Tyson Jugnauth Named Western Conference Defenseman of the Year Finalist

Sports stats



WHL Portland Winterhawks

Tyson Jugnauth Named Western Conference Defenseman of the Year Finalist

April 10, 2025 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


Calgary, Alta. - The Western Hockey League announced today that Portland Winterhawks 20-year-old defenseman and alternate captain Tyson Jugnauth has been named a Western Conference Finalist for the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy, awarded annually to the WHL's Defenseman of the Year.

The Kelowna, British Columbia, native finished the 2024-2025 WHL regular season with 13 goals, 76 assists, and 89 points to lead all blueliners, 17 more than his next closest competitor.

Selected by the Seattle Kraken in the 4th round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, the 5-foot-11, left-shot rear guard joined Portland on December 9, 2023, and has thrived in the Rose City ever since.

Jugnauth's production came in all situations: shorthanded (1G, 3A), power play (6G, 35A), and even strength (6G, 38A). He was also named the team's co-defensive player of the year. With his 35 power-play assists, he was involved in 52% of Portland's man-advantage goals.

Twice during the regular season, Jugnauth had points in ten straight games and, on five different occasions, went four or more games with a point. In December, he registered a point in every game and finished the month with 20 points in ten contests.

On December 7, 2004, the smooth skater recorded a six-assist evening against the Vancouver Giants, the second time since 1996-1997 that a WHL defenseman has collected six assists in a regular season game. The last Winterhawk to record six assists or more in a game was Troy Mick's seven-assist night on November 23, 1988.

Jugnauth finished one point shy of joining former Winterhawk defenseman Luca Cagnoni as the only WHL defenseman since 1993-1994 to reach the 90-point mark.

While Jugnauth's nomination is based on his regular season, he was a key contributor in Portland's first-round upset over Prince George. During the seven games, Jugnauth set three franchise playoff records: points by a defenseman in a series (16), assists by a defenseman (14), and assists by any skater (14). He enters the second round of the 2025 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien, tied for the most points.

From the WHL's announcement:

The 20-year-old product of Kelowna, B.C., led all WHL defencemen in scoring with 89 points (13G-76A) in 65 games. His 76 assists ranked third among all WHL skaters, trailing only Gavin McKenna (88) and Andrew Cristall (84). A prospect of the Seattle Kraken (4-100, 2022), the 5-foot-11, 171-pound Jugnauth led all WHL skaters with 35 power-play assists and finished third among WHL defencemen with 208 shots on goal. On December 9, following an impressive six-assist performance, Jugnauth was named Tempo WHL Player of the Week. Originally acquired by the Winterhawks from the Kamloops Blazers, Jugnauth has tallied 130 points (20G-110A) in 106 career WHL regular season games. During the 2024 WHL Playoffs, he was a key fixture on the blueline in Portland, recording 16 points (4G-12A) in 18 games as the Winterhawks advanced to the WHL Championship Series.

On April 1, the WHL recognized Jugnauth as a Western Conference 1st Team All-Star.

WHL Defenceman of the Year - Western Conference Finalists

Tyson Jugnauth, Portland Winterhawks

Mazden Leslie, Vancouver Giants

Viliam Kmec, Prince George Cougars

Check out the Portland Winterhawks Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Western Hockey League message board...

Western Hockey League Stories from April 10, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Portland Winterhawks Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central