The Innovex Estevan Bears have announced their team award winners for the 2025-26 regular season.
* All Photos: Wanda Harron Photography
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Co-Winners: Gunner Moore & Dylan Brass
The two graduating forwards share MVP honours for the Bears as two of the key drivers offensively for the team.
Moore led the team in scoring, took important faceoffs on his strong side, played and produced on both special teams units, served as the Bears’ captain, and tallied at least a point in 40 of 44 games played.
Meanwhile, Brass served as the key offensive play-driver for the Bears in their midseason turnaround. Brass tallied 31 points in the team’s 17 games played in 2026, controlled the puck with speed and vision nearly every shift, and his aggressive forechecking creates turnovers and scoring chances for his teammates multiple times each game.
DEFENCEMAN OF THE YEAR
Winner: Kayson Anderson
The second-year defenceman took huge steps forward for the Bears, becoming the leader on one of the deepest bluelines in the league. Anderson quarterbacked the top powerplay unit, played in all situations, and tallied 40 points in 43 games which set a new team record for points by a defenceman in one season. Anderson is physical, but also absorbs forecheckers very well which leads to clears in the defensive zone and outlet passes to spring forwards on offence. Anderson averaged 26:50 minutes/game, leading the team in that category.
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
Winner: Boston Schmidt
The graduating forward takes home this award after his monumental leap in production from his second season to his third season. This year, Schmidt tallied 69 points including a team-leading 36 goals in 44 games. Those marks shattered his previous season totals of 18 points and 10 goals in 31 games. Schmidt had three hat-tricks this seasons, but arguably his best performance came in the Bears’ 7-4 win over Regina on January 7th where Schmidt led the way with 5 points (2G,3A).
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Winner: Rhett Amberson
In his first season at the U18 AAA level, Amberson developed into a near point-per-game player and is eligible to return to the Bears next season. Amberson tallied 41 points (16G,25A) in 44 games and became the go-to-guy on the team’s second powerplay unit as the season developed.
HARDEST WORKING PLAYER
Winner: Simon Preston
The graduating blueliner for the Bears became the shutdown defenceman in his second and final season for the team. Preston is often matched against the opposing top scorers and is one of the Bears’ primary penalty killers. Preston is more than capable offensively and scored 4 goals with 19 points, while regularly dishing out punishing hits and aggressively closing space on threatening forwards. Preston also earned the award with his off-ice leadership.
SCHOLASTIC AWARD
Winner: William Nicholson
The graduating forward earned the team’s Scholastic Award for his commitment and excellence to his schoolwork while balancing the AAA hockey schedule. In his first semester of Grade 12 across four classes, Nicholson finished with an 93.95 average.
