Thursday, May 26, 2016
USA Hockey Honors Connor, York
Recruits Miska, Pitlick also to receive major awards at USA Hockey Annual Congress.
USA Hockey College Player of the Year Kyle Connor (Shelby Township, Mich./Youngstown-USHL/WPG) and Distinguished Achievement Award winner Jerry York are among the award recipients who will be honored during USA Hockey’s Annual Congress June 8-10 in Colorado Springs, Colo.
USA Hockey announced its annual award winners Wednesday, a group that also includes recruits Rem Pitlick (Minnesota) and Hunter Miska (Minnesota Duluth).
Connor had a remarkable freshman season at Michigan, leading the nation in goals (35) and points (71). He was named the Big Ten’s Player and Rookie of the Year, a first-team All-American and the Tim Taylor Award winner as the national rookie of the year. Connor represented the U.S. at the IIHF World Championship following the season and signed with the Winnipeg Jets, who selected him in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft.
York will be honored with the Distinguished Achievement Award, which recognizes outstanding on- or off-ice contributions to the sport in the U.S. The winningest coach in Division I men’s hockey history, York won his 1,000th career game in 2015-16, leading Boston College to a 28-8-5 record. A five-time NCAA champion, winning the title at both Bowling Green and Boston College, York won the Laster Patrick Award for service to hockey in the United States in 2010.
Minnesota recruit Pitlick will receive the Dave Tyler Junior Player of the Year award after leading the USHL in scoring as a member of the Muskegon Lumberjacks. His 89 points in 56 games also earned him USHL Player of the Year and Forward of the Year honors.
Miska, headed to Minnesota Duluth, is the Dave Peterson Goalie of the Year after leading the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints to the Clark Cup finals. Miska set a Dubuque record with 32 wins while compiling a 32-13-1 record with a 2.46 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage.