Harvard commit Sean Farrell was named USHL Player of the Year after the Hopkinton, Mass., native had a record-shattering 2020-21 campaign with the Chicago Steel.
Farrell became just the second player in the USHL’s Tier 1 history to surpass the 100-point mark in a single season. In 53 regular-season games, Farrell recorded 29 goals and 72 assists for 101 points. He added two goals and eight assists in eight playoff games as the Steel captured the Clark Cup championship.
It was Farrell’s second season in the USHL after spending the two previous seasons with USA Hockey’s NTDP. Farrell spent a season of prep hockey playing for Carl Corazzini at St. Mark’s. The 2020 fourth-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens will matriculate to Harvard in the fall, a year later than expected, due to the coronavirus.
“Sean had one of the best, if not the best season in USHL history and is much deserving of this award. Sean is an amazing hockey player and an even better person,” said Chicago Steel head coach Brock Sheahan in a press release.
Farrell was one of three players with ties to the region who took home honors when the USHL announced five major award winners on Monday. Fellow Crimson commit Matt Coronato was named USHL Forward of the Year. Boston Bruins 2020 draft pick Mason Lohrei earned USHL Defenseman of the Year honors.
Coronato, a teammate of Farrell’s in Chicago, led the USHL in scoring with 48 goals in 51 regular-season games. He added nine tallies in the postseason. The New York City native’s 85 points marked a 45-point increase year over year. Prior to heading to the USHL, Coronato played prep hockey at Salisbury. He is projected to be a first-round pick in July’s NHL draft.
Lohrei, a second-round pick of the Boston Bruins in the most recent draft, took his game to a new level in 2020-21, his second full season in the USHL. Playing for the Green Bay Gamblers, Lohrei scored 20 goals and 41 assists in 50 games. He led all USHL defensemen in every major offensive category — goals, assists and points. The Baton Rouge, La., native and Culver Military Academy alum will be heading to Ohio State in the fall.
The other two major awards went to Akira Schmid of the Sioux City Musketeers and Cole Sillinger of the Sioux Falls Stampede. Schmid, who recently signed an NHL entry-level contract with the New Jersey Devils, was named USHL Goaltender of the Year. The Bern, Switzerland, native posted a .921 save percentage in 36 regular-season appearances.
Sillinger, an ’03 from Columbus, Ohio, joined the league midway through the year when it became clear the WHL wouldn’t play a real season. He potted 24 goals and added 22 helpers in 31 games. A projected first-round pick in July, he previously played for the Medicine Hat Tigers in the WHL, a Canadian major junior league.
