BROOKS, AB (February 28, 2017) – Brooks Bandits forward Oliver Chau (Oakville, ON) has won the Dick White Trophy as the Rookie of the Year in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) for 2016-17, it was announced today.
The league also announced that Bandit defenceman Cale Makar (Calgary, AB) has been named the winner of the W.G. (Bill) Scott Memorial Trophy as Outstanding Defenceman.
Chau, 19, leads all AJHL rookies in scoring with 81 points (31 goals, 48 assists). He is fourth overall in the league scoring race, fourth in goal scoring, and fourth in assists, with a league-high 17 power play goals as well. He is the first Bandit to score 31 goals in his rookie season since the team’s second year in the AJHL, in 2001-02, when Brock Becker did the same, matching the second-most rookie goals in franchise history.
It’s the second consecutive year a Bandit has won the award, and Chau is the third Bandit in franchise history to win Rookie of the Year, after his teammate Makar last season, and forward Anthony Petruzzelli, who currently plays for the University of Vermont, in 2011-12.
Makar, 18, currently leads all AJHL defencemen in scoring with 63 points (19 goals, 44 assists) in 50 games played, a franchise record in points for a defenceman. He is 9th overall in the league scoring race, and is rated as a potential first-round NHL draft pick by Central Scouting.
He was also named the winner of the Alberta Old Time Hockey Players Trophy as the league’s Most Valuable Player last night.
Makar is the second Bandit in franchise history to be named the league’s Outstanding Defenceman, after Linden Springer won the award in 2014-15.
In addition to Makar’s MVP and Defenceman nods, and Chau’s Rookie of the Year win, the team has already clinched the Dave Duchak Trophy as regular season champions. If current stats hold, goaltenders Mitch Benson (Windsor, ON) and Alex Horawski (Toronto, ON) are expected to share the annual Top Team Goaltenders Award with the Bandits leading the league in defence.
The league awards will be presented before the Bandits’ final game of the regular season on Saturday, March 4th at the Centennial Regional Arena in Brooks. Tickets are available online at tickets.brooksbandits.ca.