The ECHL announced this week that Utah Grizzlies trainer Cole Libby has been named the recipient of the 2016-17 ECHL trainer of the year.
Libby, 31, just completed his first year with the Grizzlies after being handpicked to return to the organization last summer. He started his career in sports medicine with the Grizzlies as an intern in the Athletic Training department during the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 seasons.
The Weber State University graduate also finished the final month and a half of this past season as the team's equipment manager.
"Cole does an outstanding job and is very deserving of this huge honor," Grizzlies coach and general manager Tim Branham said in a statement. "He was the only candidate that we had serious discussions with as we worked to bring him back to the Grizzlies in June. Very few people have the expertise, let alone the time management skills, to double as the athletic trainer and equipment manager. He is an integral member of our staff."
The winner is determined in a vote of the league's equipment managers and athletic trainers.