The W-H-L announced the division winners/finalists for both the Coach-of-the-Year and Executive-of-the-Year awards.

Brennan Sonne of the Saskatoon Blades is the East Division nominee for Coach-of-the-Year. He’ll be up against Willie Desjardins of Medicine Hat, Mark Lamb of Prince George and Stu Barnes of Tri-Cities. Desjardins is the Tigers G-M and also the Central Division nominee for W-H-L Executive-of-the-Year. His competition is Matt Cockell of Winnipeg, Shaun Clouston of Kamloops and Bill LaForge of Seattle. Both award winners will be announced May 3. Following is the official news releases from the W-H-L…..

WHL ANNOUNCES DIVISION NOMINEES FOR DUNC MCCALLUM MEMORIAL TROPHY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5, 2023

Calgary, Alta. – The Western Hockey League announced today the 2022-23 Division nominees for the Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy awarded annually to the WHL Coach of the Year.

All individual WHL Division Award winners will be eligible for the overall WHL Awards, which will be announced from Tuesday, May 2 through Wednesday, May 10. The winner of the Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy awarded to the WHL Coach of the Year will be announced Wednesday, May 3.

WHL Coach of the Year Nominees
B.C. Division – Mark Lamb – Prince George Cougars
Central Division – Willie Desjardins – Medicine Hat Tigers
East Division – Brennan Sonne – Saskatoon Blades
U.S. Division – Stu Barnes – Tri-City Americans

WHL Coach of the Year Biographies

Mark Lamb (Prince George Cougars): Mark Lamb is the WHL B.C. Division Coach of the Year after helping lead the Prince George Cougars to a 37-24-6-1 record and second-place finish in the B.C. Division. Under Lamb, several Cougars enjoyed career years including leading scorer Chase Wheatcroft (47G-60A), who became just the second skater in Prince George Cougars history to surpass 100 points in a season. Three of Lamb’s Prince George skaters signed NHL contracts during the 2023 calendar year including free-agent signings Wheatcroft (Dallas Stars) and Jaxsen Wiebe (Anaheim Ducks). In 12 seasons as a WHL head coach, Lamb holds a career regular season record of 315-350-70.

Willie Desjardins (Medicine Hat Tigers): A recipient of the Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy in 2006, Willie Desjardins of the Medicine Hat Tigers is the WHL Central Division Coach of the Year. Desjardins guided the Tigers to a 19-win improvement from the 2021-22 season and a berth in the 2023 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien, finishing in fourth place in the Central Division with a 30-29-8-1 record. Seventeen of Medicine Hat’s 30 victories during the 2022-23 WHL Regular Season came during the 2023 calendar year. In 13 seasons as a WHL head coach, Desjardins holds a career 429-323-68 record.

Brennan Sonne (Saskatoon Blades): In his second season as head coach of the Saskatoon Blades, Brennan Sonne is the WHL East Division Coach of the Year. His Saskatoon Club enjoyed one of the most successful regular seasons in franchise history, finishing the 68-game campaign with 48 wins and 111 points, while also surpassing the 100-point plateau for the first time in 12 years. The Blades, who finished the regular season in second place in the East Division with a 48-15-4-1 record, surrendered the second-fewest goals against (171) out of the 22 WHL Clubs in 2022-23. In two seasons as head coach of the Saskatoon Blades, Sonne owns an 86-41-9 record.

Stu Barnes (Tri-City Americans): In his second season as head coach of the Tri-City Americans, Stu Barnes is the WHL U.S. Division Coach of the Year. Under Barnes’ guidance, the Americans qualified for the WHL Playoffs for the first time in four years, finishing the 2022-23 WHL Regular Season in third place in the U.S. Division with a 34-26-5-3 record. Tri-City improved upon their win total by 32 points over 2021-22 and the Club’s goal differential in 2022-23 was +11, versus -127 the season prior. In two seasons as head coach of the Tri-City Americans, Barnes holds a 53-69-14 record.

WHL ANNOUNCES DIVISION NOMINEES FOR LLOYD SAUNDERS MEMORIAL TROPHY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5, 2023

Calgary, Alta. – The Western Hockey League announced today the 2022-23 Division nominees for the Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy awarded annually to the WHL Executive of the Year.

All individual WHL Division Award winners will be eligible for the overall WHL Awards, which will be announced from Tuesday, May 2 through Wednesday, May 10. The winner of the Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy awarded to the WHL Executive of the Year will be announced Wednesday, May 3.

WHL Executive of the Year Nominees
B.C. Division – Shaun Clouston – Kamloops Blazers
Central Division – Willie Desjardins – Medicine Hat Tigers
East Division – Matt Cockell – Winnipeg ICE
U.S. Division – Bil La Forge – Seattle Thunderbirds

WHL Executive of the Year Biographies

Shaun Clouston (Kamloops Blazers): The head coach and general manager of the Memorial Cup host Kamloops Blazers, Shaun Clouston is the B.C. Division WHL Executive of the Year after helping guide the Blazers to the Club’s fourth consecutive B.C. Division title. Clouston engineered one of the largest trades in recent WHL memory in January, acquiring NHL prospects Olen Zellweger (Anaheim Ducks) and Ryan Hofer (Washington Capitals) from the Everett Silvertips to add to an already talented roster. Zellweger, the reigning Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy winner as WHL Defenceman of the Year, scored 22 goals in his 32 regular season games as a Blazer in 2022-23 while Hofer finished the season with a team-best 40 goals. Clouston also added NHL prospects Kyle Masters (Minnesota Wild) and Jakub Demek (Vegas Golden Knights) via trade; Demek was a member of the WHL Champion Edmonton Oil Kings a season ago.

Willie Desjardins (Medicine Hat Tigers): In addition to being the Central Division WHL Coach of the Year, Medicine Hat Tigers head coach and general manager Willie Desjardins is the Central Division WHL Executive of the Year. Desjardins helped the Tigers improve by 43 points in the standings over 2021-22, as the Club posted a 30-29-8-1 record and qualified for the 2023 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien. Desjardins has stockpiled young talent, including 16-year-old forward Cayden Lindstrom and 2022 WHL Prospects Draft first-overall selection Gavin McKenna, while adding veteran leadership this season in the form of forward Dallon Melin and defenceman Kurtis Smythe.

Matt Cockell (Winnipeg ICE): The reigning Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy winner, Winnipeg ICE general manager Matt Cockell is the East Division WHL Executive of the Year. Winnipeg set franchise records in wins (57) and points (115) for the second season running while also capturing the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as WHL Regular Season Champions for the second consecutive campaign after completing the regular season with a 57-10-1 record. Cockell added numerous NHL prospects to his roster over the course of the 2022-23 season via trade, including Ottawa Senators draftees Zack Ostapchuk and Carson Latimer as well as Nashville Predators defensive prospect Graham Sward.

Bil La Forge (Seattle Thunderbirds): After building a roster that captured the Western Conference Championship in 2022, Seattle Thunderbirds general manager Bil La Forge is the U.S. Division WHL Executive of the Year for the second consecutive season in 2023. La Forge’s Thunderbirds set a franchise record with 54 wins during the regular season, winning the U.S. Division title for the first time in six years while also entering the 2023 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien as the top seed in the Western Conference. La Forge made several high-profile moves during the season including trading for Canadian World Juniors gold-medalists Nolan Allan and Colton Dach, while also adding WHL Champions Dylan Guenther and Luke Prokop to his roster.