HCA Tim Taylor Award Release

SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Duluth freshman defenseman Scott Perunovich has been named the winner of the 2018 Tim Taylor Award as the men’s Division I National Rookie of the Year, the Hockey Commissioners’ Association (HCA) announced Friday night.

Perunovich is the first National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) player to receive the award in the conference’s five-year history, while he is only the second blue liner to claim the honor since it was first awarded in 2007 (12 years). Denver’s Joey LaLeggia, who did play two years in the NCHC, was the first defenseman to win the award in 2012.

Perunovich (Hibbing, Minn.), who was also named an AHCA First-Team All-American Friday, collected NCHC Rookie of the Year, NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year and College Hockey News Rookie of the Year honors this season, as well. The draft-eligible defenseman was also a First-Team All-NCHC pick and a unanimous NCHC All-Rookie Team selection after leading UMD with a team-best 36 points and 25 assists in 41 games.

Perunovich’s 36 points led all rookie blue liners in the country and ranked fourth nationally among all defensemen, while he ranked third among all NCAA freshman skaters in scoring. Perunovich tallied 11 goals, again leading all rookie blue liners nationally, while his +20 plus/minus led all NCAA freshmen this season. He also fired 58 shots on goal and blocked 35 shots. The Hibbing, Minn. native was a three-time NCHC Defenseman of the Week and two-time NCHC Rookie of the Week this season, while being named to the All-CHN Rookie Team last week, as well. Perunovich missed only two games this season, which occurred while he was winning a bronze medal with the 2018 U.S. National Junior Team.

“We certainly knew he had the offensive ability and I’m not surprised that he is where he is. He does surprise me with some of the plays he makes game in and game out. The big thing is defensively he’s been really good,” said UMD head coach Scott Sandelin. “Overall, it’s probably a little more than we expected as far as the kind of year, but I’m not surprised he’s done what he’s done. He’s a special player. He’s got great vision on the rink. He’s got the ability to create space when space isn’t there. He’s elusive. There are a lot of good instincts, good offen­sive instincts.”

The Tim Taylor Award is voted on by the nation’s assistant coaches, while each of the six Division I men’s conference’s Rookie of the Year are eligible for the honor. The award is named for the former Yale University and U.S. Olympic Team head coach. Taylor spent 28 sea­sons at Yale and became the school’s winningest head coach as he collected 337 victories. His tenure spanned from 1976-2006, while taking two years on leave to coach the U.S. Men’s Olympic Ice Hockey Team as an assistant coach in 1984 and as the head coach in 1994.

Perunovich and the Bulldogs play for the program’s second national championship Saturday night as UMD faces Notre Dame in the NCAA title game at 7:30 p.m. ET at Xcel Energy Center.

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