[{"id":51559,"date":"2026-06-15T12:21:46","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T18:21:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/?p=51559"},"modified":"2026-06-15T12:24:29","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T18:24:29","slug":"pickford-named-chl-defenceman-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/article\/pickford-named-chl-defenceman-of-the-year","title":{"rendered":"Pickford Named CHL Defenceman Of The Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

Medicine Hat, AB –\u00a0<\/strong>Tigers Captain Bryce Pickford<\/strong> was named the CHL’s Defenceman of the Year on Monday morning at the CHL Awards<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The CHL Defenceman of the Year Award is given out annually to the top defenceman in the Canadian Hockey League. Bryce Pickford of the Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL) earned the honour after authoring one of the greatest goal-scoring seasons by a defenceman in modern CHL history.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"

Photo by Josh Kim\/CHL<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Montreal Canadiens prospect finished the 2025-26 season with 83 points, including 45 goals and 38 assists, along with a plus-55 rating in 55 games. His 45 goals were the most by a CHL defenceman in nearly 40 years, dating back to Greg Hawgood\u2019s 48-goal campaign in 1987-88, and the highest single-season total by a CHL blueliner in the 21st century.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pickford was the only defenceman to finish among the CHL\u2019s top 10 goal scorers in 2025-26. His 45 goals were tied for second among WHL skaters, while his 19 power-play goals and 11 game-winning goals ranked tied for first in the CHL. The 20-year-old captain from Chauvin, Alta., also helped Medicine Hat claim a second consecutive Central Division title and was named to the WHL Eastern Conference First All-Star Team.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

