STEELHEADS ANNOUNCE 2024-25 TEAM AWARD WINNERS

BOISE, ID – The Idaho Steelheads (@Steelheads), proud ECHL (@ECHL) affiliate of the Dallas Stars (@DallasStars), announced their annual end-of-year team award winners prior to the final home game of the 2024-25 regular season Saturday night at the Idaho Central Arena. 

The winners were selected by Steelheads head coach Everett Sheen and associate coach Keenan Kelly with assistance from the Steelheads front office. The 2024-25 award winners are listed in the order in which they were announced on Saturday. 

Cal Ingraham Leading Scorer Award – Ty Pelton-Byce
Ty Pelton-Byce (59GP, 24-37-61)
Pelton-Byce, 27, notched a point in 40 of 59 games he played in and led the club with 17 multi-point games finishing second with five multi-goal games. The third-year Steelhead had a season long eight-game point streak from Feb.15-Mar.7 collecting 13 points (5G, 8A). He had five-point streaks of four games or more. 

Steelheads Defenseman of the Year – Trevor Zins 
Zins, 26, was one of two Idaho skaters to appear in all 72 games this season tallying 15 points (1G, 14A) with a plus-10 rating. The second-year Steelhead finished with an even or better rating in 50 of 72 games including a plus-six rating on Feb. 3 at Utah, tied for the league high in a game. 

Steelheads Hustle Award – C.J. Walker
Walker, 25, finished his rookie season appearing in 42 games collecting 13 points (8G, 5A). The Boise native scored his first goal as a Steelhead on Nov. 2 at Tahoe. The rookie forward attended training camp on a tryout and ultimately earned himself a contract with his hometown team. 

Sean Rhodes Unsung Hero Award – Nick Canade
Canade, 25, receives the recognition for the second straight year having tallied a career high with 17 goals, 13 assists, and 30 points. The third-year Steelhead has notched 16 points (13G, 3A) in his last 22 games after tallying 14 points (4G, 10A) in the first 37 games of the season. He led Idaho with six fighting majors as the Steelheads went 9-3-1 when he scored a goal and 16-3-4 when he tallied at least one point. This award is given to an Idaho Steelheads player that is a selfless member of the team that is constantly looking for ways to improve the team in whatever way they can. They put the team before their individual pride or nay accolades they may receive the same way that Sean Rhodes has done for 28 years working for the Idaho Central Arena and the Idaho Steelheads. 

Idaho Central Credit Union 3 Stars Award – Brendan Hoffmann 
Hoffmann, 23, was awarded a star of the game in eight of 72 games for standout performances including third star five times, second star two times, and third star once. He led the Steelheads with 25 goals and seven multi-goal games while finishing fourth on the club with 50 points in 68 games. 

Rookie of the Year Award – Ben Kraws
Kraws, 24, led all ECHL rookie goaltenders with five shutouts and 23 wins while tying for first with 1,164 saves. He was second with 2,397 minutes played and and tied for second with 40 games. In 40 games he has posted a 23-12-5 record with a 2.88 goals against average and .910 save percentage. He was named ECHL Rookie of the Month for March going 7-4-0 in 11 appearances during the month with three shutouts, a 1.92 goals against average and .938 save percentage. The Cranbury, NJ native was named ECHL Goaltender of the Week ending Mar. 23 after going 3-0-0 with two shutouts making 89 saves on 91 shots in a three-game series sweep over Allen. 

Bill Campbell Community Service Award – Patrick Kudla
Every year, the Steelheads staff selects one player that embodies the spirit of Bill Campbell, who exemplified the spirit of the organization and worked to make the Treasure Valley a better place. Through various community event and programs Patrick Kudla has been selected as this year’s recipient. The third-year Steelhead finished with 30 points (8G, 22A) in 52 games. 

Most Valuable Player – A.J. White 
White, 32, is named the Steelheads MVP for the second straight season and the fourth time in seven season. In his seventh year with the Steelheads, sixth as captain, he has collected 49 points (13G, 36A) in 69 games. He is the franchise leader with 487 games played, third with 359 points and 126 goals, and second with 233 assists.

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