As a disappointing first season in St. John’s comes to an end, the IceCaps handed out their end of the year awards, including Rookie of the Year, Team MVP, Man of the Year, Hardest Working Player and Best Defenceman.
Rookie of the Year: Michael McCarron
The behemoth forward collected Rookie of the Year honours with an outstanding campaign, tallying 17 goals and 21 assists in 57 AHL games. McCarron’s solid play earned him 20 games of NHL experience where he added a goal and two assists in addition to 37 penalty minutes.
Best Defenceman: Morgan Ellis
Calling this past season a breakout year would be understating how good Morgan Ellis was for the IceCaps. With 16 goals and 26 assists, Ellis blew away his career bests with ease, and was among the top scoring blue-liners in the AHL. Ellis was second in goals and eighth in overall scoring; quite the change from spending last season in the ECHL.
Community Man of the Year: Zachary Fucale
The rookie netminder takes home the IceCaps Man of the Year award for his contributions and work within the community of St. John’s. While all players take part in a number of activities and visits in the area, Fucale went the extra mile throughout the year. Whether it be visiting sick children in hospital or reading to children at the local school, you could always find Fucale in an ambassadorial role.
Hardest Working Player: Josiah Didier
While he didn’t rack up the points in his rookie season, Josiah Didier was still a key piece of the IceCaps’ defence corps. After a short stay in the ECHL, the former Denver Pioneer found himself in the IceCaps top four for the majority of the year. Playing a physical style and standing up for teammates is something head coach Sylvain Lefebvre loves. And with the surge in injuries in Montreal, Didier became the stalwart veteran of a very young and inexperienced St. John’s defence.
IceCaps Team MVP: Gabriel Dumont
The final award of the evening belonged to none other than IceCaps captain Gabriel Dumont, who beat out tough competition such as Charles Hudon and Bud Holloway. After a slow start, Dumont kicked his game into high gear en route to a new career high in assists and points. He started the season in the IceCaps bottom six, but when the team suffered injuries, and multiple NHL call-ups, the captain stepped up and delivered an outstanding season.