With the honour, Pickford becomes the second Medicine Hat Tigers player to win CHL Defenceman of the Year, joining Kris Russell<\/strong>, who earned the award in 2006-07.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Tigers would like to congratulate Bryce on this incredible achievement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Medicine Hat, AB –\u00a0Tigers Captain Bryce Pickford was named the CHL’s Defenceman of the Year on Monday morning at the CHL Awards   The CHL Defenceman of the Year Award is given out annually to the top defenceman in the Canadian Hockey League. Bryce Pickford of the Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL) earned the honour after…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":599,"featured_media":51560,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[844],"tags":[{"term_id":898,"name":"Bryce Pickford","slug":"bryce-pickford","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":898,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":21,"filter":"raw","term_order":"66"}],"class_list":["post-51559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-bryce-pickford","category-844","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2026\/06\/15121907\/Pickford-CHL-Defenceman-of-the-Year-scaled.jpg",2560,1708,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/599"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51559"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51559\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":51557,"date":"2026-06-15T12:16:52","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T18:16:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/?p=51557"},"modified":"2026-06-15T12:23:27","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T18:23:27","slug":"markus-ruck-named-chl-top-scorer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/article\/markus-ruck-named-chl-top-scorer","title":{"rendered":"Markus Ruck Named CHL Top Scorer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Medicine Hat, AB –\u00a0<\/strong>Tigers forward Markus Ruck<\/strong> was named the CHL’s Top Scorer on Monday morning at the CHL Awards.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The CHL Top Scorer Award is given out annually to the highest-scoring player in the Canadian Hockey League. It was first awarded in 1994. Markus Ruck of the Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL) captured the honour after leading the WHL and the entire CHL with 108 points during the 2025-26 season.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The 18-year-old from Osoyoos, B.C., recorded 21 goals and a CHL-best 87 assists while posting a plus-45 rating in 68 games. His exceptional vision and playmaking ability helped drive a Medicine Hat team that led the WHL in goals, owned the league\u2019s top power play, and finished atop the Central Division.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Markus’ twin brother, Liam Ruck<\/strong>, finished second in both the WHL and CHL scoring races with 104 points, making Markus and Liam the first siblings in CHL history to finish first and second in league scoring in the same season. They also became the first brothers ever to place 1-2 in scoring within a CHL Member League.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The 2026 NHL Draft prospect became the first Medicine Hat skater since Linden Vey<\/strong> in 2010-11 to lead the CHL in scoring and just the second Tigers player to win the CHL Top Scorer Award. Ruck was held off the scoresheet just 12 times all season and recorded at least three points in a game on 11 occasions.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Tigers would like to congratulate Markus on this incredible achievement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Medicine Hat, AB –\u00a0Tigers forward Markus Ruck was named the CHL’s Top Scorer on Monday morning at the CHL Awards.   The CHL Top Scorer Award is given out annually to the highest-scoring player in the Canadian Hockey League. It was first awarded in 1994. Markus Ruck of the Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL) captured the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":599,"featured_media":51558,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[844],"tags":[{"term_id":802,"name":"Markus Ruck","slug":"markus-ruck","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":806,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":21,"filter":"raw","term_order":"546"}],"class_list":["post-51557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-markus-ruck","category-844","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2026\/06\/15121635\/Markus-Ruck-CHL-Top-Scorer-scaled.jpg",2560,1708,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51557","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/599"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51557"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51557\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51558"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":51548,"date":"2026-06-09T09:57:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T15:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/?p=51548"},"modified":"2026-06-09T10:46:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T16:46:21","slug":"pickford-oreilly-and-masse-named-finalists-for-the-chls-2025-26-david-branch-player-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/article\/pickford-oreilly-and-masse-named-finalists-for-the-chls-2025-26-david-branch-player-of-the-year","title":{"rendered":"Pickford Named Finalist For CHL\u2019s 2025-26 David Branch Player Of The Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bryce Pickford<\/strong> of the Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL), Sam O\u2019Reilly<\/strong> of the Kitchener Rangers (OHL), and Maxim Mass\u00e9<\/strong> of the Chicoutimi Saguen\u00e9ens (QMJHL) have been named finalists for the CHL David Branch Player of the Year Award.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Formerly known as the CHL Player of the Year Award, the trophy was renamed in 2019-20 in honour of David Branch, who served as OHL Commissioner from 1979-2024 and CHL President from 1996-2019. The award is presented annually to the CHL player judged to have had the most outstanding regular season across the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The three finalists earned their place after being named MVP in their respective leagues. Pickford captured the WHL\u2019s Four Broncos Memorial Trophy, O\u2019Reilly won the OHL\u2019s Red Tilson Trophy, and Mass\u00e9 received the QMJHL\u2019s Michel-Bri\u00e8re Trophy.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The 2026 recipient will be announced and presented with the trophy at the CHL Awards ceremony on Monday, June 15, in downtown Toronto.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Past winners of the David Branch Player of the Year Award include<\/span><\/a> Dale Hawerchuk (Cornwall Royals \/ QMJHL), Mario Lemieux (Laval Voisins \/ QMJHL), Joe Sakic (Swift Current Broncos \/ WHL), Eric Lindros (Oshawa Generals \/ OHL), Sidney Crosby (Rimouski Oc\u00e9anic \/ QMJHL), Connor McDavid (Erie Otters \/ OHL), Mitch Marner (London Knights \/ OHL), Connor Bedard (Regina Pats \/ WHL), Jagger Firkus (Moose Jaw Warriors \/ WHL), and most recently Gavin McKenna (Medicine Hat Tigers \/ WHL).<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WHL Nominee \u2013 Bryce Pickford\u00a0 (Medicine Hat Tigers)<\/b><\/a>
\n45G-38A, 83 PTS, +55 in 55 GP during the 2025-26 season<\/i><\/b> \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bryce Pickford authored one of the most productive seasons by a defenceman in modern CHL history, becoming the WHL Player of the Year after a remarkable campaign with the Medicine Hat Tigers.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If selected as the CHL David Branch Player of the Year, Pickford would become the second Tigers player in as many seasons to win the award, following Gavin McKenna\u2019s 2024-25 victory. It would also mark the first time in CHL history that two different players from the same franchise have captured the award in back-to-back seasons.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The 20-year-old captain from Chauvin, Alta., finished the regular season with 83 points, including 45 goals and 38 assists, in 55 games. His 45 goals were the most by a WHL defenceman in a single season since Greg Hawgood scored 48 in 1987-88 and the highest total by any CHL blueliner in the 21st century. He finished just five goals shy of the WHL and CHL single-season record for goals by a defenceman, set by Saskatoon\u2019s Lawrence Sacharuk in 1971-72.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pickford would also become just the fifth defenceman to win the CHL\u2019s top individual honour, and the first since Ryan Ellis of the Windsor Spitfires in 2010-11. A Montreal Canadiens prospect, he was the only defenceman to rank among the CHL\u2019s top 10 goal scorers in 2025-26. His 45 goals were tied for second among all WHL skaters, while his 19 power-play goals led the league and his 11 game-winning goals finished tied for first.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pickford\u2019s season featured three hat tricks, a 15-game point streak, and two separate eight-game goal-scoring streaks, further underlining the consistency of his offensive impact from the blue line. His production helped Medicine Hat claim a second consecutive Central Division title, while he also earned WHL Defenceman of the Year honours and was named to the WHL Eastern Conference First All-Star Team.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By winning both the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy and the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy in the same season, Pickford became just the fifth player in WHL history to be named both WHL Player of the Year and WHL Defenceman of the Year in the same campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A two-time WHL Champion, Pickford previously helped Seattle win the Ed Chynoweth Cup in 2023 before playing a key role in Medicine Hat\u2019s championship run in 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

