The United States Hockey League announced Ethan Wyttenbach as the inaugural winner of The Gaudreau Award on Saturday, an honor bestowed upon a player who best embodies the legacy of the late Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, according to the USHL.
Wyttenbach, 18, led the Sioux Falls Stampede with 23 goals in 43 games this season. According to the USHL announcement, the forward also led the Stampede in community service hours.
Wyttenbach served as a mentor to local youth hockey players while also filling food bags for Feeding South Dakota, serving dinners at the St. Francis House and ringing bells for The Salvation Army.
The top junior ice hockey league established The Gaudreau Award to pay tribute to former players Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau. After starring in the USHL, the brothers went on to play at Boston College. Johnny then spent 11 years in the NHL with the Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets. Matthew played professionally for teams in the American Hockey League and ECHL.
The brothers died last summer after they were struck by a car while riding bicycles in New Jersey. The USHL created The Gaudreau Award “to honor their legacy and to serve as a shining example of excellence, character, and heart both on and off the ice,” according to Glenn Hefferan, president and commissioner of the USHL.
“Johnny and Matthew left an immeasurable impact on the communities where they lived and played. … They were not only exceptional players and teammates but, most importantly, extraordinary people. Their love for the game was only surpassed by their love for their families.”
According to the league, criteria for winning the award combines both on-ice excellence as well as “joy, enthusiasm, care and responsibility.”
–Field Level Media
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