HockeyNow’s Minor Hockey Player of the Year Award is well on its way to becoming a minor hockey tradition of sorts. The B.C. award has been handed out since 2000, with the program expanding to include Alberta and Ontario last year.
“I feel like an old man talking about this award,” said Two-time Stanley Cup Champion Colin Fraser, the first recipient of the award when he was a 15-year-old Bantam. “Obviously, it was something special at the time and something I’ll never forget.”
Since Fraser, no less than 12 other future NHL draftees and players have won, including Gilbert Brule, Karl Alzner, Stefan Elliott, Griffin Reinhart, Morgan Rielly and 2011 first-overall pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, to name a few.
“The award is a great honour, especially when you look at some of the people who have won it in the past,” said Nugent- Hopkins of the players who came before him when he was honoured in 2008.
Our Player of the Year Selection Committee, chaired by former NHL defenceman Dave Babych, chooses the winner annually from a list of finalists compiled throughout each season.
With each passing year, as the list of deserving recipients grows, the philosophy upon which the award was built remains the same – to honour the minor hockey players each year who best exemplify hard work, dedication, performance, sportsmanship and leadership both on and off the ice.
2015: Luka Burzan
2014: Justin Almeida
2013: Dante Fabbro
2012: Mathew Barzal*
2012: Jansen Harkins*
2011: Joe Hicketts
2010: Curtis Lazar
2009: Morgan Rielly*
2009: Griffin Reinhart*
2008: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
2007: Kevin Sundher
2006: Stefan Elliott
2005: Geordie Wudrick
2004: Dustin Sylvester
2003: Karl Alzner
2002: Gilbert Brule*
2002: Brock Bradford*
2001: Tyler Burton
2000: Colin Fraser
Only a few months remain until the winners are announced. For the 19th year, HockeyNow will award some of the best minor hockey talent in B.C., Alberta, and Ontario with the annual Player of the Year Award.
Only a few months remain until the winners are announced. For the 19th year, HockeyNow will soon be awarding some of the best minor hockey talent in B.C., Alberta, and Ontario with the annual Player of the Year Award.
What better way to kick off 2018 than to look at the minor hockey players making waves and getting noticed by our scouts for this year’s Minor Hockey Player of the Year Award?
The Minor Hockey Player of the Year race is especially top of mind at HockeyNow as we look ahead to watching former player of the year Dante Fabbro wear the red and white at the World Junior Championships later this month – assuming he makes a full recovery, of course.
Our search for the 2018 HockeyNow Minor Hockey Players of the Year kicked off with the start of the season and we’re watching closely to see which players will rise above the pack.
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