The MSHL is an association of school-based ice hockey teams whose purpose is to provide a positive, competitive environment and to maintain high academic standards for student-athletes.  The MSHL awards one-time scholarships to college-bound graduating players who have played for a high school team in the MSHL and are immediately enrolling full time and attending a two- or four-year college in the Fall or Spring semester of the upcoming year. 

Eligibility: One $500 scholarship will be awarded to a graduating player from each Conference competing in the 2023-24 season.  The student-athlete must have a minimum weighted GPA of 3.0.  Candidates will be judged on academic performance, high school athletic participation, high school extracurricular activity participation, positive involvement in the school and community and a coach’s recommendation. The scholarship will be made payable to the college or university only.  The application deadline is 2/13/24.

Click on the link below to download the application in an MS-Word document.

The 2024 Recipients are:
Girls Conference:  Michelle Radov Beth Tfiloh and North Eastern Girls 
Eastern Conference:  Dominic Garcia  Crofton HS
Howard Conference:  Cameron Westlake  Centennial HS and the Howard County Wolves
Monocacy Valley:  Nick Sobshak  Century HS and Carroll County Bears
Montgomery Conference:  Jacob Lerman  Walt Whitman HS
Southern Conference:  Callum Johnson  Leonardtown HS

Yvon Labre Award

As everyone knows, Yvon Labre was the heart and soul of the Washington Capitals.  He played the game with skill, dignity and honor.  The MSHL recognizes one high school senior “all-star” player who has successfully completed his or her career in the MSHL and, like Yvon, displays the following characteristics:

1. 100% dedication to the sport of ice hockey
2. Superior work ethic
3. Exceptional hockey skills
4. Team leadership characteristics

An award plaque listing each season’s winner will be maintained in The Gardens Ice House.  All seniors registered to play with an MSHL team are eligible for nomination by their coach.

All letters of nomination should provide specific details with regards to the above evaluation criteria.  Please send your nominations by email to Joe LaCour, mshlcommish@gmail.com, no later than 8:00 pm on February 16, 2024.  Help us recognize an outstanding player.  Participate by getting your nomination in early.

The MSHL, in cooperation with and sponsored by The Gardens Ice House, will be presenting the YVON LABRE award at the MSHL State Championship game on March 1, 2024.

Winner: Devin Brown - Oakdale HS

Don and Iva Gensler Award

Don and Iva Gensler dedicated so much of their time and energy to the success of high school ice hockey in the Washington DC metropolitan area.  Don was the inspiration and founder of the MSHL and served as the MSHL commissioner for more than 14 years.  His passion for hockey was infectious to anyone who had the honor of knowing and working with him.  The MSHL presents this annual award to a volunteer who best demonstrates the dedication and principles of Don and Iva Gensler who has made a significant difference to an individual player, team, conference and/or the MSHL as a whole.  The award is presented annually at the MSHL State Championship game.  The winner will be notified prior to the championship game so they will be present for the award.

If you wish to nominate someone for the Don and Iva Gensler award, please write a detailed letter outlining their achievements for which they should be recognized.  Include specific examples of how they volunteered their time and made a difference to your team, your conference and/or the MSHL.  Only nominations of volunteers who have been active for 2 years or more will be considered. 

The nomination letter must contain the following:

1. Detailed achievements for the past 2+ years at the team and/or conference level. 
2. Specific examples of how they have impacted a player, team and/or conference with their participation and leadership.
3. Why does this individual stand out more than the other volunteers within your team and/or conference?  Give specific examples.
4. If you only could describe this individual in two (2) words - what two (2) words would you use?

All letters of nomination need to be submitted to Hugh McElroy at hmcelroy91(at)gmail.com by 6:00pm on February 16, 2024.  No submissions will be accepted after this deadline. 

When submitting your letter, please make sure that the topic line states “Gensler Award”.  The nominations will be reviewed and voted on by members of the MSHL Gensler Award Committee. 

The Recipient of the 2024 Don & Iva Gensler Volunteer of the Year Award is Lisa Amick.

The Sportsmanship Award is presented each year to the team that has the fewest penalties on a per game basis for conference games.

The recipient of the 2024 Sportsmanship Award is Queen Anne's County HS.

Coach of the Year Award

Each Conference will nominate its Coach of the Year and forward that nomination to MSHL Executive Director, Joe LaCour by 8:00pm on February 16, 2024.

The winner will announced before the MSHL Championship Game on March 1, 2024. 

The 2024 MSHL Coach of the Year is Hugh McElroy of Oakdale HS.

CHARACTER. EXCELLENCE. A LOVE FOR THE GAME. SPORTSMANSHIP.

