Buckeyes Garner Team Awards

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The members of the men's hockey squad voted for the 2025-26 team award winners at the conclusion of the season.

Davis Burnside, a two-time captain, was selected the Team MVP. He was second on the team in assists and points and reached the 100-point mark for his career during the year. Burnside ended his Ohio State career with 112 points, on 49 goals and 63 assists, while playing in 155 games. Burnside, who ranked in the Top 10 among current NCAA skaters in career goals, points and games played, was the sixth Buckeye to hit the 100-point mark in the last 10 years and the first since Tanner Laczynski (2017-20). He did not miss a game in his four-year career and is second in program history with 16 Big Ten Tournament games played. He signed a contract with AHL Manitoba last week.

Jake Karabela was voted the team's Rookie of the Year and won the Leading Scorer Award. The forward earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team after leading Ohio State with 22 assists and 37 points and sharing the goal lead with 15. Karabela ended the season on a four-game goal and seven-game point streak and earned Big Ten All-Tournament Team honors. He had a team-best six points (3g, 3a) in the Buckeyes' run to the B1G tournament final.

William Smith received the Best Defensive Player honor. The junior defenseman had a career-high four goals, eight assists and 12 points and was first with 43 shot blocks. He earned Big Ten All-Tournament Team accolades after posting four points in the tourney.

Freshman Niall Crocker was selected the Most Improved Player. A forward, he saw action in 25 games during the year, including the last 10, with six points on two goals and four assists.

Sam Deckhut, a junior forward, received the Unsung Player honor from his teammates. He skated in 33 games and had six points, on three goals and three assists. Deckhut had a point in four of the Buckeyes' final eight games. Deckhut was also a co-recipient of the Unsung Player award in 2024-25.

Junior forward Ryan Gordon, a sport industry major, was the recipient of the Scholar-Athlete Award after sharing the honor in 2024-25. He is a three-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete and two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and earned B1G Distinguished Scholar and ACHA All-American Scholar accolades last year. In 2025-26, Gordon played in all 37 games, with a career-high 18 assists and 23 points, along with 38 blocks and 257 faceoff wins.

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