KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan hockey program and head coach
Pat Ferschweiler announced the winners of the team's annual awards following another successful season. The Broncos won 27 games and made a fifth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Hampton Slukynsky was named the Rob Hodge MVP after earning a single-season program record 27 wins to go along with a 2.30 goals against average and .915 save percentage. Slukynsky was a Second Team All-NCHC honoree and earned the league's Three Stars Award.
Samuel Sjolund took home the Neil Smith Most Valuable Defenseman honor, as he paced all blue liners with 29 points on six goals and 23 assists. He was a Third Team All-NCHC honoree this season and served as an assistant captain.
Grant Slukynsky and
Bobby Cowan secured the Vic Vanderberg Leading Scorer award and Susan Klop Rookie of the Year award, respectively. Slukynsky was a Third Team All-NCHC honoree and Hobey Baker nominee, thanks to his 40-point campaign. Cowan led all rookies on the team with 24 points on five goals and 19 assists.
Ty Henricks and
Liam Valente were outstanding throughout the 2025-26 season, earning the Ed Edwards Most Improved award and Catherine Lawson Sportsmanship Award, respectively. Henricks improved by 12 points over his freshman campaign, finishing this season with 25 points on nine goals and 16 assists. Valente also put together a career-best season with 20 goals and 15 assists. His 10 power-play goals led the NCHC.
Continuing on,
Garrett Szydlowski earned the KOHA Grinder award after a strong junior season. He finished the year with 11 points on five goals and six assists.
Zaccharya Wisdom then collected the Bill Saunders Plus/Minus Award. He led the Brown and Gold with a +19 rating, adding to his impressive 17-13-30 stat line.
Along with that,
Cole Crusberg-Roseen notched the Peter Ellis Academic Award. Despite missing most of the season due to injury, Crusberg-Roseen was part of the NCHC Academic All-Conference Team. The award is given to the player at each member institution that leads their team in cumulative GPA.
Rounding out the awards is
Kirk Laursen, who claimed the Ross/Dickie Brown and Gold Award. Laursen did not see game action this season, but he earned NCHC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete honors and finished his career with a .909 save percentage.
