Who’s the Everett Silvertips’ Most Valuable Player?
It’s been another hugely successful season for Everett. With three games remaining in the regular season the Tips are 46-15-2-2, have already claimed their third straight U.S. Division championship, and are battling with Vancouver for the first-overall seed in the Western Conference. All this despite the loss of all-everything goaltender Carter Hart, No. 1 defenseman Kevin Davis and top-scorers Patrick Bajkov, Matt Fonteyne and Garrett Pilon off last season’s team.
Everett concludes the regular season at home Saturday night against Victoria, and following the game the Tips will hold their year-end awards ceremony, at which point they’ll announce their MVP. I’m curious who you think is deserving of the honor.
Here’s the leading candidates, as I see it:
Connor Dewar
Everett’s captain and leading scorer pretty much does it all for the Tips. In 57 games Dewar compiled 35 goals and 43 assists for a team-leading 78 points. He plays in all situations, and this season he’s even stepped in at center from his usual spot on the left wing, helping fill what’s been a void, particularly with Riley Sutter missing most of the second half of the season because of injury.
Bryce Kindopp
Kindopp’s goal scoring has been a godsend for a team that has a limited number of goal-scoring options. He leads the team in goals with 38 through 65 games, and with 33 assists added on he’s second om the team in scoring with 71 points. He’s been particularly productive in the second half of the season with Sutter out, and he always seems to score big goals as he’s first on the team with 10 game winners.
Dustin Wolf
The big question entering the season was how well Wolf would step into Hart’s shoes, and all he’s done is put up a Carter Hart-type season. The 17-year-old, in his first season as a WHL starter, is in the midst of a triple-crown season as he leads the league in wins (41), goals against average (1.68) and save percentage (.936) as Everett once again has elite netminding to serve as a foundation.
There are others who deserve consideration. The biggest strength of the team is its defense, which is so deep and experienced that it’s the main reason why Everett has allowed the fewest goals in the league. The problem is picking out one member of the defense who stands out above the rest. If there’s one player to pick it’s probably Wyatte Wylie (11 goals, 35 assists in 65 games), but Jake Christiansen’s numbers are almost identical (12 goals, 31 assists in 64 games), just as they have been for consecutive seasons.
So which player gets your MVP vote? Have your say here, and if you choose “other,” let us know who in the comments section:
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