Sophomore winger Mason Raymond left quite an imprint during his somewhat short time with the University of Minnesota Duluth hockey program and Sunday at their annual awards banquet, the Bulldogs honored the All-Western Collegiate Hockey Association first team selection by bestowing him with the 2006-07 Mike Seiler Award as UMD's Most Valuable Player.



A native of Cochrane, Alberta, Raymond reigned as the WCHA’s leader this past winter in overall power play points (28), was second in overall assists (32) and tied for third in overall scoring (46 points). Those 46 total points were not only 15 more than the next nearest teammate, but were the most by a Bulldogs since Junior Lessard racked up 63 points on the way to capturing the 2003-04 Hobey Baker Memorial Award. Raymond, a 2005-06 WCHA All-Rookie Team honoree who took part in all 79 games since joining the Bulldog fold one year ago, also had a hand in more of his team’s total goals (44.7 percent) than any other WCHA player in 2006-07. One week after putting the wraps on his sensational sophomore season, Raymond signed a professional contract with the Vancouver Canucks, the National Hockey League club which made him their second round pick in the 2005 draft.



Goaltender Alex Stalock of South St. Paul, Minn., a member of the WCHA's All-Rookie Team, landed the team's Rookie of the Year Award. The only first-year goalie to record a shutout in WCHA play this season (turned the trick in an 0-0 overtime tie at Michigan Tech on Nov. 10), Stalock paced all league rookie goaltenders in a legion of statistical categories including appearances (23), starts (22), minutes (1363:30), saves (560), and goals against average (3.34). He also played in every minute of UMD's opening 10 games -- the first Bulldog netminder to do that since the 1994-95 season -- and had four assists to his 2006-07 credit as well.



Senior goaltender Josh Johnson and freshman defenseman Trent Palm (Edina, Minn.) were both selected the Bulldogs' Most Improved Players Johnson experienced a remarkable stretch run -- he allowed just 20 goals with two shutouts in his last 11 appearances -- this winter and wound up posting the best single-season goals against average (2.14) and saves percentage (.922) marks in team history. In addition, the Esko, Minn., native finished as the school’s all-time leader in those same two departments (2.71 goals against and .905 saves percentage). Palm, who became the first U.S. National Under-18 product to ever don a Bulldog uniform, skated a regular shift in 32 of the team's 39 games -- including 31 of the last 32 -- and had one goal to show for it.



UMD's Most Inspirational Player honor (the Goldie Wolfe Award) went to senior center Jeff McFarland of Plymouth, Minn. while junior right winger Mike Curry of Eagle River, Alaska received the Bob Junkert Award for possessing the best plus-minus rating (plus-4) of any 2006-07 Bulldog.



UMD, which concluded the 2006-07 regular season by going unbeaten in 10 of its final 16 outings (8-6-2), posted a 13-21-5 overall record and placed ninth in the WCHA standings with an 8-16-4 mark.