Shefveland wins Hodag Hockey’s Al Baker Award

Dylan Shefveland walked away with the Rhinelander High School boys’ hockey team’s top honor Monday, March 9, as he was presented with the Alfred O. Baker Outstanding Hockey Player award during the team’s banquet at the Cedric A. Vig Outdoor Classroom.

The award is presented annually in honor of Baker, the Hodags’ hockey coach during the 1950s and early 1960s. It was established in 1990 and goes to, as stated on the plaque that displays the names of the previous award winners, “an outstanding senior hockey player who has shown good sportsmanship, hard work and dedication to the goals of the hockey program.”

Shefveland was one of the leading scorers for the Hodags, with nine points (two goals, seven assists) on the season. That was despite a midseason move from forward to defenseman when the Hodags were thin at the latter position due to injury. 

Shefveland also earned the Hodags’ Blue Line Award, as the team’s top defenseman this season. Coach M.J. Laggis said Shefveland’s steady demeanor and willingness to do what was best for the team were the reasons the coaching staff presented him with both awards.

“Dylan is absolutely a guy that deserves it. He’s a guy that did whatever he needed to for the team this year, and, to me, that’s the ultimate thing,” he said. “If you’re on a team, you do what it takes for the team, not what you personally want, and there are not many guys like that. So, I really appreciate that, and it’s well-deserved.

“This year he was just absolutely rock solid. He would come to that bench. I would usually walk down and say, ‘Keep going, man. I need you. Keep going.’ And he would go right back out there and back as hard as he could.”

Shefveland took home two of the five awards presented by the team. Junior Drake Nelson was named the team’s offensive player of the year, senior Logan Leonard won the Hodag award and freshman CJ Sparks took home the team’s hustle award. 

    Rhinelander High School boys’ hockey players, from left to right, Drake Nelson, Dylan Shefveland, Logan Leonard and CJ Sparks, display their awards following the team’s banquet at the Cedric A. Vig Outdoor Classroom Monday, March 9. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

Nelson, statistically, had the best season for the Hodags, leading the team in total points (15), goals (8) and assists (7). That included two goals in the Hodags’ playoff loss to eventual WIAA Division 2 state champion Northland Pines.

“At Pines, when the chips are down like that, it is hard to play composed. It’s hard to do things right, when you’re just absolutely outmatched,” Laggis said. “And especially in Drake’s case, he played with a lot of those kids grow up, for a lot of years. And that’s difficult too. A couple of Rhinelander kids are on that team. In his case, I thought he did a nice job and at that moment, he impressed me with not just a couple of goals, but his ability to work through it and not lose a composure in that kind of a situation.”

Leonard finished the season with four goals and seven assists. Though he had a penchant for being physical on the ice — as evidenced by the 16 penalties he took during the season — Laggis lauded Leonard’s ability to be a leader in the locker room.

“One of the people that was really good at being able to be positive in the locker room, they were awesome at owning their mistakes and several times I heard this guy talk to teammates and apologize for something he may have done or didn’t do right on the edge, and it’s just a good person,” he said. “So I think very deserving of the Hodag award.”

Sparks, a freshman, had two goals and an assist on the year. Laggis commended Sparks for his effort, both on the ice and at practice. 

“CJ is a real impact player for a team, and I think the biggest impact is the way he hustles at practice, and how he hustles in a game, and the way his attitude is when the chips are down,” he said. “He’s one of those guys that, frankly, as coaches, you look at and say, ‘Well, he could really be a leader.’ He’s got some grapple in his gut. So, he’s been a really nice addition this year.”

Rhinelander struggled to a 1-23-0 record this season and went 

1-9-0-0 in the Great Northern Conference. During the banquet, Laggis encouraged the players to work in the offseason to get stronger, both on the ice and in the weight room, as the Hodags try to get back to the top of the GNC, like they were in 2020-21.

Assistant coach Wil Losch reminded the players how cyclical success can be, noting that Tomahawk went from a winless record in 2020-21 to Division 2 state champions just four years later. He noted a similar turnaround for Northland Pines, which went from 4-18-0 in 2021-22 to hoisting the D2 state trophy this season. 

“There’s no timeline on culture change,” Losch said. “So you juniors, you can make that positive pivot, wherever it goes. And the freshman, what I would say, is look at your three seniors, and they all have traits that if you take their best traits as players and teammates and exhibit those for the next three years, then those seniors are still part of that culture change too. Something to think about. I know culture isn’t entirely based on wins and losses, but that is a measure. Certainly when you’ve had some that success, you want to continue it. We have a group of young men here. It’d be really cool to see what happens if we really push ourselves and how that culture should be.”

Freelance reporter Bob Mainhardt contributed to this report.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].