Derek Smith and Connor Clifton Named Quinnipiac Men's Ice Hockey Captains For 2016-17 Season
4/23/2016 8:55:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey
HAMDEN, Connecticut - At the Annual Quinnipiac Men's Ice Hockey Banquet, Quinnipiac head coach Rand Pecknold announced Derek Smith (Apple Valley, Minnesota) and Connor Clifton (Matawan, New Jersey) as the program's captains for the 2016-17 season. In addition, Tim Clifton (Matawan, New Jersey) and Tommy Schutt (Chanhassan, Minnesota) were announced as assistant captains. Connor and Smith will be the 43rd and 44th captains in program history.
Connor is coming off a banner season in which he scored seven goals and assisted on 21 more for 28 points - all career highs - in his third season in the Bobcats' line-up. A fourth-round draft pick of the Phoenix Coyotes, Connor was a force in the postseason as Quinnipiac reached the NCAA Frozen Four and National Championship Game for the second time in four seasons. The Bobcats' blue-liner led Quinnipiac in postseason assists (10) and points (11) while also earned ECAC Hockey Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors.
Smith, who was also honored earlier in the evening with the team's Academic Award for posting the highest grade-point average on the squad, scored three goals and assisted on 13 more for 16 points while also leading the team, and ranking among the ECAC Hockey and NCAA leaders with 76 blocked shots. Smith scored the game-winning goals against Princeton on Dec. 30 in Hamden before following the game-winner in overtime against Harvard at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 9, 2016.
Tim Clifton was also honored earlier in the evening, winning the team's "7th Player" Award, given to an individual who has shown the most growth as a member of the men's ice hockey team in his time at Quinnipiac. Clifton earned ECAC Hockey Second Team honors as a junior after he finished the year as one of our players in the league to total 40 points. Clifton scored 19 goals and assisted on 24 more for 43 points for the year. In league games only, Clifton finished second to 2016 Hobey Baker Award winner Jimmy Vesey in goals (14), assists (15) and points (29), while leading the league in power play goals (6), power play points (11), short-handed goals (2), game-winning goals (4) and +/- (+22) in 22 ECAC Hockey games.
Schutt scored six goals and assisted on five more for 11 points for the Bobcats as a junior in 2014-15. The third-year Bobcat has accumulated 12 goals and assisted on 15 more for 27 points in 118 career games, including the last 82 over the last two seasons. This past season, Quinnipiac was 4-1-1 when he scored a goal, 4-1-0 when he had an assist and 8-1-1 in games that he tallied a point.
Connor is coming off a banner season in which he scored seven goals and assisted on 21 more for 28 points - all career highs - in his third season in the Bobcats' line-up. A fourth-round draft pick of the Phoenix Coyotes, Connor was a force in the postseason as Quinnipiac reached the NCAA Frozen Four and National Championship Game for the second time in four seasons. The Bobcats' blue-liner led Quinnipiac in postseason assists (10) and points (11) while also earned ECAC Hockey Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors.
Smith, who was also honored earlier in the evening with the team's Academic Award for posting the highest grade-point average on the squad, scored three goals and assisted on 13 more for 16 points while also leading the team, and ranking among the ECAC Hockey and NCAA leaders with 76 blocked shots. Smith scored the game-winning goals against Princeton on Dec. 30 in Hamden before following the game-winner in overtime against Harvard at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 9, 2016.
Tim Clifton was also honored earlier in the evening, winning the team's "7th Player" Award, given to an individual who has shown the most growth as a member of the men's ice hockey team in his time at Quinnipiac. Clifton earned ECAC Hockey Second Team honors as a junior after he finished the year as one of our players in the league to total 40 points. Clifton scored 19 goals and assisted on 24 more for 43 points for the year. In league games only, Clifton finished second to 2016 Hobey Baker Award winner Jimmy Vesey in goals (14), assists (15) and points (29), while leading the league in power play goals (6), power play points (11), short-handed goals (2), game-winning goals (4) and +/- (+22) in 22 ECAC Hockey games.
Schutt scored six goals and assisted on five more for 11 points for the Bobcats as a junior in 2014-15. The third-year Bobcat has accumulated 12 goals and assisted on 15 more for 27 points in 118 career games, including the last 82 over the last two seasons. This past season, Quinnipiac was 4-1-1 when he scored a goal, 4-1-0 when he had an assist and 8-1-1 in games that he tallied a point.
Players Mentioned
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