OHL Nominee \u2013 Sam O’Reilly (Kitchener Rangers)<\/b><\/a>
\n29G-42A, 71 PTS, +20 in 56 GP during the 2025-26 season<\/i><\/b> \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sam O\u2019Reilly was named the OHL\u2019s Most Outstanding Player after making an immediate impact with the Kitchener Rangers following a mid-season move from the London Knights.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If selected as the CHL David Branch Player of the Year, O\u2019Reilly would become the second Kitchener Rangers player to win the award, joining Justin Azevedo, who earned the honour in 2007-08.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The 20-year-old from Toronto recorded 71 points, including 29 goals and 42 assists, in 56 regular season games. After producing 28 points in 28 games with London, O\u2019Reilly elevated his game in Kitchener, posting 43 points and a plus-31 rating over 28 contests to help the Rangers finish atop the Western Conference standings for the first time since 2008.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

One of the biggest acquisitions of the OHL trade deadline, O\u2019Reilly brought veteran experience, leadership, and championship pedigree to Kitchener\u2019s lineup, quickly becoming a driving force for the Rangers in the second half.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A Tampa Bay Lightning prospect, O\u2019Reilly also won 58 percent of his faceoffs and was recognized in the OHL Coaches Poll as the Western Conference\u2019s smartest player, best faceoff man, and best defensive forward. His ability to drive offence while handling difficult defensive assignments made him one of the OHL\u2019s most complete players in 2025-26.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

O\u2019Reilly became the first Rangers player to win the Red Tilson Trophy since Justin Azevedo in 2008, joining a franchise list that also includes John Tucker and Walt Tkaczuk. Over his OHL career, he has built a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 that includes three OHL championships, two Memorial Cup titles, and 198 points in 191 regular-season games.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

His standout season continued deep into the spring, as O\u2019Reilly went on to earn OHL Playoff MVP and Memorial Cup MVP honours. With that sweep, he became just the fourth player in CHL history to win regular-season, playoff, and Memorial Cup MVP honours in the same season, joining Brad Richards, Corey Perry, and Mitch Marner. He also helped Kitchener capture the Memorial Cup after winning the tournament with London one year earlier, making him part of a rare group of players to win back-to-back Memorial Cup titles with different teams.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

