Murray, Wroblewski Named Co-Recipients of John Brophy Award
Published on April 3, 2012 under ECHL (ECHL) News Release
PRINCETON, N.J. - The ECHL on Tuesday announced that Rob Murray of the Alaska Aces and John Wroblewski of the Gwinnett Gladiators have been named co-recipients of the 2011-12 John Brophy Award as the league's Coach of the Year.
The John Brophy Award is the trophy presented annually to the ECHL coach selected to have contributed the most to his team's success as selected in a vote of league coaches. The trophy is named for John Brophy, who won a record three ECHL titles with Hampton Roads in 1991, 1992 and 1998, and was inducted into the ECHL Hall of Fame in 2009.
Jason Christie of Ontario finished third in the voting, followed by Ryan Mougenel of Las Vegas and Elmira's Pat Bingham .
The winner of the Defenseman of the Year award will be announced on Wednesday.
Murray led the Aces to a 43-18-11 record, and the club's sixth division championship in nine ECHL seasons. Alaska won its ECHL-record third Brabham Cup, becoming the first team in league history to win back-to-back regular-season championships. The Aces have earned a bye in the Western Conference Quarterfinals by virtue of finishing first in the Western Conference standings during the regular season.
Murray is in first season as head coach of Alaska after spending the previous eight seasons with the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League. He was the club's assistant coach from 2004-08, working alongside former ECHL player and coach Scott Gordon. When Gordon was hired as head coach of the New York Islanders prior to the 2008-09 season, Murray was elevated to head coach in Providence. In his first season as head coach, Murray led the P-Bruins to a 43-29-8 record and a berth in the Eastern Conference Finals. He finished his three-year tenure with a 117-103-20 regular-season record. While in Providence, he coached seven players who went on to win the Stanley Cup with Boston in 2011.
In his first season as head coach in Gwinnett, Wroblewski led the Gladiators to a 41-20-11 record and their first division championship since 2006. The Gladiators reached the 40-win mark for the sixth time in their nine seasons. Gwinnett earned the second seed in the Eastern Conference, and meets South Carolina in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.
Wroblewski joined Gwinnett after he served as an assistant coach with the Wheeling Nailers last year. He helped guide the Nailers to their best postseason finish since 1998 as Wheeling advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. Before he joined the Nailers, Wroblewski began his coaching career with the USA Hockey Under 18 National Development Program from 2007 to 2010. In 2010, he helped the USA Under 18 National Development Team capture the Gold Medal in Minsk, Belarus. During his time with Team USA, Wroblewski served as an assistant to 2010-11 AHL Coach of the Year John Hynes and 2010-11 Calder Cup championship coach Kurt Kleinendorst.
John Brophy Award Winners (ECHL Coach of the Year)
YEAR COACH TEAM
2012 Rob Murray Alaska Aces
John Wroblewski Gwinnett Gladiators
2011 Brent Thompson Alaska Aces
2010 Derek Laxdal Idaho Steelheads
2009 Rick Kowalsky Trenton Devils
2008 Chuck Weber Cincinnati Cyclones
2007 Davis Payne Alaska Aces
2006 Glen Gulutzan Las Vegas Wranglers
2005 Nick Vitucci Toledo Storm
2004 Pat Bingham Wheeling Nailers
2003 Claude Noel Toledo Storm
2002 Dave Farrish Louisiana IceGators
2001 Troy Ward Trenton Titans
2000 Bob Ferguson Florida Everblades
1999 Bob Ferguson Florida Everblades
1998 Chris Nilan Chesapeake IceBreakers
1997 Brian McCutcheon Columbus Chill
1996 Roy Sommer Richmond Renegades
1995 Jim Playfair Dayton Bombers
1994 Barry Smith Knoxville Cherokees
1993 Kurt Kleinendorst Raliegh IceCaps
1992 Doug Sauter Winston-Salem Thunderbirds
1991 Don Jackson Knoxville Cherokees
1990 Dave Allison Virginia Lancers
1989 Ron Hansis Erie Panthers
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