Moose Jaw Warriors forward Brayden Yager is plenty aware of the fact that if you want to put up points in the Western Hockey League, it’s not a bad idea to stay out of the penalty box.
Do that, and play the game the right way each and every night, and the league itself will take notice.
That the WHL did throughout the 2022-23 campaign, and on Thursday afternoon, Yager picked up the second league award of his career.
The 18-year-old forward was named the Brad Hornung Memorial Trophy winner as the WHL’s Most Sportsmanlike Player, with the honour voted on by general managers and members of the media.
“Brad Hornung will always be remembered as an ambassador for the WHL, for sportsmanship, for positivity regardless of the circumstances,” Yager told whl.ca. “I thank my family for raising me to play the right way, to compete my hardest between the whistles, but to make sure I treat my opponents with respect.”
Yager put up 28 goals and a career-high 78 points with only 14 penalty minutes in 67 games in his second full season in the WHL.
“I want to express my appreciation for my entire team’s support in my attempts to have a positive impact in the outcome of our games,” Yager said. “I am honoured to be acknowledged for my efforts to contribute to my team’s success while playing with discipline and self-control.”
The honour is the second league award for Yager, after he won the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as the WHL Rookie of the Year in the 2021-22 campaign.
The Warriors have history with players winning most sportsmanlike honours, having now picked up the award five times in the team’s history -- Justin Almeida (2019-19), Jason Bast (2009-10), Blair Atcheynum (1988-89) and Darren Boyko (Winnipeg Warriors, 1982-83) having won previously.
Almeida and Bast also won the Canadian Hockey League Most Sportsmanlike award.
Also nominated were Kamloops’ Caedan Bankier for the B.C. Division, Medicine Hat’s Andrew Basha for the Central Division and Portland’s Gabe Klassen for the U.S. Division.
A former Regina Pats standout, Hornung was renowned for his talent, desire and sportsmanlike attitude. He was paralyzed in an on-ice accident in 1987 but maintained a positive outlook and commitment to the game, eventually serving as an NHL scout. The trophy was dedicated to him in 2002 following his passing at age 52.
The off-season is only going to get more interesting for Yager in the coming weeks, as he’s expected to be a first-round selection in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft on June 28. Yager was ranked 11th among North American skaters in the Central Scouting Bureau final rankings and is expected to be a late-first-round pick.
