Drew LeBlanc (left) and Nick Jensen (Right)
Photo by: Brace Hemmelgarn
LeBlanc, Jensen Gain Top WCHA Honors for 2012-13
3/14/2013 5:31:00 PM | Men's Hockey
MADISON, Wis. – St. Cloud State University forward Drew LeBlanc, a driving force behind the Huskies' success in earning a share of the program's first-ever conference regular season championship and MacNaughton Cup, has been honored as both the WCHA Player of the Year and the WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year to highlight the league's individual men's awards for 2012-13 as announced by the conference today (March 14).
He was joined in the league's honor court by SCSU junior defenseman Nick Jensen (Rogers), who was named the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year for 2012-13.
He was joined in the league's honor court by SCSU junior defenseman Nick Jensen (Rogers), who was named the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year for 2012-13.
A senior from Hermantown, Minn., LeBlanc becomes the first league player to earn both of these prestigious awards. He is also a member of the All-WCHA First Team. The offensive catalyst behind the Huskies' drive to first place in the 2012-13 WCHA regular season standings, LeBlanc led the league with 25 assists and also had 10 goals for 35 points in conference play while charting 10 multiple-point games in WCHA action.
Overall, he leads all Division 1 players this winter with 34 assists and ranks fourth in the nation with 46 points scored. A four- time recipient of the WCHA Scholar-Athlete Award and a four-time All-WCHA Academic Team honoree, LeBlanc has served as a team captain for the past two seasons at SCSU.
He has helped the Huskies post a league-leading 3.36 goals per game in conference action and overall, SCSU ranks fourth in the nation with 119 goals scored. The Huskies enter the WCHA playoffs ranked eighth in the latest Division 1 national polls and own a 21-14-1 overall and 18-9-1 league record.
A math education major, LeBlanc is currently completing his student teaching at nearby St. Cloud Apollo High School. He carries a cumulative grade-point average of 3.64, was a CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree in both 2010 and 2011, and has participated in numerous community service activities during his collegiate years, including programs such as Skate With the Huskies and Husky Haulers, helping first-year students move into their dormitories.
Over his four-year St. Cloud State career, LeBlanc owns the program record for games played at 165, ranks sixth in career points with 143 and is third with 102 assists.
Overall, he leads all Division 1 players this winter with 34 assists and ranks fourth in the nation with 46 points scored. A four- time recipient of the WCHA Scholar-Athlete Award and a four-time All-WCHA Academic Team honoree, LeBlanc has served as a team captain for the past two seasons at SCSU.
He has helped the Huskies post a league-leading 3.36 goals per game in conference action and overall, SCSU ranks fourth in the nation with 119 goals scored. The Huskies enter the WCHA playoffs ranked eighth in the latest Division 1 national polls and own a 21-14-1 overall and 18-9-1 league record.
A math education major, LeBlanc is currently completing his student teaching at nearby St. Cloud Apollo High School. He carries a cumulative grade-point average of 3.64, was a CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree in both 2010 and 2011, and has participated in numerous community service activities during his collegiate years, including programs such as Skate With the Huskies and Husky Haulers, helping first-year students move into their dormitories.
Over his four-year St. Cloud State career, LeBlanc owns the program record for games played at 165, ranks sixth in career points with 143 and is third with 102 assists.
The WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year Award is determined from nominations made by the member institutions and each institution then has one final vote. The criteria is as follows: 1) must be a senior student-athlete, i.e. one who is finishing his competition as an eligible player in the WCHA; 2) consistently displays outstanding sportsmanship on and off the ice; 3) is a good student making satisfactory progress toward a degree; and 4) is a good hockey player who has performed consistently as a regular member of the team.
The league's 12 head coaches voted St. Cloud State defenseman Nick Jensen as the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year. A junior from Rogers, Minn., and an All-WCHA First Team choice, Jensen has been a leader on the Huskies' blueline throughout the 2012-13 campaign. In WCHA play this winter, he has scored four goals and added 19 assists along with a substantial +15 rating on the plus/minus.
A leader in minutes played on defense for the Huskies, Jensen consistently faces the opposition's top lines and has helped SCSU's defense limit league opponents to just 2.36 goals per game. Among WCHA defenders, Jensen led the league with 19 assists and was second with 23 points. He has also posted 27 blocked shots in league play this season. In overall games played, Jensen ranks eighth among Division 1 defensemen with 28 points and second with 24 assists this season.
He is +17 on the plus/minus for all games and has 36 blocked shots A two-time WCHA Scholar-Athlete and All-WCHA Academic Team selection, Jensen was named to the All-WCHA Second Team in 2011-12. An ironman for the Huskies, Jensen has started in 113 consecutive games and has notched 15 goals and 68 assists during his first three seasons in St. Cloud.
A leader in minutes played on defense for the Huskies, Jensen consistently faces the opposition's top lines and has helped SCSU's defense limit league opponents to just 2.36 goals per game. Among WCHA defenders, Jensen led the league with 19 assists and was second with 23 points. He has also posted 27 blocked shots in league play this season. In overall games played, Jensen ranks eighth among Division 1 defensemen with 28 points and second with 24 assists this season.