These are the values that shaped the legend of Hobey Baker. The Hobey Baker Award committee believes that adversity builds character, and character builds excellence. Character makes the game better.

Success in life, much like success in hockey, demands more than skill alone. It demands a positive attitude, an excellent work ethic, and a will to succeed, no matter the circumstances.  The development and recognition of exemplary character and sportsmanship in our high school players is an extremely important aspect of the student-athlete experience. 

This high school level award is a natural extension of the prestigious Hobey Baker Memorial Award given to the nation’s top collegiate hockey player and sportsman.

Deserving candidates are selected by their high school coach based on several factors that demonstrate “character” including coachability, strength of character, integrity, commitment, teamwork, community building and outstanding sportsmanship.  The award is bestowed on a single player from the senior class of each high school team.

The instructions can be found right below this announcement.  Note that you should receive your awardee’s personalized plaque within 2 weeks so consider your year end banquet, celebration or presentation date when you complete your nomination.

Individual MSHL Academic Honor Roll

All student athletes with a weighted GPA of 3.5 or greater will be recognized by the MSHL with a certificate and pin for achieving exemplary academics while playing high school ice hockey.  Each conference’s registrar will coordinate the collection of data and distribution of certificates and pins.   

The MSHL calculation for weighted GPA for individual academic awards is computed as follows:

Add the points for each grade from the last two quarters of completed courses.  Divide by the number of courses.  Use the following point system based on the description of the course:

• GT, AP, IB Diploma (11th & 12th) course; 5 point scale - A=5.0, B=4.0, C=3.0, D=2.0, E or F=0
• Honors course;  4.5 point scale - A=4.5, B=3.5, C=2.5, D=1.5, E or F=0
• IB MYP (9th & 10th) course; 4.5 point scale - A=4.5, B=3.5, C=2.5, D=1.5, E or F=0
• General course; 4.0 scale - A=4.0, B=3.0, C=2.0, D=1.0, E or F=0

Send your Conference Registrar one spreadsheet per team that includes the following columns:  Student’s Name, Student’s School, Student’s Team, Student’s weighted GPA, and Team contact’s email.  In a separate area on the spreadsheet, include your calculation of the weighted GPA.  Additionally, send a scanned pdf file of the students’ report cards showing two quarters of grades.  Please, no jpg files.

Team MSHL Academic Honor Roll

The MSHL will recognize and present the Varsity, Junior Varsity and Girls team with the highest average weighted GPA, respectively, with a team plaque at the MSHL State Championship game.  The winning teams will be notified prior to the championship game so they can have a representative present to receive the award.    Team packets should be sent by Wednesday, 2/9/24.  Varsity, JV and Girls packets should be sent to Owen Evans.

The team packet must include the following information:

• Compute all individual weighted GPA’s and the overall average weighted team GPA based on the weighting described below.
• Use all student athletes on the roster who have played 3 or more games (conference + non-conference).
• If any player does not submit a report card, the player will be assigned a 1.0 GPA.
• The Team’s application should be sent as one packet.   Include all players’ report cards in a scanned file plus the weighted GPA computations (show detail) in either spreadsheet or manual format.  Please, no jpg files.  For a sample Excel spreadsheet, contact Owen Evans.

The MSHL calculation for weighted GPA for the team academic award is computed as follows:

Add the points for each grade from the last two quarters of completed courses.  Divide by the number of courses.  Use the following point system based on the description of the course:

• GT, AP, IB Diploma (11th & 12th) course; 5 point scale - A=5.0, B=4.0, C=3.0, D=2.0, E or F=0
• Honors in 4 core subjects and foreign language course; 4.5 point scale - A=4.5, B=3.5, C=2.5, D=1.5, E or F=0
• IB MYP (9th & 10th) course; 4.5 point scale - A=4.5, B=3.5, C=2.5, D=1.5, E or F=0
• General course and other Honors courses not named above; 4.0 scale - A=4.0, B=3.0, C=2.0, D=1.0, E or F=0

NOTE:  GT, AP & IB classes are determined by an outside organization for the respective classes.  Honors classes are determined by each individual county.  For consistency, we will only use the 4.5 point scale for Honors courses in the 4 core subjects (English, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies) as well as foreign languages.

The 2024 Team Academic Awards winners are:
Varsity:  Winston Churchill Varsity 1
Junior Varsity: Richard Montgomery

All Conference Teams
Each conference will select an All Conference Team comprised of the best skilled players in that conference.  Recognition of these players is coordinated at the conference level.

All Conferences nominations are due to the Executive Director by 8:00 pm on February 16, 2024.

All State Team
The MSHL Board of Directors selects an All State First Team and Second Team from the five All Conference First Teams.  These players will be recognized at the MSHL State Championship game.