(May 1, 2023) – Brooks Bandits forward Aiden Fink has been named a finalist for the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) Top Forward Award.
Fink (Calgary, AB) was named the 2022-23 AJHL MVP and Top Forward. The League Scoring Champion had 97 points (41G, 56A) in 54 games and averaged 1.8 points per game. Through 10 games in the 2023 AJHL Playoffs, Fink had 13 points (8g, 5a) in 15 Playoff games in 2023.
He opened the season with a 14-game point streak from September 16 – October 19, 2022 totalling 30 points. The NHL Top Prospect was #66 among North American Skaters in the NHL Central Scouting Mid-Term Rankings for the upcoming 2023 NHL Entry Draft.
He was selected to represent the AJHL as a member of Team Canada West at the 2022 World Junior A Challenge in December. His season has been filled with accolades including two Alberta Ford Dealers Player of the Month awards, two Pizza 73 AJHL Player of the Week selections, the Brook Bandits Top Forward award, and he was named the Viterra AJHL Star of the Game seven times. Fink also led the league with 21 powerplay goals.
“We are fortunate to have been a part of Aiden’s development over the past two seasons, his growth on and off the ice has been significant,” said Bandits GM / Head Coach Ryan Papaioannou.
“He was in a great position last year to learn from some highly skilled veteran players and was able to play a key role for us in the late stages of the season. This year Aiden picked up where others left off and has been dominant from the first exhibition game, right through the regular season. He’s handled the internal pressures of leading our team from a scoring perspective along with all the outside pressures of the NHL Draft with maturity and focus. We are proud of his accomplishments and are all looking forward to his playoff season.”
Fink and the Bandits won the 2023 AJHL Championship on April 28th, and have qualified for the 2023 Centennial Cup in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. They begin the tournament on May 11th vs Yarmouth at 3:30 pm (Central Time), with all games broadcast on Real Country 105.7 FM.