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Ryan Terefenko's arguments for the George Boiardi Hard Hat Award

In the last three seasons Ryan Terefenko has been a constant in the Denver Outlaws lineup. From the moment he stepped onto the field as a rookie to his first season as team captain this year, Terefenko has been a driving force for the franchise.

This season, he was nominated for the George Boiardi Hard Hat Award for the third time in his four-year career. The award recognizes the best short-stick defensive midfielder in the PLL, and this year that honor should go to Terefenko.

He is consistently one of the best in his position and has had an outstanding season this year.

Terefenko is a true midfielder who is always on the field for the Outlaws. This season, he took his offensive production to a new level, setting a career high with eight points (5 goals, 1 goal, 2 assists).

His skills are what allow Denver to transition. He is an accomplished player who knows how to occupy space on the counterattack. When running with Jake Piseno or another transition-oriented defender, this can lead to a dangerous quick counterattack.

Terefenko is also one of the best in the league when it comes to running the transition. He is a beast when it comes to open play, charging through the midfield with the ball in his stick. This season he has been a dangerous passer in those moments.

In one example from late in the season, Terefenko did not rush toward the goal or fire a long-range shot, but instead played aggressive passes toward the goal area to quickly get into transition mode.

As the season has progressed, these transition moments have become more frequent and consistent for Denver. Whether it's face-offs on the wings or switching from defense to offense, Terefenko is one of the best transition players in the league.

But more than anything else, Terefenko is an anchor in defense.

Like all great SSDMs, he is a strong defender against evasion. He rarely gets beat one-on-one and defenses know they can count on him to do his job and win a matchup.

What makes Terefenko unique, however, is his outstanding performance without the ball. For short hitters, it is often about their ability to cover the ball, but defense without the ball is vital to the defensive structure.

One of Denver's biggest defensive weaknesses is defending off-ball attacks with short sticks, but that's definitely not the case with Terefenko.

When defending an opponent without the ball, he communicates like an elite long stick. He works picks and assists opponents when necessary. Terefenko is not only another great coverage player, but also another strong leader who supports the entire team defense.

Terefenko’s resume is not the reason why he should win the Hard Hat Award for which New York’s Daniel Logan and Carolinas Zach Geddes were also nominated. It's everything he's done for the Outlaws since opening weekend. Denver wouldn't have quintupled its win total from last year without Terefenko doing all the little things between the lines.

Few short sticks are as good at what they do or as important to their team. For the third time in four years, Terefenko is recognized as one of the very best in the league.

After the season Terefenko just played, this may be the year he deserves the honor.

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