Smirnov Makes USHL History Books with 40th Point
February 16, 2016 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Fargo Force News Release
During the Feb. 15th 4-3 overtime victory for the Fargo Force, forward Denis Smirnov made USHL history. Smirnov assisted Blake Lizotte on the Force's first goal of the game and with that assist Smirnov became just the fifth player in Tier 1 history to have three consecutive 40-point seasons.
"We're really proud of Denis' accomplishment," said head coach Cary Eades. "Any scoring record in this day and age is extra special because of how difficult it is to score and how low scoring hockey has become. One of the great attributes about Denis is his consistency of playing at a high level and the three consecutive 40-point seasons is an example of that."
Denis is a Moscow, Russia native who came to the United States for an opportunity to play hockey. Smirnov began his career in the USHL with the Indiana Ice for their 2013-14 season. During his season with Indiana, Smirnov scored 15 goals and added 26 assists for a total of 41 points. The following 2014-15 season Denis joined the Fargo Force after the dispersal draft when Indiana went dormant. In his first season with the team, he tallied 40 points with 18 goals and 22 assists. He finished the year as the team's highest scorer. So far in the 2015-16 season, Denis is on his way to breaking his season high record as he has just notched his 40th point and still has 19 games left to play.
"It's truly an honor to be the fifth player ever to set this record," said Denis Smirnov. "I can't thank my teammates and coaches enough over the years for helping me grow as a player and pushing me to get better, as well as to all of the people around me for their support."
Smirnov is currently the ninth ranked scorer in the USHL but is only 11 points back from the top leader, Rem Pitlick with Muskegon (51 points). Denis is committed to play college hockey at Penn State University following his junior hockey career.
"Lastly, Denis is much more to us and to any hockey team that he has played for than just points," added Eades. "He's a great penalty killer and provides a physical presence for a medium sized player."
Fans can catch Smirnov in action in the next home series on Feb. 26-27 versus the Lincoln Stars. Both games start at 7:05 PM at Scheels Arena.
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