The specialist journalists of the win2day ICE Hockey League voted TJ Brennan from Olimpija Ljubljana as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2025/26 regular season. The American is the first defenseman in league history to receive this award and only the second player from a Ljubljana team to be named MVP.
With 53 points, Brennan is currently the third-best scorer in the league and the highest-scoring defender. The American scored points in 30 of his 46 appearances; He even managed a four-point game three times. Due to his strong performances, the trade journalists voted the 36-year-old MVP of the 2025/26 regular season. In the 2021/22 season, back then in the Salzburg jersey, Brennan narrowly missed out on the MVP title and came second behind Peter Schneider. A player from a team from Ljubljana has only been voted MVP in the 2011/12 season by John Hughes.
TJ Brennan, who will be honored during the second quarterfinal matchday on Thursday, March 12th in Ljubljana, received the most votes of all players in the MVP voting with 31 points and was voted first place seven times. Mathias From from EC-KAC came in second, while Nicolai Meyer, also a player from Ljubljana, came third.
Ron Kennedy Trophy
Ron Kennedy was a great of our sport who had a positive influence on Austrian ice hockey for many years. Ron Kennedy came to Innsbruck via the Netherlands and Germany in 1982 and played in the Tyrolean capital for two years. After a few years overseas, he returned to Austria – to EC VSV – as head coach in 1992: in his first year he led Villach to the championship title. Kennedy later went “abroad” again for a few years before returning to Austria in 1996 as national team coach. The Canadian carried out this activity very successfully until 2002: Under his leadership, Team Austria managed to remain among the best ice hockey nations in the world and achieved great results. He then coached EC VSV for another four years, leading them to two championship titles. After five years in Germany, Ron Kennedy took up the coaching position at HC TWK Innsbruck “die Haie” on January 6, 2008. It was to be his last sporting activity, as Kennedy had to stop working for health reasons in December 2008 before losing his battle against cancer forever on July 9, 2009. Kennedy was not only a successful coach, but also a person who was always there for everyone. In memory of Ron Kennedy, the win2day ICE Hockey League has been awarding the “Ron Kennedy Trophy” to the “Most Valuable Player” chosen by the ice hockey journalists since the 2009/10 season.
Top 5 in the election for Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2025/26 regular season:
1. TJ Brennan (Olimpija Ljubljana), 31 points
2. Mathias From (EC-KAC), 26 points
3. Nicolai Meyer (Olimpija Ljubljana), 24 points
4. Michael Raffl (EC Red Bull Salzburg), 21 points
5. Nick Bailen (Moser Medical Graz99ers), 18 points
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER (from 2009/10 “Ron Kennedy Trophy”):
2025/26: #43 TJ Brennan (Olimpija Ljubljana)
2024/25: #72 John Hughes (EC iDM Heat Pumps VSV)
2023/24: #96 Steven Owre (BEMER Pioneers Vorarlberg)
2022/23: #12 Brady Shaw (HC TIWAG Innsbruck)
2021/22: #3 Peter Schneider (EC Red Bull Salzburg)
2020/21: #32 Sebastian Dahm (EC-KAC)
2019/20 #1 Jean-Philippe Lamoureux (EC Red Bull Salzburg)
2018/19: #3 Peter Schneider (spusu Vienna Capitals)
2017/18: #6 Rafael Rotter (EV Vienna Capitals)
2016/17: #21 Riley Holzapfel (EV Vienna Capitals)
2015/16: #13 Colton Yellow Horn (HC Orli Znojmo)
2014/15: #7 Brian Lebler (EHC LIWEST Black Wings Linz)
2013/14: #11 Derek Ryan (EC VSV)
2012/13: #74 Jamie Lundmark (EC-KAC)
2011/12: #72 John Hughes (HDD TILIA Olimpija Ljubljana)
2010/11: #25 Benoit Gratton (EV Vienna Capitals)
2009/10: #32 Alex Westlund (EHC LIWEST Black Wings Linz)
2008/09: #9 Thomas Koch (EC Red Bull Salzburg)
ice.hockey, picture: Domen Jancic
