The Canisius College hockey team recognized its top players during the 2015-16 season, naming its award winners for the campaign.
Junior Shane Conacher was named the team’s MVP after collecting first-team All-Atlantic Hockey accolades during the 2015-16 season. Conacher posted 46 points during his junior campaign – the third-most in the program’s history – on 20 goals and 26 assists. He also established a new school record with six game-winning tallies, while ranking 14th nationally in points, 16th in goals, 20th in assists and eighth in game-winning goals.
Conacher also earned the team’s Top Forward award.
Freshman Cameron Heath collected Top Defenseman honors, becoming the fourth Griff rookie in school history to earn the accolade, joining Joe Federico (1984-85), Daryl Pierce (2000-01) and Ben Danford (2010-11). Heath totaled 16 points as a freshman with seven goals and nine assists, while leading the team with a plus/minus rating of +13.
Freshman forward Dylan McLaughlin earned Rookie of the Year accolades. McLaughlin ranked fourth in Atlantic Hockey and 21st nationally among rookies with 26 points, scoring eight goals to go along with 18 assists.
Freshman defender Alex Jaeckle was named the team’s Most Improved Player. The rookie appeared in each of the team’s final 12 contests of the season and scored one goal in 20 games overall.
Senior Ralph Cuddemi was honored with the Top Chapman Award as the team’s unsung hero. Cuddemi became the third Griff in program history to be named to the all-conference team twice when he collected second-team All-Atlantic Hockey honors as a senior. The team captain finished second on the team with 42 points, scoring 20 goals to go along with 22 assists.
Junior Geoff Fortman received the Dr. David B. Dietz Award, which is presented to a player for his dedication in both athletics and academics. Fortman, who maintains a 3.98 grade point average, recorded six assists during the 2015-16 campaign. The junior was also honored for his work off the ice by receiving the program’s Community Outreach Award for the second-consecutive season.
The Griffs finished the 2015-16 in sixth place in the Atlantic Hockey standings, defeating rival Niagara in the first round of the conference tournament before falling to second-seeded Air Force in the quarterfinals.
