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Alaska's Metcalf Named ECHL Defenseman Of The Year

April 9, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


PRINCETON, N.J. - The ECHL on Wednesday announced that Peter Metcalf of the Alaska Aces is the recipient of the Defenseman of the Year award for 2007-08 as determined in a vote of ECHL coaches.

The ECHL Defenseman of the Year award is presented annually to the defensive player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-around ability in the position.

Darrell Hay of Idaho finished second in the voting followed by Jamie Milam of Gwinnett and Chad Starling of Cincinnati.

Metcalf, who finished second in voting for the award last season, led ECHL defensemen with 60 points in 62 games including 53 assists which was first among defensemen and third overall. He led all blueliners and was fourth overall with 28 power-play assists while his 31 power-play points were second among defensemen.

He became only the seventh player in the 20-year history of the league to be named First Team All-ECHL in consecutive seasons after earning the honor a year ago when he led all defensemen with 48 assists and 61 points in 69 games.

He was named Second Team All-ECHL and won the Plus Performer of the Year award with +44 in 2005-06 while finishing second among defensemen with 52 points and fourth in assists with 39 in 69 games. Metcalf is one of 13 players/coaches to have his name engraved twice on the Kelly Cup having won in 2006 with Alaska and in 2003 as a rookie with Atlantic City.

He has played in the ECHL each of his first six professional seasons and has 225 points (41g-184a) and 788 penalty minutes in 281 regular season games and 33 points (9g-24a) and 117 penalty minutes in 60 games in the Kelly Cup Playoffs.

ECHL Defenseman of the Year Award Winners
2007-08 Peter Metcalf, Alaska Aces
2006-07 Jon Awe, Gwinnett Gladiators
2005-06 Ryan Gaucher, Alaska Aces
2004-05 Ray DiLauro, Wheeling Nailers
2003-04 Corey Neilson, Pensacola Ice Pilots
2002-03 Jim Baxter, Mississippi Sea Wolves
2001-02 Duncan Dalmao, Roanoke Express
2000-01 Tom Nemeth, Dayton Bombers
1999-00 Tom Nemeth, Dayton Bombers
1998-99 Chris Valicevic, Louisiana IceGators
1997-98 Chris Valicevic, Louisiana IceGators
1996-97 Chris Valicevic, Louisiana IceGators
1995-96 Chris Valicevic, Louisiana IceGators
1994-95 Brandon Smith, Dayton Bombers
1993-94 Tom Nemeth, Dayton Bombers
1992-93 Derek Booth, Toledo Storm
1991-92 Scott White, Greensboro Monarchs
1990-91 Brett MacDonald, Nashville Knights
1989-90 Bill Whitfield, Virginia Lancers
1988-89 Kelly Szauter, Erie Panthers

ECHL
Celebrating its 20th Anniversary in 2007-08, the ECHL is the Premier 'AA' Hockey League and the third-longest tenured professional hockey league behind only the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League.

ECHL began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states and has grown to be a coast-to-coast league with 25 teams playing 900 games in 17 states and British Columbia in 2007-08.

The league officially changed its name to ECHL on May 19, 2003.

The ECHL has affiliations with 26 of the 30 teams in the NHL in 2007-08, marking the 11th consecutive season that the league has had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL.

There have been 355 former ECHL players who have gone on to play in the NHL after playing in the ECHL, including 99 in the last three seasons. There have been 210 former ECHL players who have played their first game in the NHL in the past seven seasons.

There are 15 coaches in the NHL who have ECHL experience including former Wheeling coach Peter Laviolette, who is head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes, and former Mississippi coach Bruce Boudreau, who is head coach of the Washington Capitals.

The ECHL is represented for the seventh consecutive year on the National Hockey League championship team in 2007 with Anaheim assistant coach Dave Farrish, players Francois Beauchemin and George Parros and broadcasters John Ahlers and Steve Carroll.

The ECHL has affiliations with 26 of the 29 teams in the American Hockey League in 2007-08 and for the past 18 years there has been an ECHL player on the Calder Cup champion.

In each of the last two seasons there have been more than 225 players who have played in both the ECHL and the AHL and there were over 800 call-ups involving more than 500 players. In the last five seasons the ECHL has had more call-ups to the AHL than all other professional leagues combined with over 2,000 call-ups involving more than 1,000 players since 2002-03.

Further information on the ECHL is available from its website at ECHL.com.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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