The Western Hockey League has announced the 2023-24 Division nominees for the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy.
The award is presented annually to the WHL Player of the Year.
Recent winners include Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard (Regina), Dallas Stars forward Logan Stankoven (Kamloops) and Buffalo Sabres forward Peyton Krebs (Winnipeg).
All WHL Division Award winners are eligible for the overall WHL Awards, which will be announced from Wednesday, May 1 through Thursday, May 9.
The Four Broncos Memorial Trophy winner will be revealed on Thursday, May 9.
WHL Player of the Year Nominees
B.C. Division – Zac Funk (Coldstream, B.C.) – Prince George Cougars
Central Division – Conor Geekie (Stratchlair, Man.) – Swift Current Broncos
East Division – Jagger Firkus (Irma, Alta.) – Moose Jaw Warriors
U.S. Division – Berkly Catton (Saskatoon, Sask.) – Spokane Chiefs
WHL Player of the Year Biographies
Zac Funk (Prince George Cougars)
With an unrivaled nose for the net, Prince George Cougars alternate captain Zac Funk is the WHL B.C. Division Player of the Year.
In his first full season in the Northern Capital, Funk exploded for an astonishing 67 goals to go along with a career-best 56 assists, 123 points a league-leading +56 rating.
His 67 goals were the most of any skater in the WHL or Canadian Hockey League.
Funk also led the WHL with 31 powerplay goals and was one of only two players nationwide to eclipse 120 points.
The WHL B.C. Division First Team All-Star finished the regular season on a 14-game point streak that saw him record 16 goals and 17 assists, helping Prince George complete the winningest season in the team’s history.
Funk recorded a league-high eight hat tricks throughout the campaign, earning the undrafted winger a contract with the Washington Capitals.
The Coldstream, B.C. product was originally selected by Calgary in the second round, 43rd overall, in the 2018 WHL Prospects Draft.
The 6-foot, 210-pound forward closes out his WHL career with 119 goals and 108 assists for 227 points in 228 games.
Conor Geekie (Swift Current Broncos)
Swift Current Broncos star Conor Geekie is the WHL Central Division Player of the Year.
The crafty Arizona Coyotes prospect dominated from the start of the season with Wenatchee and didn’t miss a beat after being traded to Swift Current in a blockbuster deal in January.
Geekie netted 43 goals (20 with the Wild, 23 with the Broncos) and 56 assists for 99 points in 55 games.
His +51 rating ranked first in the WHL and his 1.80 points per game was fourth, helping him earn a spot on the WHL Central Division First All-Star team.
The 6-foot-4, 197-pound centre led the Broncos to clinch the Central Division title and clinch a playoff berth for the first time since the team’s WHL Championship win in 2018.
Geekie was also named to Team Canada for the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, where he had two goals and an assist in five games.
The Strathclair, Man. product was selected by the Arizona Coyotes in the first round, 11th overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.
Geekie played two NHL preseason games with the Coyotes, adding a goal and assist against the St. Louis Blues before returning to the WHL.
Jagger Firkus (Moose Jaw Warriors)
2024 Bob Clarke Trophy winner Jagger Firkus is the WHL East Division Player of the Year.
Dubbed the ringmaster of the ‘Firkus Circus’, the Warriors alternate captain led all WHL skaters and captured the CHL scoring title with an astounding 126 points.
Firkus put up a career-best 61 goals and 65 assists in 63 games, earning WHL East Division First Team All-Star honours for the first time.
The Seattle Kraken prospect also tied for second in the league with 10 game-winning goals.
The 5-foot-11, 160-pound centre had more games where he scored a hat trick (six) than games where he was held off the scoresheet (four) in 2023-24.
Firkus stockpiled a trove of points as he embarked on the league’s most impressive scoring streak this season, tallying 19 goals and 32 assists for 51 points in 26 straight games from November 25, 2023, to February 17, 2024.
The 19-year-old has a total of 144 goals and 166 helpers for 310 points in 230 career games with the Warriors since being selected in the fourth round, 82nd overall, in the 2019 WHL Prospects Draft.
The Seattle Kraken would draft Firkus in the second round, 35th overall, in 2022, signing him to a three-year, entry-level contract one year later.
Berkly Catton (Spokane Chiefs)
Top 2024 NHL Draft Prospect Berkly Catton is the WHL U.S. Division Player of the Year.
The former WHL Prospects Draft first-overall pick racked up a career-best 54 goals and 62 assists for 116 points in 68 games.
Catton led the league with seven shorthanded markers and was one of three WHL players to surpass 110 points and one of five who scored 50 goals or more.
The Saskatoon, Sask. product also recorded two 10-game-or-more point streaks, scoring 12 goals and 17 assists for 29 points in 13 games from December 2, 2023, to January 9, 2024, and adding 15 goals and 13 assists for 28 points in 14 games from February 4, 2024, to March 5, 2024.
Catton is ranked ninth among North American Skaters by NHL Central Scouting ahead of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft in June. He was also invited to take part in the 2024 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in January.
The 18-year-old already is averaging well over a point per game in his WHL career, putting up 78 goals and 98 assists for 175 points in 140 games with Spokane.
