The Regina Pats have handed out their post season hardware, and Connor Bedard’s name appears on some of them.
The 16 year old blue chip prospect was the teams stop scorer, and also named player of the year. Bedard netted 51 goals, and 100 points.
Ryker Evans was picked as the team’s top defensemen, as well as the teams most popular player.
Captain Logan Nijhoff was named “Unsung Hero” as well as a recognition for all of the work he has done in the community.
Tanner Howe potted 27 goals, and 42 assists to lead all rookies, and he was picked as the team’s top freshman player.
Here is the complete list, as provided by the Regina Pats.
Player of the Year – Connor Bedard
Bedard finished the season first in the WHL in shots on goal (326) and goals per game (0.83), second in goals (51), fourth in points (100) and points per game (1.61). The North Vancouver, B.C. native also produced the longest point-streak in the WHL this season, going 21 straight contests with at least a point, scoring 23 goals and 22 assists for 45 points during that span. After starting the season with ‘just’ 15 points in his first 20 games, he then recorded 85 points in 42 games since Nov. 28. The phenom also broke the Pats record for goals and points in a season by a 16-year-old, while also becoming the youngest in league history to score 50 goals.
Charles Johnston Memorial Top Defenceman – Ryker Evans
Evans led all Pats defencemen in goals (14), assists (47) and points (61), taking home his third straight Charles Johnston Memorial Trophy. The Calgary, Alta., native also finished tied for seventh amongst WHL defencemen in points and eighth in assists. He was also named the WHL Player of the Week and to the CHL Team of the Week on November 1, 2021.
Rick Rypien Memorial Award (Unsung Hero) – Logan Nijhoff
Nijhoff finished his career season with eight goals over his last six games, ending the year with career highs in goals (25), assists (24) and points (49), despite playing in just 57 games. The Comox Valley, B.C., native also won 58.3% of his face-offs this season, which was the third-highest in the WHL, while his 818 face-off wins were the fifth most in the league. He also showed his ability to score in clutch moments, as 12 of his 25 goals this season were to tie or take the lead, with three of them being game-winners.
Nick Papas Rookie of the Year – Tanner Howe
Howe led all Pats rookies in goals (27), assists (42), points (69), power play goals (11), power play assists (16) and short-handed goals (2). The Prince Albert, Sask. native finished fourth in WHL rookie scoring and tied for third in assists. He played in all situations for the Pats this season and produced separate 15 and 10-game point streaks. His 69 points are the fifth most by any 16-year-old in franchise history.
Hub Bishop Most Sportsmanlike – Matthew Kieper
Kieper becomes the first goaltender in franchise history to win this award. The Winnipeg, Man., native finished with a 16-14-1 record, with one shutout and had zero penalty minutes. Kieper showed excellent sportsmanship to both his own teammates and the opposition all season long. He was always there for his own teammates, giving them positive messages, while being there for them through good and bad.
Mike Kartusch Community Service Award – Logan Nijhoff
Nijhoff was once again a leader in the community this season, taking home his second straight Community Service Award. Nijhoff began the season with a face-off campaign, where for every face-off he won, he pledged to donate to the Canadian Blood Services. This was matched by the Pats, Xtreme Hockey and others. Nijhoff won 818 face-offs, raising $8,180. The 20-year-old also held his second straight community blood drive on March 3, 2022, where more than 20 members of the Regina community came forward to donate blood. Nijhoff’s contributions to Canadian Blood Services were so great that he was awarded the 2022 Dayna Brons Honorary Award, which recognizes an individual from Canada’s hockey community who exhibits outstanding dedication towards patients who rely on blood and stem cell products in Canada.
Bill Hicke Most Popular Player – Ryker Evans
The Pats defenceman and fourth-year player won his second consecutive Bill Hicke Most Popular Player Award, thanks to 14,337 votes. The 20-year-old leaves the organization as one of the top Pats’ defencemen this century, and now ranks 13th in franchise history in assists amongst defencemen (106) and 19th in points (131).
Scholastic Player of the Year – Braxton Whitehead
Whitehead, 17, maintained a very impressive Grade Point Average of 97.19%. On the ice, he finished with 10 goals, seven assists and 17 points in 58 games, with 11 of those points coming since February 27.
Torchey Schell Top Scorer Award – Connor Bedard
Bedard’s 100 points were 31 more than any other Pats player. He led the team in goals (51), assists (49), points (100), game winning goals (5), power play goals (13) and power play points (25). The second year forward also led all Pats players in multi-point games (31) and multi-goal games (14).
Three Star Award – Connor Bedard
Bedard won the Pats three star award for the second straight year, after edging out Evans in the bubble season.
This year it was really no contest, with him being named first start 10 times, second star 11 times and third star four times. Howe won second star, with Nijhoff just behind, taking home third star.
The awards were handed out just before the last regular season game on Sunday.
It was a tough season for the Regina Pats, as the team only had 27 wins to go with 36 regulation losses.
