Toronto, ON (My Sportsbook) - Columbus Blue Jackets rookie netminder Steve Mason, Boston Bruins stopper Tim Thomas and Niklas Backstrom of the Minnesota Wild were announced as the finalists for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender on Monday.

The trio finished with the top three lowest goals-against averages in the regular season, with Thomas first at 2.10, Mason next at 2.29 and Backstrom posting a 2.33 mark.

Mason, 20, completed his first NHL campaign with a 33-20-7 record in 61 games, leading the league with 10 shutouts and guiding the Jackets to the franchise's first playoff berth.

A third-round pick of Columbus in 2006, the Toronto-area native has a chance to become the first goaltender since Ed Belfour in 1991 to capture both the Vezina and Calder Trophies as the league's top first-year player.

Thomas, a veteran of five NHL seasons, posted a mark of a 36-11-7 with five shutouts in only 54 games. The 35-year-old teamed up with partner Manny Fernandez to win the Jennings Trophy as the Bruins allowed the fewest goals in the league.

Backstrom finished 37-24-8 with a career-best eight whitewashes over 71 contests in his third pro season for a Minnesota club which failed to make the playoffs. He saw the second-most shots of any goaltender in the league in 2008-09, and finished fourth in the league by posting a .923 save percentage.

The winner will be revealed June 18 during the NHL awards ceremony.