Chicago, IL – The United States Hockey League today announced the CCM Hockey player awards for the 17th week of the 2014-15 USHL regular season.
Winners include Tanner Karty of the Des Moines Buccaneers and Freddy Gerard of the Madison Capitols, recognized as co-recipients of CCM Forward of the Week; Dillon Eichstadt of the Sioux Falls Stampede, named CCM Defenseman of the Week; and Garrett Metcalf of the Madison Capitols and Alec Dillon of the Tri-City Storm, selected as co-recipients of CCM Goaltender of the Week.
Tanner Karty, F, Des Moines Buccaneers: The veteran forward recorded four points (3g, 1a) as the Buccaneers earned three of four points in the standings during a two-game weekend series vs. the Sioux City Musketeers. On Friday, his second-period goal tied the game and forced overtime before the Bucs dropped a 3-2 shootout decision. The 20-year old then scored two goals in the first period of Saturday’s 4-2 victory, his fourth multi-goal game of the season. Karty is currently riding a five-game point streak (4g, 3a) and is tied for sixth in the USHL with 17 goals this season. He is two points shy of 100 for his USHL career and two goals shy of 50. The native of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma is a product of the Dallas Stars U18 program and will play college hockey at Lake Superior State University next season.
Freddy Gerard, F, Madison Capitols: The forward netted three goals over two games and posted a plus-three rating to lead the Capitols to a weekend sweep of the Youngstown Phantoms. He scored two goals, including a shorthanded tally, in Friday’s 4-0 victory. It was his third multi-goal game of the season. Gerard then added another shorthanded goal in Saturday’s 5-3 win. He is now tied for the USHL lead with four shorthanded goals this season. The forward is second on the Capitols in scoring with 24 points (13g, 11a) through 32 games and is tied for eighth overall in the USHL with a plus-16 rating. The native of Rocky River, Ohio is a product of the Cleveland Barons youth organization and will return to his home state to play college hockey at Ohio State University next season.
Dillon Eichstadt, D, Sioux Falls Stampede: The 20-year-old scored three goals as the Stampede split a two-game weekend series with the Waterloo Black Hawks. He scored two goals in Friday’s 7-3 victory, giving the Stampede points in seven consecutive games (6-0-1). He also equaled a game high with a plus-three rating. Eichstadt then netted the lone goal for Sioux Falls in Saturday’s 3-1 loss. In 33 previous USHL games before the weekend, the defenseman had tallied one goal. He now has 14 points (4g, 10a) over 32 games this season, tops in scoring among team defensemen and tied for 18th overall among USHL blueliners. The product of Bemidji High School in Minnesota will return to his home state next season to play college hockey at Bemidji State University.
Garrett Metcalf, G, Madison Capitols: The first-year USHL goaltender stopped all 35 shots he faced on Friday to lead the Capitols to a 4-0 win over Youngstown. It was the first shutout of his USHL career and the second this season for Madison during their inaugural campaign. Metcalf has posted a 3-0-1 record over his last four starts and compiled a 1.46 goals-against-average and .955 save percentage over that span. His overall .923 SV% this season currently ranks tied for third among all USHL goaltenders while his 2.73 GAA ranks 11th in the League. The 18-year-old native of Salt Lake City, Utah is a product of the Colorado Rampage youth program and is currently uncommitted to a college hockey program.
Alec Dillon, G, Tri-City Storm: The 2014 NHL Draft pick of the Los Angeles Kings stopped all 25 shots he faced in Saturday’s 1-0 victory against the Bloomington Thunder. He played a key role for the Storm in killing off all four opponent power plays. It was his third shutout of the season, which leads all USHL goaltenders. He has made 25-or-more saves in all three of those shutouts. Dillon currently ranks second in the League with a 2.22 GAA and ranks fifth with a .918 SV%. His 13 victories are tied for fifth among USHL netminders. The 18-year-old native of Victoria, British Columbia is playing his first season with the Storm after spending 2013-14 with Victoria in the BCHL. He is committed to play college hockey at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).
Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the USHL celebrates its 13th season as the nation’s only Tier I junior hockey league in 2014-15. A record 35 players were chosen in the 2014 NHL Draft and more than 300 players on team rosters last season committed to NCAA Division I schools, further establishing the USHL as the world’s foremost producer of junior hockey talent.
USHL.com
