Dubuque Fighting Saints Earn End-of-Season Awards
Four Dubuque Fighting Saints players were awarded the following distinctions by the USHL:
- Forward Alex Steeves (Bedford, N.H./Notre Dame) was named the recipient of the USHL Scholar-Athlete Award, given to the most exemplary student in the USHL.
- Steeves, along with defensemen Aidan Fulp (Indianapolis, Ind./Western Michigan) and Jacob Semik (Canton, Mich./Michigan) were named to the USHL All-Academic Team.
- Forward Quinn Preston (Trenton, Mich./Ohio State) was named an All-USHL Third Team selection for his showcase of excellence on the ice this season.
Steeves completed his third and final year in the USHL with his first year in Sioux City, and his final two in Dubuque. He ranks 16th in his class of 398 at Dubuque Senior High School with a 4.1 GPA. Steeves earned an A grade in every class he has taken in four years of high school, including at his hometown Bedford High School, Sioux City East High School, and at Dubuque Senior. He is the first Dubuque Fighting Saint to win the award.
Fulp and Semik join Steeves on the All-Academic Team, a collection of six USHL players who showcased tremendous dedication to their academic studies throughout the season. All three of Steeves, Semik and Fulp are set to graduate from Dubuque Senior High School this spring, which has served as a steadfast educational partner of the Saints since the team’s return to the league in 2010. Jack Drury (Waterloo), Jack Randl (Omaha) and Baker Shore (Chicago) rounded out the field.
Preston completed his final year of junior hockey with a bang. He notched 24 goals (T-7th), 31 assists (T-11th), and 55 points (T-9th) during the 2017–2018 season, and ended his Fighting Saints career with 38 goals and 52 assists. The electrifyingly speedy forward proved clutch during both playoff runs, where he posted 7 goals and 3 assists for 10 points in 13 games.
The Saints’ season came to a close with an eighth consecutive playoff berth, and an eighth consecutive trip to at least the second round of the Clark Cup Playoffs.