WHL’s top executive award goes to Spokane, top coach to Victoria

By Medicine Hat News on May 1, 2025.

@MedicineHatNews

The Western Hockey League handed out the executive of the year and head coach of the year awards on Tuesday.

The WHL named Spokane Chiefs general manager Matt Bardsley as the winner of the Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy as the WHL executive of the year and Victoria Royals’ James Patrick as the recipient of the Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy as the WHL coach of the year.

Bardsley’s efforts helped Spokane finish second in a highly competitive U.S. Division with a 45-20-1-2 record, the team’s winningest season in 14 years.

In his third season at the helm, Bardsley helped build one of the most dynamic lines in recent WHL history.

Shea Van Olm, a 2024 WHL Trade Deadline acquisition, started his first full season as a Chief on a hot note, leading all WHL skaters in regular season goals on a line with Spokane captain and Seattle Kraken prospect Berkly Catton. He bolstered the offence at the trade deadline, adding Washington Capitals prospect Andrew Cristall.

Cristall, Catton and Van Olm combined for 67 goals and 108 points in 29 games to close out the regular season.

Patrick took over the bench in Victoria last season and in his first full year behind the Royals bench, Patrick led the club to a 40-17-4-7 record, clinching the B.C. Division title for just the second time in team history.

Victoria boasted the league’s second best road record (23-8-2-1), scoring the fourth most goals (272) while running the WHL’s second best power play, which produced at 28.6 per cent efficiency.

It’s the second time Patrick has been named the WHL’s coach of the year, receiving the honour in 2021-22 while coaching the now defunct Winnipeg Ice.

Medicine Hat Tigers head coach and general manger Willie Desjardins was nominated for both awards. Desjardins has been a finalist for executive of the year in two of the last three seasons and has been a finalist for coach of the year for three straight years.

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