 11L-Jimmy Lennex Jr[14]; 7. 3S-Josh Sanford[12]; 8. T9-Zack Tate[10]; 9. 59-Doug Stine[7]; 10. 89W-Rick Weitekamp[13]; 11. 2C-Ronnie Chance[2]; 12. 65-Matt Miller[17]; 13. 99W-Wade Olmsted[11]; 14. 29C-Joey Cotterman[15]; 15. 11R-Reece Ogle[8]; 16. (DNS) 99-Jimmy Wagner; 17. (DNS) 26-Adam Ogle
FEATURE #5
Chase Holland knows a thing or two about success. And on Monday, the Success, Miss., driver showed what it looks like around Volusia Speedway Park.
Holland and Evan Taylor brought the field to the green flag, with the two drivers in close distance with each other through the first quarter of the feature.
Their battle for the lead was an opportunity for Volusia expert Todd Neiheiser to make ground on the two drivers, with the Panama City, Fla., native passing Taylor for second by the seventh lap.
Neiheiser stayed within striking distance of Holland through the remaining 12 circuits, but was unable to steal the gator away from Holland as his No. 45 hung on for the Monday night victory.
Man, my nerves are shot and Im speechless, Holland said. I never imagined wed be able to get one, especially the first three nights of not being able to make it into the show. Its incredible, and I cant thank the good Lord and all my sponsors enough.
The finish:
Feature 5 (20 Laps): 1. 45-Chase Holland[1]; 2. 72-Todd Neiheiser[5]; 3. 7-Evan Taylor[2]; 4. 8A-Austin Holcombe[8]; 5. 2J-Troy Johnson[11]; 6. 88-Matt Crafton[14]; 7. 17T-Tyler Evans[4]; 8. 25-Greg Belyea[7]; 9. 21B-Hunter Breland[13]; 10. 18-Miles Beaulieu[15]; 11. 16-Shawn Deering[16]; 12. 9-Ken Schrader[10]; 13. 0-Glenn Styres[9]; 14. 32-Chad Roush[17]; 15. 8-Dave Pinkerton[12]; 16. 10X-Billy Uptegraff[3]; 17. 17C-Coleman Evans[6]
FEATURE #6
Kyle Stricklers wait for a DIRTcar Nationals Golden Gator trophy in 2025 ended on Monday night.
It did not come easy for the Mooresville, N.C., driver. A smoking engine from qualifying forced the Mooresville, N.C., driver to change engines in his No. 8 prior to competing in the Feature finishing the task minutes before rolling out onto the race track.
Once the competition began, the High Side Tickler took his modified to the top of the track for the lead and went to work on the 20 laps ahead of him.
Will Krup showed the front-running consistency from Friday and Saturday at Volusia by running second to Strickler. While Krup used the bottom lanes of Turns 3 and 4 to close the gap, Strickler had stronger exit speeds than the No. k9 that earned him a 15th-career gator trophy.
Weve been so close all week and we sure had to work for it tonight, Strickler said. We were really good with (the motor), but we were just missing that little bit. So, I wanted to change motors and see if thats what it was. And damn it, the thing didnt have a burned piston, it was just smoking and had to qualify with it.
We were fortunate enough to be in the last feature and barely got the motor changed to what we had originally. It makes all of our hard work worthwhile, adding another gator to the list means so much to me, and see if we can run down Nick (Hoffman) on the gator count.
The finish:
Feature 6 (20 Laps): 1. 8S-Kyle Strickler[2]; 2. K9-Will Krup[4]; 3. 35-David Stremme[3]; 4. 5CS-Curt Spalding[5]; 5. 27-Michael Turner[6]; 6. 21CZ-Cole Czarneski[12]; 7. 90-Jason Beaulieu[1]; 8. 12L-Lucas Lee[7]; 9. 18L-Michael Long[9]; 10. 13-Charlie Mefford[10]; 11. 31G-Stephen Pedulla[8]; 12. 24-Zeke McKenzie[15]; 13. 10Y-Trent Young[11]; 14. 56-Colton Profitt[16]; 15. 60-Shannon Fisk[13]; 16. 7J-Justin Allgaier[14]; 17. (DNS) 41-Brad Goff
DALLAS The most tenured team partnership in all of NASCAR continues unabated this year. Interstate Batteries, the leading replacement battery brand in the United States, has signed a multi-year extension with Joe Gibbs Racing to continue their partnership well into a fourth decade.
Interstate Batteries is JGRs founding partner, joining the team for its NASCAR Cup Series debut in 1992. The endorsement from the Outrageously Dependable battery brand allowed team owner Joe Gibbs to turn his dream of a NASCAR team into reality, namely by securing the services of a future NASCAR Hall of Famer, Dale Jarrett, to drive his race cars.
When we first began our partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing in 1992, we had around 120,000 dealers comprised of service stations, garages and car dealers that sold our batteries, but we didnt have a national reputation.
Joe Gibbs Racing gave Interstate Batteries national recognition. Joe was still in the NFL and coaching in Washington, and then Dale Jarrett delivered our first win together in the first race of our second season, said Norm Miller, Chairman Emeritus, Interstate Batteries.
