Former Trail Smoke Eaters excelled on and off the NCAA Division I ice last season.
The American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) announced the 2017-18 All-American Scholars on Friday, and Trail native Scott Davidson of Quinnipiac University, Michigan Tech Huskies Brent Baltus, and University of Alaska-Fairbanks freshman Max Newton earned a spot on the exclusive Krampade All-American Scholars list.
Castlegar’s Ryan Renz also earned the honour as a senior defenceman at Lake Superior.
“We are extremely proud of this group of student-athletes who have competed at the highest levels of the game on the ice and matched that performance in the classroom,” said AHCA Executive Director Joe Bertagna in a release. “The sport demands a great deal from these athletes so it is a great statement they make, individually and collectively, with their ability to attain this level of academic achievement.”
Davidson is in his junior year and earned All American Scholar status for the second year in a row, as well as being named to the ECAC Hockey All-Academic Team for a third straight year. He was named the Bobcats assistant captain in December 2017 and scored 10 goals and 22 points in 72 games with Quinnipiac over the past two seasons. The J. L. Crowe graduate played 146 games for the Trail Smoke Eaters over three seasons (2012-15), and served as captain in his final year, before being traded to the Chilliwack Chiefs at the Jan. 10 trade deadline. During his BCHL career, Davidson scored 45 goals, 69 assists, and 114 points.
Baltus was Michigan’s team captain and had a career-high 23 points with 11 goals and 12 assists. The Nanaimo native was named a WCHA Scholar-Athlete and to the WCHA All-Academic Team for the fourth straight season. As a senior this past year, he led Michigan Tech to the NCAA Div. I final tournament, and finished his career with 133 games played and 66 points on 29 goals and 37 assists. Baltus held a 3.94 GPA last year while pursuing his MBA.
Baltus played two seasons, 2011-13, for the Trail Smoke Eaters, and served as captain in his second year, leading the team in scoring with 24 goals and 52 points in 47 games, and named Interior Division MVP.
Newton joined the Smoke Eaters in 2014, and played almost two full seasons in Trail before a trade landed him in Cowichan Valley for the 2016-17 season. In all, he played 95 games in Trail, scoring 22 goals and 64 points.
Renz completed his senior year at Lake Superior, after playing four seasons in the BCHL, the majority of his 195 games played with the Vernon Vipers, where he served as team captain in 2013-14.
To be eligible for the Krampade honour, student-athletes must have attained a 3.6 GPA in each semester during the 2017-18 season and participated in 40 percent of their team’s games.
Overall, 271 men’s ice hockey players from the 60 Division I NCAA Ice Hockey teams were named All American Scholars.
