OLDS — The Olds Grizzlys junior A hockey team capped off its year on Sunday by handing out awards during the annual end-of-season banquet at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #105.
Following are the award winners: Most Valuable Player: Jared Whale; top teammate: August Olson; Most Sportsmanlike: Hudson Norris; Most Dedicated: Tyler Green; Rookie Of The Year: Colby Browne; Defenceman Of The Year: Brendan McBride; Community Player of the Year: Tristan Baumung.
Head coach Scott Atkinson said Whale, of Calgary, was a key member the team this season.
“Obviously (we) acquired Jared from the Brooks Bandits in the mid-season and he came in and really solidified our goaltending position and made an outstanding contribution to our team,” Atkinson said, adding that Whale is "a person who really deserves this award.”
The Top Teammate award is voted on by the players.
Atkinson said he “couldn’t think of a better recipient” for that award than Olson, who hails from Trochu.
"He just brings that smile every day to the rink and brings the spirit of the team up continually; just a super kid and a privilege to hang around with,” he said.
Atkinson said Norris, of Edmonton, provided a “really super performance” during his first year in the league.
“Anybody who watched the team knows that penalty minutes were an issue, so sportsmanlike conduct is something we’re looking for,” Atkinson said.
He described Norris as "an example of a player that plays hard but stays within the context of the rules and really did a good job for us this year.”
Green, who joined the team from Huntington Beach, Calif, was a great choice for the Most Dedicated Player award, he said.
“We have a very dedicated group in terms of development and working hard to try to get better.
“This is a really good example of that kind of dedication that’s required to kind of improve and get better and have a lot of fun doing it, too. Tyler’s a great guy and really deserves this award,” he said.
Browne, from Evergreen, Colo., had a phenomenal year, Atkinson noted.
“I think that it’s a significant award in normal circumstances, but we have so many first-year players that (it’s) a real testament to the quality play that Colby was providing for us this year,” he said.
“And it’s not easy to score 18 goals in this league in your first year, so congratulations, Colby.”
At 20, McBride, who hails from Sundre, is one of two Grizzlys who aged out this year. The other is Sawer Senio of Red Deer.
Atkinson praised McBride's hockey ability and his leadership on and off the ice.
“This is an accumulation of three solid years representing the black and gold and a very, very deserving candidate as well and another guy that’s done a huge amount of community service, particularly during the COVID year,” he said.
“He was front and centre, providing community leadership and an opportunity to connect us with the community, especially the youth hockey programs.
“(McBride is) a very, very skilled defenceman and I’m looking forward to finding out where he decides to go next year. He’s a really good player and it was a privilege to coach him,” he added.
Atkinson congratulated Bauming, also of Sundre, on receiving the Community Player of the Year award.
“I think one of the positives coming out of the COVID situation is that there was a lot of community work over the course of the last two years,” he said. "Certainly from jumping and helping with the minor hockey as well as a number of other community tasks, Tristan’s always first in line to help out and he really is an exemplary person and a leader in our community, so I really appreciate the efforts of Tristan."
