WHL Brandon Wheat Kings

Wheaties well-represented for WHL awards

Published on March 23, 2005 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release


Calgary, Alberta -- The Western HOckey League has announced it's Eastern and Western Conference Finalists for it's 2004-2005 Awards, as well as it's First and Second All Star Teams and the Brandon Wheat Kings were well represented.

17-year old netminder, who backstopped Brandon to last year's National Midget Championship in Kenora, is the Eastern Division nominee for Rookie of the Year while Wheat Kings' coach / general manager / owner Kelly McCrimmon is up for the league's Executive of the Year honours.

A former third round bantam draft choice of the Wheat Kings, Plante led all WHL rookies this season with 34 victories, a 2.58 goals against average, a .907 save percentage and six shutouts. The six shutouts also established a new franchise record, breaking the old record of five that was previously held by Josh Harding. Plante is up against Spokane Chiefs' Derek Ryan for Rookie of the Year honours.

The last Wheat King to be chosen WHL Rookie of the Year was defenceman Wade Redden in 1994.

A winner of the Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy for being the WHL's Executive of the Year in 1995, McCrimmon took over behind the Wheat Kings' bench in March 2004 and promptly led a struggling Brandon team to a first round playoff upset of the heavily favoured Prince Albert Raiders. This season, the former Wheat King captain helped to lead the club to it's third Eastern Division pennant in the past four years, finishing the regular season with an impressive 45-21-5-1 mark. McCrimmon will now go up against Kootenay's Jeff Chynoweth in the final voting.

The other league finalists look like this;

GOALIE OF THE YEAR, Del Wilson Trophy
EAST: Aaron Sorochan, Lethbridge
WEST: Jeff Glass, Kootenay Ice

TOP DEFENCEMAN, Bill Hunter Trophy
EAST: Dion Phaneuf, Red Deer Rebels
WEST: Shea Weber, Kelowna Rockets

SCHOLASTIC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
EAST: Kenndal McArdle, Moose Jaw
WEST: Gilbert Brule, Vancouver

MOST SPORTSMANLIKE PLAYER
EAST: Kris Russell, Medicine Hat
WEST: Aaron Gagnon, Seattle

COACH OF THE YEAR
EAST: Lorne Molleken, Saskatoon Blades
WEST: Cory Clouston, Kootenay Ice

As well, the WHL announced it's First and Second All Star Teams and the Wheat Kings had two players chosen to the Eastern Division's First Team - right-winger Eric Fehr and center Ryan Stone, who finished 1-2 in the WHL scoring race. Fehr led the league with 59 goals and 111 points while Stone was next with 99 points including 33 goals.

Following are this year's All Star Teams;

EASTERN CONFERENCE
1st All Star Team

Goal: Aaron Sorochan, Lethbridge
Defence: Mike Green, Saskatoon
Defence: Dion Phaneuf, Red Deer
Forward: Eric Fehr, Brandon
Forward: Ryan Stone, Brandon
Forward: Clarke MacArthur, Medicine Hat

2nd All Star Team

Goal: Kevin Nastiuk, Medicine Hat
Defence: Kris Russell, Medicine Hat
Defence: Brent Seabrook, Lethbridge
Forward: Ryan Getzlaf, Calgary
Forward: Ryan Keller, Saskatoon
Forward: Colton Yellow Horn, Lethbridge

WESTERN CONFERENCE
1st All Star Team

Goal: Jeff Glass, Kootenay Ice
Defence: Braydon Coburn, Portland
Defence: Shea Weber, Kelowna
Forward: Gilbert Brule, Vancouver
Forward: Nigel Dawes, Kootenay Ice
Forward: Aaron Gagnon, Seattle

2nd All Star Team

Goal: Bryan Bridges, Seattle
Defence: Clayton Stoner, Tri-City
Defence: Andrej Meszaros, Vancouver
Forward: Dan Da Silva, Portland
Forward: Chad Klassen, Spokane
Forward: Dale Mahovsky, Kootenay Ice

In other WHL news, the Bantam Draft Lottery was held this morning in Calgary and a Regina Pats' ball was drawn, giving them the first overall selection in this year's Bantam draft.
Rounding out the top five were Swift Current, Prince George, Spokane and the Moose Jaw Warriors. The Lottery involved the four non-playoff teams.

The Wheat Kings will have the seventeenth overall pick, after finishing the year with the fourth best record in the WHL.

Eligible players for the draft will be 1990 born players who reside in Alberta, B.C., Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Yukon, Alaska as well as the western United States.

Check out the Brandon Wheat Kings Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from March 23, 2005


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