TBRW Awards 2024

History.


Automatic:
Moeser Award: Leading Scorer -- Gabriel Seger
Norton Award: Leading D Scorer -- Ben Robertson
Hayward Award: Leading Goaltender -- Ian Shane

Subjective:
Natyshak Award: Career Improvement (only Juniors and beyond)
MacFarlane Award: Transcendent Beauty and Skating Prowess
Gage Award: Supporting Role
Shippel Award: Scrappiness and Effort
Schafer Award: Leadership and Passion
Adam Oates Award: Most Respected Opponent
Dadswell Award: Most Valuable Freshman
Nieuwendyk Award: Most Valuable Player

Natyshak: Suda
MacFarlane: Castagna
Gage: Kempf
Shippel: Fan Favorite Jack O'Leary
Schafer: Seger
Oates: Celebrini
Dadswell: Robertson
Nieuwendyk: Shane

I've got lots of back channel votes too so I will put up the award winners by COB. Please get your votes in either way; still time to have your say. Unlike many years, this season has lots of variety, even in the big awards.

It's too bad we can't award the MVF to the entire class of 2027.

Natyshak: Mack -- he really took a step forward this year; could've been Penney; Suda, O'Leary were already there; still waiting on Psenicka
MacFarlane: Castagna -- jeez...
Gage: Kempf -- so solid now; one of our best stay-at-homes ever
Shippel: Jack O'Leary -- I think he'll have competition from Devlin next year, who I notice doing the little things right every time he's on the ice
Schafer: Seger -- brought it every game; I fervently want Bancroft to take this over
Oates: Prokop -- Gostisbehere the 2nd
Dadswell: Robertson -- reminds me so much of Joaki Ryan, and I think has a higher ceiling; special player; I am so excited to see Castagna and Walsh develop as well; amazing class
Nieuwendyk: Seger -- tough to replace; practicing against him has made every one of our centers better

By the way, can we make Seger an honorary member of the 100-point club? Had he been at Cornell all four years, there's not one doubt in my mind that he scores more than a 100 for us.

Natyshak Award: Mack
MacFarlane Award: Castagna
Gage Award: Kempf
Shippel Award: Jack O'Leary
Schafer Award: Seger
Adam Oates Award: Burgin
Dadswell Award: Robertson
Nieuwendyk Award: Seger

Natyshak Award: Mack
MacFarlane Award: Castagna
Gage Award: Kempf
Shippel Award: O’Leary
Schafer Award: Seger
Adam Oates Award: ?
Dadswell Award: Robertson
Nieuwendyk Award: Shane

Natyshak: Shane
MacFarlane: Castagna
Gage: Kempf
Shippel: O'Leary
Schafer: Penney
Oates: Cooper Black
Dadswell: Robertson
Nieuwendyk: Seger (For his leadership and ability to win faceoffs).

Natyshak: Suda
MacFarlane: Castagna
Gage: Penney
Shippel: O’Leary
Schafer: Seger
Oates: Ben Kraws
Dadswell: Robertson
Nieuwendyk: Shane

Official 2024 TBRW Awards:

Automatic:
Moeser Award: Leading Scorer -- Gabriel Seger
Norton Award: Leading D Scorer -- Ben Robertson
Hayward Award: Leading Goaltender -- Ian Shane

Subjective:
Natyshak Award: Career Improvement -- Sullivan Mack
MacFarlane Award: Transcendent Beauty and Skating Prowess -- Jonathan Castagna
Gage Award: Supporting Role -- Hoyt Stanley
Shippel Award: Scrappiness and Effort -- Fan Favorite Jack O'Leary
Schafer Award: Leadership and Passion -- Kyle Penney
Adam Oates Award: Most Respected Opponent -- Brent Brekke (St. Lawrence coach)
Dadswell Award: Most Valuable Freshman -- Ben Robertson
Nieuwendyk Award: Most Valuable Player -- Gabriel Seger

I think there was confusion about the Gage Award, given all the Kempf nominations. It is given to a player who flies under the radar, receives few accolades, and/or plays a particular role well. Kempf is as some of you noted the primary stay at home D on a team built out from goal -- the opposite of a supporting player.

My choices for Gage were Devlin and Stanley and honestly it could have gone to either; some back channel conversation pushed me to Hoyt.

Trotsky
I think there was confusion about the Gage Award, given all the Kempf nominations. It is given to a player who flies under the radar, receives few accolades, and/or plays a particular role well. Kempf is as some of you noted the primary stay at home D on a team built out from goal -- the opposite of a supporting player.

My choices for Gage were Devlin and Stanley and honestly it could have gone to either; some back channel conversation pushed me to Hoyt.

STOP THE STEAL

ugarte

Trotsky
I think there was confusion about the Gage Award, given all the Kempf nominations. It is given to a player who flies under the radar, receives few accolades, and/or plays a particular role well. Kempf is as some of you noted the primary stay at home D on a team built out from goal -- the opposite of a supporting player.

My choices for Gage were Devlin and Stanley and honestly it could have gone to either; some back channel conversation pushed me to Hoyt.

STOP THE STEAL

Stanley a great choice. I have my eye on Devlin. We were a different team when he was out.

Scersk '97
I have my eye on Devlin. We were a different team when he was out.

I felt this way about Mack. We have legitimately scary scoring threats in Mack, Castagna, Bancroft, DeSantis (curse sold separately), and then greasy, hard working goal scorers in Walsh, Psenicka, Penney, O'Leary. We don't have the Denver offensive threats, but I think we are the equal of Q.