He is +17 on the plus/minus for all games and has 36 blocked shots A two-time WCHA Scholar-Athlete and All-WCHA Academic Team selection, Jensen was named to the All-WCHA Second Team in 2011-12. An ironman for the Huskies, Jensen has started in 113 consecutive games and has notched 15 goals and 68 assists during his first three seasons in St. Cloud.
The league's four other major individual awards for 2012-13 went to Minnesota State University goaltender Stephon Williams as WCHA Rookie of the Year, University of Nebraska Omaha forward Ryan Walters as WCHA Scoring Champion, Williams as WCHA Goaltending Champion, and Minnesota State University first-year mentor Mike Hastings as WCHA Coach of the Year.
Both LeBlanc and Jensen were also selected to the All-WCHA First Team for 2012-13. This marks the second time both LeBlanc and Jensen have earned All-WCHA honors. In 2011-12, Jensen was named to the All-WCHA team and LeBlanc gained league honors in 2010-11.
Voting for the WCHA awards is done by conference member team coaches, players, sports information directors and local media. Each team receives eight ballots for a total of 96 voters. Points for awards and all-league teams are awarded on a 5-point (for a 1st team vote), 3-point (for a 2nd team vote), and 1-point (for a 3rd team vote) basis. The WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year award is selected by member team Faculty Athletic Representatives while the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year is selected by the league's 12 head coaches.
2012-13 WCHA Men's Major Award Winners
WCHA Player of the Year
Drew LeBlanc • Senior, Forward, St. Cloud State University (Hermantown, MN)
WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year
Drew LeBlanc • Senior, Forward, St. Cloud State University (Hermantown, MN)
WCHA Defensive Player of the Year
Nick Jensen • Junior, Defenseman, St. Cloud State University (Rogers, MN)
WCHA Rookie of the Year
Stephon Williams • Freshman, Goaltender, Minnesota State University (Fairbanks, AK)
WCHA Scoring Champion
Ryan Walters • Junior, Forward, University of Nebraska Omaha (Rosemount, MN)
WCHA Goaltending Champion
Stephon Williams • Freshman, Goaltender, Minnesota State University (Fairbanks, AK)
WCHA Coach of the Year
Mike Hastings • Minnesota State University
2012-13 All-WCHA First Team
Pos Name Team Ht Wt Yr Hometown 2012-13 WCHA Stats
F Ryan Walters Nebraska Omaha 6-0 188 Jr Rosemount, MN 28 gp, 16-24=40
F Drew LeBlanc St. Cloud State 6-0 195 Sr Hermantown, MN 28 gp, 10-25=35
F Danny Kristo North Dakota 5-11 185 Sr Eden Prairie, MN 28 gp, 17-20=37
D Nate Schmidt Minnesota 6-0 195 Jr St. Cloud, MN 28 gp, 7-19=26
D Nick Jensen St. Cloud State 6-1 193 Jr Rogers, MN 28 gp, 4-19=23
G Stephon Williams Minnesota State 6-2 190 Fr Fairbanks, AK 15-9-1, 1.93, .927
2012-13 All-WCHA Second Team
Pos Name Team Ht Wt Yr Hometown 2012-13 WCHA Stats
F Corban Knight North Dakota 6-2 200 Sr High River, AB 28 gp, 12-23=35
F Erik Haula Minnesota 5-11 190 Jr Pori, Finland 26 gp, 13-24=37
F Rylan Schwartz Colorado College 5-10 196 Sr Wilcox, SK 27 gp, 12-23=35
D Joey LaLeggia Denver 5-9 180 So Burnaby, BC 28 gp, 10-13=23
D Mike Boivin Colorado College 6-1 190 Sr Delta, BC 28 gp, 13-10=23
G Juho Olkinuora Denver 6-2 200 So Helsinki, Finland 9-3-5, 2.44, .924
2012-13 All-WCHA Third Team
Pos Name Team Ht Wt Yr Hometown 2012-13 WCHA Stats
F Matt Leitner Minnesota State 5-9 170 So Los Alamitos, CA 28 gp, 13-19=32
F Nick Bjugstad Minnesota 6-6 220 Jr Blaine, MN 28 gp, 15-8=23
F Eriah Hayes Minnesota State 6-4 210 Sr La Crescent, MN 28 gp, 15-13=28
D Andrej Sustr Nebraska Omaha 6-8 225 Jr Plzen, Czech Republic 28 gp, 7-11=18
D Jake McCabe Wisconsin 6-1 205 So Eau Claire, WI 24 gp, 3-12=15
G Adam Wilcox Minnesota 6-0 186 Fr South St. Paul, MN 16-6-5, 2.13, .914
2012-13 All-WCHA Rookie Team
Pos Name Team Ht Wt Yr Hometown 2012-13 WCHA Stats
F Tony Cameranesi Minnesota Duluth 5-10 180 Fr Maple Grove, MN 28 gp, 11-17=28
F Alex Petan Michigan Tech 5-8 155 Fr Delta, BC 28 gp, 11-18=29
F Rocco Grimaldi North Dakota 5-6 170 Fr Rossmoor, CA 28 gp, 10-16=26
D Nolan Zajac Denver 5-11 180 Fr Winnipeg, MB 26 gp, 4-10=14
D Andy Welinski Minnesota Duluth 6-1 200 Fr Duluth, MN 28 gp, 3-12=15
G Stephon Williams Minnesota State 6-2 190 Fr Fairbanks, AK 15-9-1, 1.93, .927
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