Former Americans alternate captain Mutala named WHL Grad of the Month for November/December

Vancouver, B.C.- Sasha Mutala is in the midst of a university career-best season and steadily climbing the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds’ all-time scoring list- and the accolades are continuing to pile up.

The 24-year-old is the Canada West WHL Grad of the Month for November/December after bagging a conference-best 19 points (5G-14A) in 11 games.

“It’s just, obviously, a huge honour,” Mutala said. “So many good players have won this award, and there’s plenty of players in the league that have had great seasons that could have also won this award this month. (I’m) just so lucky to play with the teammates I play with, and have the coaching staff that puts me in positions to succeed. Just can’t say enough about the guys that I have around me to lead into success for, I think, not just myself, but everyone on the team.”

Over 11 games in November and December, Mutala registered six multipoint outings, highlighted by a four-assist effort in a 7-4 win over the University of Saskatchewan on November 28, and two goals, including the game-winner, in a similar 7-4 decision against the University of Manitoba on November 8.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound forward sits second in the Canada West scoring race with 30 points (9G-21A) in 18 outings.

“His consistency is the first thing that jumps to mind. It’s timely goals, important situations, if the power play needs to come through in certain moments he always seems to find a way,” UBC head coach and 1996 WHL Champion Sven Butenschön said. “He’s found a way to grow his game away from the puck as well. By playing with Scott Atkinson (Edmonton Oil Kings) and Chris Douglas (Red Deer Rebels), they’re very straight-line guys and he’s fit in very well with that kind of mentality.”

But the former Tri-City Americans alternate captain has his sights set on something bigger than personal stats.

Mutala was a key part of the Thunderbirds squad that captured UBC’s first Canada West title in 53 years when they defeated the Calgary Dinos.

He’s determined to help his team make a return to the Canada West final and get another swing at the University Cup.

“It’s something that we think about every single day,” Mutala, a Vancouver product, added. “In the locker room, it’s something that gets talked about day in, day out. The success we had two years ago, we have so many guys on the roster that were there in 2024, when we won it. So, I think a lot of guys are hungry, a lot of guys who had a taste of it. But now we want the whole pie and the chance to get that national title. I think this year, with the group we have, like I said, a lot of veteran guys who know what they’re doing in those key moments. That’s our number one focus right now.”

The Thunderbirds are currently ranked as the top USPORTS men’s hockey team in the country with a CW-leading 15-1-1-1 record and have already clinched a berth in the 2026 playoffs.

They’ll be playing with house money down the home stretch and Mutala is slated to hit 100 career regular-season games played with UBC on January 10, 2026, when UBC returns to action with a weekend home set against the 11-5-1-1 Mount Royal Cougars.

Mutala played parts of six seasons with the Tri-City Americans, wearing an ‘A’ for the U.S. Division squad from 2018-2021.

Over that stretch, he put up 84 goals and 112 assists for 196 points over 266 regular-season games, highlighted by a 28-goal, 39-assist run in 2019-20.

He’s now is in his fourth season with the T-Birds and is utilizing his WHL Scholarship to study finance in the Sauder School of Business.

For each season played in the WHL, a player is awarded a one-year post-secondary scholarship, which includes tuition, compulsory fees, and required textbooks.

In partnership with Canada West universities, numerous WHL Scholarship recipients each year are also awarded additional financial assistance from their university to receive Western Canada’s premier hockey scholarship.

Since 1993, the WHL has awarded nearly 8,000 scholarships to graduate players. The WHL is the leading supplier of hockey scholarships in Western Canada and offers one of the most comprehensive scholarships in North America.