Winnipegger Patrick named top rookie

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This article was published 07/05/2015 (4124 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

1It was no surprise then, on Wednesday, when both took the stage at the WHL’s awards ceremony in Calgary, Patrick to accept the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as the rookie of the year and McCrimmon as the winner of the Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy as the executive of the year.

Patrick, who is now a finalist for Canadian Hockey League rookie of the year, was the first 16-year-old in the WHL since Brett Connolly of the Prince George Cougars in 2009 to reach 30 goals in a season, and he added 26 assists for 56 points in 55 games.

The 6-3, 192-pound Winnipegger is the sixth Wheat King to be named rookie of the year, joining Brayden Schenn (2008), Tyler Plante (2005), Wade Redden (1994), Brian Propp (1977) and Rick Blight (1973).

“I saw on the trophy who’s won it before me, so I guess there’s a little bit of pressure to live up to some of those players on there, so I’ve got to keep working hard,” said Patrick, who has seven goals and six assists in 15 playoff games, helping the Wheat Kings reach the WHLàfinal against the Kelowna Rockets.

The fourth-overall pick in the 2013 WHL bantam draft, Patrick got his feet wet with the Wheat Kings late in the 2013-14 campaign and in the playoffs, then made an almost immediate impact this season, often matching up against opponents’ top players.

“I think I just got more comfortable out there,” said Patrick, a second-generation Wheat King, whose father, Steve, played in Brandon before moving on to the National HockeyàLeague. “When I first got to the league, I was a little tentative, a little nervous. I didn’t want to get into too much. But I think throughout the season I started gaining more confidence and started to find my way better, and then I started picking up my game.”

While Patrick’s reputation and game grew quickly throughout the season, McCrimmon’s prowess was already well-established. Also the owner and head coach of the Wheat Kings, McCrimmon was the architect of a club that went 53-11-4-4 to win the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as the top regular-season team before advancing to the WHL final. Wednesday’s victory made him the first three-time winner of the Saunders award.

“I think the award is a reflection of a lot of people in our organization doing a real good job,” McCrimmon said at the ceremony. “We have a smaller staff, we always have, of very proud, hard-working people.”

McCrimmon’s testament to the strength of the organization was supported by the number of award finalists the Wheat Kings had.

Tim McGauley was the runner-up for the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as player of the year, won by WHLàscoring champion Oliver Bjorkstrand of the Portland Winterhawks.

Ivan Provorov was the other finalist in voting for the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy as top defenceman, which went to Shea Theodore of the Seattle Thunderbirds.

Brandon captain Peter Quenneville was the runner-up for most sportsmanlike player, with Kelowna’s Rourke Chartier earning the Brad Hornung Trophy.

Oak River native John Paddock of the Regina Pats won the Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy as coach of the year.

— Henderson