Junior defenseman
Scott Perunovich, who was named the 2020 Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner this past April, was bestowed with the Keith "Huffer" Christiansen Award as UMD's Most Valuable Player for 2019-20 on Friday morning during an online awards ceremony.
Perunovich, a native of Hibbing, Minn., attained All-American status for a third time in 2019-20, something only two other Bulldogs -- Connolly (2009-12) and defenseman Norm Maciver (1983-86) had ever done before. Perunovich, who signed a two-year entry contract with the National Hockey League's St. Louis Blues, was chosen the 2019-20 National Collegiate Hockey Conference Player of the Year after pacing that circuit in scoring -- the first defenseman to ever do that. He also became the first, three-time all-NCHC first team pick in league history and joined Jack Connolly (2010-12 with the Western Collegiate Hockey Association) as the only two Bulldogs to land all-conference first team honors in three different seasons. Perunovich concluded his junior year occupying the No. 2 spot on the NCAA defensemen scoring charts with a UMD-leading (and career-best) 40 points. His 22 power play points and 34 assists also ranked first and second, respectively, among all NCAA skaters. This past February, the Hibbing, Minn., product became the 58th member of the UMD Century Club -- the first Bulldog blueliner to reach that milestone since three-time All-American Norm Maciver back in 1984-85. A three-time NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year Award winner, Perunovich closed out 2019-20 with the highest career points per game average (0.91) of any active NCAA defenseman in the nation and became UMD's program leading sixth Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner.
In addition,
Quinn Olson received the Jerry Chumola Rookie of the Year Award on the heels of a debut season in which he topped all Bulldog newcomers in goals (7), assists (8) and points (15). The Goldie Wolfe Award (Most Inspirational Player) went to sophomore right winger and 2020-21 team captain
Noah Cates, while sophomore forward
Cole Koepke earned the Mike Sertich Award (Most Improved Player) after collecting 33 points -- a 15-point increase from his rookie season -- to rank tied for second on the club. Senior center
Jade Miller was given the Pat Francisco Community Service Award.
The University of Minnesota Duluth hockey program also announced its team captains for the 2020-21 season. Captaining the two-time defending NCAA National Champions will be junior forward
Noah Cates (Captain), who will become the first undergraduate captain to lead the Bulldogs since current UMD men's hockey assistant coach
Adam Krause co-captained the Bulldogs in 2013-14. Seniors
Louie Roehl and
Nick Swaney along with junior
Cole Koepke will serve as assistant captains.
Gallery: (4-30-2020) Men's Hockey Awards 2020
