The Merritt Centennials have a tie to the NCAA’s Hobey Baker finalists this year.
Diego Cuglietta who played for the Cents from 2012 to 2015 is up for the prestigious award. Now a Senior and Captain at Lake Superior State University, the Kamloops, BC native leads the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) and is 2nd in the NCAA in goals scored with 16, while adding 7 assists, and he’s also been an ace in the faceoff dot winning 300 draws which is 1st in the division and 2nd in the nation as well. He’s tied for the team lead with a +13 rating, and earned MVP honors at the Great Lakes Invitational (GLI) after recording 4 goals to help Lake Superior capture their first GLI Championship in program history.
As a Cent, Cuglietta picked up 128 points over 149 games played in three seasons and was a point-per-game player in his final two years.
Head Coach Joe Martin says he remembers Cuglietta for all the right reasons.
“I recall Diego being a guy that would do anything for his teammates and being a player that was very coachable.”
The first phase of voting is open until Sunday and fans can vote at http://www.hobeybaker.com.
