USA Hockey will honor 12 people at its President’s Awards Dinner on June 7 on the Denver Marriott Tech Heart as a part of its four-day annual assembly that begins on June 5.
Participant of the 12 months honorees embrace Bob Allen Ladies’s Participant of the 12 months Laila Edwards and Jim Johannson Faculty Participant of the 12 months Cutter Gauthier.
Edwards etched her identify within the hockey historical past books this season changing into the youngest American skater to be named MVP at an IIHF Ladies’s World Championship. The Cleveland native earned the respect after posting a tournament-leading six-goal efficiency on the 2024 IIHF Ladies’s World Championship, serving to to anchor the U.S. to its Twenty third-straight medal within the occasion.
Edwards, who turned the primary black girl to skate for the U.S. Ladies’s Nationwide Crew at a world occasion, recorded eight factors, the third highest level complete on the match. She notched her first profession objective in the course of the crew’s preliminary spherical sport in opposition to Czechia and in addition posted her first profession hat trick throughout a 5-0 semifinal victory in opposition to Finland.
She shined within the gold medal sport, recording a team-leading two factors, together with the primary U.S. objective halfway via the opening interval. Along with incomes match MVP honors, she was additionally voted to the match’s Media All-Star Crew.
As a sophomore at Wisconsin in the course of the 2023-24 season, Edwards recorded 56 factors (21 targets, 35 assists), skating in all 41 of the Badgers’ video games.
The ahead earned Third Crew All-WCHA honors, recording 4 factors (two targets, two assists) within the WCHA Last Faceoff championship sport and a objective and help within the nationwide semifinal sport in opposition to Colgate, propelling Wisconsin to an NCAA Frozen 4 championship sport look.
Edwards additionally represented Crew USA in the course of the 2023-24 Rivalry Collection, making her U.S. Ladies’s Nationwide Crew debut in a 5-2 victory over Canada at Crypto.com Area in Los Angeles in Recreation 2 of the collection.
A sophomore ahead, Gauthier was a standout at Boston Faculty in the course of the 2023-24 school hockey season. The Scottsdale, Ariz., native helped lead the Eagles to each the Hockey East regular-season and match championship, and propelled BC to its first nationwide championship sport look since 2012.
Gauthier led the nation in scoring with 38 targets, together with a chart-topping 10 game-winners, and ranked second nationally with 65 factors. His 13 power-play targets ranked second nationally, as he tallied a formidable 1.59 factors per sport.
Gauthier, who signed an entry-level contract with the NHL’s Anaheim Geese following the faculty season in April, was named an AHCA Division I First Crew All-American in addition to incomes All-Hockey East First Crew honors.
Gauthier’s goal-scoring means and dominance made him a Hobey Baker Memorial Award Hat Trick finalist and a Hockey East Participant of the 12 months finalist. He additionally acquired the Walter Brown Award, introduced yearly to the most effective American-born school hockey participant in New England.
On the worldwide stage, Gauthier helped Crew USA to a gold medal on the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship. The alternate captain tallied the game-winning objective late within the third interval in america’ 3-2 semifinal victory in opposition to Finland. He registered a tournament-leading 12 factors and earned the Directorate Award for Finest Ahead, in addition to a nod on the Media All-Star Crew. His 10 assists had been the third-most by an American in a single World Junior Championship.
As well as, Fargo Power (USHL) goalie Hampton Slukynsky, an incoming Northern Michigan freshman, was named Dave Peterson Goaltender of the 12 months and Fargo teammate Mac Swanson, an incoming North Dakota freshman, was tabbed the Dave Tyler Junior Participant of the 12 months.
Slukynsky backstopped the Power to a historic season in 2023-24. The netminder helped his crew to a record-breaking 50-10-2 common season, setting a brand new mark for many single-season crew wins in USHL historical past, earlier than main Fargo to its second Clark Cup title.
The netminder completed the USHL common season with a 28-3-0 report in 33 video games performed. His 28 wins and 5 shutouts every led the league. He additionally paced all USHL goaltenders by a substantial margin with a 1.86 goals-against common and a .923 save proportion. He was named USHL Goaltender of the 12 months and earned First Crew All-USHL honors.
The Warroad, Minn., native was a postseason workhorse for Fargo, as he began all 12 video games in the course of the crew’s Clark Cup playoffs run, posting 9-3-0 report. His 1.69 goals-against common within the playoffs tied for the league lead, and his .931 save proportion ranked fourth.
