Will Cuylle was all smiles on Saturday, talking about making the New York Rangers roster for the start of the 2023-34 season.
“It feels great,” Cuylle said with a grin. “I accomplished my goal to make the team, so I’m happy.”
On Sunday, the Rangers announced that Cuylle was named the winner of the Lars-Erik Sjoberg Award, voted on by the media for the top rookie at training camp.
Related: Will Cuylle deserves to make the Rangers
Will Cuylle wins Lars-Erik Sjoberg Award
Cuylle, 21, had a great training camp, registering 2 goals and 3 points on 12 shots with a +1 rating. On top of that, he was a physical presence picking up 12 hits in his 5 games of action.
The promising rookie was told by President and General Manager Chris Drury that he made the team.
“I had a meeting with [Drury],” Cuylle revealed. “He told me ‘good job,’ why I made the team, and what he wants to see from me moving forward.”
New York selected the 6-3′, 211 lbs power forward in the second-round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. After an impressive career in juniors, Cuylle notched 25 goals and 45 points in 69 games for the Hartford Wolf Pack, his first year as a pro last season.
Last year, the Rangers recognized his strong play and rewarded him with four games in the middle of the season. Although he failed to register a point, he impressed management in a limited fourth-line role, throwing 8 hits and picking up two fighting majors.
“It was a really good opportunity for me to see what it’s like going on a quick road trip to Toronto,” he explained. “It definitely gave me a lot of motivation through the summer to be back here.”
LIST OF LARS-ERIK SJOBERG AWARD WINNERS
- 1988 Mike Richter
- 1989 Troy Mallette
- 1990 Steven Rice
- 1991 Tony Amonte
- 1992 Peter Andersson
- 1993 Mattias Norstrom
- 1994 Mattias Norstrom
- 1995 Niklas Sundstrom
- 1996 Eric Cairns
- 1997 Marc Savard
- 1998 Manny Malhotra
- 1999 Kim Johnsson
- 2000 Filip Novak
- 2001 Dan Blackburn
- 2002 Jamie Lundmark
- 2003 Dominic Moore
- 2005 Henrik Lundqvist
- 2006 Nigel Dawes and Brandon Dubinsky
- 2007 Marc Staal
- 2008 Lauri Korpikoski
- 2009 Matt Gilroy
- 2010 Derek Stepan
- 2011 Carl Hagelin
- 2013 Jesper Fast
- 2014 Anthony Duclair
- 2015 Oscar Lindberg
- 2016 Jimmy Vesey
- 2017 Filip Chytil
- 2018 Lias Andersson
- 2019 Adam Fox
- 2021 Nils Lundkvist
- 2022 Brennan Othmann
- 2023 Will Cuylle
