WHL Spokane Chiefs

Kichton Named WHL Defenseman of the Year

Published on May 1, 2013 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Spokane Chiefs News Release


Spokane Chief captain Brenden Kichton was named the Western Hockey League's top defenseman, the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy, on Wednesday at the league's annual post-season awards luncheon in Calgary, Alberta.

Kichton finished his fifth and final season in the WHL as the league's top scoring defenseman with 85 points, 19 more than the next closest defenseman, including 22 goals and 63 assists. His assist and point total were the most ever in a single season for a Spokane defenseman and, for the second season in a row, he was the only player in the WHL to lead their team outright in scoring.

Kichton becomes is the first Chief to win the award. The Spruce Grove, Alberta native was named the Western Conference Defenseman of the Year in 2011-12 but finished as a runner up for the final league honor.

The award caps off a career that saw the former third round bantam selection in 2007 appear in 333 games as a Chief, second all-time, and become the most prolific scoring defenseman in franchise history. His 201 assists are also second all-time, just six fewer than Ray Whitney's 207, and his 67 career goals are 27 more than any other defenseman that ever played in Spokane.

Kichton is the franchise's only three-time winner of the John "Hitman" Hern Defenseman of the Year Award (2011, 2012, 2013) and has been honored the past two seasons (2012, 2013) as the Spokane Chiefs Player of the Year.

The league's defenseman of the year trophy is named after the late Bill Hunter, one of the founders and original team owners of the Western Hockey League. Hunter served as Owner, General Manager and Coach of the Edmonton Oil Kings while also serving as the league's first Chariman of the Board.

WHL AWARD WINNERS - SPOKANE CHIEFS ALL-TIME

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

1990-91 - Ray Whitney

DEFENSEMAN OF THE YEAR

2012-13 - Brenden Kichton

GOALTENDER OF THE YEAR

1987-88 - Troy Gamble

SCHOLASTIC PLAYER OF THE YEAR

2011-12 - Reid Gow

1997-98 - Kyle Rossiter

MOST SPORTSMANLIKE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

2010-11 - Tyler Johnson

1990-91 - Pat Falloon

HUMANITARIAN OF THE YEAR

2001-02 - Brandin Cote

COACH OF THE YEAR

2010-11 - Don Nachbaur

1991-92 - Bryan Maxwell

Check out the Spokane Chiefs Statistics

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