USA Hockey will honor 12 individuals at its President’s Awards Dinner on June 7 at the Denver Marriott Tech Center as part of its four-day annual meeting that begins on June 5.
Player of the year honorees include Bob Allen Women’s Player of the Year Laila Edwards and Jim Johannson College Player of the Year Cutter Gauthier.
Edwards etched her name in the hockey history books this season becoming the youngest American skater to be named MVP at an IIHF Women’s World Championship. The Cleveland native earned the honor after posting a tournament-leading six-goal performance at the 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championship, helping to anchor the U.S. to its 23rd-straight medal in the event.
Edwards, who became the first black woman to skate for the U.S. Women’s National Team at an international event, recorded eight points, the third highest point total at the tournament. She notched her first career goal during the team’s preliminary round game against Czechia and also posted her first career hat trick during a 5-0 semifinal victory against Finland.
She shined in the gold medal game, recording a team-leading two points, including the first U.S. goal midway through the opening period. In addition to earning tournament MVP honors, she was also voted to the tournament’s Media All-Star Team.
As a sophomore at Wisconsin during the 2023-24 season, Edwards recorded 56 points (21 goals, 35 assists), skating in all 41 of the Badgers’ games.
The forward earned Third Team All-WCHA honors, recording four points (two goals, two assists) in the WCHA Final Faceoff championship game and a goal and assist in the national semifinal game against Colgate, propelling Wisconsin to an NCAA Frozen Four championship game appearance.
Edwards also represented Team USA during the 2023-24 Rivalry Series, making her U.S. Women’s National Team debut in a 5-2 victory over Canada at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles in Game 2 of the series.
A sophomore forward, Gauthier was a standout at Boston College during the 2023-24 college hockey season. The Scottsdale, Ariz., native helped lead the Eagles to both the Hockey East regular-season and tournament championship, and propelled BC to its first national championship game appearance since 2012.
Gauthier led the nation in scoring with 38 goals, including a chart-topping 10 game-winners, and ranked second nationally with 65 points. His 13 power-play goals ranked second nationally, as he tallied an impressive 1.59 points per game.
Gauthier, who signed an entry-level contract with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks following the college season in April, was named an AHCA Division I First Team All-American as well as earning All-Hockey East First Team honors.
Gauthier’s goal-scoring ability and dominance made him a Hobey Baker Memorial Award Hat Trick finalist and a Hockey East Player of the Year finalist. He also received the Walter Brown Award, presented annually to the best American-born college hockey player in New England.
On the international stage, Gauthier helped Team USA to a gold medal at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship. The alternate captain tallied the game-winning goal late in the third period in the United States’ 3-2 semifinal victory against Finland. He registered a tournament-leading 12 points and earned the Directorate Award for Best Forward, as well as a nod on the Media All-Star Team. His 10 assists were the third-most by an American in a single World Junior Championship.
In addition, Fargo Force (USHL) goalie Hampton Slukynsky, an incoming Northern Michigan freshman, was named Dave Peterson Goaltender of the Year and Fargo teammate Mac Swanson, an incoming North Dakota freshman, was tabbed the Dave Tyler Junior Player of the Year.
Slukynsky backstopped the Force to a historic season in 2023-24. The netminder helped his team to a record-breaking 50-10-2 regular season, setting a new mark for most single-season team wins in USHL history, before leading Fargo to its second Clark Cup title.
The netminder finished the USHL regular season with a 28-3-0 record in 33 games played. His 28 wins and five shutouts each led the league. He also paced all USHL goaltenders by a considerable margin with a 1.86 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage. He was named USHL Goaltender of the Year and earned First Team All-USHL honors.
The Warroad, Minn., native was a postseason workhorse for Fargo, as he started all 12 games during the team’s Clark Cup playoffs run, posting 9-3-0 record. His 1.69 goals-against average in the playoffs tied for the league lead, and his .931 save percentage ranked fourth.
