Phoenix Coyotes prospect Brendan Shinnimin has been named the CCM Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Player of the Year. Shinnimin also won the Chrysler Dodge Top Scorer of the Year award. Shinnimin is the first player to win both awards in the same year since Alexander Radulov in 2006, and Sidney Crosby in 2005.
"That thing was huge," Shinnimin said of the Player of the Year trophy. "I don't know where you'd put it if you got to keep it. It's starting to pile up with all of these plaques. To be recognized for how you play and how much you work and put into the game, it's nice to be honored with these awards. There are a lot of things that go into theses - coaches, teammates and management. It's a collective group of people that win these awards."
The 5-foot-10, 180 pound Shinnimin recorded 58-76-134 in 69 games with the Tri-City Americans (WHL) this season, earning him the Bob Clarke trophy as the WHL's leading regular season scorer. Shinnimin's 134 points marks the highest point total for a WHL player since the Pavel Brendl (Calgary) recorded 134 points during the 1998-99 season.
In 14 postseason games, he produced 7-16-23, including three game-winning goals, leading the Americans to the Western Conference Final. Shinnimin was named the Americans' 2012 playoff most valuable player for the second consecutive season. He finished his WHL career as the Americans' all-time leading postseason scorer (19-45-64), passing Coyotes forward, Daymond Langkow (59 pts.)
Shinnimin was named the Western Hockey League's (WHL) Player of the Year on May 2. He signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Coyotes on March 2.