ALBANY, N.Y. — ECAC Hockey (@ecachockeyMWD1) today announced the finalists for the 2017 Men’s Best Defensive Forward Award. Three seniors leaders – Troy Josephs, Clarkson, Mike Vecchione, Union and Jake Weidner, Cornell – have each been nominated for the honor by the league’s coaches.
The Golden Knights team leader in plus/minus (+12), Josephs also scored a team-high 19 goals (almost double his combined total of 10 through his first three years), the most at Clarkson since 2009-10. The Pittsburgh Penguins draftee’s plus-14 goals improvement over over the last year is tied for sixth in biggest goal increase in Division I this season. He leads the Knights in power-play tallies with seven and is tied for the team lead in game-winners with four. He has helped Clarkson earn five wins versus top 20 opponents this season. The solid two-way player has scored two goals in each of the last three games and 10 points in that span.
A Hobey Baker Award nominee, Vecchione recently became the the all-time leading scorer in program history (171 points) and all-time assists leader (103). He currently holds program single-season record for points (58) and is the NCAA Division I active career leader in points (171) and tied for first in shorthanded goals (7). The senior captain became the first player in Union’s Division I era with two 50+ point seasons. He led the league in goals (17), shorthanded goals (4), game-winning goals (4), and face-off % (60.2) and ranked second in the conference in plus-minus (+16), assists (23) and multi-point games (12). He registered at least one point in 20 of 22 league games. The Saugus, Mass. native has been recognized for his play throughout the season earning Hockey Commissioners Association Division I Player of the Month (October); ECAC Hockey Player of the Month (October, November); NCAA Hockey First Star of the Week (10/25, 11/8) and ECAC Hockey Player of the Week (10/25, 11/8, 2/7).
Weidner helped Cornell earn a top ten ranking for much of the 2016-17 campaign, posting an impressive 13-4-5 conference record earning the number three seed in the conference tournament. The senior from Grand Valley, Ont. registered 53 blocks on the season, while winning 318 face-offs in league-play, which was second most. His 2.14 blocks per game were nearly double that of his next counterpart, as only three others players recorded half that number. He was also the nation’s leader in blocked shots. The captain helped the Big Red to a top three ranking in the league in both team defense and offense, only allowing 49 goals in 22 goals, averaging 2.19 goals allowed per contest. He is often matched up against the opposition’s top forward combinations, yet still has a plus-10 rating.