Someone wondered whether we will get notice in the poll next year. Q is not losing much either, and I expect to see them as the Coaches Poll RS favorite, but we are clearly the two runaway favorites in the pre-season. November 22 and January 18 are red letter days.

Trotsky

Scersk '97
I have my eye on Devlin. We were a different team when he was out.

I felt this way about Mack. We have legitimately scary scoring threats in Mack, Castagna, Bancroft, DeSantis (curse sold separately), and then greasy, hard working goal scorers in Walsh, Psenicka, Penney, O'Leary. We don't have the Denver offensive threats, but I think we are the equal of Q.

Someone wondered whether we will get notice in the poll next year. Q is not losing much either, and I expect to see them as the Coaches Poll RS favorite, but we are clearly the two runaway favorites in the pre-season. November 22 and January 18 are red letter days.

Mack and Castagna. The duo that have different styles, yet they make each other better. I LOVE them as linemates. And DeSantis was on a different level in the postseason. He was EVERYWHERE.

DeSantis had an amazing second half. I also really appreciated Devlin, Penney, and Psenicka down the stretch. I think Psenicka was playing as well as he did in the first half of his freshman year when he looked like an unstoppable force of nature.

We have guys who find the net, guys who can see the ice, and guys who can create chances. I'm not sure what the missing Chemical X is to bring it all together. A dominant PP QB, I guess.

We need the Alpha..

Trotsky
A dominant PP QB, I guess.

My kingdom for a Kaldis! (putting up numbers in the KHL, btw)

ugarte

Trotsky
A dominant PP QB, I guess.

My kingdom for a Kaldis! (putting up numbers in the KHL, btw)

I was thinking Malinski, but Kaldis, Mark McRae, and Dan Ratushny also came to mind.

Robertson is somewhere in that Joakim Ryan / Doug Murray liminal world of aggressive defensemen who need somebody behind them holding down the blueline so they can be, measuredly, irresponsible. We need that guy who somehow can do both at once, in high heels, backwards. Malinski was for my money the best I ever saw.

Trotsky
DeSantis had an amazing second half. I also really appreciated Devlin, Penney, and Psenicka down the stretch. I think Psenicka was playing as well as he did in the first half of his freshman year when he looked like an unstoppable force of nature.

We have guys who find the net, guys who can see the ice, and guys who can create chances. I'm not sure what the missing Chemical X is to bring it all together. A dominant PP QB, I guess.

My want started to be filled later in this season: scoring the greasy goals instead of only the pretty ones; scoring the ones where there’s a pile of bodies in the crease and someone has the combination of killer instinct and patience not to try to hammer it through but to make the tiny tap or backhand flick, sometimes to a teammate, in the right direction to get the job done; a Sancimino kind of goal.

I don’t know what to call it. We’re so much better when we stop shooting and rather just put the puck in the back of the net.

And I’ll say right now that a whole lot of next season depends on Psenicka being second-half Psenicka from the start.

Trotsky

ugarte

Trotsky
A dominant PP QB, I guess.

My kingdom for a Kaldis! (putting up numbers in the KHL, btw)

I was thinking Malinski, but Kaldis, Mark McRae, and Dan Ratushny also came to mind.

Robertson is somewhere in that Joakim Ryan / Doug Murray liminal world of aggressive defensemen who need somebody behind them holding down the blueline so they can be, measuredly, irresponsible. We need that guy who somehow can do both at once, in high heels, backwards. Malinski was for my money the best I ever saw.

I contend we need an “off guard,” a shooting D. Someone with “the shot.” We haven’t had a Mark McRae or Charlie Cook in a long time.

Even though we were outshot in, I think, every one of the last 4 games, I felt like we got the lion's share of the really good, close chances in all of them, and were the better team in all of them. I was fine with not rolling up perimeter shot totals.

I just loved the way this team played this season, and especially in March. They found a great balance between creativity and responsibility, set the tone, worked hard, and boy it paid off. I believe every player finished the season truly believing in themselves and the program, the coaching, and The System. Talking to the Castagna, Bancroft, and O'Leary families at Lake Placid I came away with how much they respect the university and the coaches, and how comfortable they are in having their fine young men be a part of our tradition. It was exactly the type of "business up front, family in the back" ethos you want in our players. Not maudlin -- on the contrary, hard-headed and practical, but also committed, and giving back more than they take.

What's not to love?

Scersk '97

Trotsky

ugarte

Trotsky
A dominant PP QB, I guess.

My kingdom for a Kaldis! (putting up numbers in the KHL, btw)

I was thinking Malinski, but Kaldis, Mark McRae, and Dan Ratushny also came to mind.

Robertson is somewhere in that Joakim Ryan / Doug Murray liminal world of aggressive defensemen who need somebody behind them holding down the blueline so they can be, measuredly, irresponsible. We need that guy who somehow can do both at once, in high heels, backwards. Malinski was for my money the best I ever saw.

I contend we need an “off guard,” a shooting D. Someone with “the shot.” We haven’t had a Mark McRae or Carlie Cook in a long time.

Stanley actually has a heavy shot. He isn't typically in the right place yet, but once he gains whatever that is -- insight, extra step -- he may be that guy.

ugarte

Trotsky
I think there was confusion about the Gage Award, given all the Kempf nominations. It is given to a player who flies under the radar, receives few accolades, and/or plays a particular role well. Kempf is as some of you noted the primary stay at home D on a team built out from goal -- the opposite of a supporting player.

My choices for Gage were Devlin and Stanley and honestly it could have gone to either; some back channel conversation pushed me to Hoyt.

STOP THE STEAL

lol