An all-star player for the Manitoba Moose has been named the American Hockey League’s top defenceman.
The team announced Tuesday that Kyle Capobianco — who led all AHL defencemen with 54 points this season — has been voted the winner of the 2023-24 Eddie Shore Award for the league’s most outstanding blueliner.
The 26-year-old was the only D-man in the AHL to exceed the 50-point threshold this season, and became only the second defenceman in Moose history to reach 40 assists.
Capobianco, who was drafted in 2015 by the Arizona Coyotes, was signed by the Winnipeg Jets — the Moose’s parent club — as a free agent in 2022.
The newly-minted defender of the year and his team will take on the Texas Stars Tuesday at 7 p.m. for the opening game of their Calder Cup playoff series.