Travis Konecny presented inaugural E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence
SUNRISE, Fla. (June 27, 2015) – The inaugural E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence was presented to Travis Konecny, who was selected 24th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers at the 2015 NHL Draft being held at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla., the National Hockey League announced today.
“Throughout the past season and at various tournaments and events including the NHL Scouting Combine, Travis Konecny has displayed the skills, qualities and character that distinguish him as an ideal teammate and role model,” said Dan Marr, Director of NHL Central Scouting. “Our team and NHL colleagues were impressed with his overall abilities and respectful demeanor and felt he was a worthy recipient for this special honor.”
As captain of the Ottawa 67’s (OHL), Konecny recorded 68 points (29-39–68) in 60 games and also was voted Best Skater and ranked second for Best Stickhandler in a poll of the OHL’s Eastern Conference coaches for the 2014-15 regular season. Konecny, an 18-year-old center, also collected three points (2-1–3) and captured Most Valuable Player honors at the 2015 BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.
The Central Scouting Award will be presented annually by the League to the NHL Draft prospect who best exemplifies commitment to excellence through strength of character, competitiveness and athleticism.
“E.J. McGuire was the architect behind the creation of the NHL Scouting Combine and a visionary of many modern-day advancements being introduced into the game”, said Marr. “NHL Central Scouting felt it was appropriate to honor his memory by creating an award that embodied all of his exemplary characteristics.”
The McGuire family said: “We are so honored that E.J. is being remembered in this manner. His whole career was spent reaching for excellence in the sport he loved and this is quite a tribute. E.J. always showed such a passion in encouraging the future of hockey, so it’s fitting that the recipient is a young man exhibiting excellence at the beginning of his professional hockey career.”
After many years of coaching and scouting at various levels of hockey, McGuire joined the NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau in 2002 as an assistant to then-Director Frank Bonello. In 2005, he assumed day-to day responsibility for the department that advanced significantly under his watch. McGuire spearheaded an operation that provided scouting and evaluation of draft-eligible players to NHL member clubs. He led a team of eight full-time and 15 part-time scouts throughout North America. Just as he brought innovation to the coaching profession throughout his career, McGuire was responsible for several advancements in the area of scouting during his nine years at the League, including the development of a new scouting technology system that brought the “art” of scouting to a whole new level. He was instrumental in raising both the effectiveness and profile of the League’s annual scouting combine. McGuire lost his short, but courageous battle with cancer in April 2011.