SAM REINHART NAMED WHL PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Calgary, AB - The Western Hockey League today announced at its annual Awards Luncheon that Sam Reinhart, captain of the Kootenay Ice, has been named the 2013-14 WHL Player of the Year and the recipient of the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy.

An 18-year-old Vancouver, B.C., native, Reinhart was a dominant player for the Kootenay Ice during the 2013-14 WHL regular season, leading the Ice to a 39-28-2-3 record and a fifth-place finish in the Eastern Conference while helping the Club set a new WHL record with their 15th consecutive campaign with a record of .500 or better.  Reinhart scored 36 goals and 69 assists for 105 points along with a +24 rating in 60 games. 

Reinhart’s 105 points tied him for fourth in WHL scoring while his 69 assists placed him second among all WHL players and established a new Kootenay Ice record for assists in a single season.  In addition, Reinhart led the Ice with six game-winning goals and two shorthanded goals.  Reinhart’s consistency during the 2013-14 regular season was remarkable as he was held off the score sheet just nine times, was only held without a point in back-to-back games once, and enjoyed a WHL-best 22-game point streak.  Reinhart’s importance to Kootenay’s success this season is evident in the fact that he factored in on 45% of his team’s entire offensive output, and that the Ice lost all nine games in which he dressed but failed to register a point.

Selected by Kootenay in the first round, 15th overall, in the 2010 WHL Bantam Draft, Reinhart has played 203 career regular-season games for the Ice, amassing 101 goals and 254 points with a +52 rating.  The 2011-12 WHL Rookie of the Year, Reinhart is considered a top prospect for the 2014 NHL Draft.

Reinhart is the first player in the history of the Kootenay Ice franchise to be named WHL Player of the Year. 

Reinhart is the WHL nominee for CHL Player of the Year, which will be presented at the 2014 Canadian Hockey League Awards during the 2014 MasterCard Memorial Cup in London, Ontario, later in May.