NAHL Alumni Update: Mavericks duo named as Hobey Top 10 Finalists

Former Shreveport Mudbugs and current UW-Stevens Point forward Jordan Fader was named WIAC Player of the Year.

A pair of NAHL alumni and Minnesota State standouts, senior goaltender Dryden McKay (Corpus Christi/Springfield) and junior center Nathan Smith (Aberdeen Wings), have been named Top 10 Finalists for the 2022 Hobey Baker Award, the Hobey Baker Award committee announced. The Hobey Baker Memorial Award Committee will announce the Hobey Hat Trick Finalists March 31st with the 2021-22 winner announced on April 8, 2022.

McKay, a Hobey Hat Trick Finalist last year, was named CCHA Goaltender of the Week seven times this year and was the league's Goaltender of the Month for October, November, December and February. The Downers Grove, Ill., native was named the Hockey Commissioners Association National Goaltender of the Month for December and February. A two-time All-America and a Hobey Hat Trick Finalist last season, McKay stands 34-4-0 for the season with a .931 save percentage and a 1.28 goals against average. McKay, whose 109 career wins ranks third on the NCAA's all-time list, has moved into a tie with Minnesota's Robb Stauber (1987-88) and Michigan's Marty Turco (1995-96) atop the NCAA DI men's hockey single-season list with 34 wins. Earlier this year, McKay established a NCAA standard for career shutouts (he has 33) and for his four-year college career his won-loss record is 109-19-4 with a 1.46 GAA, and .932 Sv% in 135 games played.

Smith, who spent three weeks in China at the 2022 Winter Olympics with the U.S. men's national team, stands tied for the team scoring lead with 18-30--48 on the season. Smith, whose 48 points stand tied for second in the nation, ranked third in CCHA scoring with 33 points on 13 goals and 20 assists in 22 games. The Hudson, Fla., native haS 36-64--100 in 96 career games to rank 18th on Minnesota State's all-time scoring list. An All-CCHA First Team pick this year, Smith was a three-time CCHA Forward of the Week and was named the CCHA Forward of the Month for December.

NAHL alum Jakub Dobeš (Topeka Pilots) of the Ohio State men’s hockey team is both the Big Ten Goaltender of the Year and the co-Freshman of the Year, the conference announced Tuesday. Dobeš also was named First Team All-Big Ten. Dobeš is the first Buckeye to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and the second B1G Goaltender of the Year honoree from Ohio State, joining 2019 winner Tommy Nappier. He is the second freshman to win the league’s goalie of the year honor, after Minnesota’s Eric Schierhorn in 2017. Dobeš shares the B1G Freshman of the Year award with Michigan defenseman Luke Hughes; they are the first non-forwards to win the league’s rookie of the year award. Three Buckeyes earned the CCHA Rookie of the Year honor – Paul Pooley in 1981, Brian Loney in 1992 and R.J. Umberger in 2001. Mike Betz (2003) and Brady Hjelle (2013) received the CCHA Goaltender of the Year award.

CCHA Rookie of the Year: Bradley Marek, F, Ferris State (Springfield Jr. Blues) – Marek, 21, led all CCHA Rookies on the ballot, receiving four of a possible seven points, as voted on by the CCHA head coaches. The Big Rapids native is the first local player to win CCHA Rookie of the Year honors and just the second freshman to ever lead Ferris State in goal scoring. Marek finished tied for second amongst all CCHA freshmen with 13 points in conference play, was third with five goals and second with eight assists. The forward also recorded the third most faceoff wins and third best faceoff percentage for a freshman in the nation. He is the only forward and only freshman in the top 20 in the CCHA in blocked shots (31).

2021-22 All-Atlantic Hockey First Team: Colin Bilek, F, Army (Northeast Generals) - Bilek shared the Atlantic Hockey Scoring Championship this season with 25 points in conference play on seven goals and 18 assists, which also tied for the AHA lead. He ended the regular season with 31 points on 11 goals and 20 helpers. Calverley’s 12 goals topped all players in AHA competition and he tied for sixth in the points chase with 22 while dishing out 10 assists. Theodore tied for third in the conference assists with 17 and finished third in points with 24.

2021-22 All-Atlantic Hockey First Team: Zak Galambos, D, AIC (Johnstown/Janesville) - Galambos tied with teammate Chris Theodore for third in assists in AHA play with 17 and tallied 20 points in conference play for the Yellow Jackets.

2021-22 All-Atlantic Hockey First Team: Jacob Barczewski, G, Canisius (Janesville Jets) - Canisius junior Jacob Barczewski earns the All-Atlantic Hockey goaltender nod in 2021-22. The O’Fallon, Mo., native posted a 2.41 goals-against average in AHA play for the Golden Griffins, stopping 635 shots and finishing with save percentage of .924 and an 11-10-1 mark against conference foes. Barczewski joins Bilek and Calverley as the third returnee from last season’s All-AHA first team.

Atlantic Hockey All-Rookie Team

Clayton Costentino, F, Air Force (Aberdeen Wings)

Shane Ott, F, Niagara (Janesville Jets)

Mitchell Digby, D, Air Force (Lone Star Brahmas)

CCHA All-Rookie Team

F – Bradley Marek, Ferris State (Springfield Jr. Blues)

G – Mattias Sholl, Bemidji State (Fairbanks Ice Dogs)

G – Charlie Glockner, Northern Michigan (Amarillo Bulls)

Northern Michigan goaltender Charlie Glockner played in 14 games for the Wildcats. His record finished 6-3, with the best save percentage of .907 and goals-against average of 2.88 of rookie netminders and fifth best overall in those categories. He played 686 minutes, making 311 saves on the campaign. Glockner made a career-high amount of saves (44) against Michigan Tech on Feb. 1.

Bemidji State goaltender Mattias Sholl led the Beavers with a 9-10-0 record this season in 19 games played. Has posted the third-best goals against average (2.94) and save percentage (.896) among CCHA rookie netminders and seventh overall in those categories. Sholl played 1041:36 minutes in goal, recording 441 saves. Sholl was named the CCHA Goaltender of the Week (Oct. 25), Rookie of the Week (Jan. 10) and Rookie of the Month (January).

Hockey East Goalie of the Week: Darion Hanson, UConn (Aston/Lone Star) - Darion Hanson (Gr., G; East Bethel, Minn.) made 38 saves, his second highest total this year, in his Hockey East playoff debut to beat BU, 3-1, in the quarterfinals. Hanson stopped 19 shots in the third period as the Terriers were looking to erase a 2-0 UConn lead. He then got a secondary assist on the Huskies empty net goal to seal off the win, his second assist this year. Hanson earned his 19th win of the season, setting a new UConn Division I school record for goalie season wins.

WIAC Player of the Year: Jordan Fader, F, UW-Stevens Point (Shreveport/Aberdeen) - Fader becomes the sixth UWSP player named to the league's top honor in the nine seasons the award has been handed out. He also picks up his first career conference award in the first-team selection. He led the league with 32 points, 15 goals and 17 assists. Fader scored three shorthanded goals, the most I the league and ripped a league-best 87 shots on the year. He had nine multi-point games this season, including back-to-back four-point games that included four goals against UW-Stout on Feb. 4.