Gavin McKenna third-youngest to win CHL player of year award
TORONTO — Gavin McKenna has etched his name into the history books.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers' superstar forward was named the David Branch Player of the Year at the Canadian Hockey League Awards on Friday.
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McKenna is the third-youngest player to ever win the award at 17 years, five months, 24 days old. Only Sidney Crosby in 2003-04 (16 years, nine months, 11 days) and John Tavares in 2006-07 (16 years, eight months, seven days) were younger.
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The player from Whitehorse, Yukon, had 129 points (41 goals, 88 assists) in 56 regular-season games, including a 40-game point streak.
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He extended that streak to 54 games during the Western Hockey League playoffs, establishing a modern CHL record (since 2000) for the longest single-season point streak across the regular season, playoffs, and Memorial Cup.
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McKenna led Medicine Hat to its first WHL title since 2007 and to the Memorial Cup final, where the Tigers fell to the London Knights. He was second in Memorial Cup scoring with six points (three goals, three assists) in four games.
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Meanwhile, Landon DuPont became the second-youngest recipient of the rookie of the year award. The Everett Silvertips defenceman is just 16 years and 16 days old. Tavares won the award at 15 years, eight months and seven days.
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DuPont, from Calgary, is the first blueliner in 30 years _ and just the third in CHL history after Philippe Boucher (1990-91) and Bryan Berard (1994-95) — to earn the honour. Dupont had 60 points (17 goals, 43 assists) in 64 games.
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Saginaw Spirit forward Michael Misa was honoured as top scorer after leading the CHL with 134 points (62 goals, 72 assists) in 65 games. Erie Otters blueliner Matthew Schaefer was named the top prospect award winner being the No. 1-ranked North American skater according to NHL Central Scouting.
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Other award winners included the Knights' Sam Dickinson as defenceman of the year, Jackson Parsons of the Kitchener Rangers as the goaltender of the year, Berkly Catton of the Spokane Chiefs as sportsman of the year, Mathieu Cataford of the Rimouski Oceanic as scholastic player of the year, and Maxwell Jardine of the Charlottetown Islanders as humanitarian player of the year.
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