Daily Dose

Daily Dose of the Dub: WHL hands out year-end awards, Stanley commits to Bisons, Vancouver Sportswriter Jason Botchford passes away at 48

Written by Ben Dooley on

WHL names year-end award winners

 

The WHL handed out its year-end awards on Wednesday, a day before the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft takes place.

WHL Player of the Year

Joachim Blichfield (53 goals, 61 assists in 68 games with the Portland Winterhawks) took home the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s Top Player and the Bob Clarke Trophy as the WHL’s top scorer. Blichfield is a graduating player of the WHL and is currently trying out for the Danish National Team before he turns pro in the San Jose Sharks organization who drafted him in the seventh round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft

WHL Goaltender of the Year

Prince Albert Raiders goaltender Ian Scott is the WHL goaltender of the year after posting 38 wins, a 1.83 goals-against-average, a .932 save percentage and eight shutouts en route to a WHL finals appearance. Scott is eligible to return to the WHL for his overage season next year but it appears very likely he will turn pro in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. They hold his rights after taking him in the fourth round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

WHL Defenseman of the Year

Spokane Chiefs defenseman Ty Smith is the WHL defenseman of the year. The Lloydminster Alberta native had seven goals and 62 assists in 57 games.  The prospect of the New Jersey Devils has a shot to make the team next season, but could also return to the WHL for his 19-year-old season.

WHL Scholastic Player of the Year

Everett Silvertips goaltender Dustin Wolf put up a strong season on the ice that earned him a nomination for the WHL Goaltender of the Year but it was efforts in the classroom that earned him an award as he takes home the WHL Scholastic Player of the Year. Wolf maintained a 100% average for the current academic year.

WHL Rookie of the Year

Moose Jaw Warriors forward Brayden Tracey is the WHL’s rookie of the year after finishing 13th in league scoring with 36 goals and 45 assists. The 2019 NHL Draft Eligible prospect earned himself a big role on Team Canada for the U-18 World Championships and was ranked 21st among North American Skaters by NHL Central Scouting in their final rankings.

WHL Most Sportsmanlike Player of the Year

Moose Jaw Warriors forward Justin Almeida is the WHL’s Most Sportsmanlike Player of the Year after recording just 14 penalty minutes all season. The Pittsburgh Penguins prospect finished third in WHL scoring with 33 goals and 78 assists and his 14 penalty minutes was lowest among the top 15 scorers in the league.  Almeida has the option to return to the WHL next year, but could also turn pro in the Penguins organization.

WHL Humanitarian of the Year

Edmonton Oil Kings defenseman Will Warm was only able to get into 33 regular season games this year due to injury, so he took it upon himself to make an impact in the community in other ways through an initiative that was appropriately named “Will Warms the Community”.

WHL Coach of the Year

In his 15th season as a WHL head coach, Prince Albert Raiders Head Coach Marc Habscheid is taking home his second WHL Coach of the Year award, having previously won the award with the Kelowna Rockets in 2003. Habscheid coached the Raiders to a league-best 54-10-2-2 record and also earned a personal milestone with his 500th career win.

WHL Executive of the Year

Habscheid’s success could not come without the work of Prince Albert Raiders general manager Curtis Hurt, who has been named the WHL Executive of the Year. In his fourth season as a WHL general manager, Hunt brought in impact players Dante Hannoun and Noah Gregor in separate trades and is also responsible for drafting rookies like Jakob Brook, Ozzie Wiesblatt, Aliaksei Protas and Kaiden Guhle. 

WHL Business Award

The Everett Silvertips have won the WHL’s Business Award for their work to build strong communication between the team and its fans as well as being a front runner in game day promotions and community involvement.

WHL Scholastic Team of the Year

The Portland Winterhawks have taken home the WHL Scholastic Team of the Year as all eight of their players attending high school achieved a 90% average while 16 players completed at least six post-secondary credits during the 2018-19 season.

WHL Official of the Year

Brett Iverson is the WHL Official of the Year for the third consecutive season. The product of Richmond B.C. has been called to officiate numerous high-profile events like the 2019 IIHF World Championship, the 2018 Olympics, the World Junior Championship and the Memorial Cup.

Stanley commits to University of Manitoba Bisons

WHL graduating player Matthew Stanley (180 games played, 5 goals, 13 assists with the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Swift Current Broncos) has committed to the University of Manitoba Bisons after playing three games with the Jacksonville IceMen of the ECHL.

Vancouver sportswriter Jason Botchford passes away at 48 years old

I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the passing of Vancouver sportswriter Jason Botchford, who we learned passed away over the weekend of apparent heart failure at age 48. Although “Botch” didn’t cover the WHL, his impact was felt by many of us here at DubNetwork and his Provies/Athletties paved the way for sites like ours to succeed. DubNetwork would like to extend its condolences to his wife and three children as well as everyone who was lucky enough to call him a friend.