We already saw that the partnership was working during our inaugural season together, but that 1993 Daytona 500 win really put Interstate Batteries on the map. It helped us secure national accounts because we had strong name recognition among consumers. That recognition remains true to this day as we enter our 73rd year delivering outrageously dependable batteries.
In 2025, it is perennial championship contender Christopher Bell who will carry the signature green colors of Interstate Batteries on his No. 20 Toyota Camry XSE in four NASCAR Cup Series races, while Ty Gibbs will augment those races with an Interstate Batteries race of his own June 1 at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway.
Bell kicks off Interstate Batteries 2025 campaign in the 67th running of the Daytona 500 Feb. 16 at Daytona (Fla.) Intl Speedway. The Interstate Batteries green machine returns with Bell March 16 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and May 4 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth before Bell brings Interstate Batteries branding back in the Cup Series season finale Nov. 2 at Phoenix Raceway.
Our customers are the backbone of our success at Interstate Batteries, and our partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing is a great avenue to strengthen our relationships with them on and off the track, said Lain Hancock, President and CEO, Interstate Batteries. Our Outrageously Dependable mantra speaks to our tenure with JGR and our long-time customers, and no one enjoys seeing the color green wave on another NASCAR season more than all of us at Interstate Batteries.
Interstate Batteries helped launch JGR and, in their 33 years of partnership, JGR has won five NASCAR Cup Series championships and scored 214 Cup Series victories, a number that includes four Daytona 500s. All of JGRs firsts first win with Jarrett in the 1993 Daytona 500, first pole with Bobby Labonte on April 21, 1995 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, and first championship with Labonte in 2000 have come with Interstate Batteries as the primary sponsor.
We wouldnt be where we are as a race team without the support from our founding partner, Interstate Batteries, said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. To think were now well into our fourth decade together speaks to how special our partnership has been and the relationships weve built with everyone at Interstate Batteries. Ill be forever grateful to Norm and Tommy Miller, who gave us a chance when we didnt have a building, cars or even employees. We are blessed to continue to work with great people like Lain (Hancock) and his entire team.
There are few partnerships that have stood the test of time like Joe Gibbs Racing and Interstate Batteries.
Chase Randall was announced Tuesday as the 14th full-time High Limit Racing driver this season.
Randall made major strides the last few years in his fledgling sprint car career, proving he can win multiple features on a yearly basis and contend with the sports in a pick-and-choose schedule.
This year, the 20-year-old believes theres no better time than for him to campaign on High Limit Racing for his first-ever national touring season.
The young Waco, Texas, driver who raced for TKS Motorsports through mid-August last season before departing the team is bringing back his family-owned No. 9 machine that sat idle in 2024 for whats shaping to be a busy season for the third-year 410 driver.
This is something I feel like we can build on for five or six years, and potentially even longer, Randall said. This is something I want to do longterm. Thats our plan. My goal in Sprint Car racing is I want to be the top champion. Previously it was the (World of) Outlaws because it was the only series.
Recently, with all the drivers going over there with the competition level, and with the prestige of the series and things like that, being High Limit champions is an ultimate goal of mine.
Randalls résumé includes winning the 360 Knoxville Raceway track title, 2021 USAC National Midget Rookie of the Year, and seven victories in more than 100 races since moving to the 410 level in 2023. He picked up four of those victories all at Husets Speedway in his rookie 410 season aboard his family-owned No. 9 two years ago and finished 10 points short of the Husets track championship to Brooke Tatnell. The Texas native also notched a pair of victories in Australia last month, both at Simpson Speedway, on Jan. 3 in the 410 and Jan. 18 in the 360.
As hes returned to the states, increased financial backing from Albaugh LLC, Infamous Ink, Bushs Chicken and EZ Print allows Randall to bring back his family team. At first, he wanted to put a deal together with another car owner in the sport, but the more he thought about it, logistics of racing again for his family just made sense.
Its going to be like it used to with our old team, but with more sponsorship backing to help us go national racing, Randall said. Weve always wanted to. We just never had the sponsorship, which now we do.
Whenever I made the decision to leave (TKS Motorsports), I was trying to finish out the year but trying to search around and find something for this next season. I had a lot of meetings with owners and several phone calls. Just nothing ever worked out. I felt this is the right place for me to be.
I thought, I have go out and get sponsorship for other teams to get that started. But I was doing all this work to bring other teams money, so why not use it for our own team? And do what we want with it to control our own destiny. I feel like, once we came to that, everything fell into place and it worked out to where we are now. I think its going to work out well.
Randalls father, Jon, will start the year as the crew chief, but slowly transition someone into that role as the season progresses. Randall has hired Baylen Magennis, a former crew member of Tyler Courtneys at Clauson-Marshall Racing, as car chief and tire specialist.
Hes been one of my good friends for several years now and has a lot of experience on a touring series, and knows everything that needs to be done, Randall said of Magennis. I feel like he can prepare me a car that can go out and perform every night. I thought he was a good asset to have on our team.
Randalls signing on for a full High Limit campaign this year makes him the fourth rookie in a talented class alongside Sye Lynch, Daison Pursley, and Danny Sams III.
