Terriers' Thomson & Norrish runner-ups for CJHL Goalie & Defenseman of the Year Respectively

(CJHL Release)

The Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) today announced the winners of five CJHL National Awards.  The CJHL National Awards are awarded each season and recognize individual success in the 10 Junior A leagues in the CJHL.  They include Most Valuable Player, Top Forward, Top Defenceman, Top Goaltender and Rookie of the Year.

"Congratulations to this year's CJHL National Award winners and to all of the nominees and finalists across our 10 leagues," said Kirk Lamb, President of the Canadian Junior Hockey League.  "These players represent the best of more than 2,800 Junior A hockey players and exhibit the right mix of commitment, discipline and skill it takes to be an elite student-athlete in today's game.”

                                                                                                                                                                                          

The winner of the 2014 CJHL MVP Award and the 2014 CJHL Top Forward Award is Andy Sturtz of the Carleton Place Canadians (CCHL). 

Andy Sturtz, Carelton Place Canadians, CCHL (58GP, 51G - 53A - 104PTS) - In his first CCHL season, Sturtz burst on to the scene with a 51 goal and 104 point season.  This resulted in him earning the CCHL MVP Award for 2013 - 2014.  Sturtz was first in the CCHL in game winning goals with 14, showing how important he was to the success of the Carelton Place Canadians.  He was second in power play goals with 16 and seventh in power play assists with 19.  His play earned him considerable attention from university and college scouts across Canada and the United States and he has committed to Penn State University. 

Trey Phillips of the Canmore Eagles (AJHL) is the recipient of the 2014 CJHL Top Defenceman Award.

Trey Phillips, Canmore Eagles, AJHL (58GP, 25G - 40A - 65PTS) - Phillips averaged 1.12 points per game to lead the Eagles in scoring, including 12 power play goals and 4 game winning goals, on his way to winning the AJHL MVP and Outstanding Defenceman.  This is his fourth and final season with the Canmore Eagles, during which time he has scored 119 points in 200 regular season games. Phillips was the AJHL Player of the Month and the Canadian Junior Hockey League 1st Star of the Month for January 2014.   He was also selected as the Player of the Game 12 times in the regular season.  Phillips is committed to the University of Vermont for the 2014-2015 season.

The winner of the 2014 CJHL Top Goaltender Award is Tanner Jaillet of the Fort McMurray Oil Barons (AJHL).

Tanner Jaillet, Fort McMurray Oil Barons, AJHL (43 GP, 30 W – 8 L – 4 SOL – 2.01 GAA – .933 S% – 6 SO) - Jaillet opened the 2013-2014 season with 10 consecutive wins and 13 games without a regulation loss on his way to being named the 2013-2014 AJHL Top Goaltender.  He was tied for first overall in the AJHL with a .933 save percentage and was second among all AJHL goaltenders with a 2.01 GAA.  Jaillet also recorded a league leading 6 shutouts and was selected as the Player of the Game nine times in the regular season.  He also received the honour of being AJHL Player of the Month and the Player of the Week in September 2013.  The CJHL selected Jaillet as the 1st Star of the Month for September 2013 in recognition of the goaltender’s remarkable start to the season.  Jaillet was also a finalist for the 2013-2014 AJHL MVP Award.  The 20 year-old goaltender is in his third season with the Fort McMurray Oil Barons and has committed to the University of Denver. 

The co-recipients of the 2014 CJHL Rookie of the Year Award are Jake Walman of the Toronto Jr. Canadiens (OJHL) and Chris Gerrie of the Olds Grizzlys (AJHL).

Jake Walman, Toronto Jr. Canadians, OJHL (43GP, 7G – 26A – 33PTS) - The 17-year old defenceman was one of the biggest surprises on the Jr. Canadiens blueline this season and shot up the NHL scouting radar throughout the course of his rookie OJHL season.  His play led him to be named the top-ranked OJHL and CJHL Prospect for the 2014 NHL Draft, as well as most recently being named winner of the OJHL and CJHL Top Prospect Award.  Walman recorded 7 goals, 26 assists and 33 points in 43 regular season games played, ranking him second on the club among rearguards. Other highlights of Walman’s impressive rookie campaign included being named a member of Team Canada East for the 2013 World Junior 'A' Challenge and being named to the OJHL South-East Conference All-Star Team that would finish as runner-up at the 2013 Central Canada Cup All-Star Challenge.  Walman is committed to Providence College beginning with the 2014-15 Hockey East season.

Chris Gerrie, Olds Grizzlys, AJHL (60GP, 18G – 25A – 53PTS) - Gerrie led all AJHL rookies in goals, assists and points and was second in team scoring with an average of 0.9 points per game. His 19 powerplay assists placed him among the top 3 AJHL scorers. Gerrie was a unanimous choice for the 2013-2014 AJHL All-Rookie team and was named the 2013-2014 AJHL Rookie of the Year. Gerrie made an immediate impact to the Grizzlies' line-up with 27 points in his first 28 games. Gerrie was selected as the Player of the Game five times in his rookie season.  During the opening months of his rookie campaign, the 17 year-old committed to Michigan Tech University for the 2016-2017 season. 

Each of the 10 leagues in the CJHL submitted a candidate for all of the CJHL National Awards.  Each league then ranked their top five players from among the 10 national nominees and the five players with the highest point total moved on as finalists to the final round of voting.  The winners were then selected by a second and final point-based vote cast from all 10 leagues