MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM -- While the vast majority of his teammates were first-timers at the Memorial Cup this past week, travelling to the event was pretty much old hat for Moose Jaw Warriors forward Brayden Yager.
He was there in 2022, again in 2023 and, of course, one more time in 2024.
And each time, he’s come home with a trophy.
Yager was named the recipient of a Canadian Hockey League award for the third time in his Western Hockey League career on Saturday morning, as he was named the CHL’s Top Sportsman for the second straight season.
“It feels great, it’s a huge honour, there are some pretty special players who have won this award and to be mentioned by them in the same sentence is pretty special,” Yager said during media interviews shortly after the award presentation.
“It wasn’t really a goal of mine to come home with an individual award, but it feels great, obviously. There was a lot of support from my teammates, my family and the organization in Moose Jaw, so it definitely feels special.”
Yager had another exceptional season in 2023-24, scoring 35 goals and 95 points while recording only 20 penalty minutes across 57 games. Moreover, his style of play attracted the attention of award voters, as Yager kept his penalty numbers low despite playing a hard 200-foot game.
“I try and approach the game and play the right way, gain the respect of my opponents and also the respect of my teammates,” Yager said. “It’s a pretty special award to me, you have to be disciplined and stay out of the box and also compete hard and play as hard as you can.”
While winning individual honours is all fine and well, Yager’s trip to the Memorial Cup this time was way, way more special in that it was made with all of his teammates, as the Warriors reached the tournament semifinal after winning the WHL title.
“It was a really special year, winning a championship in the WHL for the first time in Moose Jaw Warriors history,” Yager said. “I couldn’t have done it with a better group of guys, starting back in the bubble during the COVID days and growing up wit those guys over the years. We’ve gone over some humps together and winning a championship this year is special.”
Yager was also asked about the contributions of head coach Mark O’Leary to his progression as a player.
“Lears has been great for all of his players,” he said. “He’s super easy to talk to and off the ice he holds us accountable. Any time you can get a coach where their door is always open and you can talk to them about anything, it feels good as a player. He’s been developing all of us, and with some of us nearing the end of our WHL career, a lot of us have taken big steps over the years and a lot of credit goes to the coaching staff.”
In addition to his back-to-back Top Sportsman honours, Yager was also named the CHL Rookie of the Year in 2021-22.
Yager was one of three Warriors up for CHL awards on Saturday, with Jagger Firkus being named the CHL David Branch Player of the Year and defenceman Denton Mateychuk nominated for Defenceman of the Year, with the award going to Saginaw’s Zayne Parekh.