QMJHL Nominee \u2013 Maxim Mass\u00e9 (Chicoutimi Saguen\u00e9ens)<\/b><\/a>
\n51G-51A, 102 PTS, +62 in 63 GP during the 2025-26 season<\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Maxim Mass\u00e9 was named the QMJHL\u2019s Most Valuable Player after leading the league in scoring and helping the Chicoutimi Saguen\u00e9ens finish second overall in the standings.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If selected as the CHL David Branch Player of the Year, Mass\u00e9 would become the second Chicoutimi Saguen\u00e9ens player to win the award, joining Pierre-Marc Bouchard, who earned the honour in 2001-02. He would also become the first QMJHL player to capture the award since Alexis Lafreni\u00e8re of the Rimouski Oc\u00e9anic won it in back-to-back seasons in 2018-19 and 2019-20.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mass\u00e9, the CHL Rookie of the Year in 2022-23, would also become just the sixth player to win both CHL Rookie of the Year and CHL David Branch Player of the Year, joining Sidney Crosby (Rimouski Oc\u00e9anic \/ QMJHL), John Tavares (Oshawa Generals \/ OHL), Alex DeBrincat (Erie Otters \/ OHL), Lafreni\u00e8re, and Gavin McKenna (Medicine Hat Tigers \/ WHL).<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Anaheim Ducks prospect recorded 102 points, including 51 goals and 51 assists, in 63 games to capture the first scoring title of his QMJHL career, finishing six points ahead of Val-d\u2019Or Foreurs forward Philippe Veilleux. His 51 goals also tied for the CHL lead and made him one of only two players across the CHL to surpass both the 50-goal and 100-point marks in 2025-26.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mass\u00e9 surpassed the 100-point plateau for the first time in his junior career and recorded 30 multi-point performances, providing steady offence for one of the QMJHL\u2019s top teams.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mass\u00e9\u2019s all-around impact was reflected across several major categories. His plus-62 rating ranked second in the QMJHL, as did his 16 power-play goals and eight game-winning goals. Among players who appeared in more than 60 games, Mass\u00e9 also posted the CHL\u2019s highest points-per-game rate, averaging 1.62 points per contest.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In his fourth QMJHL season, Mass\u00e9 delivered the most productive campaign of his career while serving as the offensive catalyst for one of the league\u2019s top teams. The third-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks in the 2024 NHL Draft became the first Chicoutimi player to win the Michel-Bri\u00e8re Trophy since Francis Par\u00e9 in 2007-08, adding another milestone to one of the top individual seasons in the CHL.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pickford, O\u2019Reilly, and Mass\u00e9 are finalists for the CHL David Branch Player of the Year Award, presented annually to the CHL\u2019s MVP.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":599,"featured_media":51549,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[844],"tags":[{"term_id":898,"name":"Bryce Pickford","slug":"bryce-pickford","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":898,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":21,"filter":"raw","term_order":"66"}],"class_list":["post-51548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-bryce-pickford","category-844","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/09103857\/1920x1080-Nominees4.jpg",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51548","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/599"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51548"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51548\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51548"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51548"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51548"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":51546,"date":"2026-06-09T09:56:41","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T15:56:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/?p=51546"},"modified":"2026-06-09T10:45:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T16:45:16","slug":"pickford-aitcheson-and-bleyl-named-finalists-for-chls-2025-26-defenceman-of-the-year-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/article\/pickford-aitcheson-and-bleyl-named-finalists-for-chls-2025-26-defenceman-of-the-year-award","title":{"rendered":"Pickford Named Finalist For CHL’s 2025-26 Defenceman Of The Year Award"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bryce Pickford <\/b>of the Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL), <\/span>Kashawn Aitcheson <\/b>of the Barrie Colts (OHL) and <\/span>Tommy Bleyl<\/b> of the Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL) have been named finalists for the 2025-26 CHL Defenceman of the Year Award, presented annually to the top defenceman in the Canadian Hockey League.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The three finalists are the recipients of their respective league awards: the WHL\u2019s Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy, the OHL\u2019s Max Kaminsky Trophy and the QMJHL\u2019s \u00c9mile-Bouchard Trophy.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The winner of the 2025-26 CHL Defenceman of the Year Award will be announced at the 2026 CHL Awards ceremony on Monday, June 15 in Toronto, Ont.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Over the years, the CHL Defenceman of the Year Award has been won by several notable players<\/span><\/a>, including Chris Pronger (Peterborough Petes \/ OHL), Dan Hamhuis (Prince George Cougars \/ WHL), Keith Yandle (Moncton Wildcats \/ QMJHL), Ryan Ellis (Windsor Spitfires \/ OHL), Dougie Hamilton (Niagara IceDogs \/ OHL), Ivan Provorov (Brandon Wheat Kings \/ WHL), Thomas Chabot (Saint John Sea Dogs \/ QMJHL), Olen Zellweger (Kamloops Blazers \/ WHL), Zayne Parekh (Saginaw Spirit \/ OHL) and, most recently, Sam Dickinson (London Knights \/ OHL).<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WHL Nominee \u2014 Bryce Pickford (Medicine Hat Tigers)<\/b><\/a>
\n45G-38A, 83 PTS, +55 in 55 GP during the 2025-26 season<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bryce Pickford delivered one of the greatest goal-scoring seasons by a defenceman in modern CHL history, finishing the 2025-26 WHL campaign with 83 points, including 45 goals, and a plus-55 rating in 55 games.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

His 45 goals were the most by a CHL defenceman in a single season in nearly 40 years, dating back to Greg Hawgood\u2019s 48-goal campaign in 1987-88. The total also left Pickford just five goals shy of the WHL and CHL single-season record for goals by a defenceman, set by Saskatoon Blades blueliner Lawrence Sacharuk, who scored 50 in 1971-72.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Among CHL defencemen, Pickford\u2019s 45-goal campaign stands as the highest single-season total of the 21st century, surpassing Marc-Andr\u00e9 Bergeron\u2019s 42-goal season with the Shawinigan Cataractes in 2000-01. The Montreal Canadiens prospect was also the only defenceman to finish among the CHL\u2019s top 10 goal scorers in 2025-26, while his 0.82 goals-per-game rate was the best among that group.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pickford\u2019s 83 points ranked second among WHL defencemen, trailing only Medicine Hat teammate Jonas Woo, who finished with 86 points. A constant offensive threat from the blue line, Pickford led all WHL skaters with 19 power-play goals and tied for the league lead with 11 game-winning goals.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The 20-year-old from Chauvin, Alta., helped the Tigers claim a second consecutive Central Division title and was named to the WHL Eastern Conference First All-Star Team. He is the third player in Medicine Hat history to be named WHL Defenceman of the Year, joining Kris Russell, who won the award in 2005-06 and 2006-07, and Wayne McBean, who earned the honour in 1986-87. With a win at the CHL Awards, Pickford would also become the second Tigers player to capture the CHL Defenceman of the Year honour, following Russell in 2006-07.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pickford\u2019s season included three hat tricks, recorded on December 6 against Wenatchee, January 9 versus Seattle and March 4 at Brandon. He also posted one five-point outing and two separate four-point performances. From November 28 to January 10, he recorded points in 15 straight games, producing 36 points, including 20 goals, during that stretch.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He also enjoyed two separate eight-game goal-scoring streaks, scoring 14 times from December 3 to December 28 before adding another 10 goals during an eight-game run from February 21 to March 7.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pickford signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens on December 24, 2025. At the time, he led the WHL with 25 goals in 31 games. Montreal selected him in the third round, 81st overall, of the 2025 NHL Draft.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

