Eight WHL alumni earn Canada West major awards
Former Tri-City Americans alternate captain Connor Bouchard has been named the 2024 Canada West Men’s Hockey Player of the Year.
The Mount Royal Cougars forward headlines the conference’s major awards, eight of which were earned by former WHL players.
Bouchard, a second-year Physical Literacy student, led all U SPORTS players with a staggering 57 points (23 goals, 34 assists) in 26 regular season games, becoming the first Canada West player since 2000-01 and the first in MRU’s Canada West history to eclipse the 50-point marker.
He’s also won the Dave “Sweeney” Schriner Scoring Trophy as the conference’s top scorer and will move forward as the Canada West nominee for the Sullivan Trophy, which is presented to the U SPORTS Outstanding Men’s Hockey Athlete of the Year.
Two of Bouchard’s Mount Royal teammates also picked up major awards.
Former Portland Winterhawks and Victoria Royals netminder Shane Farkas, who was recognized as the WHL Grad of the Month for January, earned Goaltender of the Year honours.
Farkas led the conference with 18 wins, four shutouts and 23 games played.
Former Portland Winterhawks Captain Clay Hanus picked up the Mervyn “Red” Dutton Trophy for top defenceman thanks to a 36-point campaign, towering plus-14 rating and substantial minutes played against tough opposition.
University of Calgary forward Jake Poole, who spent his junior career with the Kelowna Rockets and Victoria Royals, finished third overall in league scoring with 17 goals to snag the U of A Hockey Alumni Trophy for the Canada West Rookie of the Year.
Poole’s Dinos teammates Carl Tetachuk (Lethbridge Hurricanes, Moose Jaw Warriors) and Carl Stankowski (Seattle Thunderbirds, Calgary Hitmen, Winnipeg Ice) combined to capture the Adam Kryczka Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the goaltending tandem with the fewest goals against during the regular season.
The duo allowed just 61 goals, or 2.17 per game, edging out Saskatchewan for the award by one goal.
Former Vancouver Giant and Regina Pat Dawson Holt picked up the Student-Athlete Community Service Award.
The University of Saskatchewan forward has served as President of the Huskie Athletic Council for the past three years, volunteers at Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital weekly, acts as an ambassador for Hockey Gives Blood and organized a pancake breakfast for KidSport.
Holt moves forward as Canada West’s nominee for the U SPORTS Randy Gregg Award for outstanding achievement in hockey, academics and community involvement.
University of British Columbia bench boss Sven Butenschon picked up his second Canada West Coach of the Year win.
The former Wheat King, who helped Brandon take home the 1995-96 WHL Championship, led the Thunderbirds to a program-high 22 wins and 46 points, finishing as the conference’s top seed for the first time since 1963.
Since joining UBC in 2016, Butenschon has helped the Thunderbirds to two U SPORTS National Championship appearances in the last three seasons.
Of course, there is still one major piece of hardware to give out.
UBC and U of C go head-to-head in this weekend’s conference final with Game One set for Friday, March 1 at 7:00 p.m. PST at UBC’s Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.