On the worldwide stage, Slukynsky helped the 2023 U.S. Junior Choose Crew to a third-place end on the 2023 World Junior A Problem in Truro, N.S., in December. He began 5 video games for Crew USA, compiling a 4-0-1-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) report. He posted a 2.99 goals-against common, which ranked second-best within the match, and a .872 save proportion.
Swanson led all USHL skaters with 51 assists and ranked third within the league with 77 factors in 55 video games performed. Swanson’s stellar efficiency earned him USHL Participant of the 12 months honors, and he was additionally named USHL Ahead of the 12 months and a USHL First Crew All-American.
The Anchorage, Alaska, native’s success continued into the postseason, the place he paced all skaters in targets (5), assists (12), and factors (17) and was named the USHL Clark Cup Playoffs Most Precious Participant after main Fargo to a Clark Cup championship.
On the worldwide stage, Swanson appeared on the 2023 U.S. Junior Choose Crew that completed third on the 2023 World Junior A Problem in Truro, N.S., in December. He led all skaters on the match with 9 assists and tied for a Crew USA lead with 11 factors in six video games. He additionally was chosen to take part on the 2024 Chipotle All-American Recreation in January.
Different awards embrace Military West Level alum Jim Clare being named the Walter Yaciuk Award winner, former NCAA on-ice official Mark Sampson successful the Chet Stewart Award, former New England Faculty and Middlebury coach and New Hampshire participant Invoice Beaney honored with the Distinguished Achievement Award, and former Harvard ladies’s participant Amy Lowe taking house the Wm. Thayer Tutt Award.
Clare was concerned in youth hockey and training schooling each in Illinois and on the nationwide degree for over 25 years.
A local of Weymouth, Mass., Clare performed youth hockey within the Boston space earlier than occurring to play NCAA Division I hockey at West Level. He spent seven years as a captain within the Military earlier than retiring in 1994.
Clare moved to Illinois and shortly after started his involvement with Beginner Hockey Affiliation Illinois in 1998 when his oldest son began taking part in youth hockey.
Clare coached each degree from 6U to 14U for Sabre Hockey Affiliation in Naperville, Ailing., as his three sons progressed via this system. He additionally coached the Sabres’ women 19U crew for 5 years. From 2003-16, Clare served on the Sabres’ board of administrators, together with a 10-year stint because the membership’s president from 2006-16.
In 2010, Clare joined the AHAI board of administrators, the place he served as vice chairman of membership. Throughout his time there, Clare was a part of almost each AHAI committee over time, together with Attempt Hockey for Free, the suspension/evaluation committee, and the A Step Forward concussion prevention committee, amongst others.
Clare’s dedication to inclusion and rising the sport was evident all through his profession. He additionally organized teaching clinics particularly for coaches within the disabled hockey part and performed a job within the progress of the AHAI particular hockey program.
On the nationwide degree, he was a USA Hockey teaching schooling program teacher for almost a decade and for 3 years from 2016 to 2019, ran in-person teaching clinics in Illinois. When clinics went digital in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Clare ran on-line seminars up till his remaining season in 2023.
On Sept. 23, 2023, Clare handed away at age 58 after a brave battle with most cancers. He left a legacy and profound impression on American hockey via his schooling of 1000’s of gamers and coaches that might be felt for a few years to come back.
Sampson’s impression on officiating in New England has been felt for almost 5 a long time. A pacesetter within the state of Massachusetts, Sampson has been lively within the hockey group as a participant, coach, official, supervisor, teacher and mentor, leaving his mark on the game at almost each degree.
An official himself since 1973, Sampson officiated for 44 seasons, together with every little thing from youth video games to juniors to varsity hockey and past.
The Longmeadow, Mass., native patrolled the ice in any respect ranges, carrying the stripes on the USA Hockey Nationwide Championships in 1993, 1994, 1997, 2003, and 2010 whereas serving because the supervisor of officers on the 2018 USA Hockey Women Nationwide Championship. He additionally officiated NCAA Division I and III males’s hockey and NCAA Division III ladies’s hockey.
Sampson served because the district supervisor for the sixth district of Massachusetts Hockey for 29 years the place he labored with native officers on improvement alternatives throughout the state and devoted a lot of his time to recruiting and mentoring new officers within the space. He additionally spent a decade because the assigner for the Interstate Junior Hockey League.
