As part of its 50th anniversary celebration, ECAC Hockey has comprised a group of its top 50 players to recognize the storied history of the League and honor its significant players. Clarkson University Hockey standout defenseman Dave Fretz (1981-85) has been honored as one of the league's all-time best when the conference today announced the third installment of honorees as part of its top 50 players of all-time.

The top 50 players were determined by a selection committee made up of former coaches and media members. These honorees were tallied from 145 players (47 defenseman; 73 forwards; and 25 goaltenders).

Dave Fretz (1981-85) - Clarkson University - Defense - Toronto, Ontario

Two-Time All-America First Team (1984-85) ... Two-Time All-Conference (First Team 1985; Second Team 1983) ... 1980-89 ECAC Hockey All-Decade … 1985 Hobey Baker Award Finalist … Ranks as the fifth highest scoring defenseman in Clarkson history with 102 points on 31 goals and 71 assists through 132 games from 1981-1984 … Starred on two NCAA Tournament teams in 1982 and 1984 … Served as an alternate captain in his senior season and helped lead the Knights to a 21win campaign Spent much of the summer and fall prior to his junior season with the Canadian Olympic program … … Skated with Team Canada in the 1984 Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland in late December and helped his homeland win the competition for the first time in the 58-year history of the tournament … Was the only United States collegiate player on the Canadian roster, and was named to the all-tournament team … 1985 GTE Academic All-American (mechanical engineering) …Was named to Pi Tau Sigma – Mechanical Engineering Society, a Presidential Scholar, and listed in Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges … A 2004 Inductee into Clarkson’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

The third segment of honorees includes, along with Fretz: Harvard forward Joe Cavanagh, a three-time ECAC Hockey All-Conference team honoree and a member of the U.S. Hockey Hockey Hall of Fame; Yann Danis, goaltender at Brown, a two-time All-America and one of two goaltenders (Dave LeNeveu, Cornell) to win both Player and Goaltender of the Year in League history; Dan Laperriere, defenseman at St. Lawrence, the Saints’ all-time leading scorer among defenseman in career scoring (128 points) and assists (106) and single season scoring (53 points in 1992) and assists (45 in 1992); and Vermont forward Martin St.Louis, a three-time All-America first-team selection who is the Catamounts' all-time leading scorer in assists (176) and points (267).

All current and former teams’ impactful players, including those from Boston College, Boston University, New Hampshire, Middlebury, Army, etc... were reviewed in comprising the list of candidates for the special team. Five players from the top 50 all-time team will be released every two weeks throughout the season leading up the championship in March 18-19 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Throughout its history, ECAC Hockey has been home to seven NCAA men’s championship teams, witnessed over 15,000 games, produced more than 500 National Hockey Leaguers, nearly 300 All-Americans, three Hobey Baker Memorial Award winners, and over 1,100 student-athletes.

The first group of top 50 players released on November 11 included the following: Bob Brinkworth, forward at Rensselaer (1961-64); Ken Dryden, Cornell goaltender (1967-69); defenseman Mark Fusco, Harvard (1980-83); Brian Mueller, defenseman, Clarkson (1991-95); and Boston College forward Joe Mullen.

The League released the second segment of players on November 24 which included the following; defenseman Ray Giroux, Yale (1994-98); Joe Juneau forward Rensselaer (1987-91); Colgate forward Andy McDonald (1996-00); Joe Nieuwendyk, foward Cornell (1984-87); and defenseman Ron Wilson, Providence (1973-77).who have earned All-Academic honors since 1999-00, the first year the League recognized these individuals.

The top 50 players were determined by a vote of a selection committee of 10 individuals, which include Joe Bertagna, former student-athlete at Harvard, former hockey commissioner of the ECAC and current commissioner of Hockey East; Ed Carpenter, former Sports Information Director at Boston U.; Bill Cleary, former student-athlete, head coach and director of athletics at Harvard; John Connolly, long-time sports reporter at the Boston Herald; Dan Fridgen, former student-athlete at Colgate and former head coach at RPI; Mike Gilligan, former head coach at Yale (interim) and Vermont; Lou Lamoriello, former student-athlete and head coach at Providence and current CEO/President/General Manager of the New Jersey Devils; Mark Morris, former student-athlete at Colgate and former head coach at Clarkson; Tim Taylor, former student-athlete at Harvard and former head coach at Yale; and Adam Wodon, editor of the College Hockey News Web site.