Over the past two weeks, college hockey conferences have handed out their year-end awards and there are a number of BCHL alumni members taking home hardware.
CCHA Player of the Year & Forward of the Year
Sam Morton – Graduate – Minnesota State University (Wenatchee Wild)
Morton paced all CCHA skaters in goals (15), goals per game (0.63), power-play goals (8), shots (102), faceoff wins (292) and faceoff wins per game (12.2). Adding six assists, he was fourth in points (21) and faceoff percentage (56.3%). He was named CCHA Forward of the Month in January after totaling six goals and three assists for nine points. Morton had four multi-point games, including three points on three different occasions. He opened the Mavericks’ CCHA schedule with a five-game point streak and added a six-game streak in January.
Morton was a standout in the BCHL with the Wenatchee Wild for two years from 2016 to 2018. In his second year in the league, he notched 54 points in 58 games and another 25 in in 20 playoff games, helping Wenatchee to a Fred Page Cup championship. After a year and a half of NCAA hockey at Union College, Morton returned to the Wild to finish the 2019-20 campaign, posting 31 points in 26 games, before committing to Minnesota State.
Morton recently signed an NHL contract with the Calgary Flames at the conclusion of his college season and was also named a Top-10 Finalist for the Hobey Baker Award for college hockey’s best player.
CCHA Co-Defensive Forward of the Year
Connor Milburn – Sophomore – Lake Superior State University (Chilliwack Chiefs)
Milburn led the Lakers in assists (15), points (24) and faceoff wins (210) during CCHA play this season, winning 47.6 per cent of his draws and blocking 13 shots at the defensive end. Adding nine goals, including two game-winners, he was third in plus-minus (+6) and shots (57). Milburn led the conference in points, was second in assists and multi-point games (7) and fourth in faceoff wins.
The oldest of three brothers who have spent time in the BCHL, Milburn played three seasons with the Chilliwack Chiefs, including one as captain in 2022-23. He put up 23 points in 36 games in his final season in the league, plus another four goals in 11 postseason contests.
Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Year
Tommy Scarfone – Junior – Rochester Institute of Technology (Surrey Eagles)
Scarfone posted a 24-8-2 mark for the Tigers this season that includes a 16-5-1 record in Atlantic Hockey play. The overall win total ranks fourth in conference history, while the 16 conference wins is tied for seventh. His four shutouts this season lead all Atlantic Hockey netminders and tie him for fourth nationally. Scarfone also became the 37th goaltender in AHA history – and the third in RIT’s Division I era – to reach 2,000 saves this season and now ranks 23rd on the conference’s career saves list with 2,443 stops. He also ranks seventh in AHA career save percentage (.922) and goals-against average (2.34).
Scarfone played for the Surrey Eagles for two seasons from 2019 to 2021. He finished his BCHL stint with a career save percentage of .922 and a goals-against average of 2.50. During the shortened 2020-21 pod season, he backstopped the Eagles to first place in the Coquitlam Pod.
Atlantic Hockey Individual Sportsmanship Award
Braeden Tuck – Graduate – Sacred Heart University (Trail Smoke Eaters)
Tuck was whistled for just three minor penalties in 33 games for a team that was the least-penalized in Atlantic Hockey. In five seasons with SHU, the Calgary, Alta. native has been whistled for just seven minor penalties while playing in 157 contests. He recorded 17 points on six goals and 11 assists this season and netted four game-winning goals, including two overtime winners.
Tuck played three seasons in Trail, including one as captain, and ended his BCHL career with 108 points in 165 regular-season games, adding another 27 in 38 playoff games.
ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Year
CJ Foley – Freshman – Dartmouth College (Salmon Arm Silverbacks)
Foley racked up 18 points through 22 games this year, good for fourth in scoring for the Big Green and top among all defencemen. With a line of 5-13-18, Foley managed to notch one power-play, one shorthanded, and one game-winning goal. The first-year defender registered 57 shots on net and finished with a plus-minus rating of plus-three.
The 20-year-old played the 2022-23 season with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks where he led the team in points from the back end, putting up seven goals and 20 assists in 48 regular-season games. He was also productive during Salmon Arm’s postseason run, contributing eight points in 14 games.
ECAC Hockey Best Defensive Defenceman
Trey Taylor – Sophomore – Clarkson University (Vernon Vipers)
In his sophomore season, Taylor showcased his abilities as a two-way defender, tallying three goals and 11 assists to lead the Golden Knights defence in scoring, while posting a plus-14 rating. The Richmond, B.C. native registered 60 shots on goal and blocked 36.
Taylor played three seasons with the Vernon Vipers from 2018 to 2021, suiting up for 125 regular-season games in the BCHL and another 26 in the playoffs.
ECAC Hockey Best Defensive Forward
Jacob Quillan – Junior – Quinnipiac University (Penticton Vees)
Quillan is coming off a career-best season with the Bobcats, recording 10 goals and 20 assists in 22 games played for a 1.36 points per game average. Quillan also tallied three goals on the man advantage. The junior forward registered 64 shots on goal and maintained a plus-18 rating this year.
The Dartmouth, N.S. product played the 2020-21 pod season with the Penticton Vees and was the team’s second-leading scorer with 27 points in 20 games after putting up 13 goals and 14 assists. He also scored the overtime game-winning goal for Quinnipiac in the national championship game last season.
Hockey East Defensive Defenceman of the Year
Cade Webber – Senior – Boston University (Penticton Vees)
Webber enjoyed his best season as a Terrier in 2023-24, highlighted by setting a new single-season NCAA record for blocked shots with 118, which eclipsed the old record of 112. He averaged 3.68 blocks per game, including seven at Providence the night he set the NCAA single-season record, and totaled seven games with six blocks. Webber was a career-best plus-16 this season, including a plus-9 rating in 24 league games.
The 2019 fourth-round NHL draft pick played the 2019-20 season with the Penticton Vees and scored two goals, while adding three assists, in 23 games before being shut down for the season due to injury.
