Shine Nominated for Masterson Trophy

Detroit Red Wings player Dominik Shine, a former member of the NMU Wildcat hockey team from 2013-2017, has been nominated for the 2026 Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy. This award is granted each year to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Shine has a puck commemorating his first NHL goal, scored at age 32. His resolve to stick with the game contributed to his nomination by the Detroit chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA).

"I think it's just like anything in life, sometimes you maybe are in a job where you feel stuck," Shine told the Detroit Free Press a day ahead of the announcement. "My goal was always the NHL when I was a kid, when I was in juniors and things like that. That's what I wanted to do. Maybe there's a time where you kind of just come to reality and say, 'Maybe this is it.' And you've got to either accept it or you can pout about it or, you can do whatever. I think for me, I was just proud of what I did. I'm still am proud of what I do, but it was just, you have to work."

Before beginning his professional career, Shine played forward for the NMU Wildcats from 2013-2017. He totaled 97 points (48-49-97) along with 185 penalty minutes in 131 games at NMU, where he served as an alternate captain in both his junior and senior years. As a senior, he earned All-WCHA Third Team recognition after pacing the conference with 20 goals in 33 games. He was also named to the All-WCHA Second Team as a junior after leading the Wildcats with 15 goals in 34 contests.

The award's namesake, Bill Masterson, was a Minnesota North Stars player who in 1968 became the only NHL player in history to die as a direct result of an injury sustained during a game. Nominees are chosen by local PHWA chapters, and the winner is selected by vote. The final winner is determined at the end of the regular NHL season.