WHL names Eli Zummack 2020-21 U.S. Division Most Sportsmanlike Player
Calgary, Alta. – The Western Hockey League announced today the U.S. Division individual award winners for the 2020-21 WHL season. Spokane Chiefs forward Eli Zummack took home Most Sportsmanlike Player honors.
WHL Division Awards are voted upon by General Managers and Head Coaches.
All individual WHL Division Award winners will be eligible for the overall WHL Awards, to be announced the week of June 7, 2021.
2020-21 WHL U.S. Division Award Winners
U.S. Division Player of the Year presented by Kia Canada – Dustin Wolf (Gilroy, Calif.) – Everett Silvertips
Nominee for WHL Player of the Year (Four Broncos Memorial Trophy)
U.S. Division Goaltender of the Year – Dustin Wolf (Gilroy, Calif.) – Everett Silvertips
Nominee for WHL Goaltender of the Year (Del Wilson Memorial Trophy)
U.S. Division Defenceman of the Year presented by RE/MAX of Western Canada – Nick Cicek (Winnipeg, Man.) – Portland Winterhawks
Nominee for WHL Defenceman of the Year (Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy)
U.S. Division Rookie of the Year presented by Wawanesa Insurance – Thomas Milic (Coquitlam, B.C.) – Seattle Thunderbirds
Nominee for WHL Rookie of the Year (Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy)
U.S. Division Most Sportsmanlike Player presented by Real Canadian Superstore – Eli Zummack (Kelowna, B.C.) – Spokane Chiefs
Nominee for WHL Most Sportsmanlike Player (Brad Hornung Trophy)
U.S. Division Scholastic Player of the Year presented by CIBC – Mason Mannek (Herriman, Utah) – Portland Winterhawks
Nominee for WHL Scholastic Player of the Year (Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Trophy)
U.S. Division Top Scorer presented by Kubota Canada – Cole Fonstad (Estevan, Sask.) / Gage Goncalves (Mission, B.C.) – Everett Silvertips
Nominees for WHL Top Scorer (Bob Clarke Trophy)
WHL U.S. Division Award Winner Biographies
Goaltender Dustin Wolf (Everett Silvertips): In 22 games, Wolf compiled a 18-3-0-0 record, 1.80 goals-against average, 0.940 save percentage, and four shutouts as the Silvertips claimed the U.S. Division title. The 6-foot-0, 168-pound product of Gilroy, Calif. led WHL goaltenders in wins, finished tied for first in shutouts while finishing second in GAA and SV%. The 20-year-old Calgary Flames prospect also set a Silvertips franchise record with a shutout streak of 216 minutes and 27 seconds. Wolf, who won the Del Wilson Memorial Trophy as WHL Goaltender of the Year in 2020, holds a career record of 106-34-4-2 with a 1.84 GAA, 0.935 SV% and 24 shutouts in 149 WHL regular season appearances.
Defenceman Nick Cicek (Portland Winterhawks): The 21-year-old Winterhawks captain set career highs in goals, assists and points during the 2020-21 WHL season, registering 21 points (5G-16A) from 24 games played. A 6-foot-3, 201-pound product of Winnipeg, Man., Cicek led all U.S. division blueliners in scoring. Cicek graduates from the WHL having recorded 48 points (9G-39A) in 138 WHL regular season games.
Goaltender Thomas Milic (Seattle Thunderbirds): The 18-year-old posted a 5-4-0-0 record in nine appearances with the Thunderbirds before helping Canada capture a gold medal at the 2021 IIHF Under-18 World Championship. The 6-foot-0, 170-pound product of Coquitlam, B.C. posted a goals-against average of 2.74 and save percentage of 0.913, recording his first career shutout March 26, 2021. Milic holds a career record of 6-4-0-0, to go along with a 2.85 GAA and 0.910 SV% in 11 WHL regular season appearances.
Forward Eli Zummack (Spokane Chiefs): The Spokane captain finished second in team scoring with 22 points (9G-13A), leading the team in assists and short-handed goals (two) while recording only four minutes in penalties. 21-year-old Zummack posted a pair of four-point efforts April 13 and 28, 2021. The 5-foot-9, 178-pound product of Kelowna, B.C. graduates from the WHL having amassed 239 career points (70G-169A) in 254 regular season games, adding 19 more points (6G-13A) in 22 WHL playoff appearances.
Forward Mason Mannek (Portland Winterhawks): The 21-year-old appeared in all 24 games for the Winterhawks during the 2020-21 WHL season collecting 17 points (10G-7A), all while sustaining a 4.0 grade point average at Clackamas Community College. The product of Herriman, Utah plans to major in Electrical Engineering as he continues his post-secondary studies. The 5-foot-8, 169-pound forward completes his time in the WHL having amassed 94 points (43G-51A) in 212 career regular season games.
Forward Cole Fonstad (Everett Silvertips): The 21-year-old put up 34 points (16G-18A) to finish tied for the Silvertips and U.S. Division scoring lead and tied for third overall in the WHL scoring race. 13 of the Estevan, Sask. product’s goals came at even strength, and he provided multi-point efforts in nine of his 23 games played during the 2020-21 season. The 5-foot-10, 183-pound forward, and member of the 2019 WHL Champion Prince Albert Raiders, completes his time in the WHL with 281 points (92G-189A) in 293 career regular season games.
Forward Gage Goncalves (Everett Silvertips): Recording 34 points (12G-22A) in 23 games, the 20-year-old Goncalves finished with a share of the Silvertips and U.S. Division scoring lead and in a third-place tie in the WHL scoring race. The 6-foot-1, 184-pound product of Mission, B.C. enjoyed a pair of four-point games, one of which included a hat-trick on March 28, 2021. Goncalves, a prospect of the Tampa Bay Lightning, has compiled 120 points (46G-74A) in 151 WHL regular season games.
About the Western Hockey League
Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 22 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and five in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 375 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.
