BOSTON – March 26, 2026 – Gridiron Club of New England president Tim Whelan, Jr., announced today that Jonathan Surrette, a junior from Assumption University, is the winner of the 25^th Joe Concannon Award, presented annually to the best American-born college hockey player in New England at the Division-II/III level.

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 college hockey and always advocated strongly for amateur athletics.

Surrette, a junior forward from Woburn, Massachusetts, led his team to the NE-10 regular season and conference tournament titles. During the season, he played in 33 games, scoring 34 goals and adding 31
assists for a conference-record 65 points, while posting a +29 rating with the Greyhounds. Surrette earned Player of the Year and 1^st-team All-NE10 honors while becoming just the second D-II player to receive the Joe Concannon Award, and the first since 2010.

"This news about Jonathan just made my month," noted Assumption head coach Michael Looney." He is a quiet and humble kid with Boston roots, which makes this award so much more special. Jonathan came in as a first-year player and had such an impact, earning Rookie of the Year honors and scoring a double overtime winner for us in the conference tournament. He produced his sophomore year but fell off a bit and really used the off-season to prepare for this past season. His focus on training and diet made him much stronger and fueled his uber-competitive nature, driving the incredible outputs this season. He is probably the only player in the country who has scored points against D-1, D-II, and D-III opponents this season, as our schedule also included an exhibition game against LIU. He is the first player to receive the award here at Assumption and one of only two D-II players to earn the Joe Concannon Award, so we are very proud of his accomplishments."

Surrette was a decisive winner over the other finalists in the final balloting. Each of the finalists had outstanding seasons, and all were highly qualified candidates for the award. The remaining finalists (in alphabetical order) include:

Cade DeStefani (Bedford, NH) – The senior forward was an instrumental part of Salve Regina's 20-4-0 season and run to the NCAA tournament as an independent program – the first time that has ever been accomplished. DeStefani finished the season with 14 goals and 18 assists for 32 points in just 25 games played for the Seahawks, who bowed out of the national tournament with a first-round loss to Norwich.

Jimmy Fallon (Milton, Mass.) – The junior forward from Babson College had a terrific season with 19 goals and 15 assists for 34 points in 27 games played for the Beavers. Fallon led Babson to a second-place finish in the new Little East Conference, where they lost the championship game to Norwich. He never took a single penalty over the full season, was recognized as the LEC Player of the Year, and received 1st Team All-LEC honors.

Dominic Murphy (Worcester, Mass.)– The junior forward was the CNE Player of the Year and 1st Team All-CNE for his outstanding season for the University of New England. Murphy finished the campaign with 10 goals and 29 assists for 39 points and a +23 rating in 26 games played for the Nor'easters, who earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, where they lost a one-goal game to St. Norbert College.

Devin Niles (Hatfield, Mass.)– The first-year forward for Fitchburg State had a dynamic season for the Falcons. Niles finished his first campaign with 17 goals and 22 assists for 39 points while posting a +32 rating in 26 games played. He earned the MASCAC Rookie of the Year award and was named to the 2nd Team, All-MASCAC.

Peter Sterling (Manassas, Va.) – The first-year goaltender for Endicott College was a big part of the Gulls' success in winning the CNE conference and earning the second seed in the NCAA tournament, where they lost in the quarterfinal round to Aurora University. Sterling finished the season with a 21-3-2 record in 27 games, sporting a 1.63 goals-against average and .933 save percentage with five shutouts. His outstanding season earned him both the goaltender of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors, along with 1st Team All-CNE recognition.

Ethan Ullrick (Lakewood, Ill.) – The junior forward from Tufts University finished the season with 18 goals and 12 assists for 30 points and a +8 rating while helping the Jumbos to a third-place finish in the ultra-competitive NESCAC race. Ullrick was also recognized with 1st Team all-NESCAC honors for his play this season.

"This season has seen great parity and terrific performances by so many players across the D-II/III hockey landscape in New England," said Gridiron Club Hockey Awards Committee chairman Tim Costello. "The committee always is challenged by determining the worthiest winner, but found Jonathan Surrette's incredible statistics and leadership in Assumption's championship season hard to ignore. He is the first D-II player to be recognized with the Concannon Award since 2010, when St Anselm forward Coleman Noonan won. Jonathan certainly earned the award during Assumption's great NE-10 season and is a terrific representative among past winners in this, the silver anniversary of the Concannon Award."

The Joe Concannon Award will be presented to the winner at the New England College Hockey Writers' Brunch on Sunday, April 19^th, in Saugus, MA.

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Joe Concannon Award Winners
2001: Keith Aucoin, Norwich University
2002: Michael Carosi, Bowdoin College
2003: Nick Stauder, Salem State College
2004: Michael O'Sullivan, Curry College
         Jim Pancyzkowski, Wesleyan University
2005: Brian Doherty, Curry College
        Joseph Ori, Trinity College
2006: Adam Dann, Bowdoin College
2007: Greg Osborne, Colby College
2008: Tom Maldonado, Middlebury College
2009: Jeff Landers, Amherst College
2010: Coleman Noonan, St. Anselm College
2011: Josh Harris, Castleton College
2012: Jeremiah Ketts, Johnson & Wales University
2013: Colin Mulvey, Norwich University
2014: Jackson Brewer, Trinity College
2015: Jamie Murray, Babson College
2016: Jamie Murray, Babson College
2017: Brady Fleurent, University of New England
2018: Colin Larkin, Massachusetts-Boston
2019: Brady Fleurent, University of New England
2020: Walker Harris, Wesleyan University
2021: Not Awarded Canceled due to COVID.
2022: Ryan Black, Babson College
         Conor O'Brien, Endicott College
2023: Myles Abbate, Plymouth State University
2024: Devon Bobak, Trinity College
2025: Shane Soderwall, Curry College
2026: Jonathan Surrette, Assumption University

The Joe Concannon Award
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 wrote 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.

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