OHL Nominee \u2014 Kashawn Aitcheson (Barrie Colts)<\/b><\/a>
\n28G-42A, 70 PTS, +46 in 56 GP during the 2025-26 season<\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Kashawn Aitcheson put together a record-setting season in Barrie, leading all OHL defencemen with 70 points while establishing a new Colts franchise record for goals by a defenceman with 28.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

His offensive production, physical presence and ability to impact the game in every situation made him one of the OHL\u2019s most complete blueliners throughout the 2025-26 campaign. Along with his 70 points, Aitcheson finished among the league leaders with a plus-46 rating and scored six game-winning goals.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The 6-foot-2, 203-pound defenceman was especially dangerous on the power play, where his 15 goals led all OHL blueliners. He also thrived in an expanded role under first-year Colts Head Coach Dylan Smoskowitz, contributing as a puck-mover, shooter, shutdown presence and physical force.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Aitcheson\u2019s season capped an outstanding career in Barrie. The Toronto, Ont., native fin<\/span>ished as the Colts\u2019 all-time leader in goals and points by a defenceman, with 63 goals and 171 points.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Selected by the New York Islanders with the 17th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, Aitcheson also stood out in this year\u2019s OHL Coaches Poll, placing first in Eastern Conference voting for best shot, hardest shot, best bodychecker and best offensive defenceman. He was also a member of Canada\u2019s bronze medal-winning National Junior Team this past January.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Aitcheson becomes the third Colts defenceman to win the Max Kaminsky Trophy, joining Aaron Ekblad in 2013-14 and Erik Reitz in 2001-02. He was selected from a group of finalists that also included Frankie Marrelli of the Ottawa 67\u2019s, Chase Reid of the Soo Greyhounds and Carson Woodall of the Windsor Spitfires. Should he be named CHL Defenceman of the Year, Aitcheson would become the first Barrie player to win the award.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

QMJHL Nominee \u2014 Tommy Bleyl (Moncton Wildcats)<\/b><\/a>
\n13G-68A, 81 PTS, +58 in 63 GP during the 2025-26 season<\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tommy Bleyl\u2019s historic rookie season with the Moncton Wildcats earned him the \u00c9mile-Bouchard Trophy as the QMJHL\u2019s Defenceman of the Year, adding to one of the most decorated debut campaigns in recent league history.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The 2026 NHL Draft prospect finished second among all QMJHL rookies with 81 points in 63 games, setting a new league record for points by a rookie defenceman. The previous mark of 77 points had stood since 1978, when it was set by Gaston Therrien.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bleyl\u2019s 68 assists led the entire QMJHL, regardless of position, finishing nine ahead of Rouyn-Noranda Huskies forward Thomas Verdon and Chicoutimi Saguen\u00e9ens defenceman Alex Huang. His 68 assists also stand as the highest single-season total by a CHL rookie defenceman in the 21st century and the fifth-highest total by any CHL rookie since 2000.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Among QMJHL defencemen, Bleyl ranked first in points, power-play points and shots on goal, finishing 11 points ahead of Huang for the scoring lead among blueliners. His vision, poise and ability to drive offence from the back end quickly made him one of the league\u2019s most dangerous power-play quarterbacks and a key piece of Moncton\u2019s attack.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bleyl also became only the second player in QMJHL history to win both the \u00c9mile-Bouchard Trophy as Defenceman of the Year and the Sidney-Crosby Trophy as Rookie of the Year in the same season, joining Dmitry Kulikov, who accomplished the feat with the Drummondville Voltigeurs in 2008-09.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After helping Moncton capture a second consecutive QMJHL regular season championship, Bleyl ended the season with three league trophies, having also earned the Raymond-Lagac\u00e9 Trophy as Defensive Rookie of the Year. A win at the 2026 CHL Awards would make him the third Wildcats player to be named CHL Defenceman of the Year, joining Keith Yandle in 2005-06 and David Savard in 2009-10.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

