Chiefs Name Harrington, Armstrong as Co-Players of the Year in Pre-Game Ceremony Sunday
WHL Spokane Chiefs

Chiefs Name Harrington, Armstrong as Co-Players of the Year in Pre-Game Ceremony Sunday

Published on March 23, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Spokane Chiefs News Release


Spokane, Wash. - In a pre-game ceremony on Sunday night at Numerica Veterans Arena, the Spokane Chiefs named Chase Harrington and Coco Armstrong as their Co-Players of the Year, and captain Will McIsaac the Terry Bartman Players' Player. The match-up versus Seattle was the final games of the 68 game schedule.

Both Harrington and Armstrong have enjoyed career years with highs in goals, assists, and points. In 61 games, Harrington has scored 28 times and assisted on 29 others. His 105 penalty minutes lead the team. Armstrong has appeared in 67 games and scored 25 goals and 49 points. The 19-year-old is also +18, the top mark for all Spokane forwards.

McIsaac, the 19-year-old St. Louis Blues prospect, was named the Chiefs 38th captain in January. His 34 points are second on the team for defenseman while is +22 leads all skaters. The former 2nd round Prospects Draft pick has appeared in 270 career WHL games, all with Spokane.

Other honorees included second-year defenseman Rhett Sather as the John "Hitman" Hern Defenseman of the Year, Gavin Burcar the Rookie of the Year, Owen Martin as the Ken Rabel Most Sportsmanlike, and Carter Esler as the Humanitarian of the Year. Burcar was also recognized as the Scholastic Player of the Year - High School while Sam Oremba was named the Scholastic Player of the Year - College.

A fourth-round pick in 2023, Sather has led all Chiefs defensemen in scoring with 11 goals and 29 assists in 66 games. He is just the fourth defenseman in Spokane history to have eclipsed 40 points in a single season in his 17-year-old season. Sather has also registered a +15.

Martin has also set career highs in all categories with 26 goals and 30 assists in 65 games. It marks the second season in a row that Martin has been honored as he won the Terry Bartman Players' Player award last season.

Burcar, a 16-year-old from Cota De Caza, California. is enrolled in five courses, including English, Algebra 2, US History, Third-year Spanish, and Environmental Science, with grades above 90% in every class. He has recorded seven goals and 10 assists in 63 games.

The 20-year-old Oremba enters the final regular season game of his career with 313 under his belt with Seattle, Regina and Spokane. While balancing the demands of being a leader on the ice, he also earned the highest academic score among the college students this year. His 23 goals are a career high, which began as a 15-year-old in the Covid shortened season of 2021 where he appeared in 15 games with Seattle.

Esler earned the Humanitarian of the Year award primarily through his goalie pad project. In conjunction with Bauer, Esler had four different sets of goalie pads created to coincide with the Chiefs four theme jersey nights; Teddy Bear Toss, Military Appreciation Night, Chiefs Fight Cancer, and Retro Theme Spokane Comets. Each set of pads were auctioned off with the proceeds benefitting local charities. Prior to this weekend, the project has helped raise over $9,000 for local charities including the Providence Sacred Heart Childrens Hospital, Washington Fallen Heroes Project, and Every Woman Can PNW.

2025-26 AWARD WINNERS

Terry Bartman Players' Player Will McIsaac

Co Player of the Year Coco Armstrong

Co Player of the Year Chase Harrington

John "Hitman" Hern Defenseman of the Year Rhett Sather

Rookie of the Year Gavin Burcar

Humanitarian of the Year Carter Esler

Ken Rabel Most Sportsmanlike Player of the Year Owen Martin

Scholastic Player of the Year - High School Gavin Burcar

Scholastic Player of the Year - College Sam Oremba

Check out the Spokane Chiefs Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from March 23, 2026


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