2008–09 WHL season

2008–09 WHL season
League	Western Hockey League
Duration	Preseason 2008-08-29 – 2008-09-13 Regular season 2008-09-18 – 2009-03-17 Playoffs 2009-03-20 – 2009-05-09
Champions	Kelowna Rockets (3)
Number of teams	22
Commissioner	Ron Robison
Television	Shaw TV
WHL seasons
← 2007–08	2009–10 →

2008–09 CHL season
League	Canadian Hockey League
Duration	OHL 2008-09-17 – 2009-03-15 QMJHL 2008-09-11 – 2009-03-15 WHL 2008-09-18 – 2009-03-15
Number of teams	60
Television	RDS Rogers Sportsnet Rogers TV Shaw TV

The 2008–09 WHL season was the 43rd season of the Western Hockey League (WHL).^{[1][2][3][4][5]} The regular season began on September 18, 2008,^[1][2] and ended on March 15, 2009. The WHL Playoffs commenced on March 20, 2009,^[3][4][5] and the 2008 ADT Canada Russia Challenge series, featuring Team WHL versus the Russian Selects, took place from November 26–27, 2008.^[3][4][5] The Kelowna Rockets won the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions.

WHL Commissioner, Ron Robison, dedicated the 2008–09 season to Ed Chynoweth.^[3][4][5]

2008–09: Ed Chynoweth's season

“	The 2008–09 WHL Season will allow us to showcase some of the finest young hockey talent in the world today. We fully expect each WHL Division will feature highly competitive races as our clubs battle for a playoff position.	”
	— Ron Robison, WHL Commissioner[3][4][5]

The Commissioner of the Western Hockey League, Ron Robison, dedicated the 2008–09 season to Ed Chynoweth,^[3][4][5] who died on April 22, 2008.^[6] His death occurred just over a year after the WHL Championship trophy was changed in his honour.^[7] Ed Chynoweth was the principle builder of Major Junior hockey in Canada as President of the WHL and CHL over the past four decades. Throughout the entire 2008–09 season, the helmets of all the players and officials will display an "EC" decal, representing Ed’s initials.^[3][4][5]

Notable dates

Offseason

• June 17, 2008 — former WHL Commissioner, Ed Chynoweth, was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.^[6]
• June 20–21, 2008 — 37 WHL players were selected in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.^[8]
• June 24, 2008 — 16 WHL players were invited to the National Men's Under-18 Selection Camp.^[9]
• June 25, 2008 — 17 WHL players were invited to the Hockey Canada's National Junior Team Development Camp.^[10]
• June 26, 2008 — the WHL entered into a partnership with Hockey Manitoba, providing additional financial support for their hockey system.^[11]
• July 7, 2008 — Saskatoon and Regina, Saskatchewan were chosen as hosts to the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship.^[12]
• July 10, 2008 — the WHL and INSINC extended their WHL WEB TV partnership.^[13]
• July 23, 2008 — 18 WHL players attended Canada's National Junior Team Development Camp in Ottawa, Ontario.^[14]
• July 30, 2008 — longtime Brandon Wheat Kings athletic trainer, Rob "Stofe" Stouffer, died of liver cancer.^[15][16]
• August 5, 2008 — 10 WHL players were named to Canada's Under-18 Summer Team at the 2008 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament.^[17][18]
• August 7, 2008 — 53 players from 17 states were invited to the 2008 U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp in Lake Placid, New York.^[19]
• August 16, 2008 — Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team claimed first place at the 2008 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament, with a 6–3 win over Russia.^[20]

Regular season

• September 18, 2008 — a special tribute involving members of the Chynoweth family took place prior to the season opener between the Spokane Chiefs and Kootenay Ice.^{[3][4][5][21]}
• September 18, 2008 — the Spokane Chiefs were ranked as the top team in the league, according to the annual preseason rankings.^[22]
• September 19, 2008 — WHL Commissioner, Ron Robison, dedicated the 2008–09 season to Ed Chynoweth, who died on April 22, 2008.^[3][4][5]
• October 15, 2008 — The 2010 Memorial Cup was awarded to Brandon.^[23]
• January 3, 2009 — the Seattle Thunderbirds moved into their new arena, Showare Center, in Kent, Washington.^[24]
• January 14, 2009 — the 2009 CHL Top Prospects Game was held in Oshawa, Ontario.^[25]

