Tigers’ Gavin McKenna up for top CHL player on Friday in Toronto
By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on June 11, 2025.
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Gavin McKenna, who has already won the award for MVP of the Western Hockey League for this past season, will go up against two other CHL top players on Friday for the David Branch Player of the Year award.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
newsdesk@medicinehatnews.com
What was nothing more than a formality at this point has been made official as the Medicine Hat Tigers’ star forward Gavin McKenna has been nominated for the CHL Player of the Year award.
The David Branch Player of the Year Award is given out to the player judged to be the most outstanding in the Canadian Hockey League among those already chosen as MVPs in their respective leagues.
McKenna was named the winner of the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy on May 7 after a dominant draft-minus-one season where he tallied 41 goals and 129 points in just 56 games (2.30 points per game), before putting up another nine goals and 38 points over 16 playoff games (2.375 points per game).
The consensus top pick for the 2026 NHL Draft also broke a modern-day CHL record for consecutive games with at least a point, when he did so in 54 straight before a minor knee injury caused a one-game streak of ineffectiveness.
McKenna also added another six points in four Memorial Cup games to cap off his historic MVP season.
In the Ontario Hockey League, the Red Tilson Trophy for most outstanding player went to forward Michael Misa, a draft-eligible star from the Saginaw Spirit, who put up 62 goals and 134 points in 65 games (2.06 points per game) and a short playoff run of four games, where he notched a goal and two assists.
In the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League, Jonathan Fauchon from the Memorial Cup host Rimouski Océanic was awarded the Michel-Brière Trophy as league MVP. Fauchon, an overager playing in his fifth QMJHL season, started the year with his longtime team the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, where he put up 50 points in 31 games.
Fauchon was traded to Rimouski at the deadline for the Memorial Cup push, where he tallied another 53 points in 33 games.
The undrafted centreman scored 46 goals in the regular season, with another seven in the playoffs.
The CHL Player of the Year trophy was renamed in 2019-20 in honour of David Branch, who was OHL commissioner from 1979-2024 and served as CHL president from 1996-2019.
Other awards to be given out include defenceman, goaltender and rookie of the year, coach of the year, top NHL draft prospect, top scorer and more. The award ceremony will take place Friday in downtown Toronto.
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