Auston Matthews has been named a finalist for the Lady Byng Trophy.

The award is given out annually to the “player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.”

In 70 games this year, Matthews scored 47 goals and 80 points — both career-high numbers. Through that, Matthews only took eight PIM all season long.

Also nominated for the award were Colorado Avalanche centre Nathan MacKinnon and St. Louis Blues centre Ryan O’Reilly. O’Reilly previously won the award in 2014.

Last year’s Lady Byng winner was Florida Panthers centre Aleksander Barkov.

On Twitter: @zjlaing

The case for Auston winning can largely be found in Nick Richard’s article on What to Expect from Auston this summer: