Finalists Announced for 2025-26 Sid Watson Award
Given to AHCA Division II-III Men’s Player of the Year
Seven players who have distinguished themselves on the ice in 2025-26 have been named finalists for the 2026 Sid Watson Award, given annually to the best NCAA Division II-III men’s ice hockey player in the country. Hobart College, the three-time defending NCAA Champion and #1 seed in this year's NCAA Tournament, leads the way with three of the seven finalists. Three of the finalists are from the United States, three are from Canada and one is from Finland. Two are seniors, four are juniors, and one is a sophomore. Five are forwards, one is a defensemen, and one is a goaltender. The finalists, four of whom will play in the NCAA Quarterfinal Round this weekend, were selected by the nation's Division II-III head coaches in a preliminary vote held earlier this week.
Sponsored by the American Hockey Coaches Association, the Sid Watson Award honors the memory of former Bowdoin College head coach and athletic director Sid Watson. A three-time AHCA Coach of the Year, Watson served Bowdoin for more than 30 years, winning 326 games in 24 seasons as head coach.
After a vote by the nation's head coaches next week, the recipient of this year's Sid Watson Award will be announced during this year's NCAA Division III Ice Hockey Frozen Four which will be hosted by Utica University, March 27-29.
2025-26 Finalists for the Sid Watson Award
Ian Amsbaugh Junior Forward, Adrian College (Bottineau, ND) (NCHA Player of the Year ) - His 37 assists and 49 points were tops among all NCHA players. A talented playmaker, Amsbaugh had nine multi-assist games, including three games with three assists and one with four. His line in 28 games was 12-37-49.
Damon Beaver, Senior Goalie, Hobart College (Whitby, ON) (SUNYAC Player of the Year) - Hobart’s odds of winning its fourth straight NCAA title are bolstered by this outstanding netminder. The numbers from his 18 games this year are pretty impressive: 18-0-0 record, 0.89 goals against average, a save percentage of .956 and seven shutouts. He stopped all 49 shots in his two SUNYAC tournament games.
Kahlil Fontana, Senior Forward, Hobart College (Duncan, BC) - Hobart can spread out is scoring and its balance is shown in this First Team All-SUNYAC selection. Fontana had 20 goals to go along with 20 assists, going 1-3-4 in three SUNYAC playoff games. He will play a key role when Hobart puts its perfect record on the line against St. Norbert College on Saturday night.
Joona Juntunen, Sophomore Forward, St. Mary’s University (Hyvinkaa, Finland) (MIAC Player of the Year) - Juntunen was a two-way standout for the MIAC regular season runner-up. His overall numbers led the MIAC in goals (21) and points (46) and his +17 was third best among all conference players.
Conor Lally, Junior Defenseman, Hobart College (Scarborough, ME) - Completing the Hobart trio is this two-way player on defense. He led Hobart with an eye-popping +45 +/- statistic and also contributed offensively with 12-24-36 in 28 games.
Jonathan Surrette, Junior Forward, Assumption University (Woburn, MA) (Northeast 10 Player of the Year) - Surrette was an offensive machine for the NE10 champions. He was only kept off the scoresheet twice in 33 games, leading the conference in goals (34), assists (31) and points (65). He had 17 multi-point games.
Luke Tchor, Junior Forward, Hamilton College (Toronto, ON) (NESCAC Player of the Year) - The one returning finalist had a 30-point season for the NESCAC regular season champions. Having defeated Neumann, 6-2, last week, Tchor and Hamilton look to advance to the Frozen Four when they host Norwich on Saturday.
| Past Winners of the Sid Watson Award | |||
| 1993 | Frank Cirone | Wisconsin-Stevens Point | Forward |
| 1994 | Ray Alcindor | Middlebury | Forward |
| 1995 | Charlie Gaffney | Bowdoin | Forward |
| 1996 | Ian Smith | Middlebury | Defense |
| 1997 | Steve Toll | RIT | Forward |
| 1998 | Mark Spence | Middlebury | Forward |
| 1999 | Rob Smillie | St. Norbert | Forward |
| 2000 | Steve Aronson | St. Thomas | Forward |
| 2001 | Keith Aucoin | Norwich | Forward |
| 2002 | Jerry Galway | RIT | Defense |
| 2003 | Maris Ziedins | St. Norbert | Forward |
| 2004 | Kevin Cooper | Middlebury | Forward |
| 2005 | Kurtis McLean | Norwich | Forward |
| 2006 | Adam Hanna | St. John's | Goalie |
| 2007 | Andrew Gallant | Manhattanville | Goalie |
| 2008 | Kyle Jones | St. Norbert | Goalie |
| 2009 | Jeff Landers | Amherst | Defense |
| 2010 | David Martinson | Gustavus Adolphus | Forward |
| 2011 | Chris Berenguer | Hamline | Defense |
| 2012 | Jonathan LaRose | Amherst | Goalie |
| 2013 | Paul Rodrigues | SUNY Oswego | Forward |
| 2014 | David Jacobson | St. Norbert | Goalie |
| 2015 | Drew Fielding | St. Thomas | Goalie |
| 2016 | Jamie Murray | Babson | Goalie |
| 2017 | Evan Buitenhuis | Hamilton | Goalie |
| 2018 | Colin Larkin | UMass Boston | Forward |
| 2019 | Devin McDonald | Geneseo | Goalie |
| 2020 | Tom Aubrun | Norwich | Goalie |
| 2021 | Not Awarded | ||
| 2022 | Peter Bates | St. Norbert | Forward |
| 2023 | Matus Spodniak | Adrian | Forward |
| 2024 | Devon Bobak | Trinity | Goalie |
| 2025 | Shane Soderwall | Curry | Goalie |
