The University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team officially wrapped up the 2018-19 season Thursday night at its annual banquet, where it announced its team awards, as well as next season's captains.

Freshman center Gabbie Hughes was named the Bulldogs Most Valuable Player after putting up the best numbers by a UMD rookie in almost a decade this past season with a blistering 37 points on 19 goals and 18 assists in just 33 games.  No other Western Collegiate Hockey Association rookie came close to the 1.12 points per game output the Lino Lakes, Minn. native posted, which also ranked fourth in the NCAA among all other rookies.  Named to the USCHO.com's All-Rookie Team, Hughes' points per game number also slotted her fourth overall among all scorers in the WCHA.

Hughes was just the third UMD freshman in program history to lead a Bulldog squad in scoring as a rookie, and just the seventh freshman to average 1.10 PPG or more.  Named an All-WCHA Third Team member, as well as to the WCHA All-Rookie Team last month, the Lino Lakes, Minn. native was also the WCHA's Rookie of the Month for January.  She was also twice named the WCHA's Forward of the Week, as well as the WCHA's Rookie of the Week for her efforts this past season.


Junior forward and captain Sydney Brodt was awarded the Maroon and Gold award, voted on by the team.  The award honors the player who the team thinks best combines the team values of work ethic, attitude and commitment to the team and to the game of hockey.   A North Oaks, Minn. product, Brodt finished her junior campaign with eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points in 35 games and was named the NCAA Star of the Week on Jan. 23, as well as both a 2018-19 WCHA Scholar Athlete and WCHA All-Academic Honoree.  Brodt also won gold with the U.S. National Team in both the IIHF Women's World Championship a month ago and at Four Nations Cup last November.


Sophomore forward Anna Klein was chosen UMD's Breakthrough Player of the Year by the coaching staff, presented annually to the student-athlete who made the most progress in her development as an athlete in a given year.  The Edina, Minn. native blossomed in her second season, compiling 12 goals and 11 assists for 23 points in 35 games, which ranked her fourth on the team in scoring.  Klein posted the third-highest plus/minus rating of +9, and had two game-winning goals and added a power play tally.  Twice running up scoring streaks of four games, Klein was also named a 2018-19 WCHA Scholar Athlete, as well as a 2018-19 WCHA All-Academic Team member.


The Bulldog program also named its 2019-20 team captains Thursday night, including soon-to-be seniors Brodt and defenseman Jalyn Elmes, who were both team captains in 2018-19 as juniors.  Next season, Brodt, who was already the youngest team captain in UMD history when she earned the honor as a sophomore, will also become the first player to have worn the "C" for three seasons.