University of Minnesota Athletics
Pitlick, Westby Earn USA Hockey Honors
5/25/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS (GopherSports.com) – Future and former Gopher Hockey players were honored by USA Hockey on Wednesday as Minnesota signed prospect Rem Pitlick was named the Dave Tyler Junior Player of the Year while Minnesota alum Jim Westby was tabbed the Adult Player of the Year.
The United States Hockey League (USHL) Player and Forward of the Year and a First Team All-USHL forward for the Muskegon Lumberjacks, Pitlick led the USHL in scoring this year with 89 points (46 goals, 43 assists) over 56 regular-season games, breaking the record for most points in a season in Lumberjacks history. Both his goal and assist totals were best in the USHL, and his 46 goals rank third all-time in the USHL Tier 1 era.
A native of Plymouth, Minn., Pitlick is the 93rd-ranked North American skater according to NHL Central Scouting's most recent ranking, and he is eligible for the 2016 NHL Draft in Buffalo, NY. He is the son of Gopher Hockey and NHL alum Lance Pitlick, who served as a team captain in 1989-90 and played in 144 career games as a Minnesota defenseman.
Meanwhile, Westby was a three-year letter winner for the Maroon & Gold in 1958, 1962 and 1963. A defenseman, he played in 69 career games with 33 points (20 goals, 13 assists). Westby also competed at two IIHF Men’s World Championships for USA Hockey, finishing fourth in 1959 in Czechoslovakia and sixth in 1961 in Switzerland. Following his college career, he skated at the 1964 Olympic Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria – helping the U.S. to a fifth-place finish.
A native of Minneapolis, Minn., Westby is now a player, coach and general manager of the Minnesota Old Timers, an adult hockey team in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. The team has played at USA Hockey’s Adult National Championships every year since 2007, winning six out of 10 national titles.
Pitlick and Westby will be recognized at USA Hockey’s annual Night of Tribute Awards Dinner on June 8 in Colorado Springs, Colo.
-Pride On Ice-
