The 2023-24 college hockey season was another good one for New England.
Boston College reached the Division 1 men's national championship after winning the Hockey East men's tournament championship. Boston University also reached the Frozen Four, and Quinnipiac, UMass Amherst and Maine reached the men's NCAA tournament as well.
Maine enjoyed a resurgence, reaching the national tournament for the first time since 2012.
On the women's side, UConn reached the women's national tournament after taking the Hockey East women's tournament championship.
Here are our 2024 New England college hockey awards.
Hockey East Player of the Year
Will Smith, Boston College
It was hard not to hand this honor to Macklin Celebrini, but Smith’s play was incredible. The Lexington, Mass., native scored 25 goals and led the nation (yes, the nation) in points with 71. He was the straw that stirred the drink on the freshman line with Ryan Leonard (Amherst, Mass.) and Gabe Perreault. In Year 1, he got BC all the way to the national championship. His all-world skill and hockey sense are the biggest reasons why he will fit in the NHL when he decides to make the move.
LATEST MAGAZINE: Check out the May/June edition of the New England Hockey Journal magazine
Hockey East Rookie of the Year
Macklin Celebrini, Boston University
Celebrini, at just 17 years old, won the Hobey Baker Award. He scored 32 goals and ranked third in the nation in points with 64. He led Boston University to the Frozen Four and did so as the best player on his team. His outstanding season led him to go from probably the No. 1 pick in June’s NHL Draft to being the consensus No. 1 choice.
Hockey East Coach of the Year
Ben Barr, Maine
Maine was on our September/October 2023 cover with the headline “THE BUZZ IS BACK.” Throughout the season, the Black Bears proved the buzz was legitimate, going 23-12-2 and earning a spot in the NCAA tournament. That all started with Barr, who was in his third season as head coach at Maine. He’s set a culture that looks to have rerouted Maine on a path to its glory days.
Hockey East Goalie of the Year
Jacob Fowler, Boston College
A lot of the hype at BC this season centered around the young scoring up front and rightfully so. But the X-factor was Fowler. The freshman netminder ranked fourth in the nation in save percentage (.926) and eighth in goals-against average (2.14). At times, he seemed impossible to beat. Hockey East has had a great track record with goalies moving on to have success in the NHL. Fowler projects to be the next one years down the line.
ECAC Player of the Year
Collin Graf, Quinnipiac
A Hobey Baker Award top-10 finalist for the second consecutive year, Graf (Lincoln, Mass.) led the Bobcats and the conference with 22 goals and 49 points across his 34-game junior campaign. He was also named the ECAC's Best Defensive Forward. Graf signed an entry-level contract and made his NHL debut with the San Jose Sharks following the conclusion of Quinnipiac's season.
GOALTENDING: What are the best developmental paths and techniques for young goalies?
ECAC Rookie of the Year
CJ Foley, Dartmouth
The Hanover, Mass., native and Thayer grad made a huge impact as a first-year defenseman. He finished with five goals and 20 points as the Big Green's third-leading scorer and tops among the team's rookies. He was responsible defensively, ranking second on the team at plus-5.
ECAC Coach of the Year
Reid Cashman, Dartmouth
Cashman became the third Big Green coach to earn ECAC Hockey Coach of the Year honors after guiding the team to ECAC Championship Weekend for the first time since 2016. A seven-game unbeaten run at the end of the season allowed Cashman's club to climb from ninth to fourth place in the league standings.
ECAC Goalie of the Year
Vinny Duplessis, Quinnipiac
The Boston University transfer made a seamless transition to Quinnipiac's net, following the pro signing of Yaniv Perets. Duplessis went 21-7-2 with a fifth-in-the-nation 2.02 GAA and .914 save percentage. Duplessis pitched three shutouts on the season. He allowed two or fewer goals in 10 of his final 12 starts, helping the Bobcats advance within a win of a return Frozen Four berth. The Quebec City native signed an amateur tryout agreement with the Providence Bruins in April.
