2008-09 Central Hockey League award finalists announced

Three Texas Brahmas among those receiving consideration

The Central Hockey League announced today the five finalists for each of the four significant CHL awards as selected by the CHL front office following nominations from member clubs. Three members of the 2008-09 Texas Brahmas were included on the list.

Balloting will take place among CHL Head Coaches, team Communications Departments and selected media members to determine the recipients of the CHL’s Most Valuable Player, Most Outstanding Goaltender, Most Outstanding Defenseman and Rookie of the Year awards.

5th year forward Scott Sheppard was listed among the Most Valuable Player candidates. Sheppard, 25, leads the Brahmas in scoring this season with 63 points (31 G, 32 A) and 75 penalty minutes. He has a +/- rating of +19. The Selkirk, Ontario native has scored 14 powerplay goals (4th in the league), 17 powerplay assists, 1 short-handed goal, 1 shorthanded assist and 6 game-winning goals. He leads in scoring at the NYTEX Sports Centre with 35 points (13 G, 22 A) and has a +15 rating at home.

Other candidates include Odessa’s Sebastien Thinel (the CHL’s leading scorer), Corpus Christi’s Chris Richards, Colorado’s Riley Nelson and Mississippi goaltender Kevin Beech.

5th year goaltender Brett Jaeger was listed among the Most Outstanding Goaltender candidates. Jaeger, 26, is listed 2nd in the league overall. With a 26-7-4-2 record, the Peace River, Alberta netminder has a 2.38 GAA and a .925 save percentage. He is 3rd in the league in wins (26).

Other candidates include Mississippi's Kevin Beech, Oklahoma City’s Doug Groenestege, Colorado’s Andrew Penner and Bossier-Shreveport’s Ken Carroll.

2nd year defenseman Kevin McLeod was listed among the Most Outstanding Defenseman candidates. McLeod, 24, has had an outstanding year. He leads Brahmas defensemen in scoring and is the teams' number four scorer overall with 44 points (18 G, 26 A), 87 penalty minutes and a +17 rating. The Calgary, Alberta native has tallied 10 powerplay goals, 12 powerplay assists, 1 short-handed assist and 5 game-winning goals.

Other candidates include Colorado’s Aaron Schneekloth, Odessa’s Russ Moyer, Bossier-Shreveport’s Dale Lupul and Amarillo’s Sam Ftorek.

Rookie of the Year honors will be determined amongst Laredo’s Darryl Smith, Odessa’s Jeff Pierce, New Mexico’s Torren Delforte, Rio Grande Valley’s Nicolas Dumoulin and Arizona’s Adam Perry.

Additional awards to be determined include Coach of the Year, Equipment Manager of the Year and Athletic Trainer of the Year, as determined by their CHL peers, along with six member All-CHL and All-Rookie teams. The CHL’s regular season point leader will receive the Joe Burton Scoring Champion award, while the CHL front office will determine the recipients of both the Man of the Year (for outstanding leadership and contributions to the community) and Rick Kozuback (perseverance, determination and commitment to hockey) awards based on nominations and supporting material from CHL member teams.

Photo Credits: Robert Keith