Its going to be tough, Randall said. A lot of those drivers have so much experience racing as a whole. The competition with the whole High Limit series is going to be tough, but especially the battle between the rookies.
Expectations that Randalls placed on himself are a top-10 points finish and winning highest rookie honors on there series in 2025.
We have high expectations but I feel like were plenty of capable of achieving it, Randall said. My goal for myself and team is top-10 in points. I feel like thatd be a very successful year and if we work hard at it, I feel we can achieve that high task.
Comcast Renews with NASCAR, Xfinity To End Title Sponsor After 2025
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. NASCAR and Comcast announced Tuesday the renewal of their decade-long partnership, with Comcast continuing its role as both a premier partner of the NASCAR Cup Series and title sponsor of the Xfinity Series.
The partnership has been renewed for multiple years with the Xfinity Series title sponsorship being extended for one more year.
According to Sports Business Journal, Xfinity will no longer be the title sponsor following the 2025 season.
Speaking to SBJ, Matt Lederer, Vice President of Brand Partnership & Engagement at Comcast, stated that 11 years of being an entitlement partner and having the run that weve had has been amazing, and now I think its time for someone else to take that mantle and continue to grow the series to heights that we cant even consider at this point.
Xfinity, however, will firmly remain in the sport.
New to the sport starting this year, race fans can look forward to the Xfinity Fastest Lap, a program that awards one race point to the eligible driver and owner with the fastest single lap in each race, adding extra intensity and strategy to the competition. This new feature will be part of all three national series NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series enhancing the competitive landscape and fan experience.
Were not just entering year 11 of our partnership. Were embarking on year one of a renewed relationship with NASCAR filled with fresh energy and exciting opportunities to enhance the competition on the track in a way that has never been done before, and continue to connect with fans in new and engaging ways.
Comcast is expanding its NASCAR partnership to include more of its connectivity and entertainment brands Xfinity Mobile and Xumo. Xfinity Mobile is joining the partnership as an Official Wireless Partner of NASCAR.
Xumo, Comcasts and Charters streaming platform joint venture, will become an Official Video and Streaming Partner of NASCAR, with plans to offer its customers immersive viewing experiences and unique content.
NASCAR is incredibly appreciative of Comcasts continued partnership and their commitment to innovation and fan engagement within our sport, said Michelle Byron, Executive Vice President and Chief Partnership and Licensing Officer at NASCAR. Their contributions over the past decade, from enhancing the fan experience to supporting community initiatives, have been invaluable.
We look forward to building on the success of our partnership during the 2025 season and beyond.
Its time for a new edition of SPEED SPORT Power Rankings. Who will be on top this week?
1. Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson opened the season with a pair of Tulsa Shootout victories inside the SageNet Center in Tulsa, Okla., and followed it up by winning the Chili Bowl Nationals for the third time in his career.
2. Chase Elliott
Chase Elliott turned in a dominant performance aboard his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to win the Cook Out Clash at North Carolinas historic Bowman Gray Stadium.
3. Justin Peck
High Limit Racing regular Justin Peck went 360 sprint car racing with the American Sprint Car Series National Tour and won three consecutive races to kick off the DIRTcar Nationals at Floridas Volusia Speedway Park.
4. No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsports
Drivers Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy and Laurens Vanthoor clinched a second consecutive overall and GTP class victory for Porsche Penske Motorsport in the Rolex 24 At Daytona Intl Speedway.
5. Ricky Thornton Jr.
Reigning Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series champion Ricky Thornton Jr. has won two of the first four races in the series this season.
6. Bobby Pierce
Bobby Pierce won four features on the way to winning the Wild West Shootout super late model series at Vado (N.M.) Speedway Park.
7. Dylan Thornton
Dylan Thornton is off to a fast start in IMCA competition in Arizona. Thornton has won three late model features and a pair of modified main events.
8. Bubba Pollard
Bubba Pollard won Januarys SpeedFest super late model feature at Georgias Cordele Motor Speedway and backed it up with a UARA National series win at the same track this past weekend.
9. Chase Sexton
2023 Monster Energy Supercross champion Chase Sexton became the first two-time winner in the series this season and holds a two-point lead over Ken Roczen after four events.
10. Cole Galloway
Despite having never been to Volusia Speedway Park, Kentucky modified driver Cole Galloway won consecutive UMP modified features during the first weekend of the DIRTcar Nationals at the half-mile Florida dirt track.
Last Year: Carson Macedo ended the season on top of the power rankings after a strong ending to the season.
This Week: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series has four races scheduled this week at Floridas Volusia Speedway Park, while the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series has six events set at Ocala Speedway.
IIHF extends competition ban vs. Russia, Belarus
Russia and Belarus will continue to be banned from international ice hockey competitions for the 2025-26 season, the IIHF announced on Tuesday citing security concerns.
In a statement, the IIHF said it "believes it is not yet safe to reintegrate" both countries, which have not been able to participate in world hockey events since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The decision could have major implications for the 2026 Olympics in Milan, although the IOC will have final say over if Russia can participate and under what conditions. The IOC has scheduled elections to decide its next president in March 2025, and this is one of the biggest issues on the new docket.
