[{"id":267538,"date":"2026-04-22T12:55:37","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T18:55:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=267538"},"modified":"2026-04-22T12:55:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T18:55:37","slug":"raiders-forward-cootes-awarded-brad-hornung-memorial-trophy-as-whl-most-sportsmanlike-player-for-2025-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/video\/raiders-forward-cootes-awarded-brad-hornung-memorial-trophy-as-whl-most-sportsmanlike-player-for-2025-26","title":{"rendered":"Raiders forward Cootes awarded Brad Hornung Memorial Trophy as WHL Most Sportsmanlike Player for 2025-26"},"content":{"rendered":"

Calgary, Alta. \u2013<\/strong> The Western Hockey League announced today Prince Albert Raiders forward and Vancouver Canucks prospect Braeden Cootes has been awarded the Brad Hornung Memorial Trophy as WHL Most Sportsmanlike Player for the 2025-26 WHL Regular Season.<\/p>\n

WHL Most Sportsmanlike Player Finalists<\/strong><\/p>\n

Braeden Cootes, Prince Albert Raiders
\nRyden Evers, Penticton Vees
\nJordan Gavin, Brandon Wheat Kings
\nMarkus Ruck, Medicine Hat Tigers
\nMatias Vanhanen, Everett Silvertips
\nAlex Weiermair, Portland Winterhawks<\/p>\n

Cootes is the first player in Prince Albert Raiders history to be named WHL Most Sportsmanlike Player. The WHL Most Sportsmanlike Player Award was first presented to Morris Stefaniw of the Estevan Bruins in 1966-67 and the Prince Albert Raiders played their first WHL season in 1982-83.<\/p>\n

Hailing from Sherwood Park, Alta., the 19-year-old Cootes matched a career high with 63 points this season, accomplishing the mark in only 45 games split between the Raiders and Seattle Thunderbirds. In 2024-25, the 6-foot, 183-pound Cootes recorded 63 points in 60 games with the Thunderbirds.<\/p>\n

During his impressive 2025-26 campaign, Cootes secured his 63 points (24G-39A) alongside a plus-27 rating and a mere eight penalty minutes.<\/p>\n

Acquired by the Raiders on January 6, 2026, Cootes served as captain of the Thunderbirds for two seasons prior to the trade.<\/p>\n

The 2025-26 season was full of milestones for Cootes.<\/p>\n

After being selected by the Canucks in the first round (15th overall) of the 2025 NHL Draft, he signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Club on July 8, 2025. He then made his NHL debut with the Canucks in October 2025, appearing in three games and averaging 10:47 time on ice.<\/p>\n

Cootes returned to the WHL where he was once again a steady, two-way presence for the Thunderbirds.<\/p>\n

He then represented Canada at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, recording two goals in seven games, helping his nation to a bronze-medal finish.<\/p>\n

Following his trade to Prince Albert, Cootes saw his offensive production increase, climbing from 1.35 points per game to 1.43 points per game in Hockey Town North. In total, Cootes collected 40 points (14G-26A) in 28 regular season games with the Raiders.<\/p>\n

During the 2026 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien, Cootes has been a driving force for the Raiders, firing home 11 points (5G-6A) in nine games. The Raiders are set to continue their pursuit of the Ed Chynoweth Cup when they face the Medicine Hat Tigers in the WHL Eastern Conference Championship presented by Nutrien beginning Friday, April 24.<\/p>\n

Originally selected by the Thunderbirds in the first round (10th overall) of the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft, Cootes has appeared in 176 career WHL regular season outings, securing 162 points (64G-98A) along the way. Over three complete seasons, he has amassed a mere 42 minutes in penalties.<\/p>\n

Noted for his talent, desire, and sportsmanlike attitude, Brad Hornung was revered in Western Canadian hockey circles. The Brad Hornung Memorial Trophy for the WHL\u2019s Most Sportsmanlike Player is awarded annually to the player who best combines those attributes.<\/p>\n

The trophy was rededicated as the Brad Hornung Memorial Trophy in 2022 following his passing at the age of 52.<\/p>\n

A rising star for the Regina Pats, Hornung\u2019s career was cut short after the forward was paralyzed from the waist down following a hit in a game on March 1, 1987.<\/p>\n

Since then, Hornung\u2019s courageous attitude and inspirational message of perseverance kept his connection with the game of hockey strong. A former amateur scout for the Chicago Blackhawks, Hornung was a staple in hockey rinks throughout Saskatchewan and a mainstay at past WHL Awards events. His No. 8 jersey has been retired by the Regina Pats.<\/p>\n

The WHL Most Sportsmanlike Player Award is voted upon by WHL General Managers and members of the media.<\/p>\n