Atlantic Player of the Year
Liam McLinskey, Holy Cross
After a dominant playoff run as a sophomore that led Holy Cross to the Atlantic Hockey title game, McLinskey, a native of Pearl River, N.Y., continued his emergence as one of the best players in New England. He led the conference with 47 points, including 19 goals. No Crusader had reached that point total in 17 years. He was the first Hobey Baker Award finalist and second Division 1 All-American in program history.
Atlantic Rookie of the Year
Nils Wallstrom, AIC
Wallstrom beat out two former transfers as the Yellow Jackets' starting goaltender as a freshman and ran with the job. He went 19-12-2 with a .920 save percentage and a 2.27 goals-against average en route to the Atlantic Hockey title game. His 19 wins are the second-most in a single-season in AIC history. Following the season, the Swede committed to Merrimack as a transfer for 2024-25. Wallstrom was named the HCA Goalkeeper of the Month for November.
TRICKLE-DOWN EFFECT: How fifth-year seniors and the transfer portal are affecting junior hockey
Atlantic Coach of the Year
Bill Riga, Holy Cross
Riga (Westboro, Mass.) has led a quick transformation of the Holy Cross program in just three years since arriving in Worcester from Rand Pecknold's Quinnipiac staff. The Crusaders went 21-14-4 this season, resulting in a second-place Atlantic Hockey finish and a repeat trip to the league's postseason final four. Riga's club was led by Atlantic Hockey Player of the Year Liam McLinskey and star goaltender Jason Grande. Both were New England All-Stars.
Atlantic Goalie of the Year
Jason Grande, Holy Cross
Grande backstopped the Crusaders to 13 wins during their first 20-win season since 2012-13. He posted a 2.01 GAA in 22 games, setting a new single-season program record. The senior also led Atlantic Hockey with a .928 save percentage, which was the second-highest mark in the school's Division 1 era. After earning a spot on the All-Atlantic Hockey second team, he signed professionally with the AHL's Bridgeport Islanders.
D1 Women’s Player of the Year
Casey O’Brien, Wisconsin
O’Brien (Milton, Mass.) ranked second in the nation in scoring, pacing all New England natives with 23 goals and a career-high 50 assists en route to a career-best 73 points in 41 games. She helped the Badgers reach a second straight national championship appearance, but they fell short of repeating in a 1-0 loss to Ohio State. She did most of her damage at even strength, scoring just three goals on the power play. O’Brien also had multi-point outings in the national quarterfinals and semifinals.
D1 Women’s Coach of the Year
Chris MacKenzie, UConn
Among New England teams, MacKenzie’s Huskies were among the best, despite entering the season unranked. That quickly changed. UConn started the season 1-3-1 before ripping off eight straight wins as part of a 10-1-1 run entering the semester break. They finished atop the Hockey East regular season standings before winning the conference tournament and reaching the national tournament, where they fell to Minnesota Duluth in double overtime of the regional semifinals. MacKenzie led UConn to a 25-8-5 season (19-4-4 HEA).
BOYS PREP COACHES POLL: Best newcomers and players this season, part 1 | Best players and teams next season, part 2 | A full-season model? Players leaving too early for juniors? Part 3
D1 Women’s Rookie of the Year
Sammy Taber, Boston College
Taber (Tewksbury, Mass.) put up 32 points (13 goals) in 35 games at Boston College, leading the Eagles in both goals and points as a freshman and setting the standard among New England's rookies. The Cushing Academy product finished with the sixth-most goals and fifth-most points among freshmen, nationally. Two of her goals were game-winners, and only one came on the power play.
D1 Women’s Goalie of the Year
Hope Walinski, Providence
Walinski (Lincoln, R.I.) was among the best New England goaltenders in the NCAA this season. In her first season as the starter, the Winchendon product finished the season with a .917 save percentage, a 2.04 goals-against average, four shutouts and an 11-11-4 record, helping PC reach overtime of the Hockey East quarterfinals. She ranked fifth in save percentage, third in GAA and third in shutouts among starting goaltenders in Hockey East.