His standout campaign has also drawn significant NHL attention, as he is ranked 17th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pickford, Aitcheson and Bleyl are finalists for the 2025-26 CHL Defenceman of the Year Award, presented annually to the CHL\u2019s top defenceman.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":599,"featured_media":51547,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[844],"tags":[{"term_id":898,"name":"Bryce Pickford","slug":"bryce-pickford","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":898,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":21,"filter":"raw","term_order":"66"}],"class_list":["post-51546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-bryce-pickford","category-844","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/09110553\/1920x1080-Nominees-Defenceman.jpg",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51546","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/599"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51546"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51546\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51547"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":51544,"date":"2026-06-09T09:56:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T15:56:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/?p=51544"},"modified":"2026-06-09T10:44:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T16:44:09","slug":"ruck-klepov-and-masse-named-finalists-for-the-chls-2025-26-top-scorer-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/article\/ruck-klepov-and-masse-named-finalists-for-the-chls-2025-26-top-scorer-award","title":{"rendered":"Markus Ruck Named Finalist For The CHL’s 2025-26 Top Scorer Award"},"content":{"rendered":"

Markus Ruck<\/b> of the Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL), <\/span>Nikita Klepov<\/b> of the Saginaw Spirit (OHL), and <\/span>Maxim Mass\u00e9 <\/b>of the Chicoutimi Saguen\u00e9ens (QMJHL) have been named finalists for the CHL Top Scorer Award, presented annually to the highest-scoring player in the Canadian Hockey League.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The winner will be announced and presented with the trophy during the 2026 CHL Awards ceremony on Monday, June 15, in downtown Toronto.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Past recipients of the award include some of the CHL\u2019s most decorated offensive talents<\/span><\/a>, including Connor Bedard (Regina Pats \/ WHL), Wyatt Johnston (Windsor Spitfires \/ OHL), Jason Robertson (Kingston Frontenacs\/Niagara IceDogs \/ OHL), Patrick Kane (London Knights \/ OHL), Sidney Crosby (Rimouski Oc\u00e9anic \/ QMJHL), and Conor Garland (Moncton Wildcats \/ QMJHL). Only two players \u2014 Crosby and Garland \u2014 have won the award more than once.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WHL Nominee \u2014 <\/b>Markus Ruck (Medicine Hat Tigers)<\/b><\/a>
\n21G-87A, 108 PTS, +45 in 68 GP during the 2025-26 season<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Medicine Hat Tigers forward Markus Ruck captured the Bob Clarke Trophy as the WHL\u2019s top scorer after leading the league \u2014 and the entire CHL \u2014 with 108 points during the 2025-26 season.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The 18-year-old from Osoyoos, B.C., recorded 21 goals and a league-best 87 assists while posting a plus-45 rating in 68 games. His exceptional vision and playmaking ability made him one of the WHL\u2019s most dynamic offensive players and a driving force behind a Medicine Hat team that led the league in goals, owned the WHL\u2019s top power play, and finished atop the Central Division.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ruck\u2019s twin brother, Liam, finished second in both the WHL and CHL scoring races with 104 points (45G-59A), making Markus and Liam the first siblings in CHL history to finish first and second in league scoring in the same season. They also became the first brothers ever to place 1-2 in scoring within a CHL Member League.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For Markus, the scoring title placed him in elite company. He became the first Medicine Hat skater since Linden Vey in 2010-11 to lead the CHL in scoring and just the second Tigers player to win the CHL Top Scorer Award.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The 6-foot, 167-pound centreman was held off the scoresheet just 12 times all season and recorded at least three points in a game on 11 occasions. His top performance came on February 24, 2026, when he collected five points (1G-4A) in a 10-4 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. He also produced two point streaks of at least 10 games, highlighted by a 13-game run from November 22 to December 30 in which he amassed 25 points (3G-22A).<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ruck became the fourth player in Medicine Hat Tigers history to win the Bob Clarke Trophy, joining Linden Vey (2010-11) and Tom Lysiak, who won it in both 1971-72 and 1972-73. The 2026 NHL Draft prospect also became the ninth first-year NHL Draft-eligible player since 2000 to lead the CHL in scoring, joining a list that includes Michael Misa, Connor Bedard, Marco Rossi, Dylan Strome, Nicolas Petan, Patrick Kane, Sidney Crosby, and Pierre-Marc Bouchard.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

