A Two-Way Monster

[CowboyinAmerica 2,840]

 

Davos -- About a third of the way through the season, the Dynamo's Gabriel McAllister is off an MVP pace in his quest to repeat. His 19 goals are fifth in the league and six behind Helsinki's Mattias Forsberg, while his 18 assists don't even register in the league's top ten.

 

However, he's doing just well enough to put himself in contention for another trophy: the top two-way forward. McAllister has won the award once before, in Season 58, and now with Franchise Cornerstone retired the opportunity to win the trophy is open once more. McAllister currently sits first in the league in hits with 142 in 27 games, five more than Helsinki's Aleksei Federov and 12 more than Helsinki's Fook Yu. And while Federov has more points than McAllister currently, he's hoping that his higher hit total and his role on the Davos first line puts him in contention.

 

"The Dynamo have had some big wins, and that's what matters for me. But I can't lie, I wouldn't mind winning the award," McAllister said after a recent press conference. "I originally came into the league as a pure scorer, but this is a part of my game I've really worked on. The ability to grab possession with a big hit is an underrated art, and I'm proud to have skills on both side of the ice."