Connor Kurth of Dubuque Fighting Saints Named Player of the Year
Congratulations to Dubuque Fighting Saints forward Connor Kurth, who has been named the 2022 USA Hockey Dave Tyler Junior Player of the Year.
Connor was quick to share this great honor with his Fighting Saints teammates saying:
“It’s all credit to my teammates. We had an amazing group this year. Playing with Stephen Halliday every game, Ryan Beck, Mikey Burchill, and a bunch of others, they all helped. It was easy to have success with this team,” “It’s obviously a huge honor to be chosen for this award. It’s a great list of guys that have won It before. I’m glad I got to do with a great organization like the Dubuque Fighting Saints. I’ll always treasure my time here.”
Kurth becomes the first Fighting Saint since Zach Solow to win the award, who did so in 2017. The Dave Tyler Junior Player of the Year Award is named after Dave Tyler, who served on USA Hockey’s Board of Directors for 32 years. It recognizes the most outstanding American-born player in junior hockey.
Fighting Saints GM and President of Hockey operations Kalle Larsson said
“It has been truly exciting following Connor’s growth during his two seasons in Dubuque. He is a great young man who shows up with a smile on his face every day,” “This is a major award, and we are proud of Connor and his family for this achievement. He is a great example of what we want a Fighting Saint to be on and off the ice. We are excited to follow his career at the University of Minnesota and beyond.”
Kurth, 18, completed an exceptional career as a Dubuque Fighting Saint with 50 goals and 72 assists in 114 games. He was among the league’s most prolific offensive players alongside linemates Stephen Halliday and Ryan Beck this past season with the fourth-most goals, eighth-most assists, and fifth-most points. He fired 217 shots on goal, which finished fifth-most in the league, and finished the year with a 16.1% shooting percentage. He notched 81 points (35 goals, 46 assists) in 62 games during the 2021–22 season. His +37 rating was tied for the second-best mark in the league.
The Minnesota commit scored points in 44 of 62 games, which accounted for nearly 71% of games this past season. His seven goals and 14 assists on the man advantage contributed to 48.8% of the team’s power play offense, which finished sixth-best in the league. Kurth posted 25 multi-point efforts during the 2021–22 season.
Kurth finished fourth in the Fighting Saints’ Tier I overall scoring record book, tied for the fourth-most goals in the Saints’ Tier I history, the fourth-most assists in the Saints’ Tier I history, and the seventh highest points-per-game average in the Saints’ Tier I history (1.07 ppg). His 81 points were the second-most points in a single season by a Fighting Saint in the Tier I era, which trailed only Halliday’s 95 points.
Kurth is committed to the University of Minnesota, where he will join the Golden Gophers as a freshman this upcoming season. Minnesota is led by head coach Bob Motzko, a former Fighting Saint, who guided the team to a Frozen Four appearance in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.