The CHA men’s conference has announced its 2022-23 season award winners, including player of the year, coach of the year, freshman of the year, the all-conference team, and the all-freshman team.
The 2022-23 Player of the Year is Matus Spodniak, a senior forward at Adrian. The Kosice, Slovakia, native not only paced the conference in scoring but currently leads the NCAA Division III level in total points (28 goals, 27 assists, 55 points), points per game (1.96), and goals (28), while also sitting tied for third in assists (27) and tied for ninth in game-winning goals (4).
“Matus has had a career year – absolutely one of the best I’ve seen during my time as a coach,” Adrian coach Adam Krug said in a news release. “When it comes to his speed, shot, and strength, when any two of those three are on, I’ve never seen anything like it. Matus has the ability to take over a game at any moment. And there have been many. He has a knack for scoring in bunches and at big moments. It’s been a pleasure to be around him every day, it’s hard not to be a fan sometimes when he’s on the ice.”
Spodniak made his mark in NCHA action, rising to the top of all of the offensive leaderboards. In league play, Spodniak put together a 14-19-33 statline that gave him the top point, goal, and assist numbers league-wide this winter.
“It’s great to see a person like Matus get this recognition,” Krug said. “The growth he’s shown during his time here, too, has been tremendous. He works so hard: on the ice, in the weight room, and in the classroom. He’s undoubtedly one of the best people I’ve ever been around. This past December, he graduated with a 3.75 GPA, which is remarkable to me, given that English is his second language. His graduation being posted on social media caused some speculation that his time in college hockey was done and he garnered quite a bit of pro hockey attention, including several ECHL opportunities. To his credit, he stayed, and is pursuing a master’s degree. We are receiving calls daily from ECHL teams and a few AHL organizations have shown interest.
“I just hope we can keep this run going and I can continue to coach Matus just a little bit longer.”
The league coaches also voted for freshman of the year, resulting in MSOE’s Gramm McCormack earning the distinction. The newcomer put together an impressive campaign, finishing 13th in overall points (12-18-30 in 27 games), while compiling 18 points (8-10-18) in league play.
Krug is the 2022-23 coach of the year, marking three straight seasons he has now earned the distinction and five times in his career. He has led the Bulldogs to another impressive campaign, currently sitting at 22-4-2 overall and ranked No. 3 in the USCHO.com poll this week. The Bulldogs went 13-4-1 in NCHA play to claim the Peters Cup championship for the ninth straight season (and 15th time in the past 16 years) to extend an amazing streak. Krug claimed career victory No. 200 Feb. 17 and is now 202-44-13 for a winning percentage of .805, giving him the highest winning percentage of any active head coach across all NCAA divisions.
2022-23 Men’s NCHA All-Conference Team (alphabetical)
Forward: Garrett Hallford, Sr., Trine
Forward: Jack Jaunich, Sr., Aurora
Forward: Adam Keyes Sr., Aurora
Forward: Michael McCheseny Sr., St. Norbert
Forward: Sam Ruffin Gr., Adrian
Forward: Matus Spodniak, Sr., Adrian
Defense: Jaden Condotta, Fr., Aurora
Defense: Matteas Derraugh, So., Lake Forest
Defense: Brendan Mark, Sr., St. Norbert
Defense: Chase Spencer, Jr., Adrian
Goalie: Colby Muise, Sr., Marian
Goalie: Kolby Thornton, Fr., Aurora
All-Freshman Team
F: Hassan Akl, Aurora
F: Colin Bella, Lake Forest
F: Gramm McCormack, MSOE
D: Jaden Condotta, Aurora
D: Noah Pickart, Marian
G: Kyle Kozma, Trine
