Matt Coronato of the Chicago Steel is the 2021 USHL Forward of the Year, the League announced Monday.
Coronato scored a USHL-high 48 goals in 51 regular-season games. The Harvard-bound forward also led the League in scoring with 13 points (nine goals, four assists) in eight Clark Cup Playoffs games to help the Steel win the Clark Cup.
Coronato also set the USHL record for all-time point streaks with a 28-game streak, dating back to the final nine games of the 2019-20 season. He scored 54 points (24 goals, 30 assists) during his point streak, which spanned from Feb. 14, 2019 to Jan. 16, 2021.
His 48 goals pushed him to the top of the Steel’s record books with the most goals in a single season, and for his career with 66.
Coronato also had 37 assists in the regular season to finish second in the USHL scoring race to teammate Sean Farrell, a 2020 fourth-round selection by the Montreal Canadiens.
Coronato is the second Steel player to win the award, joining Andrew Miller who took the honor during the 2008-09 season.
NHL Central Scouting ranked Coronato No. 9 overall among North American skaters in May. He will look to become the fourth Steel player selected in the first round of the NHL Draft, joining John Moore (Columbus Blue Jackets, 2009), Jamie Oleksiak (Dallas Stars, 2011), and Brendan Brisson (Vegas Golden Knights, 2020).