The Olympic men's tournament in Milan is set to include NHL players for the first time in 12 years.
The Russian men have won Olympic gold nine times and won a silver medal at the 2022 Games in Beijing, just weeks before Russia's invasion of Ukraine began.
The Belarus men's team did not participate in the final round of Olympic qualifying last summer; Belarus has never had a women's team ranked in the top pool to be eligible to compete in an Olympics.
The ban covers all IIHF events such as world championships and world juniors championships.
"As the current security conditions do not allow the necessary requirements for the organization of tournaments guaranteeing the safety of all, the IIHF must maintain the current status quo until further notice," the IIHF said in a statement.
Despite the ban, Russia has the No. 2 men's team per IIHF World Rankings, only following Canada. The Russian women are ranked sixth.
More than 50 Russian players have appeared in an NHL game this season, including some of the league's biggest stars such as Alex Ovechkin, Nikita Kucherov, Kirill Kaprizov and Igor Shesterkin. The NHL has been monitoring security concerns against Russian players since the invasion of Ukraine, but sources told ESPN the NHL has yet to hear of credible threats for this season.
Speaking at the world juniors championships in January, IIHF president Luc Tardif explained his federation's stance. We want them back as soon as possible," he said. "It will mean the war will be over....[Russia] is missed for any competition. But let them come too early, that's not going to be good."
Several NHL executives told ESPN they were hoping Russia would be brought back for the world juniors championships as it's an important scouting tournament. NHL teams have had extremely limited opportunities to watch Russian players live since 2022, with most of the scouting conducted on tape. While that has affected the draft stock of top Russian prospects, many teams have still selected Russians with high first-round picks including the Philadelphia Flyers drafting Matvei Michkov at No. 7 in 2023 and the Montreal Canadiens picking Ivan Demidov at No. 5 in 2024.
The IIHF said it will make a ruling for the 2026-27 season by May 2026.
NHL Awards Watch: Can Hellebuyck double up, new favorite for Norris?
The NHL's most valuable player award winners usually have one thing in common: They aren't goaltenders or defensemen.
There are all sorts of justifications for the Hart Trophy almost exclusively going to forwards: Like the fact that goalies and defensemen have their own awards or the classic "a goalie could be MVP every season!" harangue. The bottom line is that of the past 30 Hart Trophies, four went to goaltenders and one went to a defenseman.
That trend could be bucked this season, however. Not only is a goaltender leading the pack for the Hart, two defensemen are getting some MVP consideration as well.
Welcome to the NHL Awards Watch for February. We've polled a wide selection of Professional Hockey Writers Association voters anonymously to get a sense of where the wind is blowing for the current leaders. We've made sure it's a cross-section from the entire league, trying to gain as many perspectives as possible.
Keep in mind that the PHWA votes for the Hart, Norris, Calder, Selke and Lady Byng; broadcasters vote for the Jack Adams; and general managers handle the Vezina.
All stats are from Hockey-Reference.com, Natural Stat Trick and Evolving Hockey.
Jump ahead:
Ross | Richard | Hart
Norris | Selke | Vezina
Calder | Byng | Adams
Art Ross Trophy (points leader)
Click here for the updated point-scoring standings.
Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy
Click here for the updated goal-scoring standings.
Hart Trophy (MVP)
Leader: Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
Finalists: Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers; Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
What a difference a long-term injury makes.
The front-runner for the Hart Trophy in last month's Awards Watch was Kirill Kaprizov of the Minnesota Wild with 37% of the first-place votes. But he played only three games in January and is currently on long-term injured reserve after surgery on a lingering lower-body issue. He's still the Wild's leading scorer with MVP numbers (23 goals and 52 points) but his 37 games played isn't enough to keep pace in this highly competitive race. Kaprizov didn't receive a first-place vote in this month's balloting.
The new leader is Hellebuyck, the Jets' starting goaltender and last season's Vezina Trophy winner. While he didn't receive a first-place vote last month, he was a close second for a few voters. This time, he has earned 25% of the first-place votes, which is indicative of how tightly packed the MVP race is right now.
"Who has been more consistent and more vital to his team's success?" asked one voter.
"He's the best goalie by a long shot and on the best team in the league," said another.
The Jets have 37 wins this season. Hellebuyck has 33 of them. He leads all goalies (minimum 20 appearances) in save percentage (.925) and goals-against average (2.04). Hellebuyck leads all goalies in minutes played and shots faced, the latter of which he has done four times in his career.
The NHL hasn't had a goalie win MVP since Montreal's Carey Price in 2014-15.
MacKinnon was a runner-up last month and is once again this month, capturing just over 20% of the vote. He leads the NHL with 80 points in 54 games. There's a 22-point gap between MacKinnon and Cale Makar on the Colorado scoring leaderboard.
MacKinnon won the Hart last season. The NHL hasn't had back-to-back MVPs since Alex Ovechkin won the award in 2008 and '09.
"Nathan MacKinnon for the back-to-back, but let's not sleep on Leon Draisaitl," said one voter.
