Worcester's Eric Boguniecki Named AHL MVP
April 5, 2002 - American Hockey League (AHL) News Release
SPRINGFIELD, MA . . . The American Hockey League announced today that Eric Boguniecki of the Worcester IceCats has been named the winner of the Les Cunningham Award as the AHL's most valuable player for the 2001-02 season, as voted by players and members of the media in each of the league's 27 cities.
Boguniecki currently leads the American Hockey League with 38 goals and ranks second with 82 points in just 60 games for the IceCats. His 44 assists and +24 plus/minus rating are also team highs, and he has appeared in seven NHL games with St. Louis.
A native of New Haven, Conn., Boguniecki got a late start to the season, missing the first two weeks due to injury. He made up for lost time by recording 19 points in his first 11 games, and has spent the rest of the year among the league's scoring leaders. A participant in the AHL All-Star Game each of the past three seasons, Boguniecki was voted a starter at this year's event, and last week was named a 2001-02 First Team AHL All-Star.
In 190 career AHL games, the former University of New Hampshire standout has recorded 101 goals and 126 assists for 227 points. A 1993 draft choice by St. Louis, Boguniecki is the second American-born player ever (and the first since Cleveland's Eddie Olson in 1953) to be named the league's MVP.
The Les Cunningham Award, which was first presented in 1948, honors the late Les Cunningham, a five-time AHL All-Star and three-time Calder Cup champion who averaged better than a point per game over his 10-year playing career with the original Cleveland Barons. Previous winners of the Les Cunningham Award include Carl Liscombe (1948, '49), Johnny Bower (1956, '57, '58), Fred Glover (1960, '62, '64), Gilles Villemure (1969, '70), Pelle Lindbergh (1981), Jody Gage (1988), John Anderson (1992) and Randy Robitaille (1999).
Now in its 66th season, the AHL serves as the top development league for all 30 National Hockey League teams. More than 76 percent of all players to compete in the NHL this season have been AHL graduates, and over 300 players have taken the ice in both leagues in 2001-02.
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