Calgary, Alta.—The Western Hockey League has announced the 2024-25 Conference nominees for the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy.
The distinguished award is presented annually to the league’s Rookie of the Year.
Recent winners include reigning NHL Rookie of the Year Connor Bedard (Regina Pats), Utah Hockey Club forward Dylan Guenther (Edmonton Oil Kings/Seattle Thunderbirds) and Ottawa Senators forward Dylan Cozens (Lethbridge Hurricanes).
WHL General Managers vote on the league’s major awards. This represents a return to the Conference awards format, rather than divisional, for the first time since 2019-20.
Winners of the 2025 WHL Awards will be announced from Tuesday, April 22, through Wednesday, May 7, 2025.
WHL Humanitarian of the Year Nominees
Eastern Conference- Daxon Rudolph (Lacombe, Alta.) – Prince Albert Raiders
Eastern Conference- Lukas Sawchyn (Grande Prairie, Alta.) – Edmonton Oil Kings
Eastern Conference- Cooper Williams (Calgary, Alta.) – Saskatoon Blades
Western Conference- Landon DuPont (Calgary, Alta.) – Everett Silvertips
Western Conference- Ryan Lin (Richmond, B.C.) – Vancouver Giants
Western Conference- Keaton Verhoeff (Fort Saskatchewan, Alta.) – Victoria Royals
WHL Rookie of the Year Biographies
Daxon Rudolph (Prince Albert Raiders)
The 17-year-old from Lacombe, Alta. made a splash in his inaugural WHL season with seven goals and 34 assists for 41 points in 64 games with the Raiders.
Rudolph, the first overall pick in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft, finished fourth in points among rookie defencemen and fifth among all rookies in assists.
The 6-foot-1, 195-pound rearguard went on an astonishing 12-game point streak that saw him net two goals and 13 assists from January 1, 2025, to January 26, 2025.
Rudolph potted a career-best five points (1G-4A) in a key win over Moose Jaw on February 17, 2025 and another game-winner against the Warriors in the final week of the regular season to help the Raiders clinch the East Division title.
In November, he helped Canada White win gold at the 2024 U17 World Challenge in Sarnia, Ont.
Rudolph was named WHL Rookie of the Month for January in addition to one weekly award win in late February.
He’s eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft.
Lukas Sawchyn (Edmonton Oil Kings)
2025 NHL Draft-eligible Lukas Sawchyn made an immediate impact in his first Western Hockey League campaign with 15 goals and 40 assists for 55 points in 66 games with the Edmonton Oil Kings.
Sawchyn finished third on the team in points and second in assists, trailing only his older brother, Florida Panthers prospect Gracyn Sawchyn.
The 18-year-old from Grande Prairie, Alta. ranks fifth in scoring among all WHL rookies, third in assists and 11th in goals. He also went on a 10-game point streak to pile up six goals and eight assists from January 3, 2025, to January 24, 2025.
Seattle originally selected the 5-foot-10, 174-pound winger with the sixth overall pick in the 2022 U.S. Priority Draft after Sawchyn put up 85 points in 52 games with the Shattuck St. Mary’s 14U AAA program in 2021-22. Edmonton acquired his rights in 2024 as part of the trade that brought Gracyn north of the border.
Sawchyn is ranked 119th among all North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting in the agency’s midterm rankings.
Cooper Williams (Saskatoon Blades)
Seventeen-year-old Cooper Williams gave the Saskatoon Blades an offensive jolt in his first season in Toon Town.
The Calgary, Alta. product earned his first WHL point with an assist on Saskatoon’s season opening goal and lit the lamp for the first time one night later.
Williams placed second on the Blades in points with 57 (21G-36A) and ranks second in scoring among all WHL rookies. He’s one of seven first-year players to surpass 20 goals, tying for fifth-most while sitting fourth in assists. Williams finished fourth in rookie faceoff wins with 336 wins at the dot.
The 6-foot, 150-pound forward also opened the scoring a team-high five times.
Saskatoon selected Williams with the 41st overall pick in the second round of the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft.
Williams was named WHL Rookie of the Month for March in addition to weekly award wins in October and March.
He’s eligible for the NHL Draft in 2026.
Landon DuPont (Everett Silvertips)
Landon DuPont already made league history before stepping onto the ice for the first time.
The Calgary, Alta. product is the first defenceman and second player in WHL history to be granted exceptional status to compete in the league full-time as a 15-year-old, though you wouldn’t guess his age from watching him play.
DuPont paced all WHL rookies with 60 points (17G-43A) in 64 games. His 17 goals tied for ninth, his 43 assists came in second, and his +31 rating was good for third.
With an assist against the Kamloops Blazers on February 2, 2025, DuPont became the first defenceman aged 16 or younger to hit the 50-point marker in their first season since Hockey Hall of Famer and, funnily enough, Blazers legend Scott Niedermayer in 1989-90.
DuPont ranks ninth in goals and second in assists among first-year players, but also stood among the top blueliners in the league. The 5-foot-11, 179-pound defender finished eighth in points among all defencemen and tied Anaheim Ducks prospect as the top-scoring defencemen on Silvertips.
The impressive run helped Everett clinch the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as 2024-25 regular season champions.
Across the entire CHL, DuPont’s 60 points led all rookie defencemen and tied for second among all rookie skaters, trailing only 19-year-old Shawinigan Cataractes forward Matvei Gridin (79PTS).
He also racked up four assists in four games en route to a silver medal with Canada Red in November’s U17 World Hockey Challenge.
Everett selected DuPont first overall in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft.
DuPont was named WHL Rookie of the Month for September/October and December while picking up weekly wins in September and February.
He’s eligible for the 2027 NHL Draft.
Ryan Lin (Vancouver Giants)
Sixteen-year-old Ryan Lin dished up piles of assists in his inaugural WHL campaign.
The Vancouver Giants rearguard bagged five goals and 48 assists for 53 points in 60 games, sitting sixth on the team in points and second in helpers.
Lin joined DuPont as the second defender in 35 years to surpass 50 points in their rookie season on March 9, 2025. He also set a Giants franchise record for points by a rookie defenceman.
The Richmond, B.C. product led all WHL first-years in assists and clocked in at fifth in points.
He closed the regular season on a seven-game assist streak.
Lin also registered a goal and an assist to help Canada White claim gold at the 2024 World U17 Challenge, along with fellow nominees Rudolph and Keaton Verhoeff.
Vancouver drafted the local product with the sixth overall pick in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft. The 5-foot-11, 171-pound defenceman appeared in one regular-season game and three playoff matches in the 2023-24 season before making the full-time jump this year.
Lin was named WHL Rookie of the Week in late January and is eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft.
Keaton Verhoeff (Victoria Royals)
Six-foot-4, 212-pound blueliner Keaton Verhoeff made Royals history in his first campaign on Vancouver Island.
His 21 goals (including four game-winners) saw the 16-year-old set a franchise record for single-season goals by a defenceman.
Verhoeff tied for second in goals among all WHL defencemen and was one of only five defenders to break the 20-goal mark.
He tied for fifth in goals when up against all rookies and finished eighth in points and 11th in assists.
Verhoeff went on a 10-game point streak (2G-10A) from December 28, 2024, to January 17, 2025.
His efforts helped Victoria clinch its second-ever B.C. Division title.
He tallied a goal and four assists- including a helper on the gold medal-winning goal- at the 2024 World U17 Challenge and tied for the most points by a defenceman at the tournament.
Verhoeff was named WHL Rookie of the Week on three occasions in 2024-25.
Victoria selected the Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. product with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 WHL Prospects draft.
He’s eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft.
About the Western Hockey League
Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) 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.
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