It was definitely a good winter for Virden’s Wyatt Kalynuk.
The Bloomington (Ill.) Thunder junior hockey player was recently named his team’s MVP, Top Defenceman, and Offensive Defenceman award winner. Kalynuk collected a career-high 31 points last winter. He also earned All-United States Hockey League Third Team honours.
He was one of a number of area competitors who recently received awards from their college, junior, and university teams. These included the following:
Virden’s Tanner Lewis received a 20-year-old award for his season with the Winkler Flyers junior hockey squad. Shaelyn Langlois of Virden was named the MVP of the Assiniboine Community College women’s soccer team. Close to home, Virden’s Tyler Kirkup earned the Top Defensive Player and Most Sportsmanlike awards for his hometown Oil Capitals junior team.
Oak Lake’s Heidi Smith received the Lakers Pride Award for women’s basketball at Nipissing University in North Bay, Ont. Fellow Oak Lake product Brandon Masson earned the Flin Flon Bombers hockey team’s Diane Krokosz Memorial Award for the most dedicated player.
Elkhorn’s Layne Toder was named the Portage Terrier’s Rookie of the Year. In his 16-year-old season, the defenceman had 11 goals and 28 points. Another Elkhorn player, Josh Martin, a 20-year-old received a veterans award from the Terriers for his season with the team. As earlier announced, he was also the Manitoba Junior Hockey League Playoff MVP.
