Leo Gruba finished with 22 goals and 57 points and became the first Fargo Force player in history to earn USHL Defenseman of the Year honors.
The United States Hockey League (USHL) has announced that Fargo Force defenseman Leo Gruba has been named USHL Defenseman of the Year for the 2023–24 season.
After posting eight goals and 23 points in 60 games last year, Gruba enjoyed a breakout campaign in a historic season with the Force, leading all USHL defensemen in goals (22), points (57), shots on goal (185), and plus/minus rating (+39).
The University of Minnesota commit's 35 assists ranked second among defensemen, trailing only Sioux City's Ty Hanson (37). Gruba also finished with the second-most power-play goals (7) and fifth-most power-play assists (12).
The 20-year-old got off to a red-hot start, recording points in each of his first ten games and never went more than three games without registering a point. Throughout the 2023–24 season, Gruba tallied three multi-goal and 14 multi-point efforts, and he was named USHL Defenseman of the Week three times.
Gruba becomes the first player in the Force's history to earn USHL Defenseman of the Year honors. The young blueliner was also named to the All-USHL First Team on Wednesday.
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