Playoffs

• March 20, 2009 — the start of the WHL Playoffs.^[3][4][5]

Regular season

The Western Hockey League opened its 43rd regular season on September 18, 2008 in Cranbrook, British Columbia between defending Memorial Cup Champions, Spokane Chiefs and the Kootenay Ice. This season, the WHL is planning to have 30 of its regular season games broadcast on Shaw TV, as well as complete coverage of the 2009 WHL Playoffs. The broadcast schedule begun on September 18 with a special half-hour "preview show" followed by the 2008–09 WHL season opener.^[3][4][5]

The 2008–09 WHL season will also be highlighted with the Canada Russia Challenge, an annual CHL showcase event. The 2008 ADT Canada Russia Challenge, featured a two-game series between Team WHL versus the Russian Selects, on November 26, 2008 in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, and the second game took place on November 27, 2008 in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.^[3][4][5]

Standings

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes

Eastern Conference

East Division[26]	GP	W	L	OTL	SL	GF	GA	Pts.
Saskatoon Blades	72	49	18	3	2	283	195	103
Brandon Wheat Kings	72	48	19	3	2	295	220	101
Swift Current Broncos	72	42	28	1	1	258	220	86
Prince Albert Raiders	72	31	36	4	1	233	270	67
Regina Pats	72	27	39	1	5	228	265	60
Moose Jaw Warriors	72	19	50	1	2	198	352	41

Central Division[27]	GP	W	L	OTL	SL	GF	GA	Pts.
Calgary Hitmen	72	59	9	3	1	330	159	122
Medicine Hat Tigers	72	36	29	4	3	249	242	79
Kootenay Ice	72	35	29	2	6	220	224	78
Lethbridge Hurricanes	72	35	32	3	2	227	228	75
Edmonton Oil Kings	72	29	34	4	5	191	252	67
Red Deer Rebels	72	25	37	1	9	172	250	60

Western Conference

B.C. Division[28]	GP	W	L	OTL	SL	GF	GA	Pts.
Vancouver Giants	72	57	10	2	3	319	151	119
Kelowna Rockets	72	47	21	1	3	267	178	98
Kamloops Blazers	72	33	33	2	4	242	277	72
Prince George Cougars	72	25	44	0	3	188	298	53
Chilliwack Bruins	72	19	46	2	5	154	267	45

U.S. Division[29]	GP	W	L	OTL	SL	GF	GA	Pts.
Tri-City Americans	72	49	20	0	3	263	184	101
Spokane Chiefs	72	46	23	0	3	244	145	95
Seattle Thunderbirds	72	35	32	1	4	222	234	75
Everett Silvertips	72	27	36	7	2	199	259	63
Portland Winter Hawks	72	19	48	3	2	176	288	43

Conference standings

Eastern Conference[30]	GP	W	L	OTL	SL	GF	GA	Pts.
z Calgary Hitmen	72	59	9	3	1	330	159	122
x Saskatoon Blades	72	49	18	3	2	283	195	103
x Brandon Wheat Kings	72	48	19	3	2	295	220	101
x Swift Current Broncos	72	42	28	1	1	258	220	86
x Medicine Hat Tigers	72	36	29	4	3	249	242	79
x Kootenay Ice	72	35	29	2	6	220	224	78
x Lethbridge Hurricanes	72	35	32	3	2	227	228	75
x Edmonton Oil Kings	72	29	34	4	5	191	252	67
Prince Albert Raiders	72	31	36	4	1	233	270	67
Regina Pats	72	27	39	1	5	228	265	60
Red Deer Rebels	72	25	37	1	9	172	250	60
Moose Jaw Warriors	72	19	50	1	2	198	352	41

