On Monday, Austin Magera, a player from the South Carolina Stingrays, was named the 2023-2024 John A. Daley Memorial Trophy winner as the Rookie of the Year in the ECHL. This award is given to the player who has been most proficient in their first year of competition at the AA level or higher, based on a vote by members of the ECHL, coaches, broadcasters, media relations, directors, and media members. The award is named after John A. Daley, one of the founding fathers of the ECHL, who passed away in 1996. Austin was also named to the ECHL All-Rookie team and the All-ECHL Second Team.
Magera had a fantastic year after joining the Stingrays during the late 22-23 season. Last year, he made his professional debut playing 18 games, scoring eight goals and six assists. This year, he finished second among ECHL rookies—and ninth overall in the league—with 74 points, third among first-year players with 45 assists, and tied for third with 29 goals. His 14 power-play assists ranked fifth among rookies, and he was tied for fifth with 21 power-play points.
Before joining the South Carolina Stingrays, he played with Sacred Heart University, where he played 154 collegiate games and scored 74 goals and 69 assists. He then went on to play with the United States Hockey League’s Chicago Steel and Lincoln Stars, where he scored a combined six goals and eight assists.
Austin is a force reckoned with at 6’1 and almost 200 lbs. His sheer size and speed make him nearly unstoppable, as shown in his numbers. This season alone, he played 70 games and had 50 penalty minutes with seven power-play goals, 14 power-play assists, and a total of 194 shots on goal.
The other players in the categories’ vote finished as follows: Max Andreev of Kansas City was second, followed by Jacksonville’s Matt Vernon, Utah’s Kyle Mayhew, and Kansas City’s Cade Borchardt, who came in fifth. ECHL will announce the Defenseman of the Year on Tuesday, April 16th.
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