Former Wichita Falls forward Costello named ECHL MVP

May 23, 2015

Former Wichita Falls Wildcats and NAHL forward Chad Costello has been voted as the inaugural recipient of the 2014-15 Professional Hockey Players Association - ECHL Most Valuable Player Award Presented by BioSteel Sports, it was announced Friday.

 

For Costello, the award comes after a stellar first season with the Allen Americans in which he led the ECHL in scoring and helped Allen claim the Central Division regular-season title. The forward posted 125 points on 41

goals and 84 assists, factoring into the scoring of a remarkable 42.8 percent of the Americans league-high 292 goals, and finished the season with a plus-minus of +43 while appearing in all 72 games. In addition to leading the league in points (125) and assists (84), Costello also topped the ECHL in power-play assists (35) and power-play points (44).

 

"To be recognized by the players you play against for this type of award truly means a lot," Costello said in a statement released by the PHPA.  "I try to be an honest, hard-working player each and every night.  The

success our team has had this year certainly contributes to this award as well."

 

An ECHL First-Team All-Star this season, Costello played in Wichita Falls during the Wildcats inaugural season in the North American Hockey League in 2004-05. He recorded 29 goals and 34 assists for 63 points, totals, which still rank among the best single-season marks in team history.

 

The PHPA ECHL MVP Award is awarded to the player who is deemed to be the top performer in the league, as voted on by his peers. The 2014-15 season marked the first time players from the ECHL voted on season-ending individual awards.