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Kootenay Ice name top playoff player

Sam Reinhart also nominated for Eastern Conference Player of the Year
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Trevor Gordon

Kootenay Ice captain Sam Reinhart picked up the final team award last week, being named the Boston Pizza Top Playoff Performer for the 2014 WHL post-season.

Reinhart, who is coming off a career year with the team in the regular season, continues to lead the WHL in points at 23 even though the Ice were eliminated in Game Seven last week against the Medicine Hat Tigers.

In 13 games, the Ice captain picked up six goals and 17 assists for 23 points. Oliver Bjorkstrand and Trevor Cox, with the Portland Winterhawks and the Tigers, respectively, are one point behind.

Reinhart and his linemates ran rampant over the Calgary Hitmen in the first round series, as he and Jaedon Descheneau both picked up 17 points.

The Tigers proved to be a tougher challenge in the second round, and were able to hold the Ice captain to six points in seven games.

Descheneau was the runner up to Reinhart in team post-season scoring, finishing with 10 goals and 20 points. Jagger Dirk was third, and was also the top scoring Ice defenceman with 16 points.

Eastern Conference nominee

On Friday, the WHL released their nominees for player of the year, with Sam Reinhart picking up the honour for the Eastern Conference.

He will go up against Mitch Holmberg of the Spokane Chiefs, who is the Western Conference nominee.

The winner will be announced on April 30th at a league awards luncheon in Calgary.

In addition to the player of the year nod, Reinhart is also nominated for the Most Sportsmanlike Player of the Year award, and will coincidentally go up against Holmberg again for the award.

Reinhart, at 18 years old, scored 36 goals and tallied 105 points in 62 regular season games in the WHL this year. His 69 assists broke a franchise record previously set by alumni and LA Kings forward Jarret Stoll in 2001.

He was held off the scoresheet only nine times this season, and enjoyed a league-leading 22-game point streak. With a team total of 235 goals scored in 72 games, Reinhart's 105-point total puts him in 45 per cent of Kootenay's offensive output.

Holmberg, one of Spokane's overage players this year, finished the season leading his team and the league with 62 goals and 118 points. He is only the second player since 2001 to break the 60-goal mark during a season.

Following Spokane's first-round exit, the free agent joined the Oklahoma City Barons of the AHL.



Trevor Crawley

About the Author: Trevor Crawley

Trevor Crawley has been a reporter with the Cranbrook Townsman and Black Press in various roles since 2011.
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