WCHA Mid-Season Awards
It's that time of year again! Well, half way there anyway. I put together my half-season awards mainly so people can yell and disagree with my picks, so go for it! It's an invite. But this is how I think the table sits right now. Enjoy.
Player of the Half:
Ryan Walters
Walters has been an absolute animal so far this season. He leads the WCHA and the nation in scoring with 28 points and goals with 12. His 16 assists also show he was paying attention in elementary school and sharing with the rest of his team. May I also fill you in on another stat... He's +13 so far. Yup. But Walter's had got competition with Drew LeBlanc, Erik Haula, Mike Seidel, William Rapuzzi, Nick Shore, Corban Knight or Danny Kristo. Should be a fun race!
Defenseman of the Half:
Joey LaLeggia
Joey sits at my defenseman of the half year, but it wasn't an easy pick. I didn't like LaLeggia's +/- as it sits at -3, but he is a defenseman. But he does have a ridiculous amount of goals. With 7 goals and 10 assists he may at times be mixed up with forwards if you don't take a glance at the sheet you're looking at closely. But just wait until the season finishes... Names like Nick Jensen, Jake McCabe, Nate Schmidt, Wade Bergman, Mike Boivin, Andre Sustr, or even Derek Forbort might just surprise you and take the position.
Rookie of the Half:
Tony Cameranesi
Tony was an excellent addition to a Bulldog team that needed all the freshman help it could get. A local kid who played for Wayzata, Tony is tied for leading the Bulldogs with 19 points with 8 goals. Tony has been able to play like an experienced NCAA hockey player instead of a freshman which has allowed him to tally the stats he has. Also watch out for UMD's Austin Farley, SCSU's Kalle Kossila, UMTC's Mike Reilly, MSU's Stephon Williams, MTU's Alex Petan, and UND's Rocco Grimaldi.
Goalie of the Half:
Adam Wilcox
There is no question for me here. I know other goalies have performed well but Adam Wilcox is an absolute stud. You can tell he's related to UMD's Alex Stalock for sure. He has the vision of superman and the glove of Joe Mauer (not the batting average). I've watched him play a couple times now and he never ceases to amaze. The only question the Gophs thought they would have, ended up being their strongest position. Watch out for Clarke Saunders of UND, Juho Olkinuora of DU, Stephon Williams of MSU, Matt McNeely of UMD, and Landon Peterson of UW.
Coach of the Half:
Mike Hastings
Not to much to say here. Hastings has taken a struggling team and turned them into a successful team, in one season. A very impressive 'feat. The Mavericks have a tough road ahead but I'm excited to see where Mike will guide this team.
All First Half Team:
All Second Half Team:
All Rookie Half Team:
Ryan Walters
Player of the Half:
Ryan Walters
Walters has been an absolute animal so far this season. He leads the WCHA and the nation in scoring with 28 points and goals with 12. His 16 assists also show he was paying attention in elementary school and sharing with the rest of his team. May I also fill you in on another stat... He's +13 so far. Yup. But Walter's had got competition with Drew LeBlanc, Erik Haula, Mike Seidel, William Rapuzzi, Nick Shore, Corban Knight or Danny Kristo. Should be a fun race!
Defenseman of the Half:
Joey LaLeggia
Joey sits at my defenseman of the half year, but it wasn't an easy pick. I didn't like LaLeggia's +/- as it sits at -3, but he is a defenseman. But he does have a ridiculous amount of goals. With 7 goals and 10 assists he may at times be mixed up with forwards if you don't take a glance at the sheet you're looking at closely. But just wait until the season finishes... Names like Nick Jensen, Jake McCabe, Nate Schmidt, Wade Bergman, Mike Boivin, Andre Sustr, or even Derek Forbort might just surprise you and take the position.