x - clinched playoff spot, z - clinched best conference record

Western Conference[31]	GP	W	L	OTL	SL	GF	GA	Pts.
x Vancouver Giants	72	57	10	2	3	319	151	119
x Tri-City Americans	72	49	20	0	3	263	184	101
x Kelowna Rockets	72	47	21	1	3	267	178	98
x Spokane Chiefs	72	46	23	0	3	244	145	95
x Seattle Thunderbirds	72	35	32	1	4	222	234	75
x Kamloops Blazers	72	33	33	2	4	242	277	72
x Everett Silvertips	72	27	36	7	2	199	259	63
x Prince George Cougars	72	25	44	0	3	188	298	53
Chilliwack Bruins	72	19	46	2	5	154	267	45
Portland Winter Hawks	72	19	48	3	2	176	288	43

x - clinched playoff spot, z - clinched best conference record

Scoring leaders

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts. = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes

Player[32]	Team	GP	G	A	Pts.	PIM
Casey Pierro-Zabotel	Vancouver Giants	72	36	79	115	52
Brandon Kozun	Calgary Hitmen	72	40	68	108	58
Brett Sonne	Calgary Hitmen	62	48	52	100	58
Evander Kane	Vancouver Giants	61	48	48	96	89
Justin Bernhardt	Prince Albert Raiders	72	35	57	92	104
Colin Long	Kelowna Rockets	68	33	58	91	28
Brayden Schenn	Brandon Wheat Kings	70	32	56	88	82
Joel Broda	Calgary Hitmen	67	53	34	87	64
C. J. Stretch	Kamloops Blazers	72	29	57	86	72
Tyler Ennis	Medicine Hat Tigers	61	43	42	85	21

Goaltending leaders

Note: GP = Games played; Mins = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OTL = Overtime losses; SOL = Shootout Losses; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average; Sv% = Save percentage

Player [33]	Team	GP	Mins	W	L	OTL	SOL	SO	GAA	Sv%
Dustin Tokarski	Spokane Chiefs	54	3264	34	18	0	2	7	1.97	.937
Adam Brown	Kelowna Rockets	29	1514	18	5	0	1	2	2.02	.912
Martin Jones	Calgary Hitmen	55	3295	45	5	3	1	7	2.08	.915
Tyson Sexsmith	Vancouver Giants	52	3109	39	9	2	2	6	2.26	.898
Chet Pickard	Tri-City Americans	50	2947	35	12	0	3	6	2.28	.921
Mark Guggenberger	Kelowna Rockets*	49	2717	29	14	1	2	3	2.41	.915
Torrie Jung	Edmonton Oil Kings	48	2809	20	20	3	5	3	2.56	.912
Braden Holtby	Saskatoon Blades	61	3571	40	16	2	2	6	2.62	.910
Juha Metsola	Lethbridge Hurricanes	53	3086	25	21	3	2	5	2.80	.907
Andrew Hayes	Brandon Wheat Kings	46	2638	30	11	2	1	3	2.84	.901

* - Previously played for Saskatoon Blades.

Players

2008 NHL Entry Draft

In total, 37 WHL players were selected at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.^[8] This was more than any other hockey league in the world.^[34]

