(Graphic courtesy/SJHL, Facebook)

By Ben Tompkins

SJHL Yearly Awards

Broncos’ Bell win Saskatchewan Player of the Year, Mustangs and Hawks fall just short in other categories

Mar 20, 2024 | 7:00 PM

The 2023/34 SJHL awards were announced Wednesday afternoon, just two days ahead of the start of playoffs.

Of the three northeast teams, only one player walked away with hardware, despite many nominations.

After his impressive season with the Humboldt Broncos, Spencer Bell was named the Saskatchewan Player of the Year.

The Warman, Sask. product put up a league-high 47 goals, along with 41 assists, as his 88 total points put him second behind only Kian Bell of the Battlefords North Stars.

Bell, a 2003-born forward, is in his second year with the Broncos and recently committed to NCAA Div I hockey for next season.

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The six-foot, 190-pounder was also up for MVP and Forward of the Year but lost out to Kian Bell, who won both awards for the second straight year.

Meanwhile, Bell’s teammate Matthew Van Blaricom was also up for the Saskatchewan Player of the Year, while Travis Bryson lost the Rookie of the Year award to Carson Olsen.

As for the Melfort Mustangs, they had three players up for four different awards, just missing out on each of them.

Netminder James Venne lost out on the MVP award and was beaten by Harmon Laser-Hume of the Flin Flon Bombers for Goaltender of the Year.

Venne’s teammate Chase Friedt-Mohr also lost to a Flin Flon Bomber, as Noah Houle captured the Defencemen of the Year.

Finally, Melfort native Zac Somers was up for the Most Sportsmanlike Player of the Year, which went to Mason Bueckert of the La Ronge Ice Wolves, who captured the lone award that didn’t go to a top-four team.

The Mustangs were the only top-four team in the SJHL standings to not win an award.

For the Nipawin Hawks, just one player was nominated for an award, Evan Forrest, for the Most Sportsmanlike Player.

The final award also went to a Flin Flon Bomber, as Mike Reagan was deemed the Coach of the Year.

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On X @BenTompkins_8