First Day of NHL Draft: a Motto Helped Lift Clark Cup MVP Wade Allison
June 24, 2016 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Tri-City Storm News Release
Kearney, Neb. - It's the first day of the NHL Draft and it's tough to label how far Storm forward Wade Allison has come in about half a year.
After an overtime loss to the Sioux Falls Stampede November 14, the right winger had one goal and one assist. Tri-City had won five of its first 15 games and was 7th in the Western Conference.
"It just took me a little bit," Allison said. "Expectations were so high and things didn't really go as planned. [Head Coach] Bill Muckalt said something that stuck with me and probably will for the rest of my life: 'get better every day.'"
The motto clicked. From November 14 to the end of the playoffs, Allison scored 33 goals and 61 points in 53 games, second-best in the league. His plus-27 rating over that span was tops. For nearly the rest of the season, he created captivating chemistry with left winger Dan Labosky and rookie center Alex Limoges.
Allison was named Team West MVP at the USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game on January 12. A week later, Allison was ranked 192nd on NHL Central Scouting's North American Skater Midterm List. Four months later, he made the biggest jump in the world for this year's draft, moving to #62 on the final rankings. Allison then helped his stock by ripping five goals in three Clark Cup Final games, as much as any other player had in the entire postseason.
"A really special moment for me was with ten seconds left in the game. I looked down the bench and saw the faces of all the boys and how happy we were, how tired we were and how much we had given throughout the entire year. We put in all this work."
During the postgame celebration, Allison got to hold the Clark Cup on the Viaero Center ice with his father, Kent.
"That ranks up there as one of the best moments of my life. He's been with me since day one. He's there whenever I need and definitely drives me in life. He gives me the best advice."
Tri-City Storm season tickets are available for 2016-17 and can be purchased by calling the Viaero Center Box Office at 308-338-8011.
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United States Hockey League Stories from June 24, 2016
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- First Day of NHL Draft: a Motto Helped Lift Clark Cup MVP Wade Allison - Tri-City Storm
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