2008 NHL Entry Draft (WHL draftees)

1st Round # Nat. Player Age WHL team NHL team 5 Luke Schenn 18 Kelowna Rockets Toronto Maple Leafs 11 Kyle Beach 18 Everett Silvertips Chicago Blackhawks 12 Tyler Myers 18 Kelowna Rockets Buffalo Sabres 13 Colten Teubert 18 Regina Pats Los Angeles Kings 14 Zach Boychuk 18 Lethbridge Hurricanes Carolina Hurricanes 18 Chet Pickard 18 Tri-City Americans Nashville Predators 19 Luca Sbisa 18 Lethbridge Hurricanes Philadelphia Flyers 22 Jordan Eberle 18 Regina Pats Edmonton Oilers 26 Tyler Ennis 18 Medicine Hat Tigers Buffalo Sabres 2nd Round # Nat. Player Age WHL team NHL team 46 Colby Robak 18 Brandon Wheat Kings Florida Panthers 48 Mitch Wahl 18 Spokane Chiefs Calgary Flames 53 Travis Hamonic 18 Moose Jaw Warriors New York Islanders 57 Eric Mestery 18 Tri-City Americans Washington Capitals 3rd Round # Nat. Player Age WHL team NHL team 69 Michael Stone 18 Calgary Hitmen Phoenix Coyotes 72 Jyri Niemi 18 Saskatoon Blades New York Islanders 78 Lance Bouma 18 Vancouver Giants Calgary Flames 79 Zack Smith 20 Swift Current Broncos Ottawa Senators 84 Jacob DeSerres 18 Seattle Thunderbirds Philadelphia Flyers 85 Brandon McMillan 18 Kelowna Rockets Anaheim Ducks 87 Ian Schultz 18 Calgary Hitmen St. Louis Blues 88 Geordie Wudrick 18 Swift Current Broncos Los Angeles Kings 4th Round # Nat. Player Age WHL team NHL team 93 Braden Holtby 18 Saskatoon Blades Washington Capitals 99 Colin Long 18 Kelowna Rockets Phoenix Coyotes 111 Dale Weise 18 Swift Current Broncos New York Rangers 112 Matt Delahey 18 Regina Pats New Jersey Devils 117 James Wright 18 Vancouver Giants Tampa Bay Lightning 5th Round # Nat. Player Age WHL team NHL team 122 Dustin Tokarski 18 Spokane Chiefs Tampa Bay Lightning 127 Matt Calvert 18 Brandon Wheat Kings Columbus Blue Jackets 131 Prab Rai 18 Seattle Thunderbirds Vancouver Canucks 132 Teigan Zahn 18 Saskatoon Blades Chicago Blackhawks 137 Brent Regner 18 Vancouver Giants Columbus Blue Jackets 144 Joel Broda 18 Moose Jaw Warriors Washington Capitals 6th Round # Nat. Player Age WHL team NHL team 156 Jared Spurgeon 18 Spokane Chiefs New York Islanders 168 Ryley Grantham 18 Moose Jaw Warriors Calgary Flames 176 Matt Tassone 18 Swift Current Broncos Dallas Stars 7th Round # Nat. Player Age WHL team NHL team 191 Morgan Clark 18 Red Deer Rebels Vancouver Canucks 193 Jordan Bendfeld 18 Medicine Hat Tigers Edmonton Oilers

Contracts and scholarships

• June 6, 2008 — Brett Martyniuk signs a WHL Players Contract with the Tri-City Americans.^[35]
• June 9, 2008 — Bretton Stamler agrees to play for the UNB Varsity Reds hockey club.^[36]

Trades

Date	Deal made
June 3, 2008	Red Deer Rebels	Seattle Thunderbirds
	Mike Krgovich → 5th round pick →	← Steve Oursov
	RD trades Krgovich and conditional 5th round pick in the 2010 WHL Bantam Draft – SEA trades Oursov.[37]
June 12, 2008	Tri-City Americans	Swift Current Broncos
	5th round pick →	← Scott Macauley
	TC trades conditional 5th round pick in the 2009 WHL Bantam Draft – SC trades Macauley.[38]
September 20, 2008	Kootenay Ice	Kelowna Rockets
	Kris Lazaruk →	← 4th round pick
	KTN trades Lazaruk – KEL trades conditional 4th round pick in the 2010 WHL Bantam Draft.[39]
September 22, 2008	Tri-City Americans	Moose Jaw Warriors
	Kyle Birch →	← 5th round pick
	TC trades Birch – MJ trades conditional 5th round pick in the 2011 WHL Bantam Draft.[40]
September 27, 2008	Lethbridge Hurricanes	Edmonton Oil Kings
	7th round pick →	← Brent Henke
	LET trades 7th round pick in the 2009 WHL Bantam Draft – EDM trades Henke.[41]
September 29, 2008	Brandon Wheat Kings	Kamloops Blazers
	3rd round pick →	← James Priestner
	BDN trades 3rd round pick in the 2009 WHL Bantam Draft – KAM trades Priestner.[42]

Canada Russia Challenge

The ADT Canada Russia Challenge is a six-game series featuring four teams: three from the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) versus Russia's National Junior hockey team. Within the Canadian Hockey League umbrella, one team from each of its three leagues — the Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and Western Hockey League — compete in two games against the Russian junior team.