On the international stage, Slukynsky helped the 2023 U.S. Junior Select Team to a third-place finish at the 2023 World Junior A Challenge in Truro, N.S., in December. He started five games for Team USA, compiling a 4-0-1-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record. He posted a 2.99 goals-against average, which ranked second-best in the tournament, and a .872 save percentage.
Swanson led all USHL skaters with 51 assists and ranked third in the league with 77 points in 55 games played. Swanson’s stellar performance earned him USHL Player of the Year honors, and he was also named USHL Forward of the Year and a USHL First Team All-American.
The Anchorage, Alaska, native’s success continued into the postseason, where he paced all skaters in goals (5), assists (12), and points (17) and was named the USHL Clark Cup Playoffs Most Valuable Player after leading Fargo to a Clark Cup championship.
On the international stage, Swanson appeared on the 2023 U.S. Junior Select Team that finished third at the 2023 World Junior A Challenge in Truro, N.S., in December. He led all skaters at the tournament with nine assists and tied for a Team USA lead with 11 points in six games. He also was selected to participate at the 2024 Chipotle All-American Game in January.
Other awards include Army West Point alum Jim Clare being named the Walter Yaciuk Award winner, former NCAA on-ice official Mark Sampson winning the Chet Stewart Award, former New England College and Middlebury coach and New Hampshire player Bill Beaney honored with the Distinguished Achievement Award, and former Harvard women’s player Amy Lowe taking home the Wm. Thayer Tutt Award.
Clare was involved in youth hockey and coaching education both in Illinois and at the national level for over 25 years.
A native of Weymouth, Mass., Clare played youth hockey in the Boston area before going on to play NCAA Division I hockey at West Point. He spent seven years as a captain in the Army before retiring in 1994.
Clare moved to Illinois and shortly after began his involvement with Amateur Hockey Association Illinois in 1998 when his oldest son started playing youth hockey.
Clare coached every level from 6U to 14U for Sabre Hockey Association in Naperville, Ill., as his three sons progressed through the program. He also coached the Sabres’ girls 19U team for five years. From 2003-16, Clare served on the Sabres’ board of directors, including a 10-year stint as the club’s president from 2006-16.
In 2010, Clare joined the AHAI board of directors, where he served as vice president of membership. During his time there, Clare was part of nearly every AHAI committee over the years, including Try Hockey for Free, the suspension/review committee, and the A Step Ahead concussion prevention committee, among others.
Clare’s dedication to inclusion and growing the game was evident throughout his career. He also organized coaching clinics specifically for coaches in the disabled hockey section and played a role in the growth of the AHAI special hockey program.
On the national level, he was a USA Hockey coaching education program instructor for nearly a decade and for three years from 2016 to 2019, ran in-person coaching clinics in Illinois. When clinics went virtual during the COVID-19 pandemic, Clare ran online seminars up until his final season in 2023.
On Sept. 23, 2023, Clare passed away at age 58 after a courageous battle with cancer. He left a legacy and profound impact on American hockey through his education of thousands of players and coaches that will be felt for many years to come.
Sampson’s impact on officiating in New England has been felt for nearly five decades. A leader in the state of Massachusetts, Sampson has been active in the hockey community as a player, coach, official, supervisor, instructor and mentor, leaving his mark on the sport at nearly every level.
An official himself since 1973, Sampson officiated for 44 seasons, including everything from youth games to juniors to college hockey and beyond.
The Longmeadow, Mass., native patrolled the ice at all levels, wearing the stripes at the USA Hockey National Championships in 1993, 1994, 1997, 2003, and 2010 while serving as the supervisor of officials at the 2018 USA Hockey Girls National Championship. He also officiated NCAA Division I and III men’s hockey and NCAA Division III women’s hockey.
Sampson served as the district supervisor for the sixth district of Massachusetts Hockey for 29 years where he worked with local officials on development opportunities within the state and dedicated much of his time to recruiting and mentoring new officials in the area. He also spent a decade as the assigner for the Interstate Junior Hockey League.
