Capitals prospect Cristall named Tempo WHL Player of the Week
Calgary, Alta. – Spokane Chiefs forward Andrew Cristall has been named Tempo WHL Player of the Week for the week ending Sunday, February 2, 2025, the Western Hockey League announced Monday.
This is the third time the veteran has won the award this season, in addition to WHL Player of the Month honours in November.
Cristall led all skaters with three goals and eight assists for 11 points in three games against Western Conference opponents.
The 19-year-old- who celebrates his 20th birthday on February 4- kicked off the week with a behind-the-net dish to Shea Van Olm to open the scoring in an eventual 5-1 win against the visiting Victoria Royals.
But a one-point night is a very quiet outing for Cristall these days.
The 5-foot-10, 183-pound winger dazzled with a one-goal, five-assist night in a dominant 10-3 showing against the league-leading Everett Silvertips the following night. Cristall picked up a secondary helper on Van Olm’s first two goals of the game to help the veteran reclaim the lead in the WHL goals race. He added his third assist of the night on a breakout pass to Colorado Avalanche prospect Saige Weinstein, who wheeled down the ice before ripping the eventual game-winning goal home. Cristall buried a highlight reel goal as he carried the puck into the Silvertips zone on a two-on-one before dekeing around a sprawling defender to score from the slot. He capped off the night with two more assists in the later goings of the game. Cristall was named first star of the night.
Cristall with the dish, Parr with the finish 🎯
Cristall has secured 5⃣ points on the evening, the third time he's reached that plateau in a Chiefs uniform.@SpokaneChiefs | @Capitals | #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/Eh0TB6kver
— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) February 2, 2025
He continued his torrid run on February 2 as the Chiefs paid a visit to the Vancouver Giants. With the game scoreless in the second period, Cristall broke through by sweeping a loose puck past Burke Hood after a scramble in front of the Giants net. He added an assist shortly afterward as the Chiefs’ league-best powerplay went to work with Cristall ringing a shot off the iron and Van Olm potting the rebound to make it 2-0. Cristall closed out the week with an empty net goal and empty-net assist as the Chiefs made it three straight wins with a 5-2 decision.
Cristall has 34 goals and 55 assists for 89 points in just 38 games.
He’s also on a nine-game point streak that’s seen him pile up eight goals and 21 assists.
Cristall leads the WHL scoring race and his 89 points also rank first across the entire Canadian Hockey League.
Selected by the Kelowna Rockets with the eighth overall pick in the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft, Cristall has played parts of five seasons in the WHL and has averaged more than a point per game in four full campaigns.
The Burnaby, B.C. product ranked second in all-time scoring for the Rockets with 340 points (135G-205A) in 219 regular season games before being acquired by the Chiefs in a 2025 WHL Trade Deadline blockbuster deal.
Cristall is sitting on 143 goals and 226 assists for 369 career points in 229 games, in addition to 20 postseason points (5G-15A) in three trips to the WHL Playoffs.
Washington chose the talented winger with the 40th overall pick in the second round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft and signed him to a three-year, entry-level contract less than a month later.
He was named a B.C. Division First-Team All-Star in 2023 and a Second-Team All-Star in 2024.
On the international stage, Cristall has helped Canada to a gold medal at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and bronze at the 2023 IIHF U18 World Championship.
Spokane (33-16-0-0) has improved to 7-3-0-0 in its last 10 games to sit second in the U.S. Division and third in the Western Conference.
The Chiefs head west to take on the Seattle Thunderbirds (18-27-2-1) on Friday, February 7 at 7:05 p.m. PST.
2024-25 Tempo WHL Player of the Week
September 23, 2024: Roger McQueen, Brandon Wheat Kings
September 30, 2024: Nathan Behm, Kamloops Blazers
October 7, 2024: Shea Van Olm, Spokane Chiefs
October 15, 2024: Mazden Leslie, Vancouver Giants
October 21, 2024: Ben Kindel, Calgary Hitmen
October 28, 2024: Nathan Behm, Kamloops Blazers
November 4, 2024: Brady Birnie, Swift Current Broncos
November 11, 2024: Koehn Ziemmer, Prince George Cougars (Los Angeles Kings)
November 18, 2024: Tomas Mrsic, Prince Albert Raiders (St. Louis Blues)
November 25, 2024: Andrew Cristall, Kelowna Rockets (Washington Capitals)
December 2, 2024: Gavin McKenna, Medicine Hat Tigers
December 9, 2024: Tyson Jugnauth, Portland Winterhawks (Seattle Kraken)
December 16, 2024: Gracyn Sawchyn, Edmonton Oil Kings (Florida Panthers)
December 23, 2024: Rilen Kovacevic, Moose Jaw Warriors
December 30, 2024: Landon DuPont, Everett Silvertips
January 6, 2025: Evan Friesen, Wenatchee Wild
January 13, 2025: Andrew Cristall, Spokane Chiefs (Washington Capitals)
January 20, 2025: Berkly Catton, Spokane Chiefs (Seattle Kraken)
January 27, 2025: Quinn Mantei, Brandon Wheat Kings
About the Western Hockey League
Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL offers a world-class player experience featuring three key cornerstones: hockey development, education, and a safe and positive environment for all participants. A diverse and inclusive organization, the WHL consists of 22 member Clubs with 16 located in Western Canada and six in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for close to 60 years. The WHL is also a leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 375 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.
-30-