The Professional Hockey Writers Association will be revealing the 31 nominees for the 2018-19 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy on Thursday.

Each season, the Masterton Trophy is awarded to the NHL player who best exemplifies qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. The 31 nominees, one from every NHL club, will be whittled down to three finalists before the trophy is presented to the winner this June at the NHL Awards show in Las Vegas. 

Brian Boyle won the award last season after playing in 47 games with the New Jersey Devils while battling chronic myelogenous leukemia.

Below is the list of nominees announced so far Thursday:

Anaheim Ducks - Patrick Eaves

Eaves has been limited to just nine games in the NHL over the past two seasons due to a serious illness and injury.

Arizona Coyotes - Michael Grabner

Boston Bruins - Zdeno Chara

The 42-year-old defenceman has five goals and 14 points in 58 games. Chara was sidelined for six weeks earlier this season due to a knee injury. He signed a one-year contract extension with the Bruins last week.

Buffalo Sabres - Jason Pominville

The 36-year-old has 15 goals and 28 points in 68 games this season. Pominville has expressed disappointment at times this season with being a healthy scratch, though he said last week he understands it's for the good of the team. "I think it’s just the situation we’re at, trying to see what we have, I guess, and giving opportunities to guys, which is understandable for the position we’re in," Pominville told the Buffalo News. "It (stinks) being the guy that has to sit out but I get that part a little bit. They know what I can bring. They know what I can do for the team, but they have to figure out what other guys can bring. That’s part of the game. I’m not going around high-fiving people because I’m not playing. You want to play. I get the business side of it for sure."

Calgary Flames - Mark Girodano

Carolina Hurricanes - Curtis McElhinney

Waived by the Toronto Maple Leafs prior to the season, McElhinney has helped push the Hurricanes into a playoff spot this season. The 35-year-old has a 19-9-2 record with a .915 save percentage and a 2.53 goals against average in 30 games - the second highest mark of his career.

Chicago Blackhawks - Corey Crawford

Crawford returned to the crease this season after being sidelined since Dec. 2017 due to a concussion. He had a 6-14-2 record with a .903 save percentage in the first two months of the season before being suffering another concussion. He returned to action late last month and a has a 7-4-1 record since. For the season, the 34-year-old has a 13-18-3 record with a 2.91 GAA and a .909 save percentage.

Colorado Avalanche - Carl Soderberg

Columbus Blue Jackets - Nick Foligno

Dallas Stars - Taylor Fedun

Fedun has become a lineup regular for the Dallas Stars this season, appearing in 47 games to top his previous career-high of 27. The 30-year-old has four goals and 11 points this season while averaging 13:51 of ice time per game. He began the year with the AHL's Rochester Americans and a was a healthy scratch in their first 14 games of the season. He was acquired by the Stars om November from the Buffalo Sabres for a conditional seventh-round pick.

Detroit Red Wings - Niklas Kronwall

The 38-year-old has three goals and 23 points in 73 games this season. 

Edmonton Oilers - Andrej Sekera

Sekera ruptured his Achilles last off-season and didn't make his season debut this year until last month. The 32-year-old has three assists in 18 games this season with a plus-5 rating while averaging 16:25 of ice time per game.

Florida Panthers - Derek MacKenzie

MacKenzie, 37, suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in the Panthers first game of the season this year. 

Los Angeles Kings - Jack Campbell

The 27-year-old had appeared in just seven career NHL games before emerging as a bright spot for the Kings this season. Campbell has an 8-13-1 record this season, but boasts a .925 save percentage with a 2.32 goals-against average. 

Minnesota Wild - Ryan Suter

Montreal Canadiens - Andrew Shaw

Shaw, who has a history of concussions, missed 15 games earlier this season due to a neck injury, but has managed to post career-highs in assists (24) and points (42) in 58 games. The 27-year-old is two goals away from matching his career-best total of 20. 

Nashville Predators - Rocco Grimaldi

The five-foot-six forward has earned a regular spot in an NHL lineup for the first time in his career this season with the Predators. The 26-year-old, who was waived by the Predators prior to the start of the season, has five goals and 13 points in 53 games. His previous career-high in games played was 20, when he was with the Florida Panthers in 2015-16.

