Huskies alternate captain Holt named WHL Grad of the Month for January

Saskatoon, Sask.- Dawson Holt’s final lap with the Saskatchewan Huskies is proving to be a memorable one.

The former Vancouver Giants star served up five goals and eight assists for 13 points as the reigning Canada West champions posted a 6-1-1 record in the new year.

Holt has been recognized as the WHL Grad of the Month for January.

“It’s exciting whenever you get recognized individually,” Holt said. “I think it’s a super cool thing. But with any of those individual things, I think it’s just a testament to the people around you, my line mates and everyone else on the team, that stuff like this happens.

I’m just trying to take it kind of day by day and enjoy my time. I do know it’s finite, so I try to enjoy each day and enjoy just being with the guys and in the locker room and all those memories that I know I’ll have for a lot of years to come.”

Notably, Holt registered a goal and an assist as the Huskies took three of a possible four points against the Division-leading Mount Royal Cougars with a 5-4 overtime loss and 5-3 win in Calgary.

The Saskatoon product’s fifth season with the Dogs has seen him tally 11 goals and 21 assists to lead the team in points, while tying for sixth in scoring among all Canada West skaters.

Holt’s +25 rating also leads all Canada West forwards.

Saskatchewan now stares down a weekend set against the University of Calgary Dinos before closing out the regular season with a rematch against the Cougars.

The Huskies sit two points behind the Cougars for first in the East Division with two games in hand and a crucial chance to lock down first in the division and earn a bye in the 2026 Canada West Quarterfinals.

“This is going to be my last year,” Holt added.  “So I think that’s a big thing. And then just the way last year went, winning Canada West and then finishing third at nationals, I think it was a little bit of a bittersweet feeling. It’s definitely provided some motivation to try to get back to that place and hopefully have a chance to win that tournament.”

In the classroom, Holt, 26, has excelled by using his WHL Scholarship to complete an undergraduate degree in accounting.

He’s now in his second year of a four-year Doctor of Medicine program.

Holt was originally drafted by the Vancouver Giants with the eighth overall pick in the 2014 WHL Prospects Draft.

He went on to play parts of six seasons with the G-Men and Regina Pats, netting 79 points (25G-54A) in 208 regular-season contests.

Holt was a key part of the Vancouver squad that reached the 2019 WHL Championship Series, where they fell in overtime in Game 7 to the Prince Albert Raiders.

The 5-foot-11, 186-pound forward contributed 16 points (7G-9A) over the run, highlighted by two goals in Game 1 of the Championship.

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.