Saturday, August 19, 2023
Beniers, Montgomery take home hardware at NHL Awards
McCrimmon named co-winner of Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award
NASHVILLE — A pair of former NCAA hockey standouts captured individual awards Monday at the NHL Awards at Bridgestone Arena.
University of Michigan alum Matty Beniers received the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year, while former University of Maine captain Jim Montgomery, now the head coach of the Boston Bruins, won the Jack Adams Award as the league’s coach of the year.
Beniers appeared in 80 games for the Kraken and led all NHL rookies in points (57), multi-point games (18) and plus/minus (+14). He also tied for the rookie lead with 24 goals. The No. 2 overall pick in 2021 behind then-Michigan teammate Owen Power, also a finalist for this year’s Calder Trophy, Beniers led the Big Ten in scoring and was a first-team All-American selection as a sophomore at Michigan.
First-Round Picks by School
32 – Michigan
25 – Minnesota
22 – Boston College
21 – Boston University
20 – North Dakota
Montgomery, in his first year behind the Boston bench, guided the Bruins to 65 wins and 135 points, setting NHL records in both categories. Montgomery starred at Maine from 1989-90 to 1992-93 and captained the Black Bears to a national title as a senior, when he was named NCAA Tournament MVP. After stints as an assistant coach with Notre Dame (2005-06) and Rensselaer (2006-10), Montgomery spent five seasons as head coach at Denver (2013-18) and led the Pioneers to a national championship in 2018.
List of Alums in the NHL | Alums in NHL Front Offices | NHL Matchup Tool
Additionally, former college hockey player Jason McCrimmon was named the United States recipient of the Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award. McCrimmon, who played NCAA Division III hockey at Northland College (2004-06), UMass Boston (2005-06) and Suffolk University (2006-08), was recognized for his efforts to make the sport of hockey more accessible in his hometown of Detroit. McCrimmon founded Detroit Ice Dreams, a nonprofit organization that exposes boys and girls from underrepresented communities to skating and hockey by making them accessible and more affordable.
Also of note:
- It marked the third straight year in which multiple NCAA players were taken in the first five selections.
- Boston College and Minnesota have had at least one player selected in 28 consecutive drafts, the longest such streak in NCAA history. Minnesota enjoyed a 27-year streak from 1974 to 2000.
- Boston College’s trio of selections marked the second time in three years that a single school boasted at least three first-rounders. Michigan had a NCAA-record five players (Owen Power, Matty Beniers, Luke Hughes, Kent Johnson, Mackie Samoskevich) taken in the first round in 2021.
- There have been 61 first-round picks from the NCAA over the last eight NHL Drafts (2016-23) compared to 35 first-rounders over the previous eight drafts (2008-15).
- A total of 201 NCAA players all-time have been selected in the first round of the NHL draft, dating back to St. Lawrence’s Alex Campbell, who was taken second overall by Boston in 1964.
For more information on tonight’s award recipients, visit NHL.com.
NCAA Selections in the First Round
| No. | Name | Pos. | NHL Team | NCAA Team | 2022-23 Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Adam Fantilli | F | Columbus | Michigan | Michigan |
| 4 | Will Smith | F | San Jose | Boston College | U.S. NTDP |
| 8 | Ryan Leonard | F | Washington | Boston College | U.S. NTDP |
| 11 | Tom Willander | D | Vancouver | Boston University | Rogle BK Jr. |
| 15 | Matthew Wood | F | Nashville | Connecticut | Connecticut |
| 19 | Oliver Moore | F | Chicago | Minnesota | U.S. NTDP |
| 21 | Charlie Stramel | F | Minnesota | Wisconsin | Wisconsin |
| 23 | Gabe Perreault | F | NY Rangers | Boston College | U.S. NTDP |
| 30 | Bradly Nadeau | F | Carolina | Maine | Penticton (BCHL) |