Former Vernon Viper is a finalist for High School Hockey Award – Kelowna Capital Information

A former Vernon Viper was nominated for the greatest honor in American college hockey.

Odeen Tufto was named a top 10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, which is given annually to the best college hockey player.

Tufto plays at the Quinnipiac University center and has proven himself an elite playmaker at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) level this season.

The 24-year-old Tufto is in his final year of college. This season he’s at the top of the NCAA with an average of 1.63 points per game. His 44 points during the season put him second in all of college hockey, and his 38 assists lead all skaters by a wide margin.

A native of Chaska, Minnesota, was named the conference’s first team All-Star Team and is a finalist for Ice Hockey Player of the Year for the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).

Quinnipiac will bid farewell to the ECAC finals on March 24th. The team leads its conference with 37 points in 18 games this season.

Tufto played for the Vernon Vipers in the 2015/16 BC Hockey League season, where he led the team in 57 games with goals (25), assists (40) and points (65). The Vipers fell to divisional powerhouse Penticton Vees in the first round of the playoffs that year, and Tufto joined the US Hockey League’s Fargo Force – the NCAA’s feeder league.

Tufto has spent his entire college career at Quinnipiac and is wearing the Captain C patch his final season with the team.

Three more Hobey Baker finalists will be announced on April 1st, and the winner will be named on April 9th.

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Brendan Shykora

College sports hockey

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