Players grateful to be recognized with awards

Carson Bjarnason took home four awards as the Brandon Wheat Kings handed out their season-end trophies on Friday before their game against the Regina Pats and during the period intermissions.

Here’s a look at who won, why they were a good choice and each player’s reaction.

• MVP — Carson Bjarnason

The big goaltender from Carberry was third in the league with a .913 save percentage and won 22 games for a team that very much needed him to be great every night.

Bjarnason: “It might be my last season here so it will be nice to end on that note. It’s obviously a big honour to be named to that one. There are some big names on it and to be able to be beside them at least in junior hockey. Hopefully at the next level it will be the same thing.”

• Top graduating player — Marcus Nguyen.

The first-year Wheat King, who was acquired from the Portland Winterhawks in the off-season, led the team with a career-high 36 goals and was an offensive spark plug all season. He also tied for the team lead in game-winning goals with Caleb Hadland with six.

Nguyen: “It’s awesome. They didn’t tell us any of the awards so I didn’t know it was coming. It could have gone to any of the three of us. We all took big steps this year. Ship (Luke Shipley) is having a career year, Flam (Nolan Flamand) had a career year and I finally hit the 35-goal plateau. It’s pretty awesome to see people acknowledging that. It’s an eye opener and really exciting. We were all happy for each other when we got our awards.”

• Top defenceman — (Shared between Quinn Mantei and Luke Shipley)

There had to have been some long conversations in the coaches’ office over this award.

Mantei, who is the team captain and in his 19-year-old season, wins it for the third consecutive year. The product of Weyburn, Sask., showed a new willingness to engage in the game offensively with a career-high 45 points while also delivering a tidy +25 plus-minus.

Shipley, who is in his third season with the team after a trade from the Victoria Royals, was the first defenceman to hit the 20-goal mark since Chad Nychuk did it in 2021-22. At the other end, the product of Campbell River, B.C., posted a team best plus-minus of +37.

Mantei: “It’s definitely cool. Individual awards aren’t something I really strive for, the team comes first, but it is pretty cool to get recognized again. To get it with Shipper too, I know he’s had a big year and we played well together. He deserves a lot of credit too.”

Shipley: “It means a lot. Me and Q kind of came up together and became bonded and became really good friends over these past couple of years. It’s special to share with him. We’ve both had really good years and both were able to help out our back end a lot.”

• Top scorer — Nolan Flamand

Brandon acquired the Saskatoon product on Jan. 10, 2023 from the Kelowna Rockets, and while he’s demonstrated a real value in what he does away from the puck, this year he matched it with the puck on his stick. His 23 goals, 45 assists and 68 points were career highs, with his point total three more than his linemate Nguyen’s 65.

Flamand: “It’s obviously pretty special. Being a 21-year-old now and looking back on my career when I was 15 and your goal is to even get your first goal and get your first assist, and now have the honour of being top scorer is pretty special to me. I’ll definitely carry it on for the rest of my career.”

• Top rookie — Jaxon Jacobson

The highly touted youngster, who didn’t turn 16 until December, tied for ninth in league scoring by a rookie with 44 points, but missed 17 games to injuries and the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. The last 16-year-old rookie to post that many points for Brandon was Nolan Patrick in the 2014-15 season.

Jacobson: “It’s a great honour. We had a pretty solid rookie group, with (Nigel) Boehm and Gio (Pantelas) being (2008-born players) with me and Benny (Ben Binder Nord) and Turks (Brady Turko) and Odie (Easton Odut), I think we had a really solid rookie group and to get that award is an honour but I think we all contributed equally.”

• Fans choice — Carson Bjarnason

The combination of being a Westman player and a star netminder didn’t hurt, but Brandon relied heavily on its goalies and they delivered.

Bjarnason: “I wasn’t sure about that one, I didn’t know if I would get it or not. It’s nice. We have the best fans in the league for sure. We have major support. It’s a blue-collar city and it’s been hockey since day one here. I’m very grateful for that one.”

• Most improved — Matteo Michels

Since a trade from the Regina Pats in November 2023, the speedy Texan has carved out a larger and larger role for himself. In 68 games this season, he set career highs with 20 goals, 35 assists and 55 points.

