LLOYDMINSTER, Alta./Sask. – The 2016 RBC Cup, Canada's 46th National Junior A Championship, held its awards banquet Friday night at the Stockade Convention Centre. The recipients of all six individual awards were announced at the banquet.
The awards were based on the tournament's preliminary round, which ran from Saturday to Thursday.
The 2016 RBC Cup award winners are:
- Most Valuable Player (Roland Mercier Trophy) – Cale Makar (Brooks Bandits)
- Top Goaltender – Daniel Urbani (Trenton Golden Hawks)
- Top Forward – Bryce Van Horn (Carleton Place Canadians)
- Top Defenceman – Cale Makar (Brooks Bandits)
- Most Sportsmanlike Player (Tubby Schmalz Trophy) – Christian Lloyd (Lloydminster Bobcats)
- Top Scorer – Cale Makar (Brooks Bandits)
In addition, Penticton Vees forward Tyson Jost was presented with the 2016 RBC Canadian Junior Hockey League National Player of the Year award. The No. 16-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting for the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Jost finished his second season in Penticton with 42 goals and 104 points in 48 games, finishing third in BCHL scoring. The Vees captain was named BCHL MVP, and received Top Forward and MVP honours from the CJHL. He represented his country three times, winning gold with Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team and with Canada West at the World Junior A Challenge, where he was captain and MVP; and he played with Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team at the IIHF U18 World Championship, where he again wore the ‘C’ and broke Connor McDavid’s tournament record for points by a Canadian.
Brandon Grandinetti of the NOJHL’s Soo Thunderbirds was on-hand in Lloydminster to receive the RBC National Junior A Scholarship. Grandinetti was chosen from 10 finalists – one from each of the Canadian Junior Hockey League’s member leagues – to receive the $5,000 national scholarship. A third-year defenceman with the Thunderbirds, Grandinetti set career highs in goals, assists and points while helping the Soo to within one win of a return trip to the RBC Cup. He just finished his second year as a biology major at Algoma University in Sault Ste. Marie, and has his sights set on a post-secondary institution where he can continue his on-ice career while pursuing a career as a chiropractor and physiotherapist.
The RBC Cup Legacy Scholarships were also handed out at the awards banquet. Established following the 2004 RBC Cup in Grande Prairie, Alta., and grown through successful National Junior A Championships in Weyburn, Sask., Prince George, B.C., and Cornwall, Ont., the $500 scholarships are awarded to one graduating 20-year-old player from each of the five participating teams.
The RBC Cup Legacy Scholarship winners are:
- Nicolas Carrier (Carleton Place Canadians)
- Adam Clements (Trenton Golden Hawks)
- Garrett Forster (West Kelowna Warriors)
- Derek Lodermeier (Brooks Bandits)
- Taylor Mulder (Lloydminster Bobcats)
The semifinals are set for Saturday as the Trenton Golden Hawks (3-0-1-0) will take on the Lloydminster Bobcats (0-1-0-3) at 2:30 p.m. MT, while the West Kelowna Warriors (2-1-0-1) will face the Brooks Bandits (3-0-0-1) in the late semifinal at 7:30 p.m. MT.
The championship game will be held Sunday, May 22, at 4 p.m. MT/6 p.m. ET and will air on TSN and RDS, Hockey Canada’s official broadcasters (check your local listings). The semifinals can be seen live via webcast at HockeyCanada.ca/RBCCup.