Copperheads celebrate season with player awards

Posted on May 2, 2024 by Sunny South News

By Garrett Simmons
For the News

Earlier this month, the Coaldale Copperheads officially closed the books on the team’s 17th completed Heritage Junior Hockey League season.

The team handed out its awards for the 2023/2024 season, which resulted in a third-place showing in the South Division thanks to a 24-12-2 record. Coaldale’s 50 points was actually good for fourth overall in the entire league, better than every North Division team, except for first-place Sylvan Lake. Okotoks (69) and Medicine Hat (53) were the only teams in the South to record more points.

A strong regular season didn’t translate into playoff success, as Coaldale drew a tough Medicine Hat Cubs team in Round 2 of the playoffs. The Copperheads were defeated in overtime in both game one and game two, before the Cubs put the series away in game three.

Overall, Caden Heins led the team with 47 points in his 37 games played, on 17 goals and 30 assists. Nathan Verloop and Griffin McCulloch both recorded 38 points, while Peyton Twigg (35) and Brogan Booth (33) rounded out the top five scorers.

Kaiden Fulton was the team’s top goaltender in the regular season, as he played to a .898 save percentage and an 11-6-1 record in 18 appearances.

Coaldale’s year-end awards, as selected by the coaching staff, included Top Scorer Caden Heins, Best Defensemen Bill Houenagnon, Most Improved Brinley Degenstein, Rookie of the Year Kobe Fujita and Morgan Simpson Defensive Forward Koden Lazar.

The Hardest Worker + Most Valuable Player was handed out to Brogan Booth.