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Thomas Bordeleau
Thomas Bordeleau (Michigan Photography)

Bordeleau Selected for Tim Taylor Award as National Rookie of the Year

4/9/2021 6:08:00 PM | Ice Hockey

PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- University of Michigan ice hockey forward Thomas Bordeleau has been named the 2021 recipient of the Tim Taylor Award, given annually to the best first-year player in NCAA Division I men's hockey, the Hockey Commissioners' Association announced Friday (April 9).

He is the second Michigan player to win the award, joining 2016 recipient Kyle Connor. The award has been presented in each of the last 15 years.

Bordeleau led the nation's freshmen in scoring with 30 points on eight goals and a team-best 22 assists in 24 games. The Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Year and a second-team All-Big Ten selection, Bordeleau tallied three game-winning goals and was a +18, the sixth-best on-ice rating in the Big Ten. He led the league in faceoff win percentage (.580), winning 211 draws.

He began his collegiate career on a three-game point-scoring streak that included earning SportsCenter's Top Play on ESPN with his 3x3 overtime goal at Wisconsin on Nov. 20. The HCA Rookie of the Month runner-up in November did not let up. Setting up the game-winning goal at Penn State on Dec. 2 kick-started Bordeleau to a 10-game streak. He missed two games in December as he attended the USA World Junior camp and was on track to make the final roster before COVID protocol ruled him out of the championship. He added 20 more points during the second semester, highlighted by a four-point game against Ohio State on Feb. 20.

A 2020 NHL draft pick of the San Jose Sharks, Bordeleau is also a member of the College Hockey News All-Rookie Team and the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.