WHL announces Division Nominees for Lloyd Saunders Memorial ...
Calgary, Alta. – The Western Hockey League has announced the 2023-24 Division nominees for the Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy.
The trophy is awarded annually to the WHL Executive of the Year.
Recent winners include Seattle Thunderbirds General Manager Bil La Forge, whose team captured the 2023 Ed Chynoweth Cup, and Peter Anholt, General Manager of the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
All WHL Division Award winners are eligible for the overall WHL Awards, which will be announced from Wednesday, May 1 through Thursday, May 9.
The Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy winner will be revealed on Wednesday, May 1.
WHL Executive of the Year Nominees B.C. Division – Mark Lamb- Prince George Cougars Central Division – Chad Leslie- Swift Current Broncos East Division – Jason Ripplinger, Moose Jaw Warriors U.S. Division – Mike Johnston- Portland Winterhawks
WHL Executive of the Year Biographies
Mark Lamb (Prince George Cougars)
Mark Lamb is the B.C. Division WHL Executive of the Year.
The Prince George Cougars General Manager and Head Coach guided his team to the team’s second-ever B.C. Division title and franchise-best record of 49-15-1-3 since moving to Prince George for the 1994-95 season.
Lamb bolstered his team’s scoring depth by acquiring wingers Borya Valis and Matteo Danis while strengthening the defensive corps with the addition of veteran Chase Pauls.
The season was also largely defined by seeing prior moves pay off.
Zac Funk, who Lamb traded for in January of 2023, led the WHL with 67 goals (including a staggering eight hat tricks) and earned a contract with the Washington Capitals.
Depth draft pick Terik Parascak (2021, 76th overall) emerged as the WHL’s rookie scoring leader with 42 goals and 62 assists for 105 points, solidifying himself as a top prospect ahead of the 2024 NHL entry draft.
In April 2023, Lamb signed undrafted netminder Joshua Ravensbergen to a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement.
The 6-foot-4 netminder was among the best netminders in the league in his rookie season, posting a league-high six shutouts.
Lamb is also the WHL B.C. Division Coach of the Year
Chad Leslie (Swift Current Broncos)
Swift Current Broncos General Manager Chad Leslie’s key signings and trades helped him earn Central Division WHL Executive of the Year honours.
After solidifying their roster, the Broncos climbed the WHL rankings in the second half of the season to clinch the Central Division title and qualify for the WHL Playoffs for the first time since winning it all in 2018.
Leslie beefed up the team’s blueline by signing Los Angeles Kings prospect Jakub Dvorak, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound domineering defenceman on January 2.
He also orchestrated one of the biggest trades of the WHL season by landing Arizona Coyotes prospect Conor Geekie.
The dominant centre racked up 23 goals and 27 assists for 50 points in 29 games in a Broncos uniform, including eight powerplay markers and three game-winning goals while bringing playoff experience to the Swift Current Roster.
Geekie was a key piece of two deep Winnipeg ICE playoff runs, including a trip to the Championship Series in 2023.
Jason Ripplinger (Moose Jaw Warriors)
Moose Jaw Warriors General Manager Jason Ripplinger is the WHL East Division Executive of the Year.
Since being hired in April of 2021, Ripplinger has steered the Warriors to three consecutive 35-plus win seasons, highlighted by a 44-21-0-3 campaign in 2023-24.
Several important moves boosted Moose Jaw’s scoring ability, helping the team become the third-strong offensive team in the regular season.
Ripplinger was involved in one of the season’s blockbuster trades, picking up Buffalo Sabres prospect Matthew Savoie, who led the WHL with 2.09 points per game.
Savoie also brings an important playoff pedigree to the quad. The centre enters the 2024 postseason with the most playoff points of any active WHLer (41).
Ripplinger also added 20-goal scorer Brayden Schuurman, 6-foot-2 defenceman Vojtech Port (Anaheim Ducks), Rilen Kovacevic, Kalem Parker (Minnesota Wild) and goaltender Evan May.
Rippling was signed to a multi-year extension in March 2024.
Mike Johnson (Portland Winterhawks)
Portland Winterhawks General Manager and Head Coach Mike Johnston is the WHL U.S. Division Executive of the Year.
Johnston led his team to a third-consecutive 40-plus win season with a 48-15-4-1 record, clinching the franchise’s15th division title.
Portland has only missed the playoffs once under Johnston, which came in his first season with the team in 2008-09.
Johnston fortified an already dominant Winterhawks squad with a pair of splashy moves.
He traded for the rights to 19-year-old defenceman Tyson Jugnauth in December of 2023, enticing the Seattle Kraken prospect to leave the Wisconsin Badgers for the Rose City.
Johnston also pulled off a last-minute trade deadline blockbuster by gaining Detroit Red Wings prospect Nate Danielson from Brandon, who became the sixth NHL prospect on the Winterhawks roster.
Jugnauth averaged a point per game in the regular season while Danielson netted 12 goals and 41 points in 28 games, helping Portland become the WHL’s top-scoring regular season team.
Johnston is also the WHL U.S. Division Coach of the Year.
About the Western Hockey League Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 22 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and five in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 375 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.
-30-
