SIJHL names this season’s hockey award winners

Press Release

THUNDER BAY, Ont.– The SIJHL announced yesterday that Ryan Howe of the Red Lake Miners has been named its Rookie of the Year for the 2019-20 season, in voting completed by each of its member clubs.

Howe earned league the laurels over fellow nominees, Nikolas Campbell of the Thunder Bay North Stars and Amraj Gill of the Dryden GM Ice Dogs.

A solid initial campaign in the SIJHL saw Howe play at over a point-per-game pace with the Miners as he accumulated 58 points in 55 outings on 20 tallies and 38 assists.

The Caledon, Ont. native, who turned 19 in late January, saw his numbers pace all league rookies and had him finish fifth overall, among all SIJHL skaters, in offensive production.

This marks the second consecutive year a member of the Miners’ organization has won this award as Howe joins Bryce Young, who accomplished the feat in 2018-19, as a recipient.

Last Wednesday, the league announced that Thunder Bay North Stars’ forward Cody Bruchkowski had been named the SIJHL’s Mallon’s Corporate Impressions/Play It Again Sports Most Valuable Player for the 2019-20 season.

Bruchkowski earned the accolades over fellow MVP finalists Zach Willms of the Red Lake Miners and Jack Michels of the Thief River Falls Norskies, in voting completed by each of the league’s member clubs.

The 20-year-old Cochenour, Ont. product becomes the fourth North Stars’ player in SIJHL history to garner the laurels, joining Daniel Del Paggio (2013-14), two-time recipient Trevor Gamache (2009-10 & 2010-11) and Nathan Breukelman (2004-05).

Bruchkowski has had a tremendous campaign, racking up 58 goals and assisting on 36 others for 94 points while helping his side wrap-up the league’s regular season title before the season was officially cancelled on Friday by the Canadian Junior Hockey League due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

His goal total with Thunder Bay ties him for the most in the entire CJHL this season and, once adding in the five he collected with the Brockville Braves (CCHL), he has scored the most markers in the 131-team CJHL with 63.

In 50 outings since joining the North Stars, he was only held off the game sheet on four occasions.

The 58 goals Bruchkowski scored this season is the third-highest total for a single campaign in a league tenure.

He also finished just two goals shy of the 60 Bryce Young produced for the Red Lake Miners last season. Kory McEwen holds the all-time SIJHL single-season goal scoring record with the 69 he supplied for the North Stars back in 2005-06.

With the MVP honour, Bruchkowski became the SIJHL’s nominee for the CJHL Player of the Year Award.

Last Tuesday, the SIJHL also announced the finalists for its other awards.

Voting for each of these honours also was completed by each member club in the SIJHL.