CANADIAN JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
Media Update
Release date: Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Contact: Kirk Lamb, President
Canadian Junior Hockey League
(403) 650-9027 (P)
president@cjhlhockey.com (E)
Brooks Bandits Ryan Papaioannou named CJHL coach of the year
SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — Brooks Bandits head coach and general manager Ryan Papaioannou of the Alberta Junior Hockey League is the 2012-2013 CJHL Coach of the Year.
The announcement was made during the 2013 Royal Bank Cup Canadian National Jr. A championship being held in Summerside, P.E.I.
Papaioannou and the Brooks Bandits compiled a record breaking season in 2012-13. The Bandits won the Dave Duchak Trophy as the 2012-2013 AJHL Regular Season Champions for the second consecutive season after completing the regular season with a record of 53-4-3 and 109 points. The Bandits set new AJHL records for Most Wins in a Single Season and Most Points in a Single Season and also tied the League Record for Fewest Losses in a Single Season.
The Canadian Junior Hockey League Top 20 Weekly Rankings posted the Brooks Bandits at number one for 21 consecutive weeks, beginning on October 1st, 2012.
Brooks completed the round robin segment of the 2013 Crescent Point Energy Western Canada Cup in top spot and eventually claimed one of two spots in the RBC Cup National Championship after finishing second in the Regional Championship. This is the first RBC Cup appearance in franchise history for Papaioannou and the Bandits.
Last season, Papaioannou led the club to its first AJHL title at the age of 28. Ryan Papaioannou is in his third season as General Manager and Head Coach of the Brooks Bandits. He and his wife, Jordana, reside in the AJHL community of Brooks.
Finalists for the 2013 CJHL Coach of the Year Award were as follows:
Rod Aldoff, Minnesota Wilderness, SIJHL
Dean Brockman, Humboldt Broncos, SJHL
Don MacGillivray, Winnipeg Blues, MJHL
Billy McGuigan, Summerside Western Capitals, MHL
The Canadian Junior Hockey League created a new suite of National Awards for the 2012-13 season. The CJHL awards recognize individual success in the 10 Junior A leagues across Canada including, Most Valuable Player, Top Forward, Top Defenceman, Top Goaltender, Rookie of the Year, Top NHL Draft Prospect and Coach of the Year.
Each of the 10 leagues in the CJHL submitted a candidate for all of the League Awards. A representative from each Junior A league then ranked their top selections from among the 10 national nominees and the five nominees with the highest point total moved on as finalists to the final round of voting. The winners were then selected by a second and final point-based vote cast from all 10 league representatives.
