Kevin Roy Awarded USHL Player of the Year

Press Release

The United States Hockey League today announced that Lincoln Stars forward Kevin Roy has been selected as the 2011-12 USHL Player of the Year as determined by a vote of USHL coaches and general managers.

It was a record-breaking season for Roy as he led the USHL in scoring with 104 points (54g, 50a) playing in all but one of the 60 regular season games. His point total was the most in the USHL Tier 1 era (2002-present) and the most by a player in over two decades as John Young scored 107 points (43g, 64a) in 47 games during the 1988-89 season for the St. Paul Vulcans.

Roy was the first player in USHL Tier 1 era history to score 50 goals when he accomplished that feat on April 6th, 2012 scoring the game-winner in the 4-1 victory over the Tri-City Storm. He became the first USHL player to reach the 50-goal mark since the 1993-94 season when Mark Mowers (51) of the Dubuque Fighting Saints and Jason Blake (50) of the Waterloo Black Hawks both reached that mark. Roy finished the season with 54 goals, the most in the USHL since Mark Karpen scored 54 during the 1988-89 season for the North Iowa Huskies.

Roy, who turned 19 earlier this week, led the Lincoln Stars to a 38-18-4 record (80 points) and a first-place finish in the USHL Western Conference. The 38 wins were the most for the Stars in the past decade. Roy also led the League with a plus-44 rating, the second highest mark in USHL Tier 1 history. He finished tops in power play points with 28 (14g, 14a), first in shots (305), and tied for second in game-winning goals (7). The forward had a USHL season high 15-game point streak from February 29th to April 13th in which he produced 31 points (16g, 15a) and led the Stars to an 11-4-0 record over that span.

“For the second time this week, we have to try to find the words to describe Kevin’s outstanding play this year,” said USHL President and Commissioner Skip Prince. “This award annually goes not just to the League’s top scorer, or its top defender, but the player who was the single greatest difference maker for his team. Kevin’s body of work throughout the 2011-12 season, and the playoffs, was unmatched. Congratulations on behalf of the entire USHL to one of its great young stars.”

In the playoffs, Roy had a point in all but one of his team’s eight games as he led the Stars with 10 points (7g, 3a) before being eliminated in the Western Conference Final series by the Waterloo Black Hawks.

Roy will begin his college hockey career next season at Brown University. He is now preparing for the 2012 NHL Draft as he is one of the top North American prospects as rated by NHL Central Scouting. Roy will take part in the NHL Draft Combine from May 28th-June 2nd as one of 105 top players to be evaluated by NHL teams.

The native of Lac Beauport, Quebec was named USHL Forward of the Year earlier in the week. He is the fourth player in Lincoln Stars history to be named USHL Player of the Year, joining Jason Gregoire (2007-08), Ryan Potulny (2002-03), and Chris Fournier (2000-01). All three of those players also earned USHL Forward of the Year in those seasons.

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