Michels: “It was awesome. It’s a cool award to be acknowledged for. I think it’s just the hard work I put in when I was younger. It’s starting to pay off now, but even started getting traded here. The coaches have given me an opportunity and I have all my teammates helping me out along the way. I definitely couldn’t have done it by myself. It’s the opportunity I was given and the hard work I put in so it’s a good feeling.”

• Most sportsmanlike — Jordan Gavin

The product of Surrey, B.C., who was acquired from the Tri-City Americans at the trade deadline for defenceman Charlie Elick, hasn’t taken a penalty since April 4, 2023, a span of 147 pre-season, regular season and playoff games. Yet he also has 181 career points in 207 WHL games, including 27 points in 33 games with Brandon.

Gavin: “It’s a fun night and getting all these awards handed out is really cool. It’s definitely nice to get that award and see everyone else get theirs.”

• Top Academic — Nigel Boehm.

The Grade 11 student debuted in the Western Hockey League at 16 and was apparently solid on and off the ice, posting a 94 per cent average. He is a product of Corman Park, Sask.

Boehm: “It’s an honour being able to win the scholastic player of the year. It felt great. It was a bit of a surprise but I’m glad to have it … Academics is really important to me and my family and I take it very seriously and take pride in it. Hockey is obviously a big thing in our life but school is also very important and I want to take it far in life.”

• Top Manitoban — Carson Bjarnason

Bjarnason was the most experienced of the team’s four Manitobans, which also included rookie Jaxon Jacobson, Brady Turko and Easton Odut. The fact he was also named MVP made this award a no-brainer.

Bjarnason: “We have some great young talent so it will be nice to see where that goes in the near future, but it’s nice obviously. It’s a great province for me to grow up in and I always shout out.”

• Hardest working — Caleb Hadland

The product of Sylvan Lake, Alta., was outstanding in his third season, parlaying his relentless pursuit of the puck into a career-high 25 goals. Head coach Marty Murray has repeatedly said he knows what he’ll get from Hadland every night.

Hadland: “It’s pretty cool. It’s the style of my game, playing hard and trying my best out there so it’s cool to be honoured like that. I just want to keep it going. It’s how I play and I know that’s what I’m meant to do.”

• Three stars — Carson Bjarnason

It’s hard to argue with a mathematical formula based on how many times a player is picked and which star they receive.

Bjarnason: “It’s nice to be recognized for your efforts through every game.”

• Community spirit — Ben Binder Nord

The earnest 17-year-old rookie from Calgary, who made the roster as an undrafted list player, didn’t have to be talked into attending the club’s many community events. Apparently the hard work he shows on the ice extends into his personal life as well.

Binder Nord: “I think it’s an important thing to be a good person all the time. You don’t know what people are going through and saying nice things to them might make their day. It’s good to help out and even hold the door, little things. I’m super grateful to be recognized for it but I think I would do it without the award. It’s awesome to be recognized for it. There are a lot of other great people on our team who are great in the community, and a lot of guys could have won it.”

• Unsung hero — Carter Klippenstein

The 18-year-old, second-year forward from Lethbridge, who is known for his work ethic, competitiveness and physicality, added a key element to the skill around him while chipping in with 14 goals this season. When he’s out of the lineup, it’s noticeable.

Klippenstein: “That was pretty cool. I take pride in doing the little things right. I was pretty happy. It’s a good award to get.”

• Most inspirational — Nick Johnson

In the big book of adversity faced by the Wheat Kings this winter, Johnson has his own chapter. After injuring his leg in the second game and missing two months, he took a puck off the crossbar into his teeth during a practice later in the season and had to wear a full shield. The big, friendly Calgarian is a popular teammate.

Johnson: “It was pretty cool. I didn’t really notice it right away — (it was announced during a stoppage in play on the scoreboard) — until someone told me to look up and I went ‘Oh, that’s really cool.’ Winning any award would mean a lot to me but that one shows the type of person that I am and what I’ve been through. Other people can ask me questions and learn from me if anyone else has any setbacks. They can ask me how I felt about it and dealt with it. Hopefully I can help others.”