Jim Montgomery Named USHL GM of the Year

Press Release

The United States Hockey League today announced that Dubuque Fighting Saints Head Coach and General Manger Jim Montgomery has been named the 2010-11 USHL General Manager of the Year. The award is determined by a vote of the League's general managers.

It is the first USHL season for Montgomery, who was appointed to lead the expansion Dubuque Fighting Saints during their inaugural 2010-11 campaign. It didn't take long for the Saints to have an impact in the USHL, as they finished on top of the Western Conference standings with a 37-14-9 record (83 points) and compiled the best road record in the League at 19-6-5. Dubuque has also earned a spot in the Clark Cup Final, with a 6-1 playoff record leading into the series with the Green Bay Gamblers.

"Jim Montgomery has been a difference-maker, both for the new Dubuque organization and for the USHL, from the moment that he took the reins of the Fighting Saints," said USHL Commissioner Skip Prince. "His team plays a non-stop, up-tempo game that took the League by storm this year, and he's already established Dubuque as one of the top destinations for North America's best players. He has the respect and admiration not only of this office, but of the general managers that have named him their best. Congratulations from all of us here."

Montgomery made several key acquisitions to help build the 2010-11 Saints squad. He selected Riley Barber first overall in the 2010 USHL Futures Draft, and the forward went on to score 28 points (14g, 14a) in 57 games during his rookie USHL season. Montgomery also added key talent in the 2010 USHL Entry Draft, selecting goaltenders Jackson Teichroeb and Matt Morris who helped the Saints earn the second highest penalty killing percentage in the USHL (89.4%) and the fifth best goals-against-average (2.53).

Two of the selections by Dubuque in the 2010 USHL Entry Draft were also NHL Draft selections – Nick Luukko, a sixth-round selection of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010, and Vinny Saponari, a fourth-round selection of the Atlanta Thrashers in 2008.

Several Dubuque players earned League awards under Montgomery's guidance this season. Forward John Gaudreau was named the USHL Rookie of the Year after playing all 60 regular season games and compiling 72 points (36g, 36a). Gaudreau, Vinny Saponari, and Matt Morris also earned a spot on the All-USHL Second Team. Three Fighting Saints – John Gaudreau, Joakim Ryan, and Jackson Teichroeb – are also top 2011 NHL Entry Draft prospects according to NHL Central Scouting's final rankings of North American players. Forward Zemgus Girgensons has already been labeled as one of the top prospects for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft after collecting 49 points (21g, 28a) in 51 games this season.

The future also looks bright in Dubuque. Montgomery has helped the Saints draft some of the top young talent in hockey, including highly-touted defenseman Michael Matheson (the team's second pick in the 2010 USHL Futures Draft), plus defenseman Michael Downing, and forwards Anthony Duclair and Jonathan Drouin, all three of whom were selected last month in the 2011 USHL Futures Draft.

No stranger to college hockey, Montgomery helped develop players for the collegiate level as 16 players who spent time in Dubuque this season have commitments to play for NCAA Division I hockey programs.

Prior to coming to the USHL, Montgomery spent four seasons as assistant coach for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is also one of the most decorated players in the history of college hockey as he captained the University of Maine to the 1993 NCAA Championship. The forward is the school's all-time leading scorer with 301 points (103g, 198a) in 170 career games. Montgomery had a 12-year professional playing career that included parts of six seasons in the NHL.

(Nathan can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)