The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) recently announced that Cochranite and Lethbridge Hurricanes captain Tyler Wong was named CHL Player of the Week for the week ending Feb. 28, after he recorded 10 points in three games.
The 20-year-old forward is playing in his fourth Western Hockey League (WHL) season, and is having a career-best year, having recorded 83 points (38 goals, 45 assists) in 67 games this season.
“It’s a pretty cool achievement,” Wong said. “We didn’t have the best week as a team losing to St. Albert, but from a personal standpoint my line played well, so it was nice.”
The award comes as icing on the cake to Wong who is playing in his first WHL post-season. In just two years, the Hurricanes have gone from putting up one of the worst seasons in the franchise’s history to having a shot at being a WHL team that could win the Eastern Conference. It’s a turnaround Wong credits to the coaching staff. “Our head coach Brent Kisio and general manager Peter Anholt have brought a lot of stability to our team this year,” he said. “They both really know the kind of environment and culture you need in a dressing room to go and win.”
How proud is Wong going forward as captain of a team with a real shot at glory this season?
“I’m not sure proud is the right word,” he said. “I’m more excited and humbled to have this opportunity. Our goal going into the season was to make the playoffs, now it’s changed to winning the Memorial Cup. It’s going to be a learning experience and hopefully we can make some noise.”