Draisaitl was the other runner-up last month and remains just slightly ahead of Quinn Hughes in this month's vote. Draisaitl had roughly 20% of the first-place ballots. Hughes was around 15%.
Draisaitl leads the NHL in goals (36) and is second to MacKinnon in points (77). He won the Hart once previously, in 2019-20.
According to Evolving Hockey, Draisaitl leads the NHL in goals scored above replacement (17.8) and wins above replacement (2.9). Teammate Connor McDavid is second in both categories. McDavid has also nearly matched Draisaitl in points per game (1.46 to 1.48), playing 46 games to Leon's 52. McDavid, who didn't receive a first-place MVP vote, has 67 points.
"I'm torn between Leon Draisaitl and Quinn Hughes but ultimately I will go with Hughes," said one voter. "He is completely dominating on the ice in all phases and the Canucks wouldn't be anywhere close to the playoffs without him."
Hughes has a slim lead over Makar in the scoring race among defensemen with 59 points in 47 games, skating 25:18 per game. There's a 25-point gap between Hughes and the next-highest scorer on the Vancouver roster (Conor Garland). Hughes is third in the NHL in goals scored above replacement (16.5) and wins above replacement (2.7), right behind Draisaitl and McDavid.
Only one other player received multiple Hart Trophy first-place votes in our survey: Tampa Bay Lightning star Nikita Kucherov, who won the award in 2018-19.
Kucherov has 24 goals and 76 points in 49 games. That's 22 points better than the Bolts' second-leading scorer, Brandon Hagel. Kucherov's 1.55 points per game leads the NHL. If he stays on that pace, it would be the ninth-best average over the past 20 seasons.
"While Kucherov is far from alone on his team, he does not have the elite support most of the other candidates have," said one voter.
"The NHL's preeminent playmaker -- who should've won this last year -- is averaging a whopping 0.78 primary assists per game," said another voter. "While others can debate MacKinnon vs. Leon Draisaitl vs. Connor Hellebuyck for the league's ultimate individual prize, Kucherov will go about his usual business of potting a point and a half per night while helping his club into a comfortable playoff position in the East -- again."
Two other players earned votes for the Hart. Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner's 70 points in 52 games put him fourth in scoring. He is also tied for fourth among forwards with Kucherov in goals scored above replacement (16.1). Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski leads his team in scoring (57 points) while skating an NHL-high 26:48 per game.
"If Columbus makes the playoffs, Zach Werenski will be a compelling candidate for the same reason as Kucherov -- he does not have the elite support," said one voter.
Norris Trophy (top defenseman)
Leader: Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
Finalists: Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche; Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets
He might not be in the MVP top three, but Hughes is leading the Norris vote again.
Hughes won the Norris last season. The NHL hasn't had a back-to-back Norris winner since Nicklas Lidstrom won the award three straight years (2006-08) with the Detroit Red Wings. Hughes earned 45% of the first-place votes.
Hughes leads all defensemen in points (57) and is tied with Werenski in even-strength points among defensemen (37). Unlike Werenski and Makar, Hughes does not see significant time on the penalty kill, averaging just 10 seconds shorthanded per game.
Quinn Hughes lights the lamp for Canucks
"Vancouver is messy, but Quinn's special again this year," said one voter.
The Columbus Blue Jackets continue to be one of the best stories of the season, challenging for a playoff seed in the Eastern Conference after an unfathomably tragic offseason.
Werenski has had as good a season as any defenseman in the NHL, from his scoring (57 points) to his all-situations ice time. He earned 35% of the first-place votes, the clear second choice to Hughes. This is easily the most awards buzz Werenski has received; he has never finished higher than eighth in the Norris voting.
"I'm going Zach Werenski. He's been leading the charge for Columbus, who is in a wild-card spot and still in the thick of the playoff race. He's a big reason why," said one voter.
"Should they ultimately end up securing a playoff spot by season's end, the Columbus Blue Jackets will have one figure to credit more than any other," said another voter.
Makar's season-long hold on the Norris lead is over, as he received a smaller percentage of the first-place votes than Werenski and Hughes. Makar is second in scoring among defensemen with 58 points in 54 games. His underlying defensive numbers remain strong: The Avalanche give up fewer goals per 60 minutes with Makar on the ice (2.03) than the Blue Jackets do with Werenski (2.07) or the Canucks do with Hughes (2.17).
"It's a very tight race between Hughes and Makar. Hughes seems to be doing a little more with a little less in Vancouver, but this likely will come down to the wire. Maybe whichever one helps his team make the playoffs?" said one voter. "Both are just so much fun to watch."
These three defensemen were the only ones to receive a first-place vote. The only other defenseman who earned a mention from the voters was Josh Morrissey of the Winnipeg Jets.
Calder Trophy (top rookie)
Leader: Macklin Celebrini, San Jose Sharks
Finalists: Lane Hutson, Montreal Canadiens; Dustin Wolf, Calgary Flames
The Macklin Celebrini train keeps chugging along but the gap has closed.
Last month, the San Jose Sharks forward had 90% of the first-place votes. It is now down to 60%: a significant lead, but not an insurmountable one.