Rookie of the Half:
Tony Cameranesi
Tony was an excellent addition to a Bulldog team that needed all the freshman help it could get. A local kid who played for Wayzata, Tony is tied for leading the Bulldogs with 19 points with 8 goals. Tony has been able to play like an experienced NCAA hockey player instead of a freshman which has allowed him to tally the stats he has. Also watch out for UMD's Austin Farley, SCSU's Kalle Kossila, UMTC's Mike Reilly, MSU's Stephon Williams, MTU's Alex Petan, and UND's Rocco Grimaldi.
Goalie of the Half:
Adam Wilcox
There is no question for me here. I know other goalies have performed well but Adam Wilcox is an absolute stud. You can tell he's related to UMD's Alex Stalock for sure. He has the vision of superman and the glove of Joe Mauer (not the batting average). I've watched him play a couple times now and he never ceases to amaze. The only question the Gophs thought they would have, ended up being their strongest position. Watch out for Clarke Saunders of UND, Juho Olkinuora of DU, Stephon Williams of MSU, Matt McNeely of UMD, and Landon Peterson of UW.
Coach of the Half:
Mike Hastings
Not to much to say here. Hastings has taken a struggling team and turned them into a successful team, in one season. A very impressive 'feat. The Mavericks have a tough road ahead but I'm excited to see where Mike will guide this team.
All First Half Team:
|
Teams
|
Pos.
|
Year
|
(GP) G-A-Pts
|
(+/-)
|
NHL
|
|
|
Ryan
Walters
|
UNO
|
F
|
Jr
|
(20) 12-16-28
|
+13
|
|
|
William
Rapuzzi
|
CC
|
F
|
Sr
|
(20) 10-13-23
|
+9
|
|
|
Corban
Knight
|
UND
|
F
|
Sr
|
(17) 8-15-23
|
+11
|
FLA
|
|
Joey
LeLeggia
|
DU
|
D
|
So
|
(19) 7-10-17
|
-3
|
EDM
|
|
Nate
Schmidt
|
UMTC
|
D
|
Jr
|
(19) 3-13-16
|
+6
|
|
|
Adam
Wilcox
|
UMTC
|
G
|
Fr
|
1.63 / .927
|
+18
|
TBL
|
All Second Half Team:
|
Team
|
Pos.
|
Year
|
(GP) G-A-Pts
|
(+/-)
|
NHL
|
|
|
Drew
LeBlanc
|
SCSU
|
F
|
Sr
|
(20) 6-22-28
|
+8
|
|
|
Erik
Haula
|
UMTC
|
F
|
Jr
|
(19) 9-17-26
|
+6
|
MIN
|
|
Danny
Kristo
|
UND
|
F
|
Sr
|
(16) 8-13-21
|
+10
|
MTL
|
|
Nick
Jensen
|
SCSU
|
D
|
Jr
|
(20) 1-14-15
|
+6
|
DET
|
|
Mike
Boivin
|
CC
|
D
|
Sr
|
(20) 6-9-15
|
+3
|
|
|
Landon
Peterson
|
UW
|
G
|
So
|
1.63 / .942
|
+8
|
All Rookie Half Team:
|
Team
|
Pos.
|
Year
|
(GP) G-A-Pts
|
(+/-)
|
NHL
|
|
|
Kalle
Kossila
|
SCSU
|
F
|
Fr
|
(18) 11-6-17
|
+13
|
|
|
Tony
Cameranesi
|
UMD
|
F
|
Fr
|
(20) 8-11-19
|
+2
|
TOR
|
|
Rocco
Grimaldi
|
UND
|
F
|
Fr
|
(18) 7-9-16
|
+7
|
FLA
|
|
Andy
Welinski
|
UMD
|
D
|
Fr
|
(20) 2-9-11
|
-4
|
ANA
|
|
Mike
Reilly
|
UMTC
|
D
|
Fr
|
(17) 2-8-10
|
+5
|
CLB
|
|
Stephon
Williams
|
MSU
|
G
|
Fr
|
1.81 / .924
|
+9
|
Don't Agree? Yell at me!
GO DOGS!!!
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