For his efforts, Sampson was honored with the Massachusetts Hockey Milt Kaufman Award in 2001, earned the Al Pinciak Award in the 2005-2006 season and was recognized with the Golden Stripes Award in 2010.
A staunch advocate for development, Sampson has been a key instructor at USA Hockey officiating seminars and led all on-ice instruction as part of USA Hockey’s officials certification process.
Sampson served as the head of the officiating evaluation program for the state of Massachusetts and continues to foster a development pipeline for officials at all levels.
Beaney’s profound impact on college hockey has cemented the legendary coach in the lore of hockey greats. He spent over 30 years behind the bench, including 28 years at Middlebury College and seven seasons at New England College. An influential coach, Beaney not only made his mark on the ice, but helped shape the modern hockey landscape across the country.
During his tenure at Middlebury, Beaney led the Panthers to eight national championship titles, including five-straight from 1995 to 1999. The team also won eight NESCAC titles between 2000 and 2010, with the program doubling up on both a conference championship and national championship in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Thirty-nine players received All-America honors under Beaney’s tutelage, as the Lake Placid, N.Y., native helped amass 516 wins at Middlebury.
Beaney began his coaching career following graduation from the University of New Hampshire in 1973. He headed up the program at Bellows Free Academy in Vermont, leading the school to three-straight state titles before jumping to the college ranks with New England College in 1978.
At the collegiate level, both at Middlebury and New England College, Beaney recorded a 602-260-59 record, an impressive .696 win percentage, and retired in 2015 as the winningest coach in NCAA Division III men’s hockey. He also led the Middlebury men’s golf team and served as an adjunct professor until his retirement in 2023.
Inducted into both the Lake Placid Hall of Fame in 2009 and Vermont Sports Hall of Fame in 2019, Beaney is a four-time Edward Jeremiah Award recipient, given to the top men’s hockey coach in Division III.
One of the pioneers of small-area games, Beaney’s coaching philosophy has transcended the sport and helped change the way the game is taught in the United States. His history with USA Hockey spans over 40 years, as Beaney was active in developing curriculum for coaching clinics and has presented his philosophies internationally over the years.
Internationally, Beaney was an assistant coach for the 1994 U.S. National Junior Team and was named USA Hockey Coach of the Year in 1999.
Beaney attended New Hampshire and skated four seasons for its men’s hockey team, serving as the captain his senior year during the 1972-73 season.
Lowe’s philosophy on success is simple, it’s never about the wins or losses, but about growing the game and encouraging as many hockey players possible to lace up the skates. Her selfless dedication to enhancing hockey at the grassroots level in both the Massachusetts area, and across the country has left an indelible mark on the sport.
A native of Stoneham, Mass., Lowe has spent the better part of two decades laying the foundation of youth hockey in her hometown program of Nashoba Youth Hockey. She served 20 years as a board member of Nashoba Youth Hockey and was also the director of initiation programs for the association from 2006 to 2023.
She helped establish the association’s first girls’ hockey program in 2005 and became the director of girls’ hockey during the 2007-08 season, a role she held until 2023. Lowe dedicated her time to growing the girls game over the years and ensuring the rink is a welcoming place for all who come to play.
In 2015, Lowe forged a partnership between Nashoba Youth Hockey and the Boston Bruins Academy to advance development programs in the organization. She spearheaded growth relationships with the Bruins to help expand Nashoba’s Learn to Play and Learn to Skate programs and was awarded the Mike Cheever “Grow Hockey” grant for Nashoba Youth Hockey in 2018.
Lowe comes from a hockey family and started playing hockey as a child after her mother helped start the Stoneham Girls Hockey program, giving both Lowe and her older sister a team to play for. As a teen, Lowe began coaching and officiating, working with local youth and girls leagues.
Lowe attended Harvard University where she played four seasons for the Crimson NCAA Division I women’s hockey team. Lowe graduated with a degree in English and later became a teacher at New Hampton School in New Hampshire where she also served as head coach of their girls hockey team and continued playing hockey in adult leagues during her free time.