Celebrini, 18, has 16 goals and 21 assists in 42 games, missing a chuck of time to injury earlier this season. He has scored just 11 of his 37 points on the power play; the Sharks have the 26th-ranked unit in the league. His 0.88 points per game would rank in the top 15 for rookies since the 2005-06 season.
"With Mikael Granlund now traded [to Dallas], Macklin Celebrini is going to run away with the Calder. He will be forced into a more prominent role and ... is already better than what the Sharks expected," said one voter.
"Works just as hard skating toward his goaltender as he does skating away from him," said another voter.
While Celebrini is still the leader, the finalists had a significant change: Philadelphia Flyers star rookie Matvei Michkov drops out of the top three and didn't earn a first-place vote. He has 34 points in 52 games, but January/February has not been kind to him (2 goals and 2 assists in 15 games), and coach John Tortorella has played him fewer than 10 minutes in a couple of games. Still, he's among the league's top rookie point producers.
Moving up into the top three is Wolf, the outstanding rookie goalie for the Calgary Flames. He's tied for fifth in the NHL in save percentage (.917), with a 19-9-2 record. Money Puck has him ninth in goals saved above expected (12.5).
Unlike the other leaders for the Calder, Wolf's team is currently in a playoff spot. There's a very good argument to be made that the Flames wouldn't be there were it not for Wolf, and that could fuel his candidacy. He earned 25% of the vote.
"It's Wolf -- provided the Flames make the playoffs," said one voter.
Hutson was a finalist last month and earned the rest of the first-place votes this month. The Canadiens rookie is lapping the field among defensemen in rookie scoring: His 39 points in 52 games is over 30 points higher than that of the next-highest-scoring first-year defenseman.
"Give me Lane Hutson -- what a stud," said one voter.
"I usually give a lot of weight to rookie defensemen playing big minutes on competitive teams. We'll see how competitive the Canadiens will be, but for me, Hutson's playing a difficult role in games that are meaningful in the standings," said another voter. "But this is very tight with Celebrini and Wolf."
Despite his stats, Hutson still has to overcome the current leader in hype and perception.
"Maybe one day I'll crack on Hutson, but Celebrini is still my pick," said one voter.
Vezina Trophy (top goaltender)
Note: The NHL's general managers vote for this award
Leader: Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
Finalists: Logan Thompson, Washington Capitals; Dustin Wolf, Calgary Flames
It's not exactly a shock to see a goalie leading the MVP race also leading for the NHL's top goaltending prize. A goaltender has won the Hart Trophy four times since the criteria for the Vezina Trophy was adopted in 1981-82. All four times, they also won the Vezina.
Through 42 games, Hellebuyck led the NHL in wins (33), shutouts (6), save percentage (.925) and goals-against average (2.04) in propelling the Jets to the top of the Western Conference. He earned 80% of the vote from our panelists.
"This isn't particularly close," said one voter.
"Just put his name on it already," said another voter.
"The gap is widening in what was already becoming a runaway race, and that's saying something because Logan Thompson has been spectacular," said another voter.
Ah yes, the Logan Thompson of it all. The Washington Capitals goalie had a 23-2-4 record through 29 games. Again, that's two regulation losses in 29 appearances. You have to go back only two seasons to find a goalie who had stellar stats but was an undeniable Vezina winner because of his record: Linus Ullmark of the Boston Bruins, who went a remarkable 40-6-1.
Thompson is right there with Hellebuyck in save percentage (.924) and just a shade behind in goals against average (2.15). He actually has a slightly better analytics case than Hellebuyck according to Stathletes with 0.38 goals saved above expected per 60 minutes to Hellebuyck's 0.26.
Thompson received 15% of the votes.
"Logan Thompson has entered the chat, and rightfully so. He doesn't take on the same workload as Connor Hellebuyck, but my goodness he's been an absolute brick wall," said one voter.
The only other goalie to receive a first-place vote was Wolf. He doesn't have the stats that Hellebuyck and Thompson have, either traditionally or analytically, but he has arguably done more with less in front of him.
Leaving the top three is Jacob Markstrom of the New Jersey Devils. His record (21-9-5) and stats (.912 save percentage, 2.20 goals-against average) are solid, but he has been out with a knee injury since Jan. 22 and should remain out through the 4 Nations Face-Off break.
Selke Trophy (best defensive forward)
Leader: Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers
Finalists: Nico Hischier, New Jersey Devils; Sam Reinhart, Florida Panthers
The good news for Reinhart is that he has a slowly building voting bloc that appreciates his defensive acumen, as the Florida Panthers forward enters the top three for the Selke after receiving only one first-place vote last month. Reinhart earned 25% of the first-place votes from our panel. He returns to the top three after falling out last month.
The bad news is that he'll have to overcome linemate Barkov, who has won the Selke twice in the past four seasons, including in 2023-24. Barkov remains the leader for this year's Selke with 60% of the first-place votes.
"Just name the award after him already. He's the Finnish Patrice Bergeron," said one voter.
"He remains at another level with his defensive stickwork. That and his deceptive speed are what set him apart," said another voter.
