Tempe – With the conclusion of Sun Devil Hockey's 2023-24 season, five players, selected by players, coaches and team staff, will be recognized as team award recipients for their contributions and accomplishments over the past year.
The five awards include Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, Drew Newmeyer Most Valuable Teammate, Ironman and Practice Hero.
2023-24 Team Award
MVP – Matthew Koperud
Alternate captain and senior forward Matthew Koperud This season, he sealed his achievements in the record books, holding the No. 1 spot in several categories. Copperud got off to a hot start in his fourth collegiate season, breaking the Sun Devil's power play all-time goals record, collecting 17 goals this season and finishing his career with 41 goals. This mark tied him for fourth place on the NCAA's all-time power play scoring record. He leads in career-winning goals (11), single-season winning goals (his 8 in 2023-24), career power-play goals (41) and single-season power-play goals (17 in 2023-24). has gained a seat. He tied Johnny Walker for most goals in a season (23 in 2023-24).
Copperud is the team's leading scorer with 23 goals this year and is on the verge of reaching 108 career points, just shy of the No. 1 spot currently held by former Sun Devil Johnny Walker (123 points). It didn't come close. The forward had 10 multi-point nights in his final year, including two three-point nights. Copperud continued his hockey career with the Bridgeport Islanders of the AHL, an affiliate of the New York Islanders.
Rookie of the Year – Kyle Smolen
Forward in first year Kyle Smolen He recorded 7 goals and 9 assists. He led his team to two victories, scoring the game-winning goals in the Adirondack Winter Invitational against Clarkson and in the Desert Hockey Classic Championship Game against Omaha. With both wins, ASU captured the tournament trophy for the first time since the 2017-18 Ice Vegas Invitational. Smallen also had two goals and one assist against Harvard University, leading his team to the Desert Hockey Classic championship game against Omaha, where he scored three points. The Illinois native led all skaters in faceoff percentage (at least in his 300 attempts) with a completion percentage of .524 (183-166). His shooting percentage of .212 was the highest on the entire ASU team.
best teammate – brian chambers
graduate school center brian chambers He was voted Drew Newmyer's best teammate by his peers and ASU staff. The sports law and business student made a huge impact on the ice with four goals and 16 assists, scoring a career-high 20 points on the season, but the way he carried himself on the ice and the way he treated others left a lasting impact on those around him. , and he had a “team first” mentality. His two winning goals were third on the team and he averaged the highest time on ice among all forwards. The Massachusetts native had 755 faceoffs in his final year of college, posting a winning percentage of .509 (384-371). Chambers continues his hockey career with the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL.
The Drew Newmyer Teammate of the Year Award is named after Sun Devil hockey alumnus Drew Newmyer, who skated at ASU from 2013 to 2017 and was known for always putting the team first. It was named.The Scottsdale native won the ACHA National Championship with his team led by head coach Greg Powers In 2014, he was a First Team All-Tournament with the Nationals and was named to the WCHL All-Rookie Team. As the team moved to D1, Newmyer played a key role in advancing a winning culture into a new era of Sun Devil hockey. The defenseman played in 105 games and finished his collegiate career with 43 total points.
Ironman – Ethan Shumagai
Alternate captain and junior defenseman Ethan Shumagai It was named Ironman in recognition of the hardest worker in the gym. Shumagai finished with three goals and four assists with 58 blocks last season for the Sun Devils.
practice hero – david haimovich
new student david haimovich He was honored as a Practice Hero for his hard work and dedication during team practices during the season. Haimovich played in the first of three college games against Augustana on January 20, and helped the Sun Devils win all three games he played in.
For more information on the Sun Devil hockey team's award history, click here.
