Kramer earns AHA Defenseman of the Year honors
WINTHROP, Massachusetts - The Atlantic Hockey Association has named Brian Kramer of the American International College ice hockey team winner of the Best Defenseman Award, the league announced on Tuesday, March 19.
Kramer is the third defenseman in the last four seasons to win the accolade from the league, following Brennan Kapcheck '21 in 2020-21 and Zak Galambos in 2021-22.
On winning the award, Kramer said "It's a great honor to be recognized for this award, and something I couldn't have done without my teammates!"
"Brian Kramer is one of the best human beings that has ever come through our program," noted Head Coach Eric Lang. "He conducts his business with the highest level of humility. Brian's skill level and on-ice prowess speaks to itself. However, what can't be measured is his will to win along with his mental and physical toughness," he added.
Kramer has dazzled the AHA for four years. After his inaugural AHA All-Rookie season with Robert Morris University in 2020-21, Kramer transferred to AIC when that program was put on hiatus. He quickly became one of the top players on the Yellow Jackets blueline, notching 11 points in 36 games and helping AIC win the 2022 AHA Championship. In 2023 he had a breakout offensive season with six goals and 17 assists for 23 points, the latter two being career highs, and was named Second-Team All-AHA.
This season, he improved those numbers further, scoring 10 goals and 11 assists including three game-winning tallies. He was named First-Team All-AHA in 2023-24 despite missing several games to injury, and served as a co-captain of the team. His ability to control the play in all three zones is key to AIC's success, particularly his role on both the power play and penalty kill.
In addition to the AHA awards, Kramer was named a Hobey Baker Award nominee, and also a Walter Brown Award semifinalist. His efforts have made SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays three times in the two prior seasons.
Kramer and the Yellow Jackets will face the top-seeded RIT Tigers on Saturday, March 23 at the Gene Polisseni Center in Rochester, New York in the 2024 AHA Championship Game at 7:05 p.m. The winner will advance to the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship Tournament.