The Gridiron Club of Greater Boston announced Sunday the 18 semifinalists for the fifteenth Joe Concannon Award, presented annually to the best American-born college player in New England at the NCAA Division II/III level.
This year’s list is made up of nine forwards, five defensemen and four goaltenders. The candidates include eight players from the NESCAC, six from the ECAC East, three from the ECAC Northeast and one from the Northeast-10.
Twelve of the semifinalists are from nationally-ranked teams (as of Feb. 8, 2015).
| Player's Name | Position | Class | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joey Ballmer | G | So. | Johnson & Wales |
| Jackson Brewer | F | Sr. | Trinity |
| Stephen Buco | F | Sr. | Massachusetts-Boston |
| Ryan Cole | F | So. | Trinity |
| Joe Collins | F | Jr. | Southern New Hampshire |
| Aaron Deutsch | D | Sr. | Amherst |
| Sean Dougherty | G | Sr. | Williams |
| Michael Flynn | D | Sr. | Trinity |
| Craig Kitto | F | Sr. | Williams |
| Michael Kuhn | F | Sr. | Massachusetts-Boston |
| Alex Larson | G | Jr. | Nichols |
| Jamie Murray | G | Jr. | Babson |
| Dean Niezgoda | F | Jr. | Norwich |
| Connor Quinn | F | Sr. | Bowdoin |
| Alex Pompeo | D | Jr. | Salve Regina |
| E.J. Rauseo | F | So. | Colby |
| Alec Thieda | D | Sr. | Norwich |
| Mike Vollmin | D | Jr. | Babson |
“This cadre of 18 semifinalists is the largest group we have ever included for consideration,” said Gridiron Club Hockey Awards Committee chairman Tim Costello in a news release. “This list reflects the high level of play and talent found across the conferences in New England. Our committee believes that the level of play merited increasing the number of players for consideration. As is the case each season, it will definitely be a challenge for the committee to pick the winner from the players nominated.”
The Gridiron Club will announce the finalists and winner of the award in March, prior to the start of the Frozen Four, and will formally present the award during the New England Hockey Writers dinner in April.
Brewer won the award in 2014.
