Barrie, McColgan, Main Up For WHL Awards

r The WHL has announced its Player of the Year finalists and 2010 award finalists and the Kelowna Rockets are well represented.
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r Tyson Barrie is the WHL Western Conference nominee for defenceman of the year while rookie Shane McColgan is the nominee for the WHL rookie of the year and Spencer Main is nominated for the WHL scholastic player.
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r Barrie led the Rockets in scoring with 72 points in 63 games while McColgan finished the regular season with 69 points in 71 games in his first campaign. Main had 19 points and excelled as an academic in his second season in the WHL.
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r Here's the official player of the year press release from the WHL.
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r Calgary, AB – The Western Hockey League today announced the WHL Eastern and Western Conference finalists for the 2009-10 WHL Player of the Year. The two finalists for WHL Player of the Year were determined through voting by General Managers, coaches, broadcast and media representatives of all WHL Member Clubs.

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r In the WHL's Western Conference, which includes the B.C. and U.S. Divisions, the Player of the Year Nominee is forward Craig Cunningham of the Vancouver Giants.
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r Cunningham enjoyed a tremendous season with the Giants, leading them to a fifth straight B.C. Division title and their fifth straight season with 40 or more victories.  The 19-year-old from Trail, B.C., scored 37 goals and added 60 assists for 97 points in 72 games, placing him sixth in the WHL regular-season scoring race.  His 37 goals tied him for 12th among all WHL players while his 60 assists put him fifth among all players.
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r Cunningham recorded points in 57 of the 72 games he played this season, enjoyed multiple-point efforts on 27 occasions, and was selected among the 3 Stars 18 times.  The 5’10”, 179-lb forward finished fourth among Giants’ players with 13 power play goals this season and finished second on the team with two shorthanded tallies.  In addition, Cunningham scored seven game-winning goals, tying him for 12th among all WHL players.
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r In his fourth season in the WHL with the Giants, Cunningham is the second member of the Giants in the last two years to be named the WHL Western Conference finalist for the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy, joining Casey Pierro-Zabotel who was the finalist in 2008-09.  Cunningham, a free agent, was the Giants’ seventh-round pick (129th overall) in the 2005 WHL Bantam Draft.
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r In the WHL's Eastern Conference, which includes the East and Central Divisions, the Player of the Year Nominee is forward Jordan Eberle of the Regina Pats.
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r Eberle enjoyed an outstanding 2009-10 WHL season, despite his Regina Pats not qualifying for the WHL playoffs.  The 19-year-old from Regina, SK, scored 50 goals and added 56 assists for 106 points in just 57 regular-season games for his hometown team to finish second in WHL scoring.  Eberle’s 1.86 points-per-game average marked the highest points-per-game average for any WHL player since the 1998-99 season.
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r The 5’11”, 184-lb forward finished tied for second among all WHL players with 19 power play goals, and also tied for second in shorthanded goals with six on the season.  In addition, Eberle was selected among the 3 Stars in 26 of 57 games he played, earning the 1st Star selection 13 times.  The leading goal-scorer in the history of Canada’s National Junior team, Eberle recorded at least one point in 50 of 57 games he played for Regina this season, and was held pointless in consecutive games on only two occasions all season.
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r Drafted in the first round (22nd overall) by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Eberle has piled up 155 goals and 155 assists for 310 points in 254 games through his four years with the Pats.  He was selected by the Pats in the seventh round (126th overall) in the 2005 WHL Bantam Draft.
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r The recipients of all WHL individual awards will be announced at the 2010 WHL Awards Luncheon, which will be held in Edmonton, Alberta, at the Fantasyland Hotel on Wednesday, April 28th, 2010.
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r 2010 WHL Awards Finalists
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r WHL Player of the Year, Four Broncos Memorial Trophy
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r Eastern Conference – Jordan Eberle (Regina, SK), Regina Pats
r Western Conference – Craig Cunningham (Trail, BC), Vancouver Giants
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r WHL Rookie of the Year, Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy
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r Eastern Conference – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Burnaby, BC), Red Deer Rebels
r Western Conference – Shane McColgan (Manhattan, CA), Kelowna Rockets
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r WHL Goaltender of the Year, Del Wilson Trophy

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r Eastern Conference – Martin Jones (North Vancouver, BC), Calgary Hitmen
r Western Conference – Calvin Pickard (Winnipeg, MB), Seattle Thunderbirds
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r WHL Defenceman of the Year, Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy
r Eastern Conference – Michael Stone (Winnipeg, MB), Calgary Hitmen
r Western Conference – Tyson Barrie (Victoria, BC), Kelowna Rockets
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r WHL Most Sportsmanlike Player of the Year, Brad Hornung Trophy

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r Eastern Conference – Jason Bast (Moose Jaw, SK) Moose Jaw Warriors
r Western Conference – Jared Spurgeon (Edmonton, AB), Spokane Chiefs
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r WHL Scholastic Player of the Year, Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Memorial Trophy

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r Eastern Conference – Adam Lowry (Calgary, AB) Swift Current Broncos
r Western Conference – Spencer Main (North Vancouver, BC) Kelowna Rockets
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r WHL Coach of the Year, Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy

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r Eastern Conference – Mark Holick, Kootenay Ice
r Western Conference –  Craig Hartsburg, Everett Silvertips
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r WHL Executive of the Year, Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy
r Eastern Conference – Kelly McCrimmon, Brandon Wheat Kings
r Western Conference – Bob Tory, Tri-City Americans
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r WHL Humanitarian of the Year, Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy
r Eastern Conference – Matt Fraser (Red Deer, AB) Kootenay Ice
r Western Conference – Zack Dailey (Healy, AK) Everett Silvertips
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r WHL Marketing / Public Relations Award
r Eastern Conference – Brandon Wheat Kings, Rick Dillabough
r Western Conference – Everett Silvertips, Zoran Rajcic
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r WHL Regular Season Champions, Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy
r Calgary Hitmen:   GP – 72          W – 52      L – 17      OTL – 1      SL – 2  Pts – 107
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r WHL Top Scorer – Bob Clarke Trophy
r Brandon Kozun – (Calgary, AB) Calgary Hitmen
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r GP – 65                        G – 32              A – 75               Pts – 107                      PIM – 50
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