Stankoven, 19, won the David Branch Player of the Year award over other finalists, Saint John Sea Dogs winger William Dufour and Windsor Spitfires center-back Wyatt Johnston. A native of Kamloops, BC, Stankoven led the Blazers home in scoring with 45 goals and 59 assists, finishing third in the Western Hockey League in scoring. A pick in the second round of the Dallas Stars in 2021, Stankoven with 1.76 points per game was the best league. Claiming the award, Stankoven is on a famous list of winners including Hockey Hall of Famers Mario Lemieux, Dale Hawerchuk and Joe Sakic, as well as current NHL stars Sidney Crosby, Mitch Marner and John Tavares. 21-year-old Staios was named CHL Defenceman of the Year. The Hamilton Bulldogs beat Olen Zellweger of the Everett Silvertips and Lucas Cormier of the Charlottetown Islanders for the award. A native of Oakville, Ontario, Staios led all of Ontario Hockey League defenders to score 15 goals and 51 assists in 59 games. Finishing fourth in the team score, Staios had five games with three or more points last season. Staios is the son of longtime NHL defender Steve Staios, who has made 1,001 career appearances in 16 seasons with the Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks, Atlanta Thrashers, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames and New York Islanders. Previous winners of the CHL Defenceman of the Year include Chris Pronger, Dougie Hamilton and Thomas Chabot. Islanders’ Jim Hulton has been named Brian Kilrea Coach of the Year. Kingston, 53, Ont. The mother led his team to a score of 48-13-7 last season. The team’s 103 points were the second most in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League behind the Quebec Remparts who finished with 104 points. Hulton has extensive coaching experience at CHL, having previously served as bench manager with the Mississauga IceDogs, Belleville Bulls and Kingston Frontenacs before arriving at Prince Edward Island. He defeated Remparts finalists Patrick Roy and Sherbrooke Phoenix Stephane Julien for the award. Previous CHL Coach of the Year winners include Ken Hitchcock, Gerard Gallant and Sheldon Keefe. The 20-year-old Kamloops Blazers goalkeeper Dylan Garand won the CHL Goaltender of the Year award, beating Brett Brochu of the London Knights and Samuel Richard of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. Selected for the fourth round of the New York Rangers in 2020, Garad scored a 34-9-1 record last season with an average of 2.16 goals and a rebound rate of 0.925 in 45 games. The native of Victoria, BC, won the award along with Carey Price, Darcy Kuemper and Felix Potvin. Moose Jaw Warriors striker Brayden Yager was named CHL Rookie of the Year, ahead of Guelph Storm’s Cam Allen and Islanders winger Jakub Brabenec. Yager’s 34 goals last season set a new franchise record for the 16-year-old, breaking the previous limit of 29 held by Theo Fleury. Saskatoon native Sask. Added 25 assists for 59 points in 63 games. Jagger, who will be eligible for a draft next summer, is expected to qualify for Canada at the Hlinka-Gretzky tournament in August. He is on a list that includes Joe Thornton, Vincent Lecavalier and Taylor Hall for winning the award. Shane Wright, the likely first overall pick in next month’s NHL Draft in Montreal, also took the material home Tuesday night. The Burlington, Ont. The native beat Remparts striker Nathan Gaucher and Matthew Savoie of Winnipeg Ice to win the CHL Top Draft Prospect Award, an award given to the top nominee for the draft. Wright had 32 goals and 62 assists last season for the Frontenacs, finishing second in the team’s score. Wright, who was named the CHL Rookie of the Year in 2020, is only the sixth player in CHL history to earn a distinguished place and early entry into the league. A number of players who followed No. 1 in the NHL Entry Draft have previously won the award, including Connor McDavid, Steven Stamkos and Eric Lindros. Many other awards were presented at the ceremony. Losing the player of the year, Johnston took home the CHL top scorer award. Edmonton Oil Kings defender Luke Prokop received the CHL Humanitarian Award of the Year. CHL Scholastic Player of the Year won Mississauga Steelheads Owen Beck and Halifax Mooseheads Jordan Dumais won CHL Sportsman Player of the Year. The Bulldogs meet the Sea Dogs on Wednesday night for the Memorial Cup.
