CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. — ECAC Hockey has announced three finalists for the 2023 Gladiator Best Defensive Forward award, naming Mathieu Gosselin (Clarkson), Skyler Brind’Amour (Quinnipiac), and Zach Tupker (Cornell).
Since its inception in 1993, the award has been annually given to the ECAC Hockey forward considered to be the most defensively sound. Most recently, Zach Tsekos (Clarkson ‘22) claimed the award in back-to-back seasons.
The winner of the 2023 Gladiator Best Defensive Forward will be announced in conjunction with the 2023 ECAC Hockey Men’s Awards Banquet on Thursday, March 16, ahead of the 2023 ECAC Hockey Men’s Tournament in Lake Placid.
Mathieu Gosselin (Sr., Clarkson)
A senior forward from Québec City, Mathieu Gosselin has played an important role on both sides of the puck for the Golden Knights this season. Through 22 regular season contests, Gosselin has tallied 21 points, including seven goals and 14 assists, good for second on the team. He also has this season’s record for most assists in a game, with four against Cornell (February 17).
Defensively, Gosselin’s 17 blocked shots rank third on the team among forwards and he has logged impressive minutes on the power play while also excelling on the dot as well with a faceoff success rate of 56.7%. One of his best performances this season came in a 1-1 tie with Yale (December 10) where he blocked 7 shots through 65 minutes of play.
Skyler Brind’Amour (Sr., Quinnipiac)
Senior forward Skyler Brind’Amour had a career season for the Bobcats during his senior campaign, more than doubling his goal output from 2021-22 with seven goals during league play in 2022-23. Combined with his 11 assists, Brind’Amour finished fourth on the team in points with 18 through 22 regular season league contests.
He has also been a valuable contributor to the Bobcats’ back end, blocking 12 shots en route to Quinnipiac’s league-best 30 goals against and helping the team to a historic finish. Brind’Amour excelled on the dot as well with a faceoff success rate of 58.7% through 22 league contests.
Zach Tupker (Sr., Cornell)
Senior forward for the Big Red Zach Tupker has been consistent and defensively responsible for Cornell this season. Through 22 regular season league contests, Tupker has scored six goals (good for third on the team and a career best) and added two assists for eight points.
Great on both sides of the puck, Tupker also blocked eight shots this season, playing an important role in Cornell’s third place league finish. His shot-blocking and defensive awareness has been crucial to the Big Red’s success, especially as the team allowed the second-fewest goals against this season.
For daily updates on ECAC Hockey news, stories, awards, and more, be sure to follow @ecachockey on Twitter, ecachockey on Instagram, and like the ECAC Hockey Facebook page.