Blades’ Dawson Davidson named CHL Player of the Week
Toronto, ON – The Canadian Hockey League today announced that Saskatoon Blades defenceman Dawson Davidson is the CHL Player of the Week for the regular season week ending October 7 with eight points in four games including one goal and seven assists along with a plus-minus rating of plus-6.
Davidson leads the CHL in scoring among defencemen following a week where a trio of multi-point performances helped spark three straight wins for the Blades lifting them into second place in the WHL’s Eastern Conference standings with a 6-2-0-0 record. The three Blades wins came at the end of a four-game Alberta road trip that began last Tuesday night with a 5-4 loss to the Red Deer Rebels with Davidson tallying two assists. The next night in Edmonton, Davidson matched a season-high with a goal and two assists earning third star honours in a 5-3 victory that handed the Oil Kings their first loss of the season. His weekend included one assist as part of a 3-0 win over the Calgary Hitmen on Friday, then two assists as second star of a 3-2 shootout win over the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Saturday. Davidson’s point total last week included four even strength marks and four on special teams including three with the man advantage. He is the second member of the Blades to earn CHL Player of the Week honours in three weeks this season following forward Kirby Dach.
A 20-year-old from Moosomin, Sask., Davidson is playing in his fifth WHL season since joining the league as a third round pick of the Kamloops Blazers in the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft. The majority of his career was spent in Kamloops playing 124 games for the Blazers before a trade led him to the Regina Pats where he finished the 2016-17 campaign and started 2017-18. Since being acquired by the Blades last season his tenure has included 34 games where he amassed 28 points including two goals and 10 assists for 12 points in eight games this season.
Also considered for the award this week was fellow overage defenceman Gabriel Bilodeau of the Gatineau Olympiques who scored once with four assists for five points in a trio of victories. In the OHL, Philadelphia Flyers prospect Isaac Ratcliffe of the Guelph Storm scored three goals and two assists for five points in a pair of wins.
2018-19 CHL Players of the Week – Regular Season:
Oct. 1 – Oct. 7: Dawson Davidson (Saskatoon Blades)
Sept. 24 – Sept. 30: Luka Burzan (Brandon Wheat Kings)
Sept. 19 – Sept. 23: Kirby Dach (Saskatoon Blades)
Giants’ Trent Miner named Vaughn CHL Goaltender of the Week
Toronto, ON – The Canadian Hockey League today announced that Vancouver Giants rookie Trent Miner is the Vaughn CHL Goaltender of the Week for the regular season week ending October 7 after posting a 2-0-0-0 record including a shutout victory with a goals-against-average of 1.00 and save percentage of .964.
Miner turned aside 54 shots across his first two starts of the 2018-19 WHL season helping the Giants extend their winning-streak to four games putting them in a first place tie atop the Western Conference standings with a 6-1-0-0 record. On Wednesday night he earned his first career shutout with a 21-save performance and third star honours blanking the Kelowna Rockets by a 5-0 score on the road. He followed that effort with 33 saves on Saturday night in Prince George including 14 stops in the third period alone to preserve a 3-2 victory over the Cougars.
A 17-year-old from Brandon, Man., Miner was chosen 20th overall by the Giants in the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft. His two games this season follow his WHL debut of a year ago where he appeared in nine regular season games and carried a 3-4-0-0 record with a goals-against-average of 4.20 and save percentage of .885. He also appeared in three playoff contests and earned a victory in Game 1 of the first round series against the Victoria Royals. Miner is eligible for the 2019 NHL Draft.
Also considered for the award this week was Buffalo Sabres prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen who made 99 saves for a goals-against-average of 1.66 and save percentage of .952 winning all three games of a Sudbury Wolves road trip. In the QMJHL, Alexis Shank of the Chicoutimi Sagueneens went 1-0-0-1 with a shutout victory stopping 40 shots in total for a goals-against-average of 0.96 and save percentage of .952.
2018-19 Vaughn CHL Goaltenders of the Week – Regular Season:
Oct. 1 – Oct. 7: Trent Miner (Vancouver Giants)
Sept. 24 – Sept. 30: Luke Richardson (Kitchener Rangers)
Sept. 19 – Sept. 23: Hunter Jones (Peterborough Petes)
OHL Writers 