Prince Albert Raiders defenceman Nolan Allan and local product Braden Schneider, who anchored the blueline for the Brandon Wheat Kings, were honoured by the Western Hockey League on Tuesday afternoon as part of their 2020-21 East Division awards.
Allan was named the Scholastic Player of the Year for the seven-team loop, while Schneider received the Defenceman of the Year accolade.
The 18-year-old Allan posted a 90 per cent average in his Grade 12 year at Davidson High School and received the Raiders’ Belle Merrell & Calla Grasley Award for scholastic player of the year for the second straight season.
He had shared the award with Landon Kosior in 2020.
On the ice, Allan recorded two points in 16 games during his sophomore season and also helped Canada earn a gold medal at the 2021 IIHF World Under-18 Hockey Championship in Texas this spring.
The Davidson product is projected to be an early round selection at the NHL Draft in July.
The 19-year-old Schneider was a key factor to the Wheat Kings run to their first division title in five seasons, as he posted 27 points in 22 games.
A first round pick by the New York Rangers in 2020 NHL Draft, Schneider also played in the AHL for the Hartford Wolf Pack this season, in addition to representing Canada at the World Juniors and the World Hockey Championship.
He is expected to start his pro career in the Rangers system this fall.
The other East Division award winners, which were voted on by general managers and head coaches, are as follows:
- Top Scorer: Peyton Krebs (Winnipeg Ice)
- Most Sportsmanlike Player: Kyle Crnkovic (Saskatoon Blades)
- Goaltender of the Year: Nolan Maier (Saskatoon Blades)
- Rookie of the Year: Connor Bedard (Regina Pats)
- Player of the Year: Peyton Krebs (Winnipeg Ice)
All of the winners are now finalists for the overall WHL awards, which will be announced starting next Monday.
The league is expected to reveal the Central, B.C. and U.S. Division award winners over the course of this week.
Raiders partnering with Prince Albert Pride
The Prince Albert Raiders announced on Tuesday morning that they are teaming up with Prince Albert Pride to support the 2Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex and Aesexual community in Prince Albert.
The Raiders have Pride shirts available for pre-order on the team’s online store, with a portion of the proceeds going to Prince Albert Pride.
The shirts, which were done in partnership with Limitless Gear Clothing, are available in adult and youth sizes.
Around the WHL
The Everett Silvertips have promoted head coach Dennis Williams to the role of interim general manager after Garry Davidson’s contract was not renewed last month.
“Dennis’ experience helps us address an immediate need inside our hockey operations department with the CHL Import Draft coming up,” Silvertips chief operating officer and governor Zoran Rajcic said in a prepared statement.
“As we handle the objective of ‘what’s important next,’ he is a confident, well-connected, and driven individual to help us reach our goals in the oncoming months.”
Williams has been the bench boss for the Silvertips since May 2017 and has posted a 154-52-14 record over the last four seasons.
The WHL announced on Tuesday that the results of their U.S. Prospect Draft lottery will be announced at 10 a.m. Thursday.
All 22 teams will have a ball entered into the lottery process, with all balls being drawn to determine the first round order.
A snake format will be used for the draft, with all teams making two selections.
The U.S. Prospect Draft will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 8, one day before the WHL Prospects Draft.
