The 2010 NHL Awards will take place on Wednesday, June 23 in Las Vegas, and two members of the Avalanche organization are in the running to take home prestigious honors.

Center Matt Duchene is a nominee for the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie, while head coach Joe Sacco is up for the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s Coach of the Year.

Duchene, 19, jumped straight into the NHL after being selected with the No. 3 overall pick at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He went on to lead all NHL rookies in scoring with 55 points (24g/31a) in 81 games, sharing the rookie goal-scoring lead with New York Islanders’ forward John Tavares. Duchene’s 55 points were the second-highest total by a rookie in Avalanche history, trailing only Paul Stastny’s 78 points in 2006-07. A native of Haliburton, Ontario, Duchene ranked second on the Avalanche in goals and led the squad in both power-play goals (10) and multi-goal games (6). Duchene is up against Detroit netminder Jimmy Howard and Buffalo defenseman Tyler Myers.

Sacco is one of three finalists for the Jack Adams Award after leading a young Avalanche team to a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs during his first season behind an NHL bench. The fifth head coach in Avalanche history, Sacco guided Colorado to a 43-30-9 mark (95 points, .579%) in 2009-10. The Avs posted a 10-1-2 record in their first 13 games under Sacco, which tied him for the second-best record through the first 13 games as a head coach in NHL history. After the conclusion of the NHL season, Sacco served as an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2010 IIHF Men’s World Championship, marking the second consecutive season he’s held that post. Sacco’s competition for the Jack Adams Award includes Phoenix head coach Dave Tippett and Nashville head coach Barry Trotz.

The 2010 NHL Awards will be held at The Palms Hotel in Las Vegas and will be hosted by actor and comedian Jay Mohr. The ceremony will be broadcast on VERSUS in the United States at 5:30 p.m. MT and on CBC in Canada beginning at 6:30 p.m. MT.