Hockey: Potential AUS All Stars

I don't get a vote on the AUS men's hockey All-Stars and award winners, but I thought I'd try to provoke some discussion by posting my picks. So here we go:

First Team All-Stars

F – Hunter Tremblay, UNB; John Scott Dickson, UNB; Marc Rancourt, SMU

D – Andrew Hotham, SMU; Luke Gallant, UNB

G – Travis Fullerton, UNB

Second Team All-Stars

F – Cam Fergus, SMU; Matt Carter, UPEI; Kyle Bailey, UNB

D – Jonathan Harty, UNB; David MacDonald, SMU

G – Kris Westblom, Acadia

All Rookie Team

F – Chad Locke, UPEI; Spencer Jezegou, Acadia; Chris Culligan, UNB

D – Ben Shutron, UNB; Dylan Quaile, UPEI

G – Neil Conway, SMU

AUS Most Valuable Player (Kelly Trophy): Hunter Tremblay, UNB

AUS Rookie of the Year (A. J. MacAdam Trophy): Ben Shutron, UNB

AUS Coach of the Year (Bob Boucher Trophy): Gardiner MacDougall, UNB

AUS Most Sportsmanlike Player (Done Wells Trophy): Marc Rancourt, SMU

The Godfrey Award (Dr. Randy Gregg Award Nominee): N/A, as I don't know enough about off-ice activities of players.

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18 comments:

  1. Disagree with Harty as a second team all-star. He played half the schedule. Bretton Stamler would be a better choice, I believe.
    Just in an attempt to spread it around a bit, I might go with Dulle over Culligan. (Bad team, but he was the leading scorer on the team, and he had just one point less than Culligan with less of a supporting cast.) On the same principle, spreading the major awards around, I'd be inclined to go with Jezagou over Shutron as rookie of the year.

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  2. Could see Jezegou over Shutron...no way would I go with Dulle over Culligan, Culligan is a great all around team player, Dulle leads his team in points but has 4 times as many pims as Culligan..his play down the stretch is a large reason on why STU faltered, spending 120 minutes in the box loses teams games..120 minutes is double what most of the other pims leaders in the league have. Stamler over Harty would be fair since Stamler played more..If harty played all the time he might have gotten the nod.

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  3. Well I don't believe in spreading things around just to be politically correct ... which of course is probably what will happen!

    :-)

    Even though Harty played 16 games I felt he was more impactful when he played - 15 points and +18 while Stammler had 14 points and was +15 in 28 games played. UNB is different when Harty plays -- especially when he is hitting and jumping up into the play.

    Dulle took too many penalties for me, 120 PIM, which put his team shorthanded too often. Culligan was +14 while Dulle was 0. Culligan had one more game winning goal and one more short handed goal than Dulle. Don't get me wrong, I like Dulle, but there were a lot of good rookies this year.

    Again, I like Jezegou, but Shutron only had 4 less points, yet lead the AUS in +/- at +27.

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  4. UNB Bruins Fan2/15/2010 9:29 pm

    Jared Gomes had a pretty solid rookie season as well...33 points, 7 PPG, 4 GWG, +1...he should get some consideration for a spot on the All Rookie team I would think. I could see Laberge (35 points) and Swan (20 goals) getting some 2nd team votes as well.

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  5. I just don't think you can play half a season and be judged the third or fourth best defenceman in the Conference. Harty plays the more eye catching style in that he lays the big hit but he gets caught out of position as a result. Stammler is smooth and makes few mistakes.
    Culligan was plus 14 on a very good team and centred Tremblay much of the year...you ski in that wake, you're going to pick up some points.
    For a player to be even on a team that gave up 30 more goals than it scored is actually a pretty good feat. There were only two plus players on the whole team.
    As for the PIM, I agree, 120 minutes is too many, but "only" 15 of them were minor penalties. Still too many, perhaps, but the other 90 minutes were misconducts, which, although they subtract the best player from the lineup for an extended time, don't hurt them manpower wise.
    But it's your team, your choices.

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  6. Harty: 17 minors in 16 games.

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  7. There are a lot of good rooikes this year, and I waffled between Gomes and Jesegou. I have no idea who will make the final cut.

    What can I say, I like exciting players so that has me favouring Harty. But I agree, Stamler is probably a "safer" choice, and a much smoother Nick Lidstrom type defenceman.

    When it comes to PIMs, I agree I should have stipulated that Dulle did pick up a lot of 10 minute misconducts to pad his numbers. But I'm more forgiving about a defenceman taking penalties to "prevent a goal scoring opportunity" that a forward on his team's top offensive line.

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  8. Locke, Gomes, and Culligan up front. AUS always bases stars on points.

    Quaile and Shutron on the backend. Does Quaile qualify as a rookie where he has a year of pro? If not, Pageau from X.

    Gillis from X for goalie.

    If Dulle would have had two more points (which he had in the first game against Moncton but was not credited for) he would have made it. He was in on goal 1 and 3 and not credited for either. listen here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYNzTMbn9B4

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  9. I also wondered if Quaile would be ineligible for rookie team honours for playing pro as a 20-year-old last year. You make a good point, and instead of just wondering it at the time I probably should have not have picked Quaile over Pageau or even fellow X rookie Spence McAvoy.

