Prior to last night’s game against Montreal, the Rangers held a special ceremony on the ice. For the 36th year, the Steven McDonald Award was presented by son Conor McDonald and Mom Patti Ann.

Conor hit all the right notes during his speech before announcing that Vincent Trocheck was the Steven McDonald Award winner. Trocheck skated over and hugged Patti Ann, Conor, and his wife before accepting the prestigious honor.

In a great tradition, $25,000 was donated by the Rangers to the Steven McDonald Foundation. NYPD officers were in attendance for the pregame festivities.

Trocheck is a deserving winner. A driving force throughout the season, he’s been a big key to the team’s success. Once Filip Chytil went down to a concussion, Trocheck stepped up and centered the second line with Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere.

That scoring line has carried the Blueshirts at even strength. The versatile Trocheck has had his best season. In 78 games, his 25 goals, 50 assists, and 75 points have matched a career high set back in 2017-18 with the Panthers. The 50 helpers are a new personal best. Trocheck needs one point over the final four games for a new career high.

Not only has he produced consistently. But the 30-year-old veteran center has been splendid overall. He’s won 58.6 percent of faceoffs to rank fourth in the league – trailing John Tavares, Nico Sturm, and Sidney Crosby. His work in the dot has turned around the Rangers, who previously weren’t that successful as a team. They rank seventh overall, winning 52.3 percent.

Trocheck has also provided strong work on the penalty kill. He scored a shorthanded goal in a 6-5 win over the Flyers on Mar. 26. Trocheck’s defensive awareness makes him the team’s most effective center. He finishes checks and plays a strong game. It’s that attention to detail that’s appreciated by both teammates and fans.

It’s nice to see him get rewarded for his extra effort. He’ll no doubt play an important role for the Rangers when the playoffs start. They’ll need Trocheck to continue to impact games.