On Wednesday, March 4, the Manitoba Junior Hockey League announced the winners of its annual awards. Among those winners, the Niverville Nighthawks are strongly represented in multiple major categories.
Muzz MacPherson Award. Head coach Dwight Hirst was named the league’s coach of the year. Hirst has guided the Nighthawks to their best record in franchise history, with the team sitting atop the MJHL standings with a 47–6–1 record, just four games remaining in the regular season. Since taking over behind the bench on February 12, 2024, Hirst has led Niverville to an outstanding 89–32–3–2 record.
Frank McKinnon Memorial Award. Merik Boles captured this award, given to the player who most exemplifies both ability and sportsmanship.
Boles, a 21-year-old from Lorette, recently committed to playing for the University of Regina Cougars next season. He’s enjoying a career year and is the only Nighthawk to have played in all 54 games this season. He sits second on the team in scoring with 69 points.
What makes his season even more impressive is his discipline. Boles has spent just four minutes in the penalty box all year while playing in every situation.
Ed Belfour Award. Austin Dubinsky was named the top goaltender of the MJHL, having played a dominant season between the pipes.
The 20-year-old from Ardrossan, Alberta, leads the MJHL in wins (32), ranks second in save percentage (.931), just behind teammate Ben Chornomydz, and sits third in goals-against average (2.19). He also ranks second in the league in minutes played (2,215).
In two seasons with Niverville, Dubinsky has compiled an impressive 54–14–0 regular season record.
Steve “Boomer” Hawrysh Award. The most valuable player award went to Niklas Gudmundson of the Winkler Flyers, although Hayden Wheddon was named a finalist.
Wheddon leads the MJHL in scoring with 87 points, including 35 goals. His 58-point improvement from last year has been a major reason for the Nighthawks finishing atop the standings.
All-Star Honours. In addition to the individual award nominations, the MJHL also announced its first and second-team all-stars and rookie all-stars.
Wheddon and Dubinsky are both first team all-stars. Captain Adam Vigfusson made the second team. Jaden Mah was named a rookie all-star.
With finalists across coaching, scoring, goaltending, and sportsmanship categories, the Nighthawks have firmly established themselves as one of the MJHL’s premier teams this season and will look to carry that momentum into the playoffs.