Winners of the Brad Hornung Memorial Trophy (since 2010)<\/strong><\/p>\n

2025-26: Braeden Cootes, Prince Albert Raiders
\n2024-25: Berkly Catton, Spokane Chiefs
\n2023-24: Brayden Yager, Moose Jaw Warriors*
\n2022-23: Logan Stankoven, Kamloops Blazers
\n2020-21: Not presented due to COVID-19
\n2019-20: Seth Jarvis, Portland Winterhawks
\n2018-19: Justin Almeida, Moose Jaw Warriors*
\n2017-18: Aleksi Heponiemi, Swift Current Broncos*
\n2016-17: Tyler Steenbergen, Swift Current Broncos
\n2015-16: Tyler Soy, Victoria Royals
\n2014-15: Rourke Chartier, Kelowna Rockets*
\n2013-14: Sam Reinhart, Kootenay ICE
\n2012-13: Dylan Wruck, Edmonton Oil Kings
\n2011-12: Mark Stone, Brandon Wheat Kings*
\n2010-11: Tyler Johnson, Spokane Chiefs
\n2009-10: Jason Bast, Moose Jaw Warriors*<\/p>\n

* = also selected as CHL Sportsman of the Year<\/p>\n

About the Western Hockey League<\/strong><\/p>\n

Regarded as the world\u2019s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 23 member Clubs with 17 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 over 50 years. The WHL is also the 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\u2019s National Junior Hockey Team.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cootes is the first player in Prince Albert Raiders history to be named WHL Most Sportsmanlike Player.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":116,"featured_media":267541,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1113],"tags":[{"term_id":2318,"name":"2026 WHL Awards","slug":"2026-whl-awards","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2318,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":17,"filter":"raw","term_order":"23"},{"term_id":1663,"name":"Braeden Cootes","slug":"braeden-cootes","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1663,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":34,"filter":"raw","term_order":"638"},{"term_id":1240,"name":"Brad Hornung Memorial Trophy","slug":"brad-hornung-memorial-trophy","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1240,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":4,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1029"},{"term_id":1241,"name":"WHL Most Sportsmanlike Player","slug":"whl-most-sportsmanlike-player","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1241,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":3,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1030"},{"term_id":39,"name":"prince albert raiders","slug":"prince-albert-raiders","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":206,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1133,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1824"}],"class_list":["post-267538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-video","tag-2026-whl-awards","tag-braeden-cootes","tag-brad-hornung-memorial-trophy","tag-whl-most-sportsmanlike-player","tag-prince-albert-raiders","category-1113","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/22105114\/260421_Sportsmanlike_Cootes-1920.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":{"video_id":"2569436","partner_id":"31014","player_id":"47902","width":"16","height":"9","360p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/sd\/2569436.mp4","240p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/ld\/2569436.mp4","480p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/hsd\/2569436.mp4","1080p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/fhd\/2569436.mp4","hls":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/streaming\/2569436\/2569436.m3u8","webp":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/webp\/2569436.webp"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267538","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/116"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=267538"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267538\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":267542,"date":"2026-04-22T12:50:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T18:50:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=267542"},"modified":"2026-04-22T12:50:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T18:50:16","slug":"giants-preston-scores-canadas-lone-goal-t-birds-goaltender-sklenicka-earns-massive-win-in-pair-of-iihf-u18-world-championship-upsets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/giants-preston-scores-canadas-lone-goal-t-birds-goaltender-sklenicka-earns-massive-win-in-pair-of-iihf-u18-world-championship-upsets","title":{"rendered":"Giants’ Preston scores Canada’s lone goal, T-Birds goaltender Sklenicka earns massive win in pair of IIHF U18 World Championship upsets"},"content":{"rendered":"

Trencin, Slovakia-\u00a0<\/strong>A sellout crowd of more than 6,000 fans cheered Slovakia on to a 2-1 win over Canada on opening day at the 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship.<\/p>\n

The host team’s hard-fought victory marked the second of a pair of major upsets on day one, with Czechia also downing the United States 3-2 in overtime.<\/p>\n

Slovak hockey greats Marian Gaborik and Marian Hossa, a WHL and Memorial Cup Champion who reigns as one of the Portland Winterhawks’ top players of all time, were on hand to congratulate each country’s Player of the Game, goaltender Denis Celko and forward Tynan Lawrence.<\/p>\n

The Slovaks took advantage of home ice by jumping out to a 1-0 lead in the second period, but Vancouver Giants star Mathis Preston (Penticton, B.C. \/ Vancouver Giants) levelled the match with a powerplay one-timer off a backdoor feed from Adam Valentini.<\/p>\n

Preston is ranked 32nd among all North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting and logged 44 points (18G-26A) in a shortened campaign with the G-Men and Spokane Chiefs.<\/p>\n

\n

Giants forward Mathis Preston scores Canada\u2019s first of the tournament at the #U18MensWorlds<\/a>!@HockeyCanada<\/a> is tied 1-1 with Slovakia late in the 2nd period.<\/p>\n

Tune in now on @TSN_Sports<\/a> 4! pic.twitter.com\/c29asrmpPb<\/a><\/p>\n

— Vancouver Giants (@WHLGiants) April 22, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n