NEWS

Former Stouffville Spirit star Drake Caggiula (photo credit - Tyler Ingham/UND Athletics), now with the University of North Dakota, was named to a First Team All-NCHC for his performance this season.

The Pickering, Ontario native joined the Spirit as a 16-year old rookie in 2010-11 and finished fifth on the club in scoring after recording 45 points in 48 games played, but would face some adversity during the playoffs with a lengthy injury that would see him only play eight games during the club's semi-final run.  Caggiula's efforts, that included 10 power play goals, the 12th best total in the entire league, earned him a spot as a North-West Conference 1st Team All-Prospect.

After a brief stint in the USHL to start the 2011-12 season, Caggiula returned to earn a spot on Team Canada East, helping the team capture a second consecutive silver medal at the 2011 World Junior 'A' Challenge held in Langley, B.C.  He was also a member of the OJHL North Division All-Star Team that finished as runner-up at the inaugural Central Canada Cup All-Star Challenge that was  held in Smiths Falls, Ontario.  Caggiula finished the season with 10 goals and 34 points in 25 regular season games to be named 1st Team All-Prospect for the second consecutive year, as well as to the OHA All-Prospect Team. 

It was in the playoffs, however, where Caggiula truly shined.  Missing OJHL MVP Christian Finch, and playing injured himself, Caggiula led the Spirit to their first-ever OJHL title on the strength of 17 goals and 37 points in only 23 post-season contests.  For this resilient efforts, Caggiula was named the OJHL Playoff MVP.

Below is the official press release from the UND Athletics website (www.undsports.com):

The two-time defending National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) champion University of North Dakota placed four players on the 2015-16 All-NCHC Team, released on Tuesday by the conference office.

Forwards Brock Boeser and Drake Caggiula were named to the first team, while goaltender Cam Johnson and defenseman Troy Stecher earned second-team honors.

Additionally, junior defenseman Paul LaDue and sophomore forward Nick Schmaltz were recognized as honorable mentions.

Boeser, a Burnsville, Minn., native, led the NCHC in both points (35) and goals (20) during conference play and set new league records in both categories. He also became the first UND freshman to lead a conference (NCHC or WCHA) in either category. A first-round draft pick of the Vancouver Canucks in 2015, Boeser was a four-time NCHC Rookie of the Week and one-time NCHC Offensive Player of the Week.

Caggiula earned his second straight all-conference selection after racking up 10 goals and 22 points in 20 conference games. Four of his 10 goals were game-winners – tied for second-most in the conference – and he boasted a plus-21 rating. The Whitby, Ontario, native was a All-NCHC First Team honoree as a junior in 2014-15.

Johnson, from Troy, Mich., enjoyed a breakout season as a sophomore, going 13-3-0 in 19 conference games with a 1.80 goals against average and NCHC-leading .935 save percentage. He also logged four shutouts during league play and was a five-time NCHC Goaltender of the Week honoree.

Stecher was UND’s top-scoring defenseman during conference play, collecting five goals and 11 assists in 23 league games to rank third among NCHC defensemen. The Richmond, British Columbia, native also paced all NCHC defensemen with 70 shots on goal.

LaDue, a Grand Forks, N.D. native, appeared in all 22 conference games for UND and registered three goals and eight assists with a plus-14 rating. Schmaltz, from Verona, Wis., had five goals and 19 assists in 19 NCHC games and tied for the conference lead in assists per game.

Voting was conducted by the head coaches and one student-athlete at each institution. Coaches and student-athletes voted for six forwards, four defensemen and two goaltenders, awarding first-place votes for six players (three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender) and second-place votes for the other six selections. Three points were awarded for a first-place vote while one point was awarded for a second-place vote.

The NCHC will announce its individual award finalists on Thursday. Individual award winners will be announced at the NCHC Awards Celebration in Minneapolis, Minn., the following Thursday, March 17.

First-Team All-Conference
Danton Heinen, So., F, Denver
Brock Boeser, Fr., F, UND
Drake Caggiula, Sr., F, UND
Ethan Prow, Sr., D, SCSU
Will Butcher, Jr., D, Denver
Charlie Lindgren, Jr., G, SCSU

Second-Team All-Conference
Joey Benik, Sr., F, SCSU
Jake Guentzel, Jr., F, Omaha
Kalle Kossila, Sr., F, SCSU
Troy Stecher, Jr., D, UND
Andy Welinski, Sr., D, UMD
Cam Johnson, So., G, UND

Honorable Mention All-Conference
Trevor Moore, Jr., F, Denver
Nick Schmaltz, So., F, UND
Sean Kuraly, Sr., F, Miami
Louie Belpedio, So., D, Miami
Paul LaDue, Jr., D, UND
Kasimir Kaskisuo, So, G, UMD