2023/24 Team Awards
2023-24 Thunderbirds Awards
Humanitarian: Not just an accomplished athlete, this year’s Humanitarian realizes the impact he can have through community participation. Over the years, he has been a fan favorite at Thunderbirds Hockey School, spearheaded a Movember campaign to raise money for men’s health, and done school readings both in the Kent community and through Zoom with his hometown in Alberta. This year’s Humanitarian of the Year is Scott Ratzlaff
Scholastic: As a rookie in his first season away from home, this 16-year-old best exemplifies a devotion to maintaining his high academic standards while adjusting to his first season in the WHL. He showed very mature time management skills while keeping his grades in the 90s. This year’s Scholastic Player of the Year is Kazden Mathies
Most Dedicated: Voted on by his teammates as the most dedicated player, this Thunderbird fits the cliché first to arrive and last to leave. His dedication to improvement both on the ice and in the weightroom has not gone unnoticed by his teammates. Thunderbirds Most Dedicated Player for the 2nd year in a row is Bryce Pickford
Top Scorer: For the 3rd straight year, the Seattle Thunderbirds were led in scoring by a player who went undrafted in the WHL Prospects Draft. The development over the last 4 years with the Thunderbirds recently culminated in a well-deserved NHL contract. With 17 goals, 43 assists, for 60 points the Top Scorer is Jeremy Hanzel
Most Improved: Sometimes great improvement is seen from season to season and other times it happens rapidly within a season. This year’s most improved Thunderbird took off after the Christmas break tallying 13 goals, and 6 assists (nearly all at even strength) with a +4 rating in 24 games. This year’s most improved Thunderbird is Simon Lovsin
Rookie: Producing at such a high level as a first-year player is no easy task. For a 16-year-old to play all 68 games is itself an accomplishment. Finishing the year with 17 goals, 22 assists, for 39 points. This year’s rookie of the year has proven to be a steal as a 4th round WHL Prospects selection. Rookie of the Year Antonio Martorana
Defenseman: The defenseman of the year has taken his game to a whole different level in 23-24. After quietly but solidly being a key piece to the Championship group last season, he has expanded his role taking on top powerplay and penalty killing responsibilities while becoming a physical nuisance for opposing forwards to have to deal with. This year’s top defenseman is Sawyer Mynio
MVP: The most valuable player award goes to this Thunderbird who has been deemed most instrumental in providing the team with an ability to compete all season. To move seamlessly from one franchise cornerstone in goal to another immediately is not a luxury that many teams have. For his ability to give such a young team a chance to win every night, this year’s MVP is Scott Ratzlaff
