The award caps a week's worth of honors for Suess, a senior center and one of three captains for the Mavericks.
Suess was named the WCHA’s Offensive Player of the Year on Tuesday and, on Wednesday, learned he was one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, which goes to college hockey’s most outstanding player. Last week, he was named First Team All-WCHA.
Suess leads Minnesota State in scoring with 43 points in 39 games, including 22 goals. His 127 career points (57 goals, 70 assists) rank him tied for fifth on the Mavericks’ Division I-era scoring list. Suess scored 36 points this season in conference play, including a league-best 19 goals, making him the first MSU player to win the WCHA’s scoring title, too.
“First of all, I think it’s an outstanding honor to be selected by coaches throughout the league,” Minnesota State coach Mike Hastings said in the WCHA's press release. “Secondly, I think C.J. is a complete player. There isn’t a situation that he does not play in over the course of an entire game. During his time with us, he has worked to eliminate holes in his game to develop into a complete player. You can talk about his talents on the ice, but his leadership skills in being a ‘we’ guy and never a ‘me’ guy is exhibited daily. Over his entire four-year career, he has contributed daily to making Minnesota State a better place to be.”
A Forest Lake native and fifth-round draft pick of the Winnipeg Jets, Suess has led the Mavericks to a 29-9-1 record and their third MacNaughton Cup as the WCHA’s regular-season champion in his four seasons at MSU.
Suess ranks second in the nation with 509 faceoff wins. His plus-minus for the season is currently plus-19.
Suess and the Mavericks will try to keep their season going in the NCAA tournament, which begins in a week. They will find out where and whom they’ll on Sunday.
There will be a Selection Show viewing party starting at 9 a.m. Sunday at Pub 500. The show, which will be broadcast on ESPNU, starts at 11 a.m.
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