Medicine Hat Cubs Kyle Woolridge and Brady Mahar pose with their co-rookie of the year awards alongside assistant coach Johnny Stehr, head coach and general manager Randy Wong and assistant coach Matt Knutson during the junior B club's season award ceremony on Friday.--NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
After a hard fought year the Medicine Hat Cubs were able to come together one last time on Friday.
The Cubs gathered for their yearend awards ceremonies recognizing players efforts and celebrating their successes throughout the HJHL season. The night also allowed the club to giver thanks to the volunteers and their off-ice staff for their help.
“It’s important to recognize everyone and it takes a small village to run a program,” head coach and general manager Randy Wong said. “From players, volunteer, billets and the media, it takes a lot of people to run the program and to make the program what it is. It’s our night to thank everyone, hand out some awards to some deserving players and end the year while we start the next season at the same time.”
After winning the HJHL scoring title and catapulting himself up the franchise scoring leaders list, Cubs forward Cooper Hilworth was awarded MVP to go with his leading scorer and most goals awards.
Forward Kyle Woolridge was named playoff MVP for his 10 goals and six assists in Medicine Hat’s 10 playoff games. He was also co-rookie of the year alongside defenceman Brady Mahar.
“Looking at the rookie awards with Brady and Kyle, one defence, one forward, it’s great knowing they have the attitudes that they have,” Wong said. ‘That’s what I’m probably happiest about is they’re solid young men who will hopefully continue within the program and bring what they bring, those two are what the program is going to push for.
“Vaughn Strutt with the unsung award, that’s a pretty prestigious award that I look up to. That’s a guy who doesn’t get recognized but he works his tail off and doesn’t mind where he plays and he can play in all positions and all styles of play.”
For the first time in Wong’s tenure since taking over at the helm in 2020, the Cubs were tasked with celebrating and wishing well for their overage players. The Cubs honoured their four graduating players, Colby Friedrich, Jacob Milne, Hilworth and captain Levi Schlosser with their jerseys and a photo frame with a plaque containing all of their stats.
“This is the first group we can see graduated and I’m happy with all four, they were strong young men and have all had good careers here,” Wong said. “I hope to see them in the rinks and I’m sure I’m going see them, as we continue this role and they’ll be in the rink supporting the Cubs next year.”
Wong will fulfill his yearly promise to his wife and take a vacation now that the Cubs season is over, Mexico is on tap this summer. He’s already turned his focus to next season and once he returns a little more tanned, the recruitment will be already underway as they get set for what will be a historic season for the Junior B club.
Come the fall the Cubs will be celebrating their 50th season, a moment Wong says they are looking forward to honouring and have already begun drawing up plans.
“The biggest thing I want to do is include the alumni, we’ve got 50 years of alumni and I certainly want to tap into them and invite them back to enjoy the Cubs experience and see what’s changed,” Wong said. “I hope to run into some guys from 1973 the first year of the Cubs and run into those players and be able to really sit down with them and let them see the growth of the program and what they did and what happened within the community.
We want to share stories with them about how our gangs are this year and so that’s probably the biggest thing I really want to make sure happens next year is alumni gets more involved in the program and we can really showcase them for participating with the program.”
Here is the full list of the Cubs award winners:
MVP: Cooper Hilworth
Playoff MVP: Kyle Woolridge
Unsung hero: Vaughn Strutt
Leading scorer: Cooper Hilworth
Most goals: Cooper Hilworth
Top defensive forward: Callen Prosofsky
Community service award: Gerret Harty/Jamal Shaw
Best defenceman: Dylan Trembekci
Sportsmanship: Caleb Garrecht
Most dedicated: Jackson Bowal
Most improved: Keynan Cairns
Rookie of the year: Kyle Woolridge/Brady Mahar
Outstanding scholastic achievement: Jackson Bowal