There's an analytic argument for Reinhart over Barkov for the Selke. The Panthers have a lower goals-against per 60 minutes (1.76) with Reinhart on the ice this season than Barkov (1.88). The same goes for expected goals against for Reinhart (1.82) vs. Barkov (2.02). The Panthers have a higher 5-on-5 save percentage (.926) with Reinhart on the ice than Barkov (.921). Obviously, it's all very close and the two have played the majority of their time together -- both also kill penalties -- which makes parsing the numbers more challenging.
Mitch Marner of the Toronto Maple Leafs was a finalist last month but didn't receive a first-place vote this round. Replacing him in the top three is Nico Hischier of the New Jersey Devils, who received 15% of the first-place votes. He was second for the Selke in 2022-23 and has been in that tier of players that could rise up to win one soon. The Devils have a 1.69 goals-against per 60 minutes with Hischier on the ice.
Alas, the Devils' captain is currently week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
"That injury is going to affect his status here, no doubt. And that's sad," said one voter.
Jordan Staal was the only other player to receive multiple first-place votes. The Carolina Hurricanes' captain has been searching for his first Selke win for 15 years and finished second for the award last season. The Hurricanes average 1.79 goals against per 60 minutes with Staal on the ice.
Other players receiving first-place votes for the Selke were Tampa Bay Lightning center Anthony Cirelli, who was a finalist in December and Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (the Knights give up only 1.9 goals against per 60 minutes with him on the ice). He also kills penalties effectively.
Lady Byng Trophy (gentlemanly play)
This is the part where I mention that the Lady Byng Trophy for gentlemanly play should be voted on by the league's on-ice officials or by the NHL Players' Association instead of the PHWA.
Traditionally, this award goes to a player with a top-20 point total and the lowest penalty minutes among those players. Brayden Point is outside the top 20 in scoring (he is 25th) but has just one penalty in 46 games. That's incredible! His lone penalty was Nov. 30 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, a tripping minor. So, like, not even one of the nasty penalties.
Jack Adams Award (best coach)
Note: The NHL Broadcasters' Association votes on this award.
Leader: Spencer Carbery, Washington Capitals
Finalists: Scott Arniel, Winnipeg Jets; Dean Evason, Columbus Blue Jackets
The Washington Capitals remain near the top of the NHL, and Carbery continues to get the credit for it. The second-year NHL head coach earned 85% of the first-place votes from our panel. That's down from his unanimous claim to the top spot last month, but it makes him the heaviest favorite for any award on the ballot.
"It's not even close," said one voter.
Some of this love comes from the preseason expectations for the Capitals, which the team has thoroughly transcended.
"Show of hands: Who had the Capitals in a legit battle for the Presidents' Trophy by early February?" asked one voter. "When it's all going right, you have to credit the common denominator behind the bench."
Said another voter: "He's extracting every drop from that Caps team, and it's been a lot of fun to watch. Curious how their style adapts when the postseason arrives, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there."
The Blue Jackets' playoff push has resulted in Evason's candidacy for the Jack Adams. Evason, in his first year in Columbus, has helped lead his team through palpable grief in the preseason to an unexpected run to the Eastern Conference bubble. He earned 10% of the vote.
The only other coach to earn a first-place vote is Arniel, who has the Jets tangling with the Capitals for best record in the league. But even one of his supporters couldn't resist the job that Carbery has done.
"I've changed my vote from Scott Arniel to Spencer Carbery," said one voter. "Even when his team was in an offensive slump, Carbery got the most out of his team and now they are scoring again and winning, a lot. He's galvanized the group and gotten the most out of every player."
Hugo Viana has left his role as sporting director of Sporting CP, the Portuguese club announced on Tuesday.
Viana, who will replace the outgoing Txiki Begiristain as Manchester City's director of football, was due to leave Sporting CP at the end of the season.
"Sporting CP informs that Hugo Viana requested that his departure from the Club be brought forward, initially scheduled for the end of the current sporting season," a club statement said.
"Taking into account the arguments presented and by mutual understanding, the sporting director of Sporting CP ceased his duties after the closure of the winter market."
Viana, 42, spent time at Sporting, Newcastle United and Valencia as a player and won 29 caps for Portugal between 2001 and 2012.
He was appointed as Sporting's director of football in 2018 and helped the club win the Portuguese title in 2021 and 2024 despite strong competition from Benfica and FC Porto.
He is credited with bringing in now-Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim as manager in 2020, who also played a key role in returning Sporting to the top of Portuguese football.
"Hugo Viana played a fundamental role in the club's sporting growth during a period in which Sporting CP's main football team won several titles: two National Championships, three League Cups, a Super Cup and a Portuguese Cup," the statement said.
Sporting CP president Frederico Varandas praised Viana and said: "Viana's work over these years was fundamental to the implementation of a solid and winning sporting project.
"He played a crucial role in building a team that broke barriers and marked one of the most memorable phases in the recent history of our Club."
Bernardo Palmeiro will replace Viana as new general director of football at Sporting.
City, meanwhile, had a busy January transfer window.
Pep Guardiola's side spent 180 million ($225m) in an attempt to spark their season into life after a dismal first half of the campaign.