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  10. I'd have to say that it is quite an achievement on the part of Chris Culligan to earn that 1st line center position on this year's UNB team. He has also been used most of the year as one of the top two penalty killing pairs on the team. I love to watch him on the backcheck creating turnovers. In the Dal game Saturday night he came back very hard to prevent a wide open scoring chance with the score 4-2 in the 3rd period.

    As far as points go there are often 5 players involved in the scoring play, the way UNB moves the puck and the way the UNB defense gets involved in the rush. Culligan is usually the player reading the play and dropping back to fill that defense position to help prevent odd man transition rushes.

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  11. David Ritchie2/18/2010 4:46 pm

    Solid arguments by Bill Hunt on the Harty selection. He missed a lot of time, and his gambling style might be exciting, but a little risky,too. Stamler much better choice. Believe Dave MacDonald gets the nod over Hotham as the first time all-star; same with Cody Thornton over Rancourt; MacAvoy is my pick as the top rookie defenceman and you have to give Wayne Savage one of the goaltending spots. He's the biggest reason why UPEI had such a solid second half. Culligan deserves the forward over Dulle, as much for disciplinary reasons as any. Dulle isn't a very good defensive player either, and Culligan is strong at both ends. He's the quintessential team player as well. Agree with David about Tremblay's credentials as the top player, and Gallant is definitely a first team all-star. Shutron has has an exceptional first year as wel.

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  12. Culligan will likely get the nod and I don't have a strenuous disagreement with it, But both players had 12 goals. Five of Culligan's came on the power play. Culligan had 20 assists, playing most of the season on a line with two of the top players in the country.
    Dulle had no such luxury.
    Culligan is a strong two-way player, but to suggest that Dulle isn't -- again, I point out, he was an even player on a team which surrendered 30 more goals than it scored. That would suggest he's at least an adequate defensive player.
    Thornton over Rancourt?
    Rancourt finished second in the league in scoring, is capping off a fine five-year-career, was a plus nine to Thornton's plus one, scored two game winners among his eight goals (Thornton didn't have a single game winner among his 24 goals). Fifteen of them came on the power play. If you're going to give Thornton an award, perhaps the Cy Young (24-9). Rarely disagree with the boss on matters of CIS hockey, but on these two...
    Tremblay's credentials as player of the year, both in the Conference and in the country, are impeccable, and I agree, Gallant a certain first team all-star on D.

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  13. I don't know how many fans would agree with Mr. Hunt's basic dismissal of Chris Culligan's 2 way skills with his "you ski in that wake, you're going to pick up some points" comment. Most fans would probably agree that you have to be a very good player just to get to ski in that wake.

    It's also nice to see that Hunter Tremblay and John Scott Dixon had such good years while playing with a rookie center who probably had an awful lot of 3rd assists this year that don't get registered but are most likely greatly appreciated by teammates and coaches.

    Maybe Mr. Hunt could ask Tremblay and Dixon about their rookie center and how he contributed to their success this year?

    Anyway, I'll leave the final words to coach Mike Eagles after Kenton Dulle and Tyler Dietrich, two thirds of the Tommies high scoring Wild West Line, both received game misconducts in the third period. Dulle for checking from behind at the 10 minute mark. Dulle also got a 10 minute misconduct for checking to the head early in the second.

    "I am embarrassed by it and there is not a whole lot more I can say about that," said head coach Mike Eagles.



    Kenton Dulle and Tyler Dietrich, two thirds of the Tommies high scoring Wild West Line, both received game misconducts in the third period. Dulle for checking from behind at the 10 minute mark. Dulle also got a 10 minute misconduct for checking to the head early in the second.

    "I am embarrassed by it and there is not a whole lot more I can say about that," said head coach Mike Eagles.

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  14. Not slagging Culligan or cheering for Dulle in any way. I work in the city and got to watch both play on a regular basis this year. Just offering the other side for debate, that's all. Culligan is a very good player on a very good team. Dulle is a good player on a bad team. He didn't have the calibre of talent surrounding him that Culligan did and yet his stats were very similar. I don't favour one over the other, simply offer the comparisons for discussion.
    Relax "Anonymous"

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  15. Mr. Hunt, perhaps it wouldn't have seemed like you were slagging Culligan if you had simply said, voters have tough choices to make between forwards, Locke, Gomes, Jezegou, Dulle and Culligan, who have all had very strong 1st seasons.

    Anyway, I honestly think Culligan's 2 way play speaks for itself but I wonder how the other AUS coaches who tried very hard to recruit him but were disappointed that he went to UNB will vote.

    I promise to relax or "chill".

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  16. Apologies if anyone interpreted anything I said as a negative toward Culligan. I've spoken to the young man briefly over the course of the season, seen him enough to realize he's a fine hockey player and will have a fine university career. My central point was just that -- that there are other fine first year players in the Conference, even on a last place team. If you're looking for a diamond in the rubble of a last place team, Dulle would be it.

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  17. I Agree with the fact that Harty didn't play enough games to be up for 2nd team all-star but he did get more points then Stamler with 8 less games played and alot more time in the box of course. but to say he's a risky player is innacurate as we was plus 18 and stamler being the safer choice was only plus 15 in 8 less games for a team that scores abundances of goals. My 2 cents on those two

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