George Awada
George Awada | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 2, 1975 United States |
| Occupation(s) | Ice hockey player (retired), coach |
| Years active | 1993–2012 (player), 2022–present (coach) |
| Known for | Professional ice hockey career in AHL, ECHL, EIHL; captain of Belfast Giants |
George Awada (born June 2, 1975) is a retired American professional ice hockey athlete who played in the American Hockey League (AHL), ECHL, and the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL).
Career
Awada launched his junior hockey journey in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the St. Paul Vulcans, registering 38 points across 47 contests during his debut season and elevating his tally to 54 points in 42 games during the 1994–95 campaign. He subsequently progressed to compete at the NCAA level for four seasons at St. Cloud State University, where he notably enhanced his offensive output in his final two years while sharing the ice with future NHL player Tyler Arnason.
His performance earned him an opportunity with the Albany River Rats of the AHL in the 1998–99 season, where he accumulated 8 points in 10 appearances. The next year, he secured a more permanent role, contributing 16 points over 63 games. Despite this, Awada transitioned to the ECHL for the 2000–01 season by signing with the Richmond Renegades, delivering 41 points in 72 games and playing a part in their postseason efforts.
During the 2001–02 season, after two outings with Richmond, he moved to the New Orleans Brass and achieved a personal best exceeding 50 points. He matched this achievement again in the following season with the Florida Everblades.
In the summer of 2003, Awada strategically relocated to the United Kingdom to join the newly established Manchester Phoenix franchise competing in the EIHL, Britain’s premier league. He quickly established himself as a vital contributor by scoring 48 points over 52 games. Unfortunately, financial troubles forced Manchester Phoenix to cease operations in 2004.
Continuing his career within the EIHL, Awada signed with the Belfast Giants, where he became a fan favorite and reliable scorer. He earned the captaincy and led Belfast to claim the EIHL league championship during the 2005–06 season.
Awada maintained his role as captain until an injury sidelined him in the 2009–10 campaign, prompting Colin Shields to assume captaincy duties. Although Awada retired that same season, he returned briefly during 2011–12 as injury reinforcement, participating in 36 matches before retiring definitively.
In September 2022, Awada resumed his association with the Giants by accepting an assistant coaching position for the 2022–23 EIHL season.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1993–94 | St. Paul Vulcans | USHL | 47 | 19 | 19 | 38 | 71 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1994–95 | St. Paul Vulcans | USHL | 42 | 20 | 34 | 54 | 51 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1995–96 | St. Cloud State University | NCAA | 22 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 16 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1996–97 | St. Cloud State University | NCAA | 35 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 26 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1997–98 | St. Cloud State University | NCAA | 38 | 15 | 14 | 29 | 74 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1998–99 | St. Cloud State University | NCAA | 39 | 14 | 16 | 30 | 38 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1998–99 | Albany River Rats | American Hockey League | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1999–00 | Albany River Rats | American Hockey League | 63 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 29 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2000–01 | Richmond Renegades | ECHL | 72 | 18 | 23 | 41 | 49 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 2001–02 | Richmond Renegades | ECHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||||||
| 2001–02 | New Orleans Brass | ECHL | 70 | 29 | 30 | 59 | 87 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2002–03 | Florida Everblades | ECHL | 72 | 21 | 29 | 50 | 67 | |||||||
| "2003–04" | "Manchester Phoenix" | "EIHL" | "52" | "23" | "25" | "48" | "72" | "6" | "0" | "2" | "2" | |||
| "2004–05" | "Belfast Giants" | "EIHL" | "30" | "19" | "15" | "34" | "32" | "8" | "2" | "4" | "6" | |||
| "2005–06" | "Belfast Giants" | "EIHL" | "43" | "22" | "30" | "52" | "80" | "4" | "1" | "1" | "2" | |||
| "2006–07" | "Belfast Giants" | "EIHL" | "54" | "28" | "26" | "54" | "130" | "3" | "1" | "3" | "4" | |||
| "2007–08" | "Belfast Giants" | "EIHL" | "60" | "22" | "32" | "54" | "89" | |||||||
| "2008–09" | "Belfast Giants" | "EIHL" | ||||||||||||
Career Totals !751 !268 !307 !575 !919 !32 !5 !10 !15 !30 | | ||||||||||||||
- Statistics reflect league play only and exclude cup competitions; updated as of July 22, 2008