No surprise from the WHL as to its East Division rookie of the year is.

The league announced Tuesday that 15-year-old Pats forward Connor Bedard had captured the honour.

The first player in WHL history to be granted exceptional status, Bedard was leading the WHL in scoring before leaving to represent Canada at the 2021 IIHF World Under-18 Championship in mid-April. He finished the season with 28 points (12G-16A) in 15 games played

Others to win awards included Saskatoon goalie Nolan Maier (top goalie), Brandon’s Braden Schneider (best defenceman) and Winnipeg’s Peyton Krebs (player of the year).