City brought in Eintracht Frankfurt's Omar Marmoush in a 59m transfer, followed by Palmeiras' Vitor Reis for 29.6m and Lens' Abdukodir Khusanov for 33.6m.
Before Monday's deadline, City secured the arrival of FC Porto's Nico Gonzalez by splashing 50m, equivalent to the player's release clause.
Arteta 'disappointed' by lack of Arsenal signings
Mikel Arteta has admitted his disappointment at Arsenal's failure to sign a striker in the January transfer window but believes the club need to stay "very disciplined" to remain on track.
The Gunners had an offer in the region of 40 million ($50m) for Ollie Watkins rejected by Aston Villa last week and despite Arteta publicly declaring their need for attacking reinforcements following injuries to Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus, the club was unable to bring anyone in.
Arteta said: "We had a clear intention which is obvious. There is a window open to explore the possibilities to improve our squad with players that can impact it. We haven't achieved it.
"So we are disappointed in that sense but as well we are very aware that we only want to bring certain kind of players. We have to be very disciplined with that as well and I think we were.
"I wouldn't like to go into too much detail. We couldn't do it for certain reasons and we have to accept it, that's it. It was a combination of things."
Pushed to explain how that show of discipline could impact Arsenal's summer plans -- when longer-term targets including Red Bull Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko and Newcastle's Alexander Isak could be available -- Arteta replied: "What I mean about that is in everything, in the kind of profile, in the kind of player that we believe can really make us much better.
"Financially. In a lot of ways, there are a lot of things that we must stay in the lane that has taken us this far and from there, try to improve."
Arteta suggested last week that Arsenal's decision not to sign a striker last summer left them "short" in terms of numbers and when asked how much of a gamble it was in that context not to add to his squad mid-season, the Spaniard said: "It is not a gamble, it is reality. We have to face the reality as well that we have. We have the players that we have.
"Some of them are on loan. We have never had a squad of 35, 40, 45 players. So many other clubs they have 45 players on the list. We don't have that size at the moment. It is our reality.
"We have had to do so much in the last few years that's where we are so we will have to evolve there as well and have more, more players from the academy and the ones that are here to be fitter for longer. That is a job that is permanent and it keeps evolving. We need to be on our toes."
Arsenal travel to Newcastle on Wednesday for their Carabao Cup semifinal, second-leg clash aiming to overturn a 2-0 deficit from the first leg.
Spain men's coach Luis de la Fuente has denied that he was involved in crisis talks at the Spanish football federation (RFEF) over handling the response to Luis Rubiales' kiss of World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso.
De la Fuente was giving evidence on Tuesday as a witness at Rubiales' trial for sexual assault, as well as alleged attempts by Rubiales -- and three other defendants -- to cooerce Hermoso into saying the kiss was consensual.
Rubiales, who denies the charges, kissed Hermoso on the lips during the medal ceremony following Spain's women's World Cup final win in Sydney, Australia, in August 2023, in an act which Hermoso has said "ruined one of the happiest days of my life."
Earlier in the trial, De la Fuente was named as one of those present on the flight from Australia back to Spain -- when Rubiales and officials first sought to control the growing scandal -- and then at RFEF headquarters in Las Rozas, for a crisis meeting days later.
De la Fuente denied that he had been aware of any discussions on the plane regarding efforts to secure Hermoso's cooperation.
"After over 36 hours without sleeping, I was very tired," he said. "I was focused on resting, reading, watching films. I didn't see anything."
The Spain coach -- who led the men's team to victory at Euro 2024 -- was then asked about his alleged presence at a meeting in Rubiales' office on Aug. 25, three days later.
On Monday, the Spain women's press officer Patricia Pérez said in testimony that she had felt pressurised in that meeting -- which she described as "an ambush" -- to change her account of what had happened with Hermoso, as part of report for the RFEF's Department of Integrity.
De La Fuente denied any involvement in those discussions, saying that he had instead been present "in an adjacent office."
"I had a meeting with the president, the only meeting I took part in," De la Fuente said. "He called me in to talk, 10 days before [I was due to give] a squad list, to talk about football matters with Mr. Rubiales.
"There was the main office, and a smaller office. I was there. He was dealing with other matters and then when he had time, we talked about our things: naming a squad, an initial squad, travel plans... In total, for four or five hours, from midday until around 5 p.m."
De la Fuente said he was only present in the main presidential office "at midday, when we ate some sandwiches."
"When I arrived there in the morning -- I've said publicly that I don't consume information from the media -- they told me there was a growing fuss over the kiss," De la Fuente said. "But I was only there to discuss issues that concerned me."
At one point, Judge José-Manuel Fernández Prieto grew impatient with the persistent questioning of De La Fuente.
"He's a witness who's been saying for 10 minutes that he doesn't know anything," the judge said. "And we appear set on calling him a liar. I'm not saying he is or he isn't, but let's continue."
Rubiales and three other defendants -- ex-women's national team coach Jorge Vilda and former RFEF executives Albert Luque and Rubén Rivera -- will give evidence later this month.
Prosecutors are seeking a two-and-a-half year prison term for Rubiales, although under Spanish law, defendants given sentences under two years can often avoid jail time by paying damages.
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