“	The ADT Canada Russia Challenge has become a highlight on the CHL schedule and we are very proud to be associated with it. These two nations have such a storied hockey history that fans from across the country tune in expecting to see a hard fought series. We expect nothing short of world class hockey this November that hockey fans from across the country won’t want to miss.	”
	— Joe O’Connell, Regional Vice-President of Canada[43]

The 2008 ADT Canada Russia Challenge was held in six cities across Canada, with two cities for each league within the Canadian Hockey League. The series begun on November 17, 2008, and concluded on November 27, 2008.^[43] Both Western Hockey League games were held in the province of Saskatchewan. Former Prince Albert Raider forward Dan Hodgson was Honorary Captain for the final game in the series, held in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan on November 27, 2008.^[44]

All six games were televised nationwide on Rogers Sportsnet, along with RDS broadcasting both games from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.^[45][46]

Results

In the first game of the two part series between Team QMJHL and the Russian Selects, Team QMJHL scored five goals en route to a 5–3 win in front of 4,378 fans at Centre 200 in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Kmitri Kugryshev of the Russian Selects and goaltender Olivier Roy of Team QMJHL, were named the ADT Players of the Game for their respective teams.^[47] The Russian Selects evened the ADT Canada Russia Challenge, winning the second game after having registered four goals in a 4–3 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 6,451 assembled at Harbour Station in Saint John, New Brunswick.^[48]

#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Attendance	Location	Recap
1	November 17, 2008	Russian Selects	3–5	Team QMJHL	4,378	Sydney, Nova Scotia
2	November 19, 2008	Russian Selects	4–3	Team QMJHL	6,451	Saint John, New Brunswick
3	November 20, 2008	Russian Selects	6–3	Team OHL	4,751	Guelph, Ontario
4	November 24, 2008	Russian Selects	2–3	Team OHL	3,145	St. Catharines, Ontario
5	November 26, 2008	Russian Selects	0–5	Team WHL	2,800	Swift Current, Saskatchewan
6	November 27, 2008	Russian Selects	1–2	Team WHL	2,749	Prince Albert, Saskatchewan

2009 WHL Playoffs

Overview

	Conference Quarter-finals					Conference Semi-finals					Conference Finals					WHL Championship
	1	Calgary	4
	8	Edmonton	0
						1	Calgary	4
						7	Lethbridge	0
	2	Saskatoon	3
	7	Lethbridge	4
											1	Calgary	4
	Eastern
											3	Brandon	0
	3	Brandon	4
	6	Kootenay	0
						3	Brandon	4
						5	Medicine Hat	0
	4	Swift Current	3
	5	Medicine Hat	4
																E1	Calgary	2
																W3	Kelowna	4
	1	Vancouver	4
	8	Prince George	0
						1	Vancouver	4
						4	Spokane	3
	4	Spokane	4
	5	Seattle	1
											1	Vancouver	2
	Western
											3	Kelowna	4
	2	Tri-City	4
	7	Everett	1
						2	Tri-City	2
						3	Kelowna	4
	3	Kelowna	4
	6	Kamloops	0

