John Prokop (born May 13, 2001) is a college ice hockey defenseman for Union College of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

John Prokop
Prokop in 2023
Born (2001-05-13) May 13, 2001 (age 23)
Wausau, Wisconsin, U.S.
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Defense
Shoots Left
NCAA team Union College

Playing career

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Junior

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Prokop began his junior career with the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League (USHL) during the 2018–19 season, where he recorded four assists in 25 games. During the 2019–20 season, he started the season with the Muskegon Lumberjacks where he recorded one goal and one assist in 11 games. On November 14, 2019, he was traded to the Green Bay Gamblers in exchange for Dylan Wendt.[1] He recorded one goal and six assists in 30 games for the Gamblers.[2] He was named to the 2019 USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.[3] He then played two seasons for the Des Moines Buccaneers. During the 2020–21 season, he recorded one goal and 11 assists in 46 games. During the 2021–22 season, he recorded one goal and 14 assists in 58 games.[4]

College

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Josh Hauge was an assistant at Clarkson when he began recruiting Prokop. When Hauge was named the head coach at Union prior to the 2022–23 season, Prokop committed to play college ice hockey at Union.[5] During the 2022–23 season, in his freshman year, he was one of six skaters to appear in all 35 games. He recorded a team-high 23 points on four goals and 19 assists. He became the first rookie defenseman in Union's NCAA Division I history to lead the team in points.[4] Following the season he was named to the All-ECAC Rookie Team.[6]

During the 2023–24 season, in his sophomore year, he led the team in scoring with eight goals and 27 assists in 36 games.[7] He recorded one goal and nine assists in six games to lead Union in scoring during November. He recorded three multi-point games and had at least one point in every game in the month. He was subsequently named the ECAC Hockey Defender of the Month for the month of November 2023.[8] During conference play her led the team with six goals and 18 assists for 24 points, and was named a finalist for the ECAC Hockey Player of the Year.[9] Following the season he was named a unanimous All-ECAC First Team honoree and an AHCA East Second Team All-American.[10][11]

Career statistics

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2018–19 Omaha Lancers USHL 25 0 4 4 2
2018–19 Janesville Jets NAHL 20 0 7 7 6 3 0 0 0 2
2019–20 Muskegon Lumberjacks USHL 11 1 1 2 8
2019–20 Green Bay Gamblers USHL 30 1 6 7 10
2020–21 Des Moines Buccaneers USHL 46 1 11 12 22
2021–22 Des Moines Buccaneers USHL 58 1 14 15 28
2022–23 Union College ECAC 35 4 19 23 20
2023–24 Union College ECAC 36 8 27 35 43
NCAA totals 71 12 46 58 63

Awards and honors

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Award Year
College
All-ECAC Rookie Team 2023 [12]
All-ECAC First Team 2024 [13]
AHCA East Second Team All-American 2024 [14]

References

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  1. ^ "Gamblers Acquire Wausau Native John Prokop". gamblershockey.com. November 14, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  2. ^ DeCamp, Scott (December 23, 2020). "Muskegon Lumberjacks captain, WMU commit enjoying homecoming in hockey journey". MLive.com. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  3. ^ "USHL Names Prospects Rosters". collegehockeyinc.com. December 6, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "John Prokop". unionathletics.com. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  5. ^ Martin, Sean (January 18, 2024). "Prokop performing well for Union hockey". Times Union. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  6. ^ Schott, Ken (March 16, 2023). "Opening Faceoff: Union's Prokop, RPI's Muzzatti named to ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team". The Daily Gazette. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  7. ^ "John Prokop Named CCM/AHCA All-American". unionathletics.com. April 12, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  8. ^ "John Prokop Named ECAC Hockey Defender of the Month". unionathletics.com. December 6, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  9. ^ Schott, Ken (March 20, 2024). "Union men's hockey: Prokop a finalist for ECAC Hockey Player of the Year". The Daily Gazette. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  10. ^ Schott, Ken (March 14, 2024). "Union men's hockey: Garnet Chargers defenseman Prokop is unanimous selection to the All-ECAC Hockey First Team". The Daily Gazette. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  11. ^ Schott, Ken (April 12, 2024). "Union men's hockey: Defenseman Prokop named All-American". The Daily Gazette. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  12. ^ "ECAC Hockey Announces 2022–23 Men's All-League Teams". ecachockey.com. March 16, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  13. ^ "2023–24 First Team All-ECAC Honorees Announced". ecachockey.com. March 14, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  14. ^ "Top 25 men's college hockey players earn distinction as CCM/AHCA Hockey All-Americans for 2023-24 season". USCHO.com. April 12, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
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