Neil Murdoch Division Award Winners

Brady Magarrell – Beaver Valley Nitehawks – Most Valuable Player

The Coaldale, Alta., native delivered a dominant second season, finishing second in league scoring with 75 points (33G, 42A) in 44 games. Magarrell put together a 13-game point streak — fourth longest in the KIJHL — recording 31 points (15G, 16A) during that stretch, and had three five-point performances.

Averaging 17:38 per game, the 6-foot-1, 170-pound forward was +64 and made an impact in all situations. He scored six game-winners and was used on the power play, producing 14 points in 145:42 of man-advantage time. On the penalty kill, he logged 62:44, scoring three short-handed goals and adding two assists. He also excelled in the faceoff circle, winning 61.12 per cent of his draws.

Levi Astill – Grand Forks Border Bruins – Top Scorer

For the second straight season, the Edmonton native led the league in scoring, finishing with 86 points (27G, 59A) in 44 games — a 1.95 points-per-game average.

Astill’s 18-game point streak was the longest in the KIJHL, during which he collected 43 points (16G, 27A). He averaged 21:41 per game and led the league with eight game-winning goals. A major contributor to the Border Bruins’ second-ranked power play, he scored 11 goals and totaled 32 points in 207:38 of ice time with the man advantage.

Astill recorded two hat tricks and had six multi-goal games.

Logan McCabe – Grand Forks Border Bruins – Top Defenceman

The Edmonton native led all KIJHL defencemen in scoring with 53 points in 42 games, averaging 1.26 points per game while logging 24:47 per contest. He finished +33.

McCabe was leaned on heavily in special teams situations, playing 193 minutes on the power play and producing 28 points, while adding 137:55 on the penalty kill and assisting on two short-handed goals. He played a key role in the Border Bruins’ 26.8 per cent power play (55-for-205), second best in the league.

Jac Carli – Castlegar Rebels – Top Goaltender

Signed in late September from the Calgary Buffaloes U18AAA program, the Calgary native posted an 11-9-0 record in 27 games for the Rebels.

Carli recorded a .920 save percentage (fifth best in the KIJHL) and a 2.91 goals-against average (ninth), along with two shutouts in 1,505 minutes of action. He also stopped 82.84 per cent of shots from the danger zone.

He was named Rookie of the Week in February and earned a spot on the KIJHL Team of the Week. Carli also put together a four-game winning streak from Feb. 6-20.

Michiel Leenders – Beaver Valley Nitehawks – Rookie of the Year

The Calgary native finished second on the Nitehawks with 53 points (23G, 30A) in 42 games. Among league rookies, he ranked fourth in goals, fifth in assists and fifth in overall scoring.

Leenders averaged 18 minutes per game and was +48. He contributed 13 power-play points in 134:41 of ice time and added three short-handed goals and two assists in 54:39 on the penalty kill.

Owen Dickson – Beaver Valley Nitehawks – Most Sportsmanlike Player

The Trail native did not take a single penalty in 44 games while averaging 14:39 per contest.

After recording 20 points and 10 penalty minutes as a rookie, Dickson improved to 27 points and four goals this season, surpassing his previous offensive totals while maintaining discipline. He also contributed on special teams, logging 64:11 on the power play and 69:22 on the penalty kill.

Terry Jones – Beaver Valley Nitehawks – Coach of the Year

The KIJHL’s winningest coach guided the Nitehawks to a Neil Murdoch Division title with a 33-11 record and 66 points, second overall in the league.

Beaver Valley led the KIJHL in scoring with 208 goals and featured four players with 20 goals or more, including Brady Magarrell, who led the team with 33 goals and 75 points — more than doubling his rookie output. Defensively, the Nitehawks allowed 125 goals, posting a .910 team save percentage and 2.83 goals-against average.

They went 19-5 within the division and 5-0 against the Doug Birks Division. In goal, Landan Uzeloc recorded 13 wins in 20 games, while rookie Karsten Hugenholtz won all 10 of his starts.

Jesse Dorrans – Castlegar Rebels – General Manager of the Year

Dorrans built a roster that finished 20-20-4 for 44 points, placing third in the division.

Ahead of the trade deadline, the Rebels added forward Rylan Davis from the Pembroke Lumber Kings (CCHL), who produced 17 points in 16 games. They also acquired 2007-born defenceman Nix Andersen from Kimberley; he had six points in 15 games and became a key penalty-kill contributor.

Adam Valach, acquired from Quesnel in the off-season and later named captain, contributed 22 points in 39 games. Veteran defenceman Kaiden Mah joined in October from Revelstoke, bringing championship experience, and forward Markus Thompson was added before Christmas, recording 11 points in 20 games.

Castlegar finished as the league’s most disciplined team with 852 penalty minutes and operated at 22 per cent on the power play (48-for-218), ninth best in the KIJHL.