April 8, 2011
Farmington Hills, Mich. – Notre Dame freshman center T.J. Tynan (Orland Park, Ill.) was named the Hockey Commissioners’ Association (HCA) National Division I Rookie of the Year on Friday afternoon.
The talented rookie led all CCHA and the nation’s freshmen in scoring with 23 goals and 31 assists for 54 points, including 16 multi-point games en route to becoming the second Irish player named the CCHA rookie of the year. Tynan was selected as the CCHA rookie of the week four times during the 2010-11 season, was the CCHA rookie of the month for November, the RBC Financial Group CCHA player of the month in December and the Notre Dame Monogram Club’s team most valuable player.
During the `10-’11 CCHA regular season, the Irish were 15-4-2 when Tynan’s name found the scoresheet. Included were four, two-goal games and 10 multi-point efforts on the year. He was selected by the league’s coaches as a second team all-CCHA performer while also earning a unanimous spot on the CCHA’s all-rookie team.
The 19-year old center finished the campaign with five power-play goals, two short-handed tallies and a pair of game winners as Notre Dame was 25-14-5 for the year and finished second in the CCHA with an 18-7-3-2 record. He helped the Irish to the NCAA Northeast Regional championship with a 4-3 overtime victory against Merrimack and a 2-1 win versus New Hampshire to send Notre Dame to its second Frozen Four appearance in the last four seasons.
At the Frozen Four, Tynan scored his 23rd goal of the season in the 4-3 loss to Minnesota-Duluth. The former Des Moines Buccaneer (USHL) became just the third Notre Dame freshman to score 50 or more points in a season with his 54 being just five points off the school record set by John Noble `73 and Dave Poulin `82 in their freshman seasons. The 54 points also are the most by an Irish player since the 1989-90 season.
The 5-8, 156-pound center signed a national letter-of-intent with Notre Dame in November of 2009 while playing for the Des Moines Buccaneers in the 2009-10 season. A first-round selection of the Bucs in the 2008 Futures Draft, Tynan posted big numbers in his rookie year in the league. He led Des Moines in scoring with 17 goals and 55 assists for 72 points in 60 games and was named to the 2010 USHL all-rookie team. His 55 assists led the league and his 72 points were fifth overall.
The HCA Rookie of the Year is selected in a vote by the assistant coaching staffs of all 58 NCAA Division I hockey teams. Players on the ballot receive five points for a first-place vote, three points for second and one for third place. Each conference’s top rookie serves as their respective league’s nominee.
Tynan is the first winner to come from the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. The WCHA and Hockey East have each had two winners in the last four years.