
From Markus Ruck’s scoring title to Bryce Pickford’s historic 45-goal campaign, Western Hockey League stars swept major honours while Steve Hamilton secured Coach of the Year accolades in Toronto.
The Western Hockey League made a resounding statement at the 2025-26 Canadian Hockey League Awards on Monday in downtown Toronto.
Markus Ruck was awarded the CHL Top Scorer Award after orchestrating the highest-scoring offence in the country. The elite playmaker led the entire Canadian Hockey League with 108 points.
Montreal Canadiens prospect Bryce Pickford captured the CHL Defenceman of the Year Award. Pickford put together one of the most prolific scoring seasons ever recorded by a modern blueliner in CHL and WHL history. The rearguard tallied 45 goals in just 55 games.
Behind the bench, Everett Silvertips head coach Steve Hamilton was named the recipient of the Brian Kilrea Coach of the Year Award. Hamilton guided the Silvertips through the most dominant regular season in franchise history, steamrolling to a 57-8-2-1 record and collecting 117 points. Under his supervision, Everett secured its first-ever WHL Championship title and its first appearance at the Memorial Cup.
CHL David Branch Player of the Year: Maxim Massé (Chicoutimi Saguenéens, QMJHL)
CHL Rookie of the Year: Tommy Bleyl (Moncton Wildcats, QMJHL)
CHL Goaltender of the Year: Ryder Fetterolf (Ottawa 67’s, OHL)
CHL Top Draft Prospect: Chase Reid: (Soo Greyhounds, OHL)
CHL Sportsman Player of the Year: Cole Beaudoin (Barrie Colts, OHL)
CHL Humanitarian of the Year: Marcus Kearsey (Charlottetown Islanders, QMJHL)
Make sure you bookmark THN's WHL site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
2026 NHL Draft Profiles:
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.



