OTTAWA – The Ottawa chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) announced the selection of Daniel Alfredsson as the Ottawa Senators’ candidate for the 2011-12 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.

Alfredsson, 39, is currently competing in his 16th season in the National Hockey League. The NHL’s longest-serving captain, Alfredsson rebounded this season after an injury-plagued 2010-11 campaign that saw him post career lows in games (54) and points (31). Following last season, he underwent a surgical procedure on his back to correct his injury.

The 2011-12 season has seen Alfredsson return to form. He has scored 22 goals, marking the 13th time he has reached 20 or more goals in a season. Alfredsson become the first Ottawa Senator to record 400 NHL goals when he scored the overtime winner in Ottawa’s 4-3 victory over the Calgary Flames on Dec. 30. He currently sits sixth among active players with 411 career goals.

The native of Goteborg, Sweden, got the nod from 897,055 fans and was voted to the lineup for the 2012 NHL All-Star Game, which was held in Ottawa. One of four Senators players to be voted into the match, Alfredsson captained Team East and went on to score two goals.

The Senators’ all-time leader in games played (1,121), goals (411), assists (661) and points (1,072), Alfredsson was drafted with Ottawa’s second sixth-round pick (133rd overall) in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft

A father of four children, Alfredsson and his wife, Bibbi, maintain an active role in the Ottawa community. Alfredsson is involved with a variety of causes, including the Royal Ottawa Hospital Foundation’s You Know Who I AM campaign, which benefits the treatment of mental illness.

The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is an annual award under the trusteeship of the PHWA and is given to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.