USHL Lincoln Stars

Dalton Norris Named USHL Defenseman of the Week

Published on November 16, 2021 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Lincoln Stars News Release


The United States Hockey League (USHL) announced Tuesday that Dalton Norris has been named the Defenseman of the Week for Week 8 of the 2021-22 season.

Norris led all USHL defensemen in points this past weekend with four (two goals, two assists) while the Stars swept the Des Moines Buccaneers. On Friday night at the Ice Box, Norris scored twice in the third period, including a game-tying goal with under 15 seconds left in regulation.

Through 14 games in 2021-22, the 20-year-old has scored five goals and racked up nine helpers. The Stars captain is thriving in his third season in the USHL, already reaching career highs in all major offensive categories.

"I'm being put in really good spots by the coaching staff, so that helps a lot," Norris said. "I've got some great teammates as well. They're putting pucks in good spots on the power play and stuff like that. When you have Lemay and Thompson feeding you pucks, it makes life pretty easy. A lot of credit goes to those guys, a lot of credit goes to the whole team and then the coaching staff."

Norris was originally drafted by the Tri-City Storm in 2018 with the 110th overall selection, but the Stars scooped him up the following year in the fourth round. That decision has led the Oxford, MI native to consider Lincoln, Nebraska as a second home.

"I'm very thankful for being drafted but I'm even more thankful that Lincoln took a chance on me three years ago," Norris said. "It's turned out really well and I couldn't imagine my life being any different."

Before the Stars made the trek to Cranberry Township, PA for the start of the USHL Fall Classic, Stars head coach Rocky Russo made the announcement that Norris had been unanimously selected as captain. Russo had an early hunch that the Bowling Green commit would wear the "C" for his club.

"I could see it right away. His demeanor, his attentiveness, his maturity is all very genuine," Russo said. "I've had some really great captains in my coaching career but he's right there at the top as far as the way he's handled things."

Norris is not only leading with his play off the ice but is setting an example on it. His five goals have him tied with Luke Johnson for the team lead. Only Aidan Thompson has more points than him on the Stars roster. In fact, his four power-play goals have him ranked first among USHL defensemen.

"He knows how to approach it on a day-to-day basis and he treats it like a pro would," Russo said. "He has a lot of fun doing it, but he knows he's here to work every day. He is very serious about making himself better, he knows how to make his teammates better. For him, I think he's probably been counted out a lot in his career. Guys have told him he's not good enough at this and not good enough at that, but I think he's proven a lot of people wrong."

Norris is the second Stars defenseman to claim the Defenseman of the Week honors after Jo Lemay was given the title in Week 3 of the regular season. Henry Nelson, Antonio Fernandez (two goals) and Lemay also scored this weekend in Lincoln's sweep over the Bucs.

"I think all seven of us can contribute offensively, Norris said. "The first six goals we scored this weekend were scored by all defensemen and we have forwards who can produce too. Down the line, we're going to be a really dangerous team."

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