Ever since his arrival to Nashville Predators, defenseman Nick Blankenburg has shown nothing but dedication. The undrafted free agent has 16 points in 57 games this season, consisting of four goals and 12 assists.
Blankenburg recorded his 12th assist on the power play in a 7-6 OT victory against the Islanders and followed that up in a thrilling game against Utah Hockey Club where he notched just his second career power play goal. He has been nothing but special this season and has been one of the rising stars in Smashville.
The determination for the game makes Blankenburg a prime candidate for a Bill Masternon Memorial Trophy nomination. The Nashville chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association chose Blankenburg as Nashville's representative for the trophy. His story is truly inspiration and one to remember.
Good ole Saint Nick đź‘Ź
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) April 10, 2025
Nick Blankenburg has been nominated by the Nashville chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association for the 2025 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy! pic.twitter.com/bhV3iksHVR
Forward to Zamboni Driver to Predators' Defensemen, Blankenburg Has Seen It All
The 5'9" Washington, Michigan native started out with the Romeo High School hockey team. In his three-year tenure, Blankenburg recorded 161 points in 88 games. In his senior year, he captained the team to their first state championship. He put up 67 points—35 goals and 32 assists—that season. In case you are wondering, he was not a defenseman at this point in time and was instead of forward. He didn't transition into a defenseman until he signed with the University of Michigan.
Blanks began his professional hockey career with the University of Michigan in 2018. Two seasons prior to starting with the Wolverines, he competed at the Victory Honda 18U team in Michigan. Not only was he recording impressive numbers—10 goals and 18 assists in 32 games—but he also was the rink's Zamboni driver.
In the NCAA, the college freshmen scored 2 goals and 8 assists and a +11 +/- in 34 games. The following year, Blanks showed improvement on the blue line, increasing his points by five with an additional game. It wasn't until his junior year of college that we began to see a shift in his game. In 26 games, he recorded 13 points and a +19 +/-. Michigan awarded Blanks with team captaincy in his senior year. He finished his Wolverine career with a dominant 29 point, 38 game season.
Impacts Were Instantly Made In the NHL
In the closing weeks of his final semester of college, Blanks signed a one-year entry level contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets. It only took him three periods to record his first NHL point—a secondary assist off a tip-in goal. He scored his first NHL goal five games later on the power play. He also recorded his third and final point of the season earlier that game.
He signed a two-year extension worth $825k AAV with the Blue Jackets that offseason. In his returning season, he played an average of 19 minutes a night and finished the year with 14 points in 36 games. The following season, he only managed to score a lone goal in 12 games with a +1 +/-. That offseason, Blanks finally settled in Nashville, signing a two-year extension with the club. He played 13 games with the Admirals in the AHL before being called up in late November.
He instantly made an impact with the Predators. Blankenburg played top minutes with left-landed defenseman Brady Skjei. He averaged nearly 20 minutes a night whilst playing physical hockey. There have been sometimes where we have seen Blankenburg get rocked against the boards, but he manages to get himself right back up. He is extremely resilient and doesn't let anything get in his way.
Blanks Is the Physical Representation of Dedication to Hockey
No matter what challenges he went through, Blankenburg pushed through and tried to find a positive out of it. From cleaning the ice to skating it, Blanks pushed through rags to get to the riches. Even when he was pursuing education at the University of Michigan, he managed to make the process look easy. When it came time for his NHL start, he didn't disappoint and managed to disregard his negatives to focus on the positives. He is the true definition of what a Bill Masterton candidate should look like.