The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men’s hockey team announced its end-of-year team award winners on Apr. 14. Senior Max Gutjahr received the Jeff Jaraczewski Award as Team MVP after a season in which he recorded 617 saves, a 2.26 goals against average, a .913 save percentage, four shutouts, and a record of 16-8-2. Gutjahr has been the starting goaltender for the Blugolds over the past four seasons.
The team’s Most Dedicated award went to senior Trenten Heyde, who served as captain during the 2025/26 season. Heyde finished with one goal and eight assists for nine points and blocked 34 shots throughout the season. After finishing his collegiate career, Heyde signed his first professional contract with the Peoria Rivermen.
Freshman Logan Ganz earned the Wallace G Akervik Top Freshman Award following a strong debut campaign that included seven goals—two of them game-winners—and fourteen assists for twenty-one points. Sophomore Connor Thompson was recognized with the Richard G O’Brien Award for work ethic on and off the ice; he contributed one goal and one assist while winning fifty-six percent of his faceoffs as center.
According to the official website, UW-Eau Claire Blugolds serve both campus and surrounding community through statewide collegiate athletics. The program utilizes various on-campus and off-campus facilities for its twenty-five intercollegiate teams according to their official site. The university’s athletic department oversees more than two dozen varsity sports teams for men and women as reported by their website.
Since its inception, UW-Eau Claire Blugolds have enshrined two hundred seventy-one athletes, coaches, and administrators in their Hall of Fame according to official records. Based in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, they represent both university interests and engage with members of the local community according to their official website.
