DEEPHAVEN, Minn. - The Central Collegiate Hockey Association named Minnesota State junior Evan Murr (Stillwater, Minn.) its defenseman of the year on Thursday (Mar. 12). A two-time Defenseman of the Year, Murr led CCHA blueliners with 20 points in conference play, scoring six goals with 14 assists. Posting a conference-best +17, he had one power-play goal and three game winners. Registering 71 shots, he blocked 28 defensively, while averaging 22:57 minutes per game. Notching five multi-point games, he recorded three-assist outings against Lake Superior State (Nov. 15) and Northern Michigan on (Nov. 28).

Overall, Murr has nine goals and 16 assists for 25 points in 37 games. He is a +18, totaling 108 shots on goal and 35 blocked shots, with two power-play goals and four game-winning tallies. Twice named Defenseman of the Month in the CCHA, he has also has a pair of Defenseman of the Week honors. In 113 career games at Minnesota State, he has recorded 22 goals and 56 assists for 78 points.

Other special award finalists for the Mavericks included Alex Tracy for CCHA Goaltender of the Year and Mason Wheeler for CCHA Defensive Defenseman of the Year. Murr joined Josh Kotai (Goaltender of the Year, Augustana) and Stiven Sardarian (Forward of the Year, Michigan Tech) as a finalist for CCHA Player of the Year, which will be announced on Friday.

Voting for the 2025-26 All-CCHA Teams and year-end awards was conducted by the nine head coaches at each CCHA member institution, based on CCHA conference games only. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players.

Murr and the Mavericks host No. 19 Michigan Tech in a CCHA Semifinal game on Saturday, March 14 at 7:07 p.m. CT at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center. Every playoff game can be seen live on Midco Sports Plus! For complete bracket, links and news, visit ccha.com/masoncup.