Conference Quarter-finals

Eastern Conference

(1) Calgary vs. (8) Edmonton Date Away Score Home March 19 Edmonton 0–5 Calgary March 22 Edmonton 1–2 OT Calgary March 23 Calgary 4–1 Edmonton March 25 Calgary 4–1 Edmonton Calgary wins 4–0	(2) Saskatoon vs. (7) Lethbridge Date Away Score Home March 20 Lethbridge 1–5 Saskatoon March 21 Lethbridge 5–2 Saskatoon March 24 Saskatoon 3–1 Lethbridge March 25 Saskatoon 1–2 Lethbridge March 28 Lethbridge 3–1 Saskatoon March 30 Saskatoon 5–1 Lethbridge April 1 Lethbridge 4–3 Saskatoon Lethbridge wins 4–3
(3) Brandon vs. (6) Kootenay Date Away Score Home March 20 Kootenay 2–7 Brandon March 21 Kootenay 1–4 Brandon March 24 Brandon 4–3 OT Kootenay March 25 Brandon 4–3 Kootenay Brandon wins 4–0	(4) Swift Current vs. (5) Medicine Hat Date Away Score Home March 20 Medicine Hat 2–4 Swift Current March 21 Medicine Hat 6–2 Swift Current March 24 Swift Current 5–2 Medicine Hat March 25 Swift Current 3–5 Medicine Hat March 27 Medicine Hat 3–5 Swift Current March 29 Swift Current 0–3 Medicine Hat March 31 Medicine Hat 4–1 Swift Current Medicine Hat wins 4–3

Western Conference

(1) Vancouver vs. (8) Prince George Date Away Score Home March 20 Prince George 2–8 Vancouver March 21 Prince George 1–9 Vancouver March 24 Vancouver 3–2 OT Prince George March 25 Vancouver 3–2 Prince George Vancouver wins 4–0	(2) Tri-City vs. (7) Everett Date Away Score Home March 20 Everett 5–6 OT Tri-City March 21 Everett 3–2 Tri-City March 25 Tri-City 4–2 Everett March 27 Tri-City 4–1 Everett March 28 Everett 1–6 Tri-City Tri-City wins 4–1
(3) Kelowna vs. (6) Kamloops Date Away Score Home March 20 Kamloops 2–4 Kelowna March 21 Kamloops 1–5 Kelowna March 24 Kelowna 3–2 OT Kamloops March 25 Kelowna 5–2 Kamloops Kelowna wins 4–0	(4) Spokane vs. (5) Seattle Date Away Score Home March 20 Seattle 1–2 Spokane March 21 Seattle 2–1 Spokane March 24 Spokane 5–1 Seattle March 25 Spokane 3–2 Seattle March 28 Seattle 3–5 Spokane Spokane wins 4–1

Conference Semi-finals

Eastern Conference
(1) Calgary vs. (7) Lethbridge Date Away Score Home April 3 Lethbridge 1–7 Calgary April 5 Lethbridge 1–2 Calgary April 7 Calgary 4–2 Lethbridge April 8 Calgary 6–0 Lethbridge Calgary wins 4–0	(3) Brandon vs. (5) Medicine Hat Date Away Score Home April 4 Brandon 6–3 Medicine Hat April 5 Brandon 8–6 Medicine Hat April 8 Medicine Hat 1–6 Brandon April 10 Medicine Hat 2–6 Brandon Brandon wins 4–0

Western Conference
(1) Vancouver vs. (4) Spokane Date Away Score Home April 3 Spokane 1–3 Vancouver April 5 Spokane 1–4 Vancouver April 7 Vancouver 2–5 Spokane April 8 Vancouver 0–1 Spokane April 10 Spokane 3–2 4OT Vancouver April 12 Vancouver 3–2 2OT Spokane April 14 Spokane 0–1 OT Vancouver Vancouver wins 4–3	(2) Tri-City vs. (3) Kelowna Date Away Score Home April 3 Kelowna 3–4 Tri-City April 4 Kelowna 2–3 Tri-City April 7 Tri-City 2–7 Kelowna April 8 Tri-City 3–4 OT Kelowna April 10 Kelowna 5–2 Tri-City April 12 Tri-City 2–6 Kelowna Kelowna wins 4–2

Conference Finals

Eastern Conference	Western Conference
(1) Calgary vs. (3) Brandon Date Away Score Home April 17 Brandon 3–9 Calgary April 19 Brandon 4–5 Calgary April 21 Calgary 4–3 OT Brandon April 22 Calgary 6–4 Brandon Calgary wins 4–0	(1) Vancouver vs. (3) Kelowna Date Away Score Home April 18 Kelowna 4–2 Vancouver April 19 Kelowna 3–4 OT Vancouver April 21 Vancouver 3–2 Kelowna April 23 Vancouver 0–3 Kelowna April 25 Kelowna 1–0 Vancouver April 27 Vancouver 4–5 OT Kelowna Kelowna wins 4–2

