ROYALS
HEADLINE LIST OF WHL WESTERN CONFERENCE AWARD WINNERS
Victoria receives a
league high six nominations for year-end league honours.
For
Immediate Release
Monday,
March 23, 2016
Victoria,
BC- The Victoria
Royals are pleased to announce that five members of the organization have been
nominated for six WHL awards, with two players being named to all-star teams.
All of the
Western and Eastern Conference Award winners have been nominated for the league
honour at the 2016 WHL Awards Luncheon on May 4th in Calgary, AB.
Player
of the Year:
Royals’
Captain Joe Hicketts has been named as the Western Conference’s Player of the
Year, and nominee for the WHL’s Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as the league’s
player of the year.
 |
| Joe Hicketts |
The product
of Kamloops, BC finished the 2015-16 regular season tied for second in the WHL
for assists (53) by a defencemen and seventh in scoring (61 points). Earlier
this season, Hicketts set the Royals’ all-time franchise record for most career
points by a defenceman (173) and powerplay assists (70).
For
the second consecutive year, Hicketts was a member of Team Canada at the World
Junior Hockey Championships in Helsinki, Finland. Named as an assistant
captain, Hicketts registered three points (1g-2a) in five games during the
tournament. Hicketts also took part in the annual Canada Russia
Series for Team WHL where he recorded two assists and a +2 rating over two
games. He was named captain of Team WHL for Game 2, which took part in his
hometown.
The 5-8,
175 lb defender has posted 173 points (32g-141a) in 225 career games with
Victoria. Earlier this season, Hicketts set the Royals’ all-time franchise
record for most career points by a defenceman (173) and powerplay assists (70).
The Eastern Conference named Dryden Hunt of the Moose
Jaw Warriors as their nominee for player of the year.
Top Defenceman:
Victoria’s Hicketts has also been recognized as the
Western Conference’s Top Defenceman and nominee for the Bill Hunter Memorial
Trophy as the league’s top defenceman.
Hicketts anchored a Royals’ blueline that finished the
regular season with the league’s
top defence with a franchise record 166 goals allowed, and a league best 2.31
markers against per game. Victoria also held the second best penalty kill with
at 84.2%.
Ivan
Provorov of the Brandon Wheat Kings is the Eastern Conference’s Top Defenceman.
Rookie
of the Year
Royals’
1998-born forward Matthew Phillips was chosen as the Western Conference’s
Rookie of the Year and nominee for the WHL’s Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as the
league’s top rookie. Phillips finished the 2015-16 regular season first in
points (76) and goals (37) among all WHL rookies. Phillips also finished tied
for first in the league in game winning goals (10), and tied for second in
powerplay markers (16).
In
February, in his hometown of Calgary, AB, Phillips set the new franchise record
for most goals in a single season with his 33rd marker. Phillips
passed former Chilliwack Bruin Oscar Moller, who scored 32 goals during the
2006-07 season.
The
5-6, 137 lb Phillips was drafted in the second round, 33rd overall,
in the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft.
The
Eastern Conference recipient for Rookie of the Year is Noah Gregor of the Moose
Jaw Warriors. Gregor was originally drafted by the Royals in the in the third
round, 55th overall, of the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft.
Most
Sportsmanlike Player
Victoria’s
Tyler Soy has been recognized as the Most Sportsmanlike Player in the Western
Conference. With the award, Soy has been nominated for the WHL’s Brad Hornung
Trophy as the league’s most sportsmanlike player.
Soy wrapped
up the 2015-16 regular season second in team scoring with 85 points (46g-39a)
and only 27 minutes in penalties. Soy led the team in goals with 46 and broke
the Royals’ record for most markers in a single season.
The 5-11,
172 lb centre is in his third full season with the club. In 213 career regular
season games with Victoria (2013-2016), Soy has recorded 90 goals and 90
assists and 71 penalty minutes.
Jake Bean
of the Calgary Hitmen is the winner of the Eastern Conference’s Most
Sportsmanlike Player award.
Coach
of the Year:
Victoria
Head Coach Dave Lowry has been chosen as the Western Conference’s Coach of the
Year and has been nominated for the Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy as the
league’s Coach of the Year. Lowry won the WHL Coach of the Year award during the
2013-14 campaign.
Lowry, in
his fourth season with the club has guided the Royals to a WHL best 106 points
and 50-16-3-3 record. Under Lowry, Victoria was the league’s top defence with
only 2.31 goals against per game and the third best offence with 3.90 markers
per contest.
In December of this season, Lowry was the head coach
for Hockey Canada’s National Junior Team at the 2016 World Junior Hockey
Championships in Helsinki, Finland. Lowry was also the bench boss for Team WHL
at the annual CHL Canada Russia Series in November.
During the 2014-15 season, Lowry won a gold medal with
the Canadian World Junior Team as an assistant coach at the 2015 World Junior
Hockey Championships.
Since joining the Royals for the 2012-13 season, Lowry
has posted a 162-85-9-8
record with the club. In the 10-year history of the franchise, Lowry holds
the all-time record for most wins. He also holds the franchise mark in playoff
victories with 12.
The Ottawa, ON native has also collected a 221-94-12-9
career record during his time as a head coach in the WHL with the Royals and
Calgary Hitmen (2008-09). Earlier this season, Lowry became only the 43rd
Head Coach in the 50-year history of the league to reach the 200 win benchmark.
Brent Kisio of the Lethbridge Hurricanes is the
Eastern Conference winner for Coach of the Year.
Executive
of the Year:
Royals’
President & General Manager Cameron Hope is the Western Conference nominee
for the Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy as WHL Executive of the Year. This marks
the second time Hope has been named the Western Conference Executive of the
Year, as he took home the league honour in 2014.
The
Edmonton, AB native is in his fourth season as the club’s general manager. Hope
is the second general manager in Royals’ history and the fourth in the
Victoria/Chilliwack Franchise.
The Eastern
Conference winner for WHL Executive of the Year is Lethbridge Hurricanes’
General Manager Peter Anholt.
Western
Conference All-Star teams:
The Royals’
Hicketts and Soy have been named to Western Conference’s First and Second
All-Star Teams respectively.
This marks
the second straight year that Hicketts has been named to a Western Conference
All-Star Team. Last season, Hicketts earned a spot on the Western Conference’s
Second All-Star Team after he led the West in scoring for defencemen and finished
second in the WHL with 64 points (12g-52a) in 62 games played.
Soy has been named to the Western Conference Second
All-Star Team for the first time in his career.
The Royals will have home ice advantage and will play the
Spokane Chiefs in the first round of the 2016 WHL Playoffs with Games 1 & 2
on Friday and Saturday. Single game tickets for the playoffs are on sale
now at the Select Your Tickets Box Office located at Save-On-Foods Memorial
Centre, over the phone at 250-220-7777 or online at www.selectyourtickets.com.
