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