Former Portland Winterhawks Captain Clay Hanus has continued to pile up the hardware as the Mount Royal Cougars’ historic 2024-25 season comes to a close.
Hanus has been named the 2024-25 Canada West/WHL Top Performer after an MVP season that saw the Cougars reach the Canada West Finals and compete at the U SPORTS national championship for the first time in program history.
The Excelsior, Minn. product led all skaters in Canada West with 43 points (12G-31A) in 28 games, helping the Cougars clinch the West Division with a 22-6 record.
Hanus captured the Mervyn ‘Red’ Dutton Trophy as CW Top Defenceman for a second-straight year, the Dave ‘Sweeney’ Schriner Scoring Trophy as the CW Top Scorer and, at the national level, the Senator Joseph A. Sullivan Trophy award for U SPORTS Most Outstanding Player and U SPORTS Top Defenceman.
In the Canada West playoffs, Hanus continued to make a mark with his two-way play and scored in overtime to force Game 3 against the eventual champion Saskatchewan Huskies.
The second-place conference finish helped the Cougars clinch a berth in the University Cup for the first time, where Hanus shined brighter than ever.
The 5-foot-11, 176-pound defender netted a goal and three assists in a heartwrenching 5OT quarterfinal loss to Toronto Metropolitan University that set a new record for the longest U SPORTS men’s hockey game.
Hanus is the third consecutive Mount Royal skater to be crowned U SPORTS Player of the Year, following Connor Bouchard (Tri-City Americans ‘A’) and Nolan Yaremko (Tri-City Americans ‘C’).
The third-year business student joined the Cougars after spending five seasons with the Portland Winterhawks.
Hanus stacked up 37 goals and 105 assists for 142 points over 257 games with the Winterhawks and was named Captain in 2021-22.
For each season played in the WHL, a player is awarded a one-year post-secondary scholarship, which includes tuition, compulsory fees, and required textbooks.
In partnership with Canada West universities, numerous WHL Scholarship recipients each year are also awarded additional financial assistance from their university to receive Western Canada’s Premier Hockey Scholarship.
The WHL has awarded nearly 8,000 scholarships to graduate players since 1993.
The WHL is the leading supplier of hockey scholarships in Western Canada and offers one of the most comprehensive scholarships in North America.
WHL Grad of the Month & Top Performer Awards
The WHL Grad of the Month and Top Performer awards are part of a partnership between the WHL and Canada West. CW coaches vote to select the recipients of each award. All nominees must have played at least one full season in the WHL and be in good standing in Canada West.
About the Western Hockey League
Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL offers a world-class player experience featuring three key cornerstones: hockey development, education, and a safe and positive environment for all participants. A diverse and inclusive organization, the WHL consists of 22 member Clubs with 16 located in Western Canada and six in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for close to 60 years. The WHL is also a leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 375 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.
About Canada West
As the leading university athletic conference in the country, Canada West is home to student-athletes who excel in the classroom and their communities. The conference is comprised of 17 member institutions spanning from Victoria to Winnipeg, with over 3,200 student-athletes competing across 14 sports. Canada West’s mission is to train leaders and build champions by providing leadership in the delivery, regulation, and promotion of university-level high-performance sports programs throughout Western Canada.
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