Silvertips announce 2021-22 Team Awards
EVERETT, Wash. — The Everett Silvertips have officially announced their 2021-22 Team Awards, unveiled following their U.S. Division-clinching Friday night victory over the Tri-City Americans at Angel of the Winds Arena.
Awards were divided up into three categories: Service Awards, given to long-time employees of the Everett Silvertips; Everett Silvertips Hockey Booster Club Awards, as voted on by members of the Booster Club; and Coaches Awards, determined by the Everett Silvertips’ coaching staff.
Below is an itemized list of the awards:
Service Awards
Jim Leo Distinguished Service Award: Ethan Anderson, off-ice official for the Silvertips and employee of Angel of the Winds Arena.
Off-Ice Official Recognition for over 17 years of service: Howard Shaw (posthumously, accepted by his wife Jan Shaw); Dean Johnson; Jamie Thompson; Mike Thompson; Pete Rasmussen; Renny Hout; Robin Stocking; Chris Blatz; and Dave Rose.
Booster Club Awards
Graduates (19-year-old players eligible for professional hockey next season): Dylan Anderson, Jackson Berezowski, Michal Gut, Ryan Hofer, Koen MacInnes, Ronan Seeley, Aidan Sutter, Jacob Wright.
Over-agers (20-year-old players in their final season of eligibility for junior hockey): Hunter Campbell, Jonny Lambos, Alex Swetlikoff.
F.I.E.R.C.E. Predator Award: Jackson Berezowski. Voted on by the Everett Silvertips Hockey Booster Club for the player that best exemplifies Fearless, Inspirational, Enthusiastic, Respected, Courageous and Exceptional play. Berezowski has netted 45 goals (second in the WHL) with 31 assists in 59 games, with a +32 defensive rating. He has co-captained the Silvertips with relentless physical play while only accruing 19 penalty minutes.
Coaches’ Awards
Iron Man Award: Jacob Wright, Alex Swetlikoff & Olen Zellweger. Given to the player that has grinded it out and not missed a game due to injury. Wright and Swetlikoff have skated in all 65 Silvertips games to date, while Zellweger has played in 54- only missing time for Anaheim Ducks training camp and the World Junior Championship.
Scholastic Player of the Year: Matthew Ng. Awarded to the player who combines the demands of hockey with the rigors of education. Ng has excelled in six core classes this season, maintaining a 94.2 grade-point average.
Coach’s Award: Ronan Seeley and Alex Swetlikoff. Presented to players that embody the Silvertip Way, leading by example on and off the ice. Winners exhibit humility, a team-first mentality, and the desire and competitiveness to see the team succeed. Seeley, co-captain of the Silvertips and Carolina Hurricanes prospect, has been a consistent performer on defense, accumulating 41 points in 48 games. He is finishing out his fourth full season in Everett. Swetlikoff, acquired by the Silvertips via trade in the off-season, leads the Silvertips with 78 points including 30 goals and 48 assists while also serving as alternate captain.
Most Improved Player: Ryan Hofer. Hofer has taken leaps and bounds forward in his development. He has netted 25 goals with 33 assists for 58 points through 63 games played with a +35 defensive rating. In his rookie season in 2020-21, he posted nine points (six goals, three assists) in 22 games.
Most Dedicated Player: Olen Zellweger. Meant to recognize the Silvertip that shows an undying commitment to bettering themselves on and off the ice. Zellweger, the 34th-overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft by the Anaheim Ducks, has devoted countless hours to the team with an elite work ethic, fueled by a hunger for excellence and a love of the game. He has racked up 14 goals with 62 assists in 53 games played this year.
Unsung Hero: Hunter Campbell. In recognition of the “intangibles” of hockey: intensity, toughness, leadership. An Everett native and an alternate captain, Campbell has played fearless, heavy hockey all season while contributing 21 goals and 25 assists.
Rookie of the Year: Niko Huuhtanen. Huuhtanen, a Tampa Bay Lightning prospect acquired by the Silvertips second overall in the Import Draft in the off-season, ranks first amongst all WHL rookies with 37 goals on the year and second in points with 76.
Most Valuable Player(s): Jackson Berezowski & Olen Zellweger. Berezowski, a co-captain of the Tips, is second in the WHL with 45 goals this season, two shy of tying the Silvertips’ single-season record (Josh Winquist, 47 goals in 2013-14). His 14 powerplay goals are fourth-best in the WHL, and his 76 points on the year are tied for second-best on the team. He has also netted nine game-winning goals, third-most in the WHL. Zellweger leads all WHL defensemen in scoring with 76 points, and has shattered the Silvertips’ single-season scoring record by a blueliner (surpassing Kevin Davis’ 65 points in 2017-18). Zellweger also boasts the second-most assists in the WHL (62), third-most powerplay assists (28) and third-best plus-minus (+45).