OHL Nominee \u2014 <\/b>Nikita Klepov (Saginaw Spirit)<\/b><\/a>
\n37G-60A, 97 PTS, +9 in 67 GP during the 2025-26 season<\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Saginaw Spirit forward Nikita Klepov captured the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy as the OHL\u2019s leading scorer after finishing the season with 97 points (37G-60A) in 67 games. He also earned the Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy as the OHL\u2019s top-scoring right winger.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The 17-year-old from Deerfield Beach, Florida, became the first rookie in his first two years of OHL eligibility to lead the league in scoring since Jack Valiquette did so with the 1973-74 Soo Greyhounds. He also became the first rookie to lead any CHL Member League in scoring since Patrick Kane did so with the London Knights in 2006-07. Since 2000, the only other rookie to accomplish that feat was Sidney Crosby with the Rimouski Oc\u00e9anic in 2003-04.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Klepov carved out a unique place in Saginaw history as well. He became the second Spirit player in as many seasons to win the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy, following Michael Misa in 2024-25, and the first player in franchise history to capture the Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy. His 37 goals tied Cole Perfetti\u2019s franchise rookie record, while his 60 assists and 97 points established new Spirit rookie benchmarks.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Klepov opened his OHL career with a six-game point streak, recording 13 points (7G-6A) over that span. He went on to register 26 multi-point games and recorded at least three points in a game 13 times, including a five-point performance (2G-3A) on October 4 against the Owen Sound Attack.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A 2026 NHL Draft prospect, Klepov also represented the CHL at the 2025 CHL USA Prospect<\/span>s Challenge and earned the Connor McDavid 97 Award as MVP of the Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game after recording a goal and two assists. His combination of playmaking, finishing ability, and offensive consistency made him one of the OHL\u2019s most dangerous players from start to finish.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

QMJHL Nominee \u2013 Maxim Mass\u00e9 (Chicoutimi Saguen\u00e9ens)<\/b><\/a>
\n51G-51A, 102 PTS, +62 in 63 GP during the 2025-26 season<\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Named both QMJHL and CHL Rookie of the Year in 2022-23, Maxim Mass\u00e9 added another major accomplishment to his r\u00e9sum\u00e9 by capturing the Jean-B\u00e9liveau Trophy as the QMJHL\u2019s top scorer with 102 points in 63 games.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In his fourth season with the Chicoutimi Saguen\u00e9ens, the Anaheim Ducks prospect reached the 50-goal plateau for the first time, finishing with career highs of 51 goals, 51 assists, and 102 points. His total put him six points ahead of Val-d\u2019Or Foreurs forward Philippe Veilleux in the QMJHL scoring race.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mass\u00e9 also shared the CHL goal-scoring lead with Seattle Thunderbirds forward Cameron Schmidt and Blainville-Boisbriand Armada forward Justin Carbonneau, who also finished with 51 goals apiece. Mass\u00e9 and Schmidt were the only two players in the CHL to surpass both the 50-goal and 100-point marks in 2025-26.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the third round, 66th overall, of the 2024 NHL Draft, Mass\u00e9 continued to showcase the offensive skill, finishing ability, and playmaking touch that have made him one of the organization\u2019s top prospects.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A consistent offensive force throughout the season, Mass\u00e9 ranked sixth across the CHL in points per game at 1.62, the highest rate among players who appeared in more than 60 games. His breakout campaign firmly established him among the QMJHL\u2019s elite players and one of the CHL\u2019s most dangerous offensive threats.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Markus Ruck, Klepov, Mass\u00e9 are finalists for the 2025-26 CHL Top Scorer Award, presented annually to the CHL\u2019s highest-scoring player.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":599,"featured_media":51545,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[844],"tags":[{"term_id":802,"name":"Markus Ruck","slug":"markus-ruck","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":806,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":21,"filter":"raw","term_order":"546"}],"class_list":["post-51544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-markus-ruck","category-844","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/09111455\/1920x1080-Nominees9-1.jpg",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/599"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51544"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51544\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":51541,"date":"2026-06-08T14:00:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T20:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/?p=51541"},"modified":"2026-06-08T13:54:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T19:54:09","slug":"liam-markus-ruck-impress-at-scouting-combine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/article\/liam-markus-ruck-impress-at-scouting-combine","title":{"rendered":"Liam & Markus Ruck Impress At Scouting Combine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Medicine Hat, AB –\u00a0<\/strong>The Ruck twins represented the Medicine Hat Tigers at the 2026 NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo, New York.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Liam and Markus Ruck<\/strong> were among 90 prospects that attended the event. The NHL Scouting Combine provides the league\u2019s 32 clubs with physical and medical evaluations of top draft prospects ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft, set for June 26-27 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“The combine was unbelievable… so much fun to be a part of” said Liam Ruck<\/strong>. “You get to spend a week out in Buffalo, talking to NHL teams and media and all that, it’s something you dream of as a kid, so it’s just a special week.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Markus last 13:08 in the VO2 Max bike test while Liam lasted 12:25. Markus also excelled at one of the two new tests at the combine, scoring a 2.24 in the isokinetic squat test to Liam’s score of 2.16.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"

