BOSTON, Mass. --
Aidan Connolly and
Cade DeStefani, senior forwards on the Salve Regina University men's ice hockey team, have been named semifinalists for the 2026 Joe Concannon Award.
Nearing the completion of the DII/III college hockey season, Gridiron Club of New England president Tim Whelan, Jr announced today that 36 players are semifinalists for the Silver Anniversary and 25th Joe Concannon Award, presented annually to the best American-born NCAA Division II/III hockey player in New England.
The Joe Concannon Award was established in 2001 shortly after the passing of the longtime writer for The Boston Globe, who had a great passion for the game of college hockey while always advocating strongly for amateur athletics.
Connolly, has appeared in all 23 games and has nine goals and 13 assists up to this point in the 2025-26 season. He has been a key contributor since transferring in to the program from Sacred Heart University in 2024. Connolly is also a forward on the Senior Men's Irish National Team.
DeStefani also transferred to Salve Regina in 2024 after two seasons at Lindenwood University. He currently leads the Seahawks in scoring with 12 goals and 18 assists for 30 points. DeStefani is tied for first, with Jack Arizo, in the game winning goal category with four.
"We are incredibly proud of Cade DeStefani and Aidan Connolly on being named semifinalists for the Concannon Award," said head men's ice hockey coach Jay Punsky. "This honor is a reflection of the work, character, and daily commitment they bring to our program. Cade and Aidan represent Salve Regina Men's Hockey the right way—on the ice, in the classroom, and throughout our community. This recognition is well earned, and we're excited to see all that's ahead for both of them."
Twenty-two institutions are represented in the slate of candidates that includes six players from the Little East Conference (LEC), five from the Northeast-10 Conference (NE-10), two from the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC), ten from the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) and eleven from the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC). The sole independent program, Salve Regina, also has a pair of nominees this season. The list of nominees includes 27 forwards, three defensemen and six goaltenders. Babson, Endicott, Suffolk, and the University of New England have three nominees each while Assumption, Fitchburg State, Salve Regina, Tufts, and Williams each has two nominees.
The Seahawks, who have yet to play their final game of the regular season, wield an exceptional 19-4-0 record. The team began the season with an impressive 7-0 win streak. The Seahawks picked up a 4-2 win over ranked Bowdoin College in early December and saw No.14 and No.15 rankings in early January from USCHO. In the NCAA East Region NPI ranking Salve Regina is currently in seventh.
The Gridiron Club established the Joe Concannon Award in 2001 to honor Joe, a lifelong devotee of college hockey, former member of the Walter Brown Award Selection Committee and, as a journalist, a staunch advocate for the amateur athletes he knew and covered. A native of Litchfield, Connecticut, Joe graduated from Boston University in 1961. He served as sports information director (SID) at Holy Cross before joining the Boston Globe in the late 1960's to cover college sports. Joe declined frequent invitations by his editors to write about Boston's major professional sports teams, preferring to concentrate on the colleges, distance running and golf. He authored the book Marathoning with Bill Rodgers and established the highly successful Litchfield Road Race in his hometown. Joe was a world traveler and was especially proud of his Irish heritage, frequently sojourning to the Emerald Isle. He passed away in 2000.
