Warriors' Brayden Yager named Canadian Hockey League's top rookie

Brayden Yager celebrates a goal during the Moose Jaw Warrior's 4-3 win over the Medicine Hat Tigers on Oct. 29, 2021. (Nick Pettigrew/Moose Jaw Warriors)

Brayden Yager has been awarded Rookie of the Year by the Canadian Hockey League, the national body representing Canada’s major junior hockey leagues.

Born in 2005, Yager is the first player in Warriors franchise history to win the award. He was named the recipient as part of Memorial Cup week on Tuesday.

“This a great accomplishment for Brayden and the Warriors organization,” Warriors general manager Jason Ripplinger said in a news release. “From the time he came into the WHL, he was a highly-touted prospect and with his development, he’s become a well-rounded, high skill player.”

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In the 2021-22 season, Yager finished third among WHL rookies with 34 goals in a campaign that saw him net a new franchise record for goals in a 16-year-old season. He also racked up 25 assists for a total of 59 points on the season. His offensive efforts also earned him the Western Hockey League’s Rookie of the Year nod at the start of June.

Yager will be back on the ice in July for Canada’s under-18 selection camp.