For his efforts, Sampson was honored with the Massachusetts Hockey Milt Kaufman Award in 2001, earned the Al Pinciak Award within the 2005-2006 season and was acknowledged with the Golden Stripes Award in 2010.
A staunch advocate for improvement, Sampson has been a key teacher at USA Hockey officiating seminars and led all on-ice instruction as a part of USA Hockey’s officers certification course of.
Sampson served as the pinnacle of the officiating analysis program for the state of Massachusetts and continues to foster a improvement pipeline for officers in any respect ranges.
Beaney’s profound impression on school hockey has cemented the legendary coach within the lore of hockey greats. He spent over 30 years behind the bench, together with 28 years at Middlebury Faculty and 7 seasons at New England Faculty. An influential coach, Beaney not solely made his mark on the ice, however helped form the trendy hockey panorama throughout the nation.
Throughout his tenure at Middlebury, Beaney led the Panthers to eight nationwide championship titles, together with five-straight from 1995 to 1999. The crew additionally gained eight NESCAC titles between 2000 and 2010, with this system doubling up on each a convention championship and nationwide championship in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Thirty-nine gamers acquired All-America honors beneath Beaney’s tutelage, because the Lake Placid, N.Y., native helped amass 516 wins at Middlebury.
Beaney started his teaching profession following commencement from the College of New Hampshire in 1973. He headed up this system at Bellows Free Academy in Vermont, main the varsity to three-straight state titles earlier than leaping to the faculty ranks with New England Faculty in 1978.
On the collegiate degree, each at Middlebury and New England Faculty, Beaney recorded a 602-260-59 report, a formidable .696 win proportion, and retired in 2015 because the winningest coach in NCAA Division III males’s hockey. He additionally led the Middlebury males’s golf crew and served as an adjunct professor till his retirement in 2023.
Inducted into each the Lake Placid Corridor of Fame in 2009 and Vermont Sports activities Corridor of Fame in 2019, Beaney is a four-time Edward Jeremiah Award recipient, given to the highest males’s hockey coach in Division III.
One of many pioneers of small-area video games, Beaney’s teaching philosophy has transcended the game and helped change the best way the sport is taught in america. His historical past with USA Hockey spans over 40 years, as Beaney was lively in growing curriculum for teaching clinics and has introduced his philosophies internationally over time.
Internationally, Beaney was an assistant coach for the 1994 U.S. Nationwide Junior Crew and was named USA Hockey Coach of the 12 months in 1999.
Beaney attended New Hampshire and skated 4 seasons for its males’s hockey crew, serving because the captain his senior 12 months in the course of the 1972-73 season.
Lowe’s philosophy on success is easy, it’s by no means concerning the wins or losses, however about rising the sport and inspiring as many hockey gamers potential to lace up the skates. Her selfless dedication to enhancing hockey on the grassroots degree in each the Massachusetts space, and throughout the nation has left an indelible mark on the game.
A local of Stoneham, Mass., Lowe has spent the higher a part of twenty years laying the inspiration of youth hockey in her hometown program of Nashoba Youth Hockey. She served 20 years as a board member of Nashoba Youth Hockey and was additionally the director of initiation applications for the affiliation from 2006 to 2023.
She helped set up the affiliation’s first women’ hockey program in 2005 and have become the director of ladies’ hockey in the course of the 2007-08 season, a job she held till 2023. Lowe devoted her time to rising the ladies sport over time and guaranteeing the rink is a welcoming place for all who come to play.
In 2015, Lowe cast a partnership between Nashoba Youth Hockey and the Boston Bruins Academy to advance improvement applications within the group. She spearheaded progress relationships with the Bruins to assist broaden Nashoba’s Be taught to Play and Be taught to Skate applications and was awarded the Mike Cheever “Develop Hockey” grant for Nashoba Youth Hockey in 2018.
Lowe comes from a hockey household and began taking part in hockey as a baby after her mom helped begin the Stoneham Women Hockey program, giving each Lowe and her older sister a crew to play for. As a teen, Lowe started teaching and officiating, working with native youth and women leagues.
Lowe attended Harvard College the place she performed 4 seasons for the Crimson NCAA Division I ladies’s hockey crew. Lowe graduated with a level in English and later turned a instructor at New Hampton Faculty in New Hampshire the place she additionally served as head coach of their women hockey crew and continued taking part in hockey in grownup leagues throughout her free time.
