The Elite League handed out its annual awards on Saturday [18 April], with Sheffield Steelers forward Mitchell Balmas crowned as the competition’s Most Valuable Player.
The Canadian scored 65 points (34 goals, 31 assists) in 54 regular-season appearances, adding a further 13 points (four goals, nine assists) to his tally in 12 Challenge Cup games.
Drew DeRidder’s .938 save percentage and 2.28 goals-against average earned him the Goalie of the Year award, with the American backstopping the Manchester Storm to their first Playoff Finals Weekend appearance.
Mike Lee 51-point campaign saw him named Defenceman of the Year, with Adam Keefe adding to the Belfast Giants’ haul as Coach of the Year.
Sheffield Steelers captain Robert Dowd added another British Player of the Year Award to his collection — he scored 42 points (15 goals, 27 assists) in 50 regular-season appearances at age-37.
Coventry Blaze forward Jack Hopkins recorded 15 points (three goals, 12 assists) in 51 regular-season games to win out in the Young British Player of the Year category.
David Goodwin took home the Jonathan Philips Leadership Award for his role in Belfast’s run to the title.
DeRidder, Lee, and Balmas were joined in the First All-Star Team by Cardiff Devils defender Brandon Estes, Nottingham Panthers forward Tim Doherty, and Belfast’s JJ Piccinich.
Analysis: Mitchell Balmas named Elite League MVP
Mitchell Balmas, Sheffield Steelers (Image: James Assinder)
Keefe is a peculiar pick for Coach of the Year.
While the Giants ultimately ran away with the regular-season title, they were meekly bounced from the Challenge Cup semi-finals by the Coventry Blaze and sleepwalked their way into an early Playoff exit against the Glasgow Clan.
Belfast’s poor run in the Champions Hockey League isn’t relevant to this award.
However, their continental capitulation lives on in the memory and clouds the overall perception of Keefe’s season behind the bench of the Elite League’s best-in-class franchise.
If not Keefe, then who?
Cameron Critchlow may feel aggrieved — he led the Manchester Storm to their first Playoff Finals Weekend appearance on one of the league’s thinner budgets.
It’s also hard to argue against Lee’s MVP case.
The American led the Giants in points (51) from the blueline, finishing seventh in the league-wide scoring race.
Impressive numbers for a forward, let alone a defenceman.
DeRidder is an uncontroversial pick for Goalie of the Year, with Dowd, Goodwin, and Hopkins early locks in their respective categories.
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