WHL Championship

Calgary vs. Kelowna Date Away Score Home May 1 Kelowna 3–1 Calgary May 2 Kelowna 5–2 Calgary May 4 Calgary 0–2 Kelowna May 6 Calgary 6–2 Kelowna May 7 Kelowna 1–6 Calgary May 9 Calgary 2–3 OT Kelowna Kelowna wins 4–2

Memorial Cup

The 91st MasterCard Memorial Cup was held in Rimouski, Quebec.^{[3][4][5][49]}

WHL awards

Regular season Champions	Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy	Calgary Hitmen
Player of the Year	Four Broncos Memorial Trophy	Brett Sonne	Calgary Hitmen
Top Scorer	Bob Clarke Trophy	Casey Pierro-Zabotel	Vancouver Giants
Top Defenseman	Bill Hunter Trophy	Jonathon Blum	Vancouver Giants
Rookie of the Year	Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy	Brett Connolly	Prince George Cougars
Top Goaltender	Del Wilson Trophy	Chet Pickard	Tri-City Americans
Top Plus-Minus Rating	WHL Plus-Minus Award	Paul Postma	Calgary Hitmen
Most Sportsmanlike Player	Brad Hornung Trophy	Tyler Ennis	Medicine Hat Tigers
Scholastic Player of the Year	Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Trophy	Stefan Elliott	Saskatoon Blades
Coach of the Year	Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy	Don Hay	Vancouver Giants
Executive of the Year	Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy	Kelly Kisio	Calgary Hitmen
Top Official	Allen Paradice Memorial Trophy	Chris Savage
Marketing/Public Relations Award	St. Clair Group Trophy	Mike Bortolussi	Medicine Hat Tigers
Humanitarian of the Year	Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy	Taylor Procyshen	Tri-City Americans
WHL Finals Most Valuable Player	AirBC Trophy	Tyler Myers	Kelowna Rockets
Alumni Achievement Awards	Professional Hockey Achievement Academic Recipient	Trevor Linden Dan Hulak

• Source WHL Announces 2008-09 Award Winners

All-Star Teams

Western Conference

First Team		Position	Second Team
Player	Team		Player	Team
Chet Pickard	Tri-City Americans	G	Dustin Tokarski	Spokane Chiefs
Jonathon Blum*	Vancouver Giants	D	Tyler Myers	Kelowna Rockets
Thomas Hickey	Seattle Thunderbirds	D	Brent Regner	Vancouver Giants
Casey Pierro-Zabotel*	Vancouver Giants	F	Drayson Bowman	Spokane Chiefs
Jamie Benn	Kelowna Rockets	F	Colin Long	Kelowna Rockets
Evander Kane	Vancouver Giants	F	Taylor Procyshen	Tri-City Americans

Eastern Conference

First team		Pos.	Second team
Player	Team		Player	Team
Braden Holtby †	Saskatoon Blades	G	Martin Jones	Calgary Hitmen
Paul Postma †	Calgary Hitmen	D	Michael Stone	Calgary Hitmen
Keith Aulie	Brandon Wheat Kings	D	John Negrin	Swift Current Broncos
Brett Sonne †	Calgary Hitmen	F	Joel Broda	Calgary Hitmen
Brandon Kozun	Calgary Hitmen	F	Justin Bernhardt	Prince Albert Raiders
Tyler Ennis	Medicine Hat Tigers	F	Brayden Schenn	Brandon Wheat Kings

^† Unanimous selection

• Source: WHL Announces 2008–09 Conference All-Star Teams and Award Finalists

See also

• 2009 Memorial Cup
• List of WHL seasons
• 2008–09 OHL season
• 2008–09 QMJHL season
• 2008 NHL Entry Draft
• 2008 in ice hockey
• 2009 in ice hockey

References

Bibliography

Books

Online

External links

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