Each year, the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) presents awards for on-ice excellence: Most Valuable Player, Top Scorer, Top Defenceman, Top Goaltender, Rookie of the Year, Most Sportsmanlike Player, Coach of the Year and General Manager of the Year.

Winners are named from the four divisions prior to the start of KIJHL Playoffs, with overall league award winners to be announced at a later date.

Today, we start with the award winners for the Eddie Mountain Division.

Most Valuable Player & Top Scorer – Luke Davies – Kimberley Dynamiters

Davies followed up his rookie season (56 points in 41 games) with another excellent season scoring 25 goals and adding 33 assists for 58 points in 36 games. He averaged 1.61 points per game, which is third best among active KIJHL players. He was a phenomenal +52, while playing an average of 18:09 a game. He played 144:36 on the power-play and produced 25 points on the league’s best man-advantage that executed 23.1 per cent of the time. He scored three game-winners.

Davies played 72:21 on the penalty-kill and scored three short-handed goals on the ninth best PK that was 83.6%. He was named to the KIJHL’s Team of the Week twice.

Top Defenceman – Jackson Murphy – Kimberley Dynamiters

Murphy broke out offensively in his third and final season ranking third among all KIJHL defencemen in points with six goals and 40 assists for 46 points in 43 games. He produced 32 points in 70 games combined in his first two seasons. His 1.07 points-per-game is third best among all active KIJHL defencemen. He played an average of 21:33 and was +52 as he played in all situations – 175:57 on the power-play and 47:38 on the penalty-kill.

He contributed 20 points to the league’s best man-advantage. He was named to the KIJHL’s Team of the Week three times as well as the October and November Top Defenceman.

Top Goaltender – Leo den Besten – Fernie Ghostriders

den Besten, a St. Alberta., Alta native led all KIJHL goalies with a 2.01 goals against average in 25 games. The first-year netminder posted a 16-5-1 record with three shutouts and had a .932 save percentage, which also ranked No.1 in the league while playing 1,400 minutes.

Den Besten was named to the KIJHL’s Team of the Week four times. He had a four-game winning streak that went from Oct. 31 to Nov. 7. He saved 87.07 per cent of shots in the danger zone.

Rookie of the Year – Hayden Iron Shirt – Golden Rockets

Iron Shirt, a Lethbridge native drafted by his hometown WHL Hurricanes, turned his excellent rookie season into an opportunity with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants. Iron Shirt was third among all KIJHL rookies with 57 points (22G, 35A) in 40 games. His 35 assists led all first-year players and his 22 goals ranked fifth. Iron Shirt scored five game-winners and was +15 while playing an average of 22 minutes a game.

The Rockets used Iron Shirt on special teams with him playing 164:17 on the power-play – contributing 14 points –  and 74:19 on the penalty-kill. Iron Shirt earned two KIJHL Team of the Week selections.

Most Sportsmanlike Player – Peter Godley – Columbia Valley Rockies

Godley, a Calgary native, spent eight minutes in the penalty box in 42 games and played an average of 21:29 a game. He led the Rockies in points with 51 (17G, 34A) and was +21. The 5-10, 175-pound forward played in all situations – being a key piece of their special teams playing 199:19 on the power-play and 102:40 on the penalty-kill. Godley earned one KIJHL Team of the Week Selection.

Coach of the Year – Jed Houseman – Golden Rockets

Houseman guided the Rockets to a third-place finish in the Eddie Mountain Division with a record of 23-18-3 for 49 points. The Rockets had the fifth best penalty-kill in the KIJHL at 82.2 per cent (38-for-213). His team was led offensively by Hayden Iron Shirt, named the division’s Rookie of the Year and goalie Beck Boiteau, who went 20-11-1 in 33 games with a .917 SP and a 3.18 GAA. The Rockets had a 14-8-2 record in their division and also had a winning record against the Neil Murdoch Division at 5-4-0.

General Manager of the Year – Derek Stuart – Kimberley Dynamiters

Stuart assembled one of the KIJHL’s best rosters that went 31-9-2-2 in 44 games to earn 66 points and finish fourth overall. Leading up to the Jan. 10 trade deadline, Stuart added 2006-born forward Braeden Jack, 2008-born defenceman Owen Bambrick and 2005-born defenceman John Lozeman. Earlier in the season, he deepened their depth by adding offensive forward Jaden Rusznak, who had 32 points in 26 games after coming from 100 Mile House, gritty forward Toren Fron from Quesnel, as well as Brayden Schwartz from the AJHL and he finished second on the team with 56 points in 39 games. Stuart also brought on Connor Baumbach (seven wins in 11 games) in goal to play with rookie Adam Kisilevich. Baumbach played a full season in the SJHL with the Battlefords North Stars.

The Dynamiters finished tied for second with the second highest offence, scoring 201 goals, and allowed 121 – third lowest in the league. The Dynamiters finished with a 2.68 goals against average and a .903 save percentage.

KIJHL

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