USA Hockey will recognize 13 deserving individuals at its President’s Awards Dinner on Friday, June 5, at the Denver Marriott Tech Center as part of its four-day Annual Meeting that begins on June 3.
Among those honored are New Yorkers Kelley Steadman (Plattsburgh) as one of the Adult Player’s of the Year and Buffalo’s Eric Guzdek for his years of service.
Don Bradford (Wausau, Wis.) is set to be honored with the Wm. Thayer Tutt Award, while Mark Carlson (Ely, Iowa) receives the Distinguished Achievement Award. Donna Guariglia (Morristown, N.J.) becomes the ninth all-time recipient of USA Hockey’s Builders Award.
Player of the year honorees include Adult Player of the Year, Kelley Steadman (Plattsburgh, N.Y.), Bob Allen Women’s Player of the Year, Caroline Harvey (Salem, N.H.), Jim Johannson College Player of the Year, Max Plante (Hermantown, Minn.), Dave Peterson Goaltender of the Year, Caleb Heil (Victoria, Minn.), Dave Tyler Junior Player of the Year, Alex Pelletier (Granby, Conn.) and the Disabled Athlete of the Year, Declan Farmer (Tampa, Fla.).
Longtime USA Hockey athletic trainer Stan Wong (Boca Raton, Fla.) is set to receive the Dr. Alan Ashare Excellence in Safety Award. Other award winners include John Beadle Adult Member of the Year recipient, Andy Cole (Seattle, Wash.), Chet Stewart Award winner, Mark Verplaetse (Centerville, Minn.) and Walter Yaciuk Award recipient, the late Mike Norton (Culver, Ind.).
35 Years of Service from New York
Bill Hall
Ethics Committee (2023-26); District Director, New York (1991-2004); International Council (1999-2024); Disabled Hockey Section (2002-10); Director Representative Executive Committee (2002-04); Player Development Committee (2004-22); Secretary (2004-22); Playing Rules Committee (2004-22), ACE Administrator, New York (2003-04); Marketing Council (2013-22)
10 Years Service
Robert Esche
Marketing Council (2018-26); Junior Council (2021-26); Athlete Director (2016-22); Adult Council (2016-19); Finance Committee (2019-21)
5 Years of Service
Eric Guzdek has served USA Hockey as Affiliate President Director – Board of Directors (2025-26); Affiliate President Representative to Congress (2022-26); Disabled Section (2021-26).
