Blades Hand Out Hardware

[Scout]

And The Winner Is...


The Saskatoon Blades hosted their Northridge Developments Awards Banquet for the 2007/08 season on Monday night where 17 different awards were distributed. Click read more to view this year's winners.

Award Sponsor Recipient
Three Star Award Bud Light #1 Braden Holtby
Most Dedicated Player United Cab #1 Braden Holtby
Most Improved Player Cree Way Gas #9 Curtis Hamilton
Brian Skrudland Trophy
(Best Defensive Forward) Dodge City #21 Chris Durand
Community Minded Award #18 Colton Gillies
Murray Lindberg Fan of the Year Barry Burton
Hardest Working Player Fountain Tire #37 Travis Toomey
Hardest Hitter ICR #44 John Flatters
Diamond in the Rough Diamond Gallery #8 Jyri Niemi
Most Gentlemanly Player Old Dutch #17 Derek Hulak
Dr. Pat Bobyn Memorial Trophy (Top Scorer) #24 Ondrej Fiala
Bentley Memorial Scholarship #6 Stefan Elliott
Plus-Minus Award Remax #3 Sam Klassen
Jackie McLeod Ambassador Award #21 Chris Durand
Rookie of the Year 92.9 The Bull #6 Stefan Elliott
Defenseman of the Y ear Northridge Developments #3 Sam Klassen
Most Valuable Player Rawlco Radio #18 Colton Gillies


The Saskatoon Blades would like to thank all of their fans for the continued support this season.

[nivek_wahs]

http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/sports/story.html?id=893676a2-9670-4440-9896-3ff105396f26


Gillies claims Blades' top award

Cory Wolfe, The StarPhoenix
Published: Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Saskatoon Blades winger Colton Gillies lost a front tooth, but gained plenty of respect this season.

On Monday, he flashed his grin at TCU Place as he collected team MVP honours.

"When he came back from world juniors, he really stepped up his game," said Blades coach-GM Lorne Molleken. "Taking on the role of captain, he did a tremendous job and he had big shoes to fill because Justin McCrae was a tremendous leader, too."

Inspired by his golden experience with Team Canada, Gillies helped engineer a second-half turnaround in Saskatoon. He was named captain Jan. 8, after McCrae was traded to Spokane. Gillies averaged about a point per game the rest of the way, and the Blades played above .500 (16-14-1-5) after a dreadful first half. Gillies was particularly effective down the stretch, posting nine goals and seven assists in the final 11 games.

He asked to address the crowd of 6,132 following Saturday's season finale at Credit Union Centre.

"Coming from Vancouver, I couldn't ask for a better fan base and a better crowd," he said after thanking team brass and the players' billets.

The question now is whether the 6-foot-4 Gillies will return to build on his second-half success. The Minnesota Wild drafted him 16th overall last year, and most observers believe he already has the size and skating ability to compete at the pro level. If he doesn't make Minnesota's roster, he'll be back in Saskatoon because 19-year-old players must be returned to their junior clubs rather than sent to the minors.

In addition to being named MVP, Gillies won the community-minded award for his involvement at local schools and hospitals. Four of his teammates -- Chris Durand, Sam Klassen, Braden Holtby and Stefan Elliott -- were also double winners Monday.

Durand, who is in Winnipeg to try out with the American Hockey League's Manitoba Moose, picked up the Jack McLeod Ambassador Award and the Brian Skrudland Trophy as the team's top defensive forward.

Klassen's shut-down abilities helped him win top defenceman honours. He also earned the plus-minus award for his team-leading plus-5.

Holtby was named most dedicated player and also took home the Bud Light Cup for leading the three-star standings. In 64 appearances, the 18-year-old sophomore posted a 2.84 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage.

Elliott received recognition for his success both on and off the ice. He was named rookie of the year after finishing second among WHL rookie defencemen (9 goals, 31 assists in 67 games). Elliott also won the Bentley Memorial Scholarship as the team's top academic player with a 91.3 average.

Elliott wasn't the only rookie to figure in the proceedings. Finnish defenceman Jyri Niemi went from obscurity to being a top prospect for the NHL draft, and thus was named the Blades' diamond in the rough. Winger Curtis Hamilton won most-improved honours after registering 22 of his 27 points after the Jan. 10 trade deadline. His linemate, Travis Toomey, was named hardest working player.

Other individual winners were graduating winger Ondrej Fiala, top scorer (20 goals, 33 assists in 61 games); winger Derek Hulak, most gentlemanly (46 points, 36 penalty minutes in 72 games); and overage defenceman John Flatters, hardest hitter.

The Blades also recognized fan of the year Barry Burton with the Murray Lindberg Memorial Award.

cwolfe@sp.canwest.com




© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2008

[SectionNDeserter]

Diamond in the Rough Diamond Gallery #8 Jyri Niemi

Huh? Wouldn't a guy drafted 13th overall be 'a diamond amongst other diamonds'?

[wango tango]

Huh? Wouldn't a guy drafted 13th overall be 'a diamond amongst other diamonds'?

i think a kid who overcame moving not just a province away, new language, new food, and new culture. who sustained and overcame a serious early season injury, who came out of nowhere and earned a spot in the top prospects game, who opened enough scouts eyes to potentially be drafted in the first round, who was passed over by his own country for the wjhc's and achieved what he did in his first season. he definately qualifies as diamond in the rough material. you have to dig to find diamonds and so far it looks like saskatoon has unearthed a gem in niemi.

[ProStaff]

i think a kid who overcame moving not just a province away, new language, new food, and new culture. who sustained and overcame a serious early season injury, who came out of nowhere and earned a spot in the top prospects game, who opened enough scouts eyes to potentially be drafted in the first round, who was passed over by his own country for the wjhc's and achieved what he did in his first season. he definately qualifies as diamond in the rough material. you have to dig to find diamonds and so far it looks like saskatoon has unearthed a gem in niemi.
couldn't agree more