The Swift Current Broncos got contributions from up and down their line-up this season, and that depth was reflected during their awards presentation Friday when 11 different players were recognized.
Former first-round draft picks Glenn Gawdin and Tyler Steenbergen led the way with four awards apiece.
Gawdin, 19, was named the Chairman of the Boards, shared the Coaches Choice Award with Max Lajoie, and finished third in the Most Stars Award behind Steenbergen and rookie Aleksi Heponiemi. The dominant two-way forward capped his evening by being named the team’s Most Valuable Player after registering 58 points and a plus-23 rating in 51 games.
“That’s a huge honour,” said the team’s captain. “I actually didn’t even hear them on the PA system when they said it, one of the guys had to tell me. That’s a great accomplishment for myself and I am pretty honoured.”
Steenbergen, 18, was also named the Fans Most Popular Player, the Most Sportsmanlike Player, and won the Top Scorer Award with 89 points in 71 games so far. He leads the WHL with 51 goals heading into his final game.
Heponiemi and Lajoie were also multiple award winners. Heponiemi was named the team’s Top Rookie with 84 points in 71 games and Lajoie was recognized as the Top Defenseman with 42 points and a plus-20 rating in 68 games.
The complete list of awards was as follows:
Pioneer Co-op Most Improved Player – Sahvan Khaira
RBC Dominion Securities Chairman of the Boards – Glenn Gawdin
Charlotte Letkeman Memorial Award for Desire and Sportsmanship – Kaden Elder
Western Financial Group Players Most Popular Player – Jordan Papirny
Pattison Agriculture King of the Road – Lane Pederson
Swift Sanitary Services Fans Most Popular Player – Tyler Steenbergen
Most Stars Award – 1st – Tyler Steenbergen, 2nd – Aleksi Heponiemi, 3rd – Glenn Gawdin
Tom Ham Memorial Trophy, Top Defenseman – Max Lajoie
Trophy Towne Most Sportsmanlike Player – Tyler Steenbergen
Gordon May Memorial Trophy, Top Scholastic Achievement – Dom Schmiemann
Innovation Credit Union Coaches Choice Award – Glenn Gawdin and Max Lajoie
Swift Current Hockey Hounds Humanitarian Award – Conner Chaulk
MacBean Tessem Trophy, Top Scorer – Tyler Steenbergen
Standard Motors Rookie of the Year – Aleksi Heponiemi
Warren’s Funeral Home Award for Leadership and Maturity – Ryan Graham
Julie Forst Memorial Award for Most Valuable Player – Glenn Gawdin
