Vandercook named SBK Hockey/West top player

by Submitted Bob Richardson<br> Wenatchee Wild
| December 23, 2010 5:00 AM

WENATCHEE - Wenatchee Wild captain D.J. Vandercook (Farmington

Hills, Mich.) was named the SBK Hockey/West Player of the Week on

Monday. Vandercook, 20, was selected for the award after

contributing 6 points (4G, 2A) in the Wild's 3-game road sweep over

the Dawson Creek Rage last week.

WENATCHEE - Wenatchee Wild captain D.J. Vandercook (Farmington Hills, Mich.) was named the SBK Hockey/West Player of the Week on Monday. Vandercook, 20, was selected for the award after contributing 6 points (4G, 2A) in the Wild's 3-game road sweep over the Dawson Creek Rage last week.

Vandercook scored a third-period goal during the first game of last week's series when he completed a tic-tac-toe play from the back door. He also assisted on Max McHugh's (Edgewood, Wash.) second goal of the first period. Vandercook set up the game-winning goal in the second game of the series when he sent a deft pass to the point for defenseman Patrick Kinkopf (Seattle, Wash.) from inside the near faceoff circle.

Vandercook recorded his first hat trick of the season in the third game of last week's series against the Rage by scoring a goal in each period. In the first, he tied the contest up, 1-1, when he put back a rebound during a power play. In the second frame, Vandercook scored a power-play marker from the slot on a pass from Carl-Johan Sjogren (Sodertalje, Sweden) from behind the net. Vandercook tacked on an empty-netter with 65 seconds remaining in regulation to complete the hat trick.

Vandercook was a 50-point scorer (30G, 20A) for the Wild in 2008-09 before playing for the Des Moines Buccaneers of the United States Hockey League (USHL) last season. Vandercook was re-acquired by the Wild in late September, and his 27 points currently tie him for the most on the team along with Eliot Grauer (Mukioteo, Wash.).

"D.J. has been a leader since he walked back into our locker room," said Wild assistant coach Chris Clark. "He's done a great job of not only putting up points, but helping develop some of our younger players. He'll be an excellent Division I player next year."

Grauer and McHugh were honorable mention selections for the West Player of the Week. Like Vandercook, Grauer also recorded four goals with two assists last week while McHugh scored three goals with three assists.

The Wild (18-11-2) will ring in 2011 at the Town Toyota Center with a pair of games against the Fresno Monsters on Dec. 31-Jan. 1. The New Year's Eve game will begin at 6:35 p.m., and the New Year's Day game will start at 7:05 p.m.