Photo by Bill Wippert\/NHL via Getty Images<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

While Markus opted to rest for the latter portion of the combine after tweaking his back in the vertical jump test, Liam completed the bench press, 10-meter sprint, pro agility, pull-ups and the Wingate without his brother.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was obviously a super fun experience. I’ve never done anything like this, so to kind of meet with NHL teams and be in Buffalo and experience a new style of life, it was awesome.” remarked Markus following the combine.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Liam recorded the 23rd highest score in the Aerobic Fitness (VO2 Max) test with a 54.1, the 18th highest score in the Anaerobic Fitness: Fatigue Index test with a 46.3, and the 10th highest score in the Bench Press Power test with a 6.4. For full results from the 2026 NHL Scouting Combine, visit\u00a0NHL.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Rucks are two of 15 Tigers players eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft that will take place on June 26th and 27th in the Keybank Centre in Buffalo, New York. The Tigers led the WHL with eight players ranked in NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings for the draft.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Medicine Hat, AB –\u00a0The Ruck twins represented the Medicine Hat Tigers at the 2026 NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo, New York.   Liam and Markus Ruck were among 90 prospects that attended the event. The NHL Scouting Combine provides the league\u2019s 32 clubs with physical and medical evaluations of top draft prospects ahead of the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":599,"featured_media":51542,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[844],"tags":[{"term_id":801,"name":"Liam Ruck","slug":"liam-ruck","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":805,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":22,"filter":"raw","term_order":"525"},{"term_id":802,"name":"Markus 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Medicine Hat, AB –\u00a0<\/strong>Two draft eligible players from the Tigers will be attending the 2026 NHL Scouting Combine at KeyBank Center and LECOM HarborCenter in Buffalo, New York.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Liam Ruck<\/strong> (Osoyoos, B.C.) and Markus Ruck<\/strong> (Osoyoos, B.C) are two of the top 100 players invited to the combine.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Markus led the CHL in scoring with 108 points in the 2025-26 regular season, his twin brother Liam finished second with 104 points. Both had career years in their sophomore seasons, following up their 2025 WHL Championship with a big role on the top-line for the Tigers. Liam Ruck tied Bryce Pickford<\/strong> for the team lead in goals with 45 this season.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Running from June 1-6, the combine provides all 32 NHL clubs with an opportunity to conduct interviews, medical evaluations, and fitness testing on many of the top prospects eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft, set to take place June 26-27 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“The NHL Combine is a rite of passage on a player’s path to the NHL and is an event that NHL clubs and prospects look forward to participating in,” NHL Central Scouting vice president and director Dan Marr said. “The NHL Combine is the final showcase event before the NHL draft and it’s a week full of interviews, medicals, and fitness testing where the players get to interact with NHL personnel and the NHL clubs get to learn as much as possible about the future stars of our game.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A total of 90 players will attend the combine, including 56 forwards, 29 defencemen, and five goaltenders. All invitees are listed in NHL Central Scouting\u2019s final rankings of North American and International skaters and goaltenders.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Teams can have 1-on-1 interviews with prospects at KeyBank Center from June 1-5. The medical examinations will take place June 3, the Maximal VO2 bike test and isokinetic squat test, which is new to the Combine, will take place June 5, and the remaining eight of the 12 fitness tests will occur at HarborCenter on June 6 (standing height\/wingspan, horizontal jump, force plate vertical jumps, bench press, pro agility test, pull ups, 10-meter sprint, Wingate Cycle Ergometer test). The 10-meter sprint, also new to the Combine, will be conducted in conjunction with the pro agility test.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For more information on the 2026 NHL Scouting Combine, including the complete list of invitees, visit\u00a0NHL.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Medicine Hat, AB –\u00a0Two draft eligible players from the Tigers will be attending the 2026 NHL Scouting Combine at KeyBank Center and LECOM HarborCenter in Buffalo, New York.   Liam Ruck (Osoyoos, B.C.) and Markus Ruck (Osoyoos, B.C) are two of the top 100 players invited to the combine.   Markus led the CHL in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":599,"featured_media":51533,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[844],"tags":[{"term_id":801,"name":"Liam Ruck","slug":"liam-ruck","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":805,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":22,"filter":"raw","term_order":"525"},{"term_id":802,"name":"Markus 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