WEST KELOWNA, B.C. – The BC Hockey League announced Friday afternoon the finalists for each of the annual league awards, which includes four members of the West Kelowna Warriors.
Felix Caron has been named a finalist for the league’s Most Valuable Player award, the Vern Dye Memorial Trophy, while Isaiah Norlin is up for the Defensive Award. Jack Pridham is one of three players selected for the Bruce Allison Memorial Trophy, handed out to the league’s Rookie of the Year, while Head Coach & General Manager Simon Ferguson has been named as a nominee for the Joe Tennant Memorial Trophy handed out to the Coach of the Year.
Caron finished the regular season as the league’s 3rd highest point getter, collecting 31 goals and 38 assists for 69 points on the season while playing in each of the Warriors 54 regular season games. A Terrebonne, Quebec product, Caron placed third in the league in goal scoring with his 31 tallies and was second in shorthanded goals this season.
After earning accolades for being his team’s top defenseman and MVP, Norlin is a finalist for the Defensive Award and will look to be the first Warrior since Tyson Jugnauth in 2022 to earn the honour. The Clarkson University commit led all blueliners in scoring this season, tallying 12 goals and 36 assists for 48 points while in his third season in West Kelowna.
Pridham will look to become the first Warrior in the team’s history to earn the Rookie of the Year award with the Stouffville, Ontario native having a breakout season in his first year in the league. A commit of Boston University, Pridham was second amongst rookie scorers with 23 goals and 49 points while playing in all 54 games this season with 44 of his 49 points coming at 5-on-5.
Finally, Warriors bench boss Simon Ferguson has been nominated for the Coach of the Year award after guiding his team to a 33-10-11-0 record throughout the regular season. The Warriors finished in 2nd place in the Interior Conference for the second time under his four-year helm in West Kelowna while the team finished with 30 wins for the second of three full seasons under Ferguson.
A full list of each award finalist:
Vern Dye Memorial Trophy (Most Valuable Player)
Felix Caron (West Kelowna Warriors)
Caden Cranston (Surrey Eagles)
Aaron Schwartz (Surrey Eagles)
Bruce Allison Memorial Trophy (Rookie of the Year)
Will Ingemann (Penticton Vees)
Chase Pirtle (Victoria Grizzlies)
Jack Pridham (West Kelowna Warriors)
Campbell Blair Trophy (Top Defenceman)
Tristan Allen (Salmon Arm Silverbacks)
Brett Merner (Nanaimo Clippers)
Isaiah Norlin (West Kelowna Warriors)
Michael Garteig Trophy (Top Goaltender)
Ajeet Gundarah (Surrey Eagles)
Will Ingemann (Penticton Vees)
Eli Pulver (Salmon Arm Silverbacks)
Bob Fenton Trophy (Most Sportsmanlike Player)
Callum Arnott (Penticton Vees)
Ryden Evers (Surrey Eagles)
Aaron Schwartz (Surrey Eagles)
Joe Tennant Memorial Trophy (Coach of the Year)
Simon Ferguson (West Kelowna Warriors)
Fred Harbinson (Penticton Vees)
Cam Keith (Surrey Eagles)
The award winners are set to be announced between the 2nd and 3rd round of the BCHL playoffs on Wednesday, May 1st.
The Warriors will kick start their 2024 BCHL Playoffs with Game 1 of their best-of-seven Interior Conference Quarter Final series against the Cranbrook Bucks on Friday night. Tickets can be purchased on the Warriors website as well as in-person at the Warriors Office, located at 2768 Warriors Place, as well as at the Box Office ahead of the opening puck drop.
