Penguins prospect Brayden Yager wins second WHL sportsmanship award
The Penguins’ 2023 first-round pick is the WHL’s Most Sportsmanlike Player for the second season in a row.
Brayden Yager, the Penguins’ No. 14 pick of the 2023 draft, has been named the WHL’s Most Sportsmanlike Player for the second year in a row.
The 19-year-old Moose Jaw Warriors forward is the sixth player in league history to claim the Brad Hornung Memorial Trophy in back-to-back seasons, according to the CHL.
He is the first to achieve the feat since Tyler Ennis, who won his second trophy in 2009 and went on to play 13 seasons in the NHL.
For the second straight season, Brayden Yager is the Brad Hornung Memorial Trophy winner as the WHL's Most Sportsmanlike Player!
— Moose Jaw Warriors (@MJWARRIORS) May 2, 2024
Read more ⏩ https://t.co/jMVNDRvyUH#WHLAwards | @penguins | #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/zrTTVRxKK3
The news comes amid the Warriors’ playoff run, in which Yager has been instrumental in leading the Warriors to the WHL’s 2024 Eastern Conference Championship.
Yager recorded an assist Friday night as the Warriors, which headed into the third period facing a four-goal deficit, mounted a comeback to force overtime by lost 5-4 to the Saskatoon Blades. The Blades now lead the series, 3-2.
On Wednesday, Yager scored twice in Moose Jaw’s Game 4 victory. Yager has so far totaled 10 goals in 11 postseason games.
Brayden Yager scored a pair of goals last night for Moose Jaw; 10th of the playoffs. Combined with the regular season & playoffs, Yager has compiled 45 goals pic.twitter.com/jIqnBX5Izi
— Jason Shetler (@Jason_Shetler) May 2, 2024
Yager’s 10 goals have included the 4-3 OT deciding tally in Game 1 of the series:
Brayden Yager is the overtime hero in his hometown!!#ProtectTheHangar | #WHLPlayoffs | #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/uWCYe6WOAV
— Moose Jaw Warriors (@MJWARRIORS) April 27, 2024
Yager is in his second season as an alternate captain for the Warriors.
During the regular season he ranked 15th among all WHL producers by racking up 95 points (35 goals, 60 asssists) in 57 games. That included three shorthanded strikes and six game-winners.
He accomplished those totals while recording just 20 penalty minutes, beating out only Warriors teammate Atley Calvert for the fewest PIM among the league’s top scorers.
Yager also recently played for Team Canada in the 2024 World Juniors in Sweden, where he recorded two goals and three assists through five games in his tournament debut.
It’s been a busy season for Yager, whom Penguins fans are likely to see again this fall during the 2024 preseason. Last season Yager scored a shootout goal against a split Columbus Blue Jackets squad during his preseason debut.