Finalists Announced for 2022-23 Sid Watson Award

Given to AHCA Division II-III Men’s Player of the Year

Seventeen players who have distinguished themselves on the ice in 2022-23 have been named finalists for the 2023 Sid Watson Award, given annually to the best NCAA Division II-III men’s ice hockey player in the country. Only one of the finalists is a repeat honoree from 2022: Plymouth State forward Myles Abbate, the MASCAC Player of the Year. Eleven of the finalists are from the United States, three are from Canada, and one each hail from Belarus, Estonia and Slovakia. Six are seniors, six are juniors, three are sophomores, one is a freshman and one is a graduate student. Twelve are forwards, three are goaltenders and two are defensemen.

Sponsored by the American Hockey Coaches Association, the Sid Watson Award honors the memory of former Bowdoin College head coach and athletic director Sid Watson. A three-time AHCA Coach of the Year, Watson served Bowdoin for more than 30 years, winning 326 games in 24 seasons as head coach.

The recipient of this year's Sid Watson Award will be announced on Thursday, March 23.

2022-23 Finalists for the Sid Watson Award

Myles Abbate, Senior Forward, Plymouth State University*
(Norwell, MA) MASCAC Player of the Year

Fletcher Anderson, Sophomore Forward, UW-Stevens Point
(Thunder Bay, ON) WIAC Co-Player of the Year

Luke Aquaro, Sophomore Forward, Hobart College
(Yardley, PA) NEHC Player of the Year

Drennen Atherton, Senior Goalie, Norwich University
(Winter Haven, FL)

Jack Bostedt, Junior Goalie, College of St. Scholastica
(Janesville, WI)

Reid Cooper, Graduate Goalie, Curry College
(Corman Park, SK) CCC Co-Player of the Year

Jayson Dobay, Junior Defense, Utica University
(Weymouth, MA)

Conor Foley, Senior Forward, Franklin Pierce University
(Nahant, MA) Northeast-10 Player of the Year

Alex Gagnon, Senior Forward, Albertus Magnus College
(Montreal, PQ)

Quinn Green, Junior Forward, UW-Eau Claire
(West Chicago, IL) WIAC Co-Player of the Year

Nikita Kozyrev, Junior Forward, Buffalo State
(Talinn, Estonia) SUNYAC Player of the Year

Andrew Kurapov, Junior Forward, Endicott College
(Corvallis, OR) CCC Co-Player of the Year

Jake Lachance, Senior Defense, Wesleyan University
(Andover, MA) NESCAC Player of the Year

Arkhip Ledenkov, Junior Forward, College of St. Scholastica
(Polotsk, Belarus) MIAC Player of the Year

Liam McCanney, Sophomore Forward, Stevenson University
(Aldan, PA) UCHC Player of the Year

Carter Rapalje, Freshman Forward, Stonehill College
(Colorado Springs, CO)

Matus Spodniak, Senior Forward, Adrian College
(Kosice, Slovakia) NCHA Player of the Year

* Was also a finalist in 2022

Past Winners of the Sid Watson Award
1993	Frank Cirone	Wisconsin-Stevens Point	Forward
1994	Ray Alcindor	Middlebury	Forward
1995	Charlie Gaffney	Bowdoin	Forward
1996	Ian Smith	Middlebury	Defense
1997	Steve Toll	RIT	Forward
1998	Mark Spence	Middlebury	Forward
1999	Rob Smillie	St. Norbert	Forward
2000	Steve Aronson	St. Thomas	Forward
2001	Keith Aucoin	Norwich	Forward
2002	Jerry Galway	RIT	Defense
2003	Maris Ziedins	St. Norbert	Forward
2004	Kevin Cooper	Middlebury	Forward
2005	Kurtis McLean	Norwich	Forward
2006	Adam Hanna	St. John's	Goalie
2007	Andrew Gallant	Manhattanville	Goalie
2008	Kyle Jones	St. Norbert	Goalie
2009	Jeff Landers	Amherst	Defense
2010	David Martinson	Gustavus Adolphus	Forward
2011	Chris Berenguer	Hamline	Defense
2012	Jonathan LaRose	Amherst	Goalie
2013	Paul Rodrigues	SUNY Oswego	Forward
2014	David Jacobson	St. Norbert	Goalie
2015	Drew Fielding	St. Thomas	Goalie
2016	Jamie Murray	Babson	Goalie
2017	Evan Buitenhuis	Hamilton	Goalie
2018	Colin Larkin	UMass Boston	Forward
2019	Devin McDonald	Geneseo	Goalie
2020	Tom Aubrun	Norwich	Goalie
2021	Not Awarded
2022	Peter Bates	St. Norbert	Forward