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PEORIA — Zach Wilkie earned a repeat title on Monday, three days after the Peoria Rivermen playoff run ended in the semifinals.
Wilkie was named SPHL Defenseman of the Year after a dominating performance in the 2024-25 season.
It's the second time in three seasons he's been voted the league's best defenseman. And it marks the fifth time in 10 seasons the award has gone to a Rivermen player.
"It's one of those awards that is such a great honor," Wilkie said. "It doesn't just reflect on me. Everything that has to do with that award, I can't do it without the great coaching and teammates I've had. It's never done alone. I'm thinking about the former teammates that helped develop me as a player. Guys like (retired Rivermen stars) Alec Hagaman, Nick Neville and coach Jean-Guy Trudel.
"I was just a 24-year-old kid who wanted to make a name for himself when I came here, and they accepted who I was from Day 1."
Wilkie had a magnificent season, leading all SPHL defensemen in goals (13), assists (43), points (56), power-play assists (22), and power-play points (25). His 43 assists tied for fourth-most in a single season by a defenseman in SPHL history.
More: Peoria Rivermen dominate All-SPHL awards for 2025. Here is who was honored
Wilkie also led the SPHL with a plus-34 rating, and his four game-winning goals were tops among defensemen. Wilkie played 51 games, and his assist and points totals were career-highs for the fourth-year pro.
His signature game came in a 6-4 win on Feb. 1 at Knoxville when he scored four goals, tying the SPHL all-time record for most goals by a defenseman in a single game, and setting the record for the 43-year Peoria franchise.
The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Villa Park native was SPHL Defenseman of the Year in 2022-23. He is just the second player in league history to win the award twice.
The Rivermen have had players named Defenseman of the Year in Zach Wilkie (2024-25, 2022-23), Nick Neville (2019-20), Dave Pszenyczny (2017-18) and Brandon Greenside (2015-16).
More: Coach of the Year: Peoria Rivermen's Jean-Guy Trudel wins SPHL's highest coaching honor
"I was raised to pursue success, to be the best possible," Wilkie said. "The guys I played with taught me that. Every time I stepped on the ice, I wanted to show the love I have for this organization and my teammates and this town, it's what got me through every day.
"To win an award like this you have to have those guys around you, and play with passion and bring that feeling to the game every night. It's why I play for this great organization and these great fans."
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or [email protected]. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: SPHL awards: Peoria Rivermen player named 2025 Defenseman of Year
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Wilkie was named SPHL Defenseman of the Year after a dominating performance in the 2024-25 season.
It's the second time in three seasons he's been voted the league's best defenseman. And it marks the fifth time in 10 seasons the award has gone to a Rivermen player.
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"It's one of those awards that is such a great honor," Wilkie said. "It doesn't just reflect on me. Everything that has to do with that award, I can't do it without the great coaching and teammates I've had. It's never done alone. I'm thinking about the former teammates that helped develop me as a player. Guys like (retired Rivermen stars) Alec Hagaman, Nick Neville and coach Jean-Guy Trudel.
"I was just a 24-year-old kid who wanted to make a name for himself when I came here, and they accepted who I was from Day 1."
Wilkie had a magnificent season, leading all SPHL defensemen in goals (13), assists (43), points (56), power-play assists (22), and power-play points (25). His 43 assists tied for fourth-most in a single season by a defenseman in SPHL history.
More: Peoria Rivermen dominate All-SPHL awards for 2025. Here is who was honored
Wilkie also led the SPHL with a plus-34 rating, and his four game-winning goals were tops among defensemen. Wilkie played 51 games, and his assist and points totals were career-highs for the fourth-year pro.
His signature game came in a 6-4 win on Feb. 1 at Knoxville when he scored four goals, tying the SPHL all-time record for most goals by a defenseman in a single game, and setting the record for the 43-year Peoria franchise.
The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Villa Park native was SPHL Defenseman of the Year in 2022-23. He is just the second player in league history to win the award twice.
The Rivermen have had players named Defenseman of the Year in Zach Wilkie (2024-25, 2022-23), Nick Neville (2019-20), Dave Pszenyczny (2017-18) and Brandon Greenside (2015-16).
More: Coach of the Year: Peoria Rivermen's Jean-Guy Trudel wins SPHL's highest coaching honor
"I was raised to pursue success, to be the best possible," Wilkie said. "The guys I played with taught me that. Every time I stepped on the ice, I wanted to show the love I have for this organization and my teammates and this town, it's what got me through every day.
"To win an award like this you have to have those guys around you, and play with passion and bring that feeling to the game every night. It's why I play for this great organization and these great fans."
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or [email protected]. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: SPHL awards: Peoria Rivermen player named 2025 Defenseman of Year
Continue reading...