New Jersey Devils - Cory Schneider

Schneider, who underwent hip surgery late in the 2017-18 season, went 418 days without a win from Dec. 2017 until Feb. 15 of this year. Schneider spent just under two months on injured reserve before returning in February and has posted a 6-7-2 record since returning while snapping his 22-game winless streak. In 2019, the goaltender has a 2.33 GAA and .924 save percentage.

New York Islanders - Robin Lehner

Lehner, who has 22-12-5 record in his first season with the Islanders, has the third best save percentage in the NHL this season with a career-best .928 mark. Lehner joined the Islanders in the off-season on a one-year, $1.5 million contract after going 14-26-5 last season with the Buffalo Sabres. He left his final game with the Sabres, last March, because of a panic attack and was subsequently treated for alcohol and drug addiction and also diagnosed with bipolar disorder, ADHD and PTSD.

New York Rangers - Brendan Smith

Smith has three goals and 10 points in 58 games with the Rangers this season. The defenceman has seen time at forward in recent weeks after serving as healthy scratch at times earlier in the season.

Ottawa Senators - Jean-Gabriel Pageau

Pageau tore his Achilles on the opening day of training camp this season and was sidelined for the first 42 games of the year. He returned on Jan. 6 and has posted three goals and 10 points in 33 games. 

Philadelphia Flyers - Brian Elliott

Elliott, 33, missed 40 games from November to February due to a lower-body injury. He returned on Feb. 19 and has posted a 5-3-1 record with a 3.09 GAA and a .912 save percentage since. 

Pittsburgh Penguins - Matt Cullen

Cullen is the NHL's oldest active player at 42. He re-joined the Penguins on a one-year deal last July and has six goals and 18 points in 66 games this season. “You get nominated for any award, in this league, it’s an honor,” Cullen told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I don’t feel like I’m very deserving. There are a lot of guys who are really deserving. But it’s an honor.”

San Jose Sharks - Joe Thornton

The 38-year-old has 13 goals and 36 points while being limited to 47 games this season due to injury.  Minnesota Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau endorsed Thornton's bid for the trophy earlier this month. “Coming back off those two knee injuries at his age is a true testament to how hard he works and how bad he wants to play,” Boudreau told the Mercury News. “I’d give him a Masterton vote every year.”

St Louis Blues - Jay Bouwmeester

Bouwmeester, 35, has three goals and 16 points this season while averaging 20:40 of ice time per game of the Blues. He spent time as a healthy scratch for three games in November but has since reclaimed his spot as a lineup regular, appearing in 72 games this season.

Tampa Bay Lightning - Ryan Callahan

Toronto Maple Leafs - Tyler Ennis

Ennis joined the Leafs on a one-year, $650,000 contract last summer after being bought out by the Minnesota Wild. He earned a consistent spot in the team's lineup before he broke his foot on Dec. 22 and was sidelined for six weeks. The 29-year-old has since returned in a rotational spot on the team's fourth line. He has 12 goals - his highest total since 2014-15 - and 18 points in 47 games this season.

Vancouver Canucks - Jacob Markstrom

The 29-year-old goaltender has a 27-22-9 record this season with a .912 save percentage and a 2.78 goals-against average. The Vancouver Province notes that Markstrom was a unanimous nomination from the Vancouver chapter of the PHWA. “It’s weird and I was surprised because you look at the people who have won it (nomination) and you kind of wonder what you’re doing there, but it’s a big honour,” Markstrom told the Province. "Every time you get acknowledged for your play and off-ice stuff and small things, it’s because we have a room where everybody helps each other. We’re a tight group.”

Vegas Golden Knights - Ryan Carpenter

Carpenter has posted a career-high 17 points with five goals in 63 games with the Golden Knights this season. He scored nine goals and posted 14 points last season with the Golden Knights in 36 games, which was then a career-high. 

Washington Capitals - Brooks Orpik

Orpik was traded to the Colorado Avalanche last June and bought out after winning the Stanley Cup with the Capitals. He re-signed with the Capitals later in the summer on a one-year deal and has two goals and eight assists in 48 games. He missed two months of action earlier in the year due to a knee injury.

Winnipeg Jets - Dmitry Kulikov

Kulikov underwent back surgery last off-season and has missed time throughout the season due to upper-body injuries. He has six assists in 51 games this season with a plus-9 rating